The "How's your Band holding up" thread

[several potatos]

They replaced mine quickly Hopefully they will check it out and come up with a fix. With the corrosion and bubbling on the charging and BP sensor Im thinking about coating the metal area,s with car wax to try to keep the sweat from reacting to the metal.

I just use scotch tape

 

[bksalt]

Do all the sensors still work? I use mine for gym workouts and cycling and tread mill. Don't the charging contacts get gummy?

 

[several potatos]

Do all the sensors still work? I use mine for gym workouts and cycling and tread mill. Don't the charging contacts get gummy?

I just started using the tape today. I'll check later for such issues.

 

[CliveSinclair]

Considering Microsoft claim this is a '24/7' wearable, I would be a little cheesed off, if mine looked like the OP's. I have one on Pre order (UK). Laws exist (certainly in the UK) that products should be of 'reasonable quality'.

 

[defante]

Mine was doing great until today. I've had it since November. A little bubbling on the charger port/HR area. Screen suddenly decided it didn't want to turn on. Still was able to sync with it and saw there was still like 80% battery. I didn't have a charging cable at work so I didn't try a hardware/factory reset. I brought it into the MS store near me and they exchanged it on the spot after verifying that it wouldn't turn on. Luckily they had stock for my size.

 

[several potatos]

Considering Microsoft claim this is a '24/7' wearable, I would be a little cheesed off, if mine looked like the OP's. I have one on Pre order (UK). Laws exist (certainly in the UK) that products should be of 'reasonable quality'.

A lot of people don't realize that they have metal allergies. The watch will last with proper care if you don't have a metal allergy. If you do, different story. You'll need to take much more careful care with an allergy.

 

[bittercold]

Just got my replacement band the other day. Fast and easy. Just remember if you do the advance exchange they are going to put a hold on you account for roughly $207. The only thing different with this one is the haptic feedback feels weaker and sometimes it works better than not. Had to jack it from medium to high.

 

[bksalt]

So they got you another Band? I have had mine about 2 weeks working great

 

[Black3ternity]

Hey there,

I'm not owning a band, so I can't properly contribute to this thread with pictures, but I can't seem to notice how the rubberized parts look.
I own a Logitech Harmony One universal remote and it too has a rubberized bottom. I've owned it for more than four years now and I think it was after 2 and a half that the rubber started to show "wear and tear". It looks like the rubber got "warm" and my Palm was imprinted in it as you can see in the picture below. It looks nearly identical to the pictures of the OP.
And everybody should know that a universal remote is by far nothing that you hold for five hours straight in your hand so the sweat can change the structure.




(sorry for the ugly flash, but otherwise you can't see the warping properly)

I never cleaned the remote with alcohol wipes, nor any other chemicals. The only thing it was touched by were my pretty normal hands and a soft cloth from time to time to rub off the grease that accumulates on the gloss finish. The rubber was never touched. The "tearing" occurs due to pushing around on the table but you should be able to make out the warping and change of structure where it usually gets hold. FYI: I never hold the remote on that spot with my palm, but nevertheless it looks or at least feels like it has that structure imprinted from my hand. You can see the "top" of the remote is perfectly clean and smooth because it's not used as much or because the rubber is different there.
Additionally: The battery pack sits in the black gloss bulk and partially where the rubber starts to warp. So in my personal opinion, it could be caused by that maybe?

Back to the Band:
From the reviews and pretty ugly teardowns on the internet I've come to understand that the batteries rest on the side of the band where that exact rubber disintegration is happening. Maybe the batteries are causing something like that? I'm no export on that but maybe it's due to the heating and cooling of the batteries that the rubber is not proper for that job?

Just throwing some ideas in the ring.

Regards,

 

[gadgetrants]

Welcome to the forum and thanks for the helpful post! Do let us know if you decide to get one. :smile:

-Matt

 

[teemulehtinen]

So it seems that my Band is disintegrating from one of the side batteries. The rubber had disappeared from almost half of the battery "bulb" in the last two days. The other side is fine.

I have only cleaned the Band with a wet clothe after exercise sessions to wipe away the sweat ever since I got the Band in November. Disappointment. Not sure if I should hold onto this out send it back right away for a replacement.

 

[bksalt]

Sorry they wont replace it [I tried] The disintegrating of the rubber is considered normal ware.

 

[teemulehtinen]

I've got the full care plan. Thought it might be a good idea then. I understood it would cover the kind of situations.

 

[bksalt]

Good luck all you have to do is call them to find out, I didn't get mine replaced

 

[pdawg17]

Got mine at Best Buy and got 2-year replacement plan...I normally don't buy those things but think it will come in handy for the Band...

 

[stephen_az]

Got mine early January and it looks mostly new. I am getting the bumps on the metal band around the charging contacts as well. not sure if this will be a problem down the line or not, but I have Microsoft complete, so I'm not worried.

Just a FYI for people saying Microsoft Complete will cover things so you are not worried. You should read the terms since normal wear and tear is not a justification for damage replacement. It would be covered (if it affects functionality) under the standard warranty.

 

[stephen_az]

Got mine at Best Buy and got 2-year replacement plan...I normally don't buy those things but think it will come in handy for the Band...

If you just bought it, I would advise you to read the terms of that 2-year replacement plan. At least in Texas they have to give the opportunity to refund it. The terms are not consumer friendly and are stacked in favor of Best Buy. It is also a repair and replacement plan, not just replacement, and includes standard stipulations regarding replacing with a comparable device (as opposed to same device) as well if it their assessment it cannot be repaired. As people who have purchased third party extended warranties on phones have learned, they can offer you something quite different than what you own. If classified as a mobile device, they may also toss in a $50 replacement fee. I didn't bother to look for that fine print though when I reviewed and turned them down. The joke is the Best Buy employee didn't even argue when I commented it was ridiculously expensive for what it covered.

 

[stephen_az]

I've got the full care plan. Thought it might be a good idea then. I understood it would cover the kind of situations.

It depends upon what "full care plan" you mean but neither Microsoft Complete nor Best Buy's scam warranty replace for normal wear and tear. People really need the fine print on all such warranties.

 

[pdawg17]

If you just bought it, I would advise you to read the terms of that 2-year replacement plan. At least in Texas they have to give the opportunity to refund it. The terms are not consumer friendly and are stacked in favor of Best Buy. It is also a repair and replacement plan, not just replacement, and includes standard stipulations regarding replacing with a comparable device (as opposed to same device) as well if it their assessment it cannot be repaired. As people who have purchased third party extended warranties on phones have learned, they can offer you something quite different than what you own. If classified as a mobile device, they may also toss in a $50 replacement fee. I didn't bother to look for that fine print though when I reviewed and turned them down. The joke is the Best Buy employee didn't even argue when I commented it was ridiculously expensive for what it covered.

We'll see when the time comes. The only experience I've had with these plans were for 3 separate occasions with cordless home phones. All 3 times when there were minor issues (battery drains too quickly, sticky buttons) they gave me a BB gift card for the amount no questions asked. Things may have changed but I have yet to have a bad experience at my local store...

 

[teemulehtinen]

As European I have hard time understanding that such peeling could be described as"normal" wear and tear. We do have the concept faulty product.

Unless this issue is fixed in the new products sold in the UK, Microsoft has a small time bomb in its hands once people will come and ask free replacement.