Fitbit Force: Customer Support
When BMR reviewed the Fitbit Flex we discovered that Fitbit doesn’t offer telephone based customer support. This is an unfortunate decision – although it’s one that’s working well for the company because their products continue to thrive. For our purposes though, it means there’s no credit on this issue for the Force.
| SUPPORT | Fitbit Force | Jawbone UP24 | Nike+ FuelBand SE | Polar Loop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Support - email and voice (must answer w/in 5 rings with correct answer or within 24 hours via email) | NO PHONE SUPPORT https://help. fitbit.com/ customer/por tal/emails/new | 800-529-2663 support@jaw bone.com | 800-379-6453 http://nikeplus. nike.com/plus/ support/#contact | 800-227-1314 customer.ser vice.usa@ polar.com |
| Q1 how long is the warranty | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Q2 how long does the battery last | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Q3 can I download data to spreadsheet | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Phone | ||||
| Q1 how long is the warranty | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Q2 how long does the battery last | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Q3 can I download data to spreadsheet | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Online Community | ||||
| Help/Tech Support Section? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Challenges/Events/ Engagement? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Customer service via mobile app? | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 5 | 7 | 9 | 5 |
Email support proved to be very good and our test inquiries (detailed on the All Data page) all received a response within a few hours – well within the 24 hour time limit BMR typically enforces. Add to this a steadily improving support section on Fitbit.com and thriving communities dedicated to more support issues, socializing, and challenges/engagement and the result is a performance that’s just a touch below average. If the Force has a weakness it may be the lack of phone support – buyers will have to decide how important phone-based support is to them. If it’s a crucial consideration, Jawbone and Nike are the best logical alternatives based on our reviews.
Let’s wrap this up in the Conclusion.