Fitbit a piece of crap

111YoYo111

Has anyone else been suckered into buying one of these piece's of junk? I sat on my butt all day saturday reading a book and it suddenly buzzed to tell me I'd hit my 10,000 step goal! Though when I go to the gym for an hour I am credited with a whopping 4 active minutes. Of course they are ignoring my e-mails.

Has anyone bought a different one that actually works or is this as foolish as diet pills?

watchhillgirl

Mine works great and I love it! Are you wearing it on your non dominant arm? What are you doing at the gym? Sometimes I have to click on the app where it says active minutes, then it brings me to another screen. When you go back it is correct.
I was having a problem with the charger. I contacted customer service and they sent a new one out free of charge. I received it in the mail today! I have had mine about 4 months and wear it everyday. I have the fitbit flex.

KellyM0102

I love my Fitbit - agreed with other user that you sometimes have to click on the active minutes tab for it to show up in the log. Not too mention Fitbit, like MFP and countless other apps, are having to play catch up for iOS 8 (if you're using it with an Apple device).I've noticed some sluggishness since the update, but am patiently awaiting fixes which will no doubt come. I also had to contact Fitbit with a question and they responded in about 48 hours. Maybe they're slow responding to you because they are busy with the iOS 8 issues.
Some tips:
Check your setting (dominant v. non-dominant)
Exercises that are not step-based are best recorded manually - they will count toward your Active Minutes, but not your steps
Consider changing your goal to one that fits your exercise better - mine is set to Calories Burned

iflyskyhigh

I will never buy another fitbit product. If you decided to buy one just know that it's a disposable product, and an expsensive one at that. I bought 2 Charge HR's in July 2015 for myself and my wife. My first one went **ahem** up 6 months after I got. They replaced it with a "refurb" one. Then mine failed again right before the year was up. Again they replaced it...with a refurb unit. Two months ago the band on my wife's device started falling apart. Then yesterday hers went AWOL completely. It does that thing where it displays what looks like a "progess bar" and is totally forzen. Just got of the phone with some dude in India I assume (English was a struggle), who told me the best they could do was offer me a %15 discount off a new one. Oh, you mean I can give you more money for a **ahem** product that will not last 2 years? Sign me up! That's sarcasm. No thanks. I'll spend my hard earned money elsewhere. I guess I'm just lucky mine failed within the year. They do what they are supposed to...when they work...but it's just too much money for something so fragile. We didn't wear them in the shower or the pool. We were not out doing extreme sports. Just every day wear and moderate normal exercise. So, if you are going to wear it everyday, sleep in it, and use it while you exercise...look elsewhere becasue it will NOT last. Promise. I will now proceed to MF fitbit and their crappy overpriced products to anyone I can find that will listen.

WinoGelato

I have been very happy with the two FitBit's I have had, and many people report having overwhelmingly positive experiences with FitBit customer service.

It sounds like you got a defective one, and I would continue to try to contact FitBit to express concerns/get a replacement.

JustMissTracy

LOL. Sounds like a rough experience, such a shame! I LOVE mine. I've had huge results, and would never go without now.

Contact Fitbit customer service, they will help!

tiny_clanger

I've had no problems with mine. Ooh, except I killed my first one after 18 months running in a very heavy rainstorm, but that was fair enough (my headphones died too!) My current one has been going strong for a good long while.

I prefer the Zip which clips onto the centre of the body - bra strap, etc. I think it gives a more reliable step count than the bands, it's also a bit less obtrusive.

butterfli7o

A lot of people here love theirs. I would say you got a dud.

ColoradoChlo

I've had mine for two years now and never encountered a problem...

bellaa_x0

i love my FitBit and have had nothing but good experiences with their customer service... you should reach out to them!

JustMissTracy

bellaa_x0 wrote: »

i love my FitBit and have had nothing but good experiences with their customer service... you should reach out to them!

This exactly..don't email them, CALL them..you'll get someone on the line, they'll walk you thru, or they'll replace the one you have xo

TeaBea

butterfli7o wrote: »

A lot of people here love theirs. I would say you got a dud.

This^

OR a wrist model isn't right for your lifestyle. I wear a clip on.....doesn't count wrist movements as steps.

unsuspectingfish

Sometimes, you just get a dud. For example, I got a brand new iPod for graduation in 2008, dropped it from a few inches up onto the ground a few days later, and it completely died. The replacement they gave me is still working. That being said, it's pretty much just a really fancy pedometer, which is why it may not log non-walking activities 100% correctly. That's why I bought mine on eBay for about 10% of the regular price. As for logging none active periods as steps, I seem to recall reading something once about changing the sensitivity???

Wophie

It sounds like you got a dud. I have had mine since April last year. I did have to get it replaced in October due to the rubber coming away from the band, but that was more of a cosmetic issue and to be honest, my fiance uses that one now I have a replacement!
If you have no luck emailing them, go on their website to the contact us bit, and log a ticket through there. I find that sometimes companies respond quicker to queries logged that way (something to do with their SLA's I guess).

Good luck I hope you get a replacement, because for myself and many others here we wouldn't have made the progress we have without it.

cheryldumais

I have a Garmin Vivofit2. I hear it was rated very high and I've had mine for a year with no problems and the same battery. (the battery is replaceable not rechargable). I love mine.

