fitbit – never again
I was very fortunate when my employer bought fitbits for the entire team. I loved the device and adamantly suggested that everyone buy their own. However, an unfortunate series of events lead me to the point where I no longer supported their business. What on earth could turn someone from a promoter to a detractor so quickly?
1. Technology bully
I can’t stand when companies take advantage of consumers when it comes to hardware and software. That’s the biggest reason why I am not an Apple fan and fitbit reached the same level.
fitbit badges with flights
fitbit badges without flights
About a week after my team bought 30 devices, fitbit released their new Ultra device. In addition to tracking steps, the new Ultra device tracked the number of flights climbed along with a few other bells and whistles. We all felt somewhat betrayed, but we would got over it.
My frustration spiked when one of my team members explained there is nothing new about the Ultra device. After a little digging, I found that my public page gave me badges for flights climbed, but on my personal dashboard told me such stats were unavailable.
What do I mean by technology bully? A company collecting data about you and claiming it is unavailable unless you purchase a new $100 device is a bully. Nobody likes a bully.
2. Selective responses
In today’s world, you can’t be blatantly selective in your Twitter responses. Either address them all or ignore them altogether – especially in a conversation. My Twitter conversation with fitbit is documented below:
Once I found out about the hardware differences in point 1 from above, I said
To which fitbit replied
To clarify, I came back with
And fitbit came back with… nothing. Maybe I fell off their radar, I get it I’m not that important.
A week later, I encountered a flaw in the TSA process when I walked through security with my fitbit in my pocket. I casually tweeted
To which fitbit quickly replied
Wait a second. Fitbit replied to all of my tweets except for the one that I really wanted to know about. Could you have a normal conversation with a friend and simply not answer when they ask you the hard question? This isn’t acceptable in the real world and it isn’t acceptable in today’s social media world.*
3. I lost it
fitbit in inner jean pocket
There isn’t much to explain. My fitbit had survived a 40,000 step day, but it couldn’t handle two bars and Qudoba. At some point, it became separated from my inner jeans pocket and left my person. I went back to each of the establishments and nobody had it. So is life.
Needless to say, after points 1, 2, and 3, I no longer support fitbit, their devices, their practices, or Qudoba. My fitbit certainly made me more aware of my steps and fitness, but I won’t stop walking my dog (literally) because I don’t have it.
*Note that their tweets use Assistly, but as a consumer I don’t care who answers as long as they are consistent.