Fitbit Charge HR to Alta part 1: Our break up and our make up
Just so you know, the story ends with us getting back together.
In 2015, I started to get serious about running. I wanted a baby more than anything else, but I wasn't pregnant, so I decided in December to say "screw it". I would start work on my Masters Degree and train for a marathon after the first of the year in 2016. I downloaded a training app on my phone that mapped routes in my neighborhood and talked to me about where my pace was, where it should be, when I should break for a walk, and how far along I was in my route. That was really nice, but after only a few weeks, I realized that I didn't like having to run with my phone. I did some research and decided on a Fitbit Charge HR. It was lightweight, came in cute colors, had a small watch face (so it wouldn't overpower my tiny wrists), and it could track distance on its own. My mother-in-law is big on giving gifts, and she knows two important things: 1) that gift cards are always welcome in our house, and 2) that I love Target, so she gave me gift cards both for Christmas and for my birthday that year. For several weeks, I watched sales at Target, and the weekend of the Superbowl, they had the Charge HR discounted significantly. It was going to be about $25 after the sale and my gift cards, so I loaded up in my Jeep and bagged the last small, teal Charge HR at my Target.
But then just a couple of weeks after that, I did get pregnant. The heart rate monitor sure came in handy then, as I wasn't supposed to raise my heart rate above 140 during exercise. After my nausea went away, I regularly hit 168, but don't tell my doctor that. Actually, my now-toddler was unharmed. Her only problem is having such a strong will that people end up not wanting to help her get what she wants because she's so forceful that all we adults want to do is tell her to "be nice". They say that I can teach her manners and that she'll grow up to be an indomitable force, but for now, we are spamming the "please" hand sign and hoping for the best.
I took several weeks off of running due to overwhelming nausea, but I continued wearing the Fitbit every day, taking it off only to shower and to recharge the battery. (Hint: if you tend to forget to charge it or to put it back on in the morning, bring your charging cable to work and only charge your device while you're sitting at your desk. After that, if you forget to charge it or put it back on, there's no help for you.) The point is that my device still took lots of wear and tear, even though I wasn't utilizing its tracking features every day. Mostly, I used it to check time because, after all, it's always a watch. Maybe it was from the splashes, or maybe it was a design flaw, but that device only lasted me until May before it started to die within a day of charging - it's supposed to last 5 days without Bluetooth, 2-4 days with. But it was hardly making it from one day to the next, and I'm too forgetful to charge it every day, so I read my warranty info and contacted Fitbit customer support.
They were really nice, but if you're a thinker you know that customer support representatives are only as good as the rules they have to follow. Meaning: once they offered me a new replacement tracker, my warranty was null and void, no matter how long the replacement device did or didn't last, and there was nothing the person on the other end of the email string could do about it.
The replacement didn't last.
It would catch on corners due to its edges and rubbery texture, and it got splashed multiple times a day while I washed my hands. After only a few more months, the area where the band attached to the actual device began to bubble and lift. By the time I had my baby in November of that same year, the band on the NEW device was starting to separate from the tracker, and super glue only held for a week or two. See through tape? Ha. Now, we all know what happens when you have a baby. (Nothing. They answer is nothing except for infant care) so I waited until mid-2017, 18 months after my original purchase, to contact customer service. I wasn't in a hurry since I wasn't sleeping enough at night to even think about exercise. Besides, even if I had emailed them right away, I knew that my warranty was discontinued the moment they sent me that replacement Fitbit. When I did finally get around to contacting customer service, they very politely offered me a 25% discount that would expire in 30 days. It takes me longer than 30 days to decide where I want to go to dinner! Needless to say, I did not take advantage of the discount, and my broken replacement Fitbit stayed in a drawer, useless and ignored, even when it did happen to catch my eye.
Fast forward to the end of 2017, when I did finally start getting enough sleep at night to be able to exercise. Having that ability again was a blessing that I did not take for granted, so I hit it hard. I started weight training and running, in addition to the beginner yoga sessions that I had started after having Madison. When it came time for me to start really training for the 2018 Statesman 10K, I remembered my Fitbit debacle all over again. Before that moment, it was like I had blocked it from my mind because I was so frustrated at the situation; I was stuck between, "Well I rejoined Team iPhone, so I could get an Apple Watch" and "I shouldn't need to upgrade!" I tend to stay stuck in places like that when it comes to making a purchase for myself. (Now, if Madison had needed a pair of shoes, I would have purchased three in a heartbeat, but that's just how moms are.)