MelissaPhippsFeagins

If you move your arm quickly enough, yes, it counts as steps. When I am sitting on my glutes reading, I take the opportunity to take the Fitbit off and charge it. I don't have a dominant hand so I know that sometimes I get step credit folding laundry. I live with it. I'm standing up working when I fold laundry so no big deal to me. Since mine doesn't have a HR function, I don't get active minutes at the gym. Hubby's does and he gets active minutes. I'm a big girl, I can live with. I lift for strength, I run or walk for cardio. I need to go horseback riding soon to see if a good canter counts as steps. Just for curiosity.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

Both mine and my husbands charge HR dropped to bits with in a year. They replaced them free around 3 months ago and mine is starting to go again already.

I would never buy one again. Garmin for me next time.

ChrisRShaw

I have been using various FitBit products for the past few years, every time I had an issue they have replaced my unit for free without much hassle. The band on my last charge fell apart but it had lasted a long time and I really wanted to move up to the Charge 2 anyway :-). Love the new Charge 2. I did move it to my non dominate arm a while back to not count arm movements too much.

Ready2Rock206

Bummer. Mine works great. Only time I have a problem with steps while sitting is when playing catch with the dog. I've learned I need to either remove it or use my other hand.

deluxmary2000

My old Flex, and my new Alta both work perfectly. And they are withing +/-1.1% of my ACTUAL steps. Because I'm a huge nerd and actually counted a couple times. lol

jdhcm2006

I've had my Charge HR going on 2 years now, and it's okay. It does what it's supposed to do. Do I absolutely love it, no. Do I hate it, no. Would I repurchase? Probably not. I can lose weight just fine without it, and I don't really view it as motivation any more.

amusedmonkey

Mine works perfectly. I rely on it heavily for calories and it never disappointed me. Looks like you got a faulty one. It's a good device if you know what to expect. It won't count all kinds of exercise as active minutes (they are very specific about what counts and what smart activity recognizes) and some hand movements can count as steps, so if you do activities where you move your hands often just put it in your pocket temporarily, it would still count steps but not hand movements.

amusedmonkey

Cutaway_Collar wrote: »

111YoYo111 wrote: »

Has anyone else been suckered into buying one of these piece's of junk? I sat on my butt all day saturday reading a book and it suddenly buzzed to tell me I'd hit my 10,000 step goal! Though when I go to the gym for an hour I am credited with a whopping 4 active minutes. Of course they are ignoring my e-mails.

Has anyone bought a different one that actually works or is this as foolish as diet pills?

Of course it's a piece of crap.

It's a fad like the things from the past decades which died away.

A pretty useful fad
Fads aren't all bad if you understand what you are paying for and believe what it offers to be worth the money. When this fad dies out, I'm sure there will be something to replace it plus more new useful fads (A device that automatically and accurately counts calories in any food, anyone?)

NorthCascades

With corporate insurance plans offering discounted premiums to people who show a history of walking every day, step counters aren't going anywhere. The hardware and software required have got so cheap that step counters are being built into things like smart phones and GPS watches, not just Fitbits.

not_a_runner

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Cutaway_Collar wrote: »

111YoYo111 wrote: »

Has anyone else been suckered into buying one of these piece's of junk? I sat on my butt all day saturday reading a book and it suddenly buzzed to tell me I'd hit my 10,000 step goal! Though when I go to the gym for an hour I am credited with a whopping 4 active minutes. Of course they are ignoring my e-mails.

Has anyone bought a different one that actually works or is this as foolish as diet pills?

Of course it's a piece of crap.

It's a fad like the things from the past decades which died away.

A pretty useful fad
Fads aren't all bad if you understand what you are paying for and believe what it offers to be worth the money. When this fad dies out, I'm sure there will be something to replace it plus more new useful fads (A device that automatically and accurately counts calories in any food, anyone?)

^ Basically my thoughts. There will always be glitches with technology. (Seems lucky to have a smartphone that will last a year.)
I've had several different models of fitbits. I had the One for several years, it still works but I decided to try out a wrist model. (I had a Fitbit before having a Fitbit was "cool".)
I've since realized I am extremely hard on things worn on the wrist, and that's not fitbits fault. It does what I expected 99% of the time. I consider their prices pretty reasonable compared to similar products.

Unknown

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MeanderingMammal

111YoYo111 wrote: »

...reading a book and it suddenly buzzed to tell me I'd hit my 10,000 step goal

If it's not a defective unit I hate to imagine how much damage you're doing to the book whipping the pages hard enough to register

CTcutie

I have used 5 different models (over lots of years), and have never had problems like OP's.
The button broke on my Charge HR last year. When it happened to the replacement, they gave me a credit (they wouldn't replace a replacement, apparently, even under warranty).

CTcutie

Cutaway_Collar wrote: »

111YoYo111 wrote: »

Has anyone else been suckered into buying one of these piece's of junk? I sat on my butt all day saturday reading a book and it suddenly buzzed to tell me I'd hit my 10,000 step goal! Though when I go to the gym for an hour I am credited with a whopping 4 active minutes. Of course they are ignoring my e-mails.

Has anyone bought a different one that actually works or is this as foolish as diet pills?

Of course it's a piece of crap.

It's a fad like the things from the past decades which died away.

The first pedometer was made in 1780, so says Wiki, FWIW.

sllm1

I've been using them for years and love the functionality. I've had a few issues with batteries and bands, but overall, I'm pleased with the information it provides.

cerise_noir

LOL

My charge HR works perfectly and has done so for over a year. I've set it up for my dominant arm even though I wear it on my non dominant and I delete driving steps. No biggie.