What happens when your fitness tracker can't keep up with you?
A Mystic man turned to NBC Connecticut Responds.
Jeff Howard bought his Fitbit Surge in October 2015.
"It was supposed to be the top of the line. It tracked everything, exercise, GPS," he said.
After about three months, Howard says the watch band started to show signs of wear on the underside of the tracker where the screen meets the band.
"It just gets to the point that it has no stability anymore. It just doesn't stay together," he said.
Because the Surge is all one piece, Howard couldn’t just replace the band; he needed to replace the entire device. The Surge came with a one year warranty and Fitbit sent Howard a new one right away. But a few months later, Howard noticed the same thing happening again.
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After having his Surge replaced three times, Howard asked if the company would send him a different model. Fitbit told Howard it could only send him another Surge and offered him 25 percent off his next purchase. With his warranty about to expire, Howard asked NBC Connecticut responds to help.
"You get things done. So I reached out to you by email and you responded pretty quick," he said.
We contacted the company with Howard's concerns. A few days later, he got a call.
"They offered to send me this new Fitbit, totally different. This is now their top of the line Fitbit. It's called the Blaze,” he said.
Howard believes his new Fitbit will be a better fit for him.
In response to our inquiry, a Fitbit spokesperson sent us this statement:
"The quality of Fitbit products and the health and safety of our customers are our top priorities. The experiences reported are not typical for the tens of millions of users around the world who enjoy our products every day. We conduct extensive testing and consult with top industry experts to develop stringent standards so that users can wear and enjoy our products.
We also are committed to delivering a superior customer experience. As with Mr. Howard, we respond quickly when customers report issues and strive to work closely with them through our customer service channels to ensure their satisfaction. If consumers have any questions or concerns, they can contact us at help.fitbit.com.
Fitbit trackers are water-resistant but to best preserve your band, we recommend that customers rinse the band with water but do not use soap, hand sanitizers, cleaning wipes or household cleaners to clean it, and that they also try to avoid exposure to any chemicals like sunscreen, alcohol, etc. For more wear and care tips, users can visit the webiste."