Yesterday, I decided to email Fitbit one more time to ask them if they could do something, anything to get me to stick with Fitbit rather than switch to an Apple Watch. Thinking, "Someone please talk me out of spending $300!" I had a feeling that if I switched, I'd never go back because 1) people love their Apple Watches, and 2) Anything less than stellar customer service would only add to my disappointment with Fitbit, and I didn't think I'd ever forget a grudge of that magnitude.
Instead of emailing, I decided to do a quick customer service chat so that I could get an answer sooner. If the answer was going to be no, I'd rather find out sooner than later. So I explained all of this in 5 or 6 lines of text and waited for the rep to look up my information. In my frustration, I had deleted all the emails from Fitbit over the previous two years and I figured that if they couldn't look it up for me, then that would just be another reason to move on to a different brand entirely. They asked for some time to look into it, and I braced myself for a no.
But it was a resounding YES. They offered me a free replacement or a 50% discount on any new tracker except for the Ionic. That was the one I wanted, but it is big and ugly, so I was still open to other options.
For me, a watch face is a must-have, and I really appreciate being able to view missed calls and texts from my phone while at work to know if I'm missing something important, especially because Madison's daycare doesn't have my work number, and I keep my phone in my purse all day. And ever since seeing the Apple Watch commercial where the guy is swimming laps - my ONLY cardio activity during the summer - my other big want is a waterproof model. The Ionic aside, because it wasn't eligible for the discount, the only waterproof option didn't have a screen. Nope, I care way more about viewing the time and distance of my runs. All of that went into my decision. With most purchases, my number one deciding factor is usually price, but thanks for the awesome offer, I didn't have to worry about that because the discount was going to be WAY under my planned budget for this purchase.
To be clear, the rep sent me an email that worked like a form - once I chose an option, my fate was set. While I was trying to decide which option to choose, I clicked the one for a discount to see what they had, and it permanently locked me into that track, so it kind of made my decision for me. It became my destiny to buy a new - but not Ionic - Fitbit from their website, or to buy nothing at all. After a few hours of thinking, and just a few extra minutes of last-minute browsing, I decided to buy a rose-gold Fitbit Alta HR, a $15 upgrade from the plain colors, but it would match my wedding ring. Apparently that matters to me. Who knew? But I felt like a big baller, seeing the discounted prices and comparing them to my budget. Sooooo, I went for the upgrade.
I'm expecting the new tracker to arrive in 5-7 business days, and shortly after that, I will update my blog with my final decision!
Will we get married? Will we temporarily separate as I explore the other fish in the sea? Will we get divorced forever? I'll post on Facebook when I found out.
In 2015, I started to get serious about running. I wanted a baby more than anything else, but I wasn't pregnant, so I decided in December to say "screw it". I would start work on my Masters Degree and train for a marathon after the first of the year in 2016. I downloaded a training app on my phone that mapped routes in my neighborhood and talked to me about where my pace was, where it should be, when I should break for a walk, and how far along I was in my route. That was really nice, but after only a few weeks, I realized that I didn't like having to run with my phone. I did some research and decided on a Fitbit Charge HR. It was lightweight, came in cute colors, had a small watch face (so it wouldn't overpower my tiny wrists), and it could track distance on its own. My mother-in-law is big on giving gifts, and she knows two important things: 1) that gift cards are always welcome in our house, and 2) that I love Target, so she gave me gift cards both for Christmas and for my birthday that year. For several weeks, I watched sales at Target, and the weekend of the Superbowl, they had the Charge HR discounted significantly. It was going to be about $25 after the sale and my gift cards, so I loaded up in my Jeep and bagged the last small, teal Charge HR at my Target.But then just a couple of weeks after that, I did get pregnant. The heart rate monitor sure came in handy then, as I wasn't supposed to raise my heart rate above 140 during exercise. After my nausea went away, I regularly hit 168, but don't tell my doctor that. Actually, my now-toddler was unharmed. Her only problem is having such a strong will that people end up not wanting to help her get what she wants because she's so forceful that all we adults want to do is tell her to "be nice". They say that I can teach her manners and that she'll grow up to be an indomitable force, but for now, we are spamming the "please" hand sign and hoping for the best.
