Fitbit a piece of crap

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111YoYo111
111YoYo111 Posts: 213 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
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?
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Replies

  • watchhillgirl
    watchhillgirl Posts: 597 Member
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    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
    KellyM0102 Posts: 5 Member
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    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
    iflyskyhigh Posts: 1 Member
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    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
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    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
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,339 Member
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    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
    tiny_clanger Posts: 301 Member
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    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
    butterfli7o Posts: 1,319 Member
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    A lot of people here love theirs. I would say you got a dud.
  • ColoradoChlo
    ColoradoChlo Posts: 517 Member
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    I've had mine for two years now and never encountered a problem...
  • bellaa_x0
    bellaa_x0 Posts: 1,062 Member
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    i love my FitBit and have had nothing but good experiences with their customer service... you should reach out to them!
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,339 Member
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    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
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    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
    unsuspectingfish Posts: 1,176 Member
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    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
    Wophie Posts: 126 Member
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    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
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    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
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
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    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
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    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
    ChrisRShaw Posts: 23 Member
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    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
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    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
    deluxmary2000 Posts: 981 Member
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    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
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    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.

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