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.