I took several weeks off of running due to overwhelming nausea, but I continued wearing the Fitbit every day, taking it off only to shower and to recharge the battery. (Hint: if you tend to forget to charge it or to put it back on in the morning, bring your charging cable to work and only charge your device while you're sitting at your desk. After that, if you forget to charge it or put it back on, there's no help for you.) The point is that my device still took lots of wear and tear, even though I wasn't utilizing its tracking features every day. Mostly, I used it to check time because, after all, it's always a watch. Maybe it was from the splashes, or maybe it was a design flaw, but that device only lasted me until May before it started to die within a day of charging - it's supposed to last 5 days without Bluetooth, 2-4 days with. But it was hardly making it from one day to the next, and I'm too forgetful to charge it every day, so I read my warranty info and contacted Fitbit customer support.
They were really nice, but if you're a thinker you know that customer support representatives are only as good as the rules they have to follow. Meaning: once they offered me a new replacement tracker, my warranty was null and void, no matter how long the replacement device did or didn't last, and there was nothing the person on the other end of the email string could do about it.
The replacement didn't last.
It would catch on corners due to its edges and rubbery texture, and it got splashed multiple times a day while I washed my hands. After only a few more months, the area where the band attached to the actual device began to bubble and lift. By the time I had my baby in November of that same year, the band on the NEW device was starting to separate from the tracker, and super glue only held for a week or two. See through tape? Ha. Now, we all know what happens when you have a baby. (Nothing. They answer is nothing except for infant care) so I waited until mid-2017, 18 months after my original purchase, to contact customer service. I wasn't in a hurry since I wasn't sleeping enough at night to even think about exercise. Besides, even if I had emailed them right away, I knew that my warranty was discontinued the moment they sent me that replacement Fitbit. When I did finally get around to contacting customer service, they very politely offered me a 25% discount that would expire in 30 days. It takes me longer than 30 days to decide where I want to go to dinner! Needless to say, I did not take advantage of the discount, and my broken replacement Fitbit stayed in a drawer, useless and ignored, even when it did happen to catch my eye.
 |
| So much sweat! |
 |
| Jogging stroller = best invention ever |
Yesterday, I decided to email Fitbit one more time to ask them if they could do something, anything to get me to stick with Fitbit rather than switch to an Apple Watch. Thinking, "Someone please talk me out of spending $300!" I had a feeling that if I switched, I'd never go back because 1) people love their Apple Watches, and 2) Anything less than stellar customer service would only add to my disappointment with Fitbit, and I didn't think I'd ever forget a grudge of that magnitude.
Instead of emailing, I decided to do a quick customer service chat so that I could get an answer sooner. If the answer was going to be no, I'd rather find out sooner than later. So I explained all of this in 5 or 6 lines of text and waited for the rep to look up my information. In my frustration, I had deleted all the emails from Fitbit over the previous two years and I figured that if they couldn't look it up for me, then that would just be another reason to move on to a different brand entirely. They asked for some time to look into it, and I braced myself for a no.
But it was a resounding YES. They offered me a free replacement or a 50% discount on any new tracker except for the Ionic. That was the one I wanted, but it is big and ugly, so I was still open to other options.
For me, a watch face is a must-have, and I really appreciate being able to view missed calls and texts from my phone while at work to know if I'm missing something important, especially because Madison's daycare doesn't have my work number, and I keep my phone in my purse all day. And ever since seeing the Apple Watch commercial where the guy is swimming laps - my ONLY cardio activity during the summer - my other big want is a waterproof model. The Ionic aside, because it wasn't eligible for the discount, the only waterproof option didn't have a screen. Nope, I care way more about viewing the time and distance of my runs. All of that went into my decision. With most purchases, my number one deciding factor is usually price, but thanks for the awesome offer, I didn't have to worry about that because the discount was going to be WAY under my planned budget for this purchase.
To be clear, the rep sent me an email that worked like a form - once I chose an option, my fate was set. While I was trying to decide which option to choose, I clicked the one for a discount to see what they had, and it permanently locked me into that track, so it kind of made my decision for me. It became my destiny to buy a new - but not Ionic - Fitbit from their website, or to buy nothing at all. After a few hours of thinking, and just a few extra minutes of last-minute browsing, I decided to buy a rose-gold Fitbit Alta HR, a $15 upgrade from the plain colors, but it would match my wedding ring. Apparently that matters to me. Who knew? But I felt like a big baller, seeing the discounted prices and comparing them to my budget. Sooooo, I went for the upgrade.
I'm expecting the new tracker to arrive in 5-7 business days, and shortly after that, I will update my blog with my final decision!
Will we get married? Will we temporarily separate as I explore the other fish in the sea? Will we get divorced forever? I'll post on Facebook when I found out.
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