I am here to GRIPE and COMPLAIN!
 

And then buy again anyway. Sigh.

I have probably owned 10 fitbits in my lifetime. I'd say in the last 16 years.

WHY do they self-destruct at about a year? Every. Single. One?
And why am I shopping to replace it AGAIN??

If you're thinking " why does she say they only last a year uf she's had 10 in 16 years? That's over a year each! --but my friends, I have had long fitbitless stretches in my life. Yes, I can actually survive without knowing how many steps I took in a day, how long I slept, etc.

However, I do love my Aria scale and the weight tracking function, and I like seeing my heart rate at a glance.....

susan - sorry for your experiences with fitbit.

DH bought me a fitbit charge in 2016. i didn't try to open it until maybe 2017. i was confused about getting my account set up, so i gave up and put it on the side. fast forward to 2020 - i finally decided to set it up, and it's been smooth sailing since then.

i want to shout out to the FitBit check-in gang (Sissy B!!!) for helping me troubleshoot my issues!:heart:

edited to add:
had a really bad experience with FitBit Ultra - every replacement they sent would not sync. i ended up giving away 2 devices on VF share the wealth.

if my fitbit dies, i'll go back to a Polar product. had a Polar HRM for years and i used a separate Omron step counter. guessing the Polars now have both combined, and i'd go back to them based on what everyone is saying here about the FitBit!

Susan, I didn't know that Fitbits had such a short lifespan. I understand your disappointment if your Fitbits haven't lasted longer than a year. I use my phone for counting steps.

Susan, I had similar problems with Fitbits. Some lasted far less than a year. I had at least three different kinds, and they all failed. I switched to a very low-tech Jawbone with no display (you just clipped it onto your belt or stuck it in a pocket; it was about the size of a large coin), and I loved it. It was my absolute favorite fitness tracker, with a great app, and it required no recharging, just a watch battery that you replaced every few months. I had that for several years without issue and then the company that made it went out of business, and finally the app stopped working. Such a huge disappointment.

I wound up splurging and getting a first-gen Apple Watch, which was discounted because the second-gen was out by then. Aside from a few reboots and apps that drained the battery occasionally, the AW has been working perfectly now for almost four years. I don't super love the look of it, and it has some quirks that took some getting used to, but I found it was much sturdier than any Fitbit I ever had.

I still miss my Jawbone. If something happened to my AW, I'm not sure what route I would go.

LOL I have a fitbit history too, although mine is more positive than yours. I started with a Charge and it was junk after being replaced once (at their expense) and lasted maybe a year and a half. The Charge 2 I bought has lasted well over 5 years (probably closer to 6 or 7 years), so when I bought an updated version---the Charge 3---I expected it to last and it did not. It also was replaced not once but twice and is now garbage (while the charge 2 still works). I decided that the Charge 2 was on borrowed time so I bought the Versa 3. I love it and it's been well over a year now with no problems. I got DH one for Christmas last year and he's had no problems either. So who knows? Sometimes I think it depends on what day it was made, much like it was with cars (although I don't know that it was actually true that you shouldn't buy a car on Monday---and how would you find that out???)

I also have a Fitbit history, not all bad. I started out with a Flex that I lost due to their faulty strap design. They replaced it for me for free. I had it quite a while until I got it wet & killed it, my fault. I then had a Blaze that worked great. I ended up selling it for a pretty good price to replace it with a waterproof Charge 3. The charge 3 lasted about 2.5 years and then died. I bought a Versa 3 a few months ago, will see how that lasts.

Mine usually last 2 years and yes, I keep replacing them! At first the company was amazing about sending replacements. I think they'd provide a refurbished model. Recently they only give you a coupon and it's never good on sale items.

Still, I've managed to always find a new Fitbit at a good price. Random online sites had them, and most recently I got a Charge 3 at the local Walmart. The newer models were already out and I guess this one was just sitting there.

I don't like the ones you wear on your wrist though, so I bought a clip for it and wear it just like I did my Ultra and One.

AND--I have a fancy Garmin that I wear all the time and track workouts with. I seriously only get a Fitbit to track steps (even though the Garmin does that) and participate in challenges with Tonyak and her friends!

I've only had one Fitbit, the Charge 2, which has been working for me for about 5 years, maybe. I hope it lasts for a while longer, as I just ordered two new watch straps for it! :):p

Before my Charge 2, I was a dedicated Omron pedometer wearer and I didn't really want to change but I kept accidentally laundering them (and having to replace them, then). My last Omron's buttons stopped working for no reason, though, and the model I wanted was discontinued and all the best pedometers seemed to be so high tech so that's when I decided I might as well get a Fitbit.

Donna

I've had the same Fitbit One for the last probably 12 years (or longer). I wear it on my bra and use it every day. I even lost it once when I was out riding my horse and thought it was a goner. A week later I was out riding again and lo and behold found it laying in the dirt - still working :D About a year ago one of the gold charging contacts fell out and I thought I would need to replace it but I just super glued it back in and it's still working.

Now I've probably jinxed myself and it will stop working today :p

Most of mine make it almost 2 years. Almost. Like 20 months.
I swear they make these things to break just when a new version is coming out