MS Band Quality Issues?

[AHRMartin]

I am now on my third Microsoft Band in a single year. One a replacement under warranty, two of them I had purchased directly.

I love the band...or at least the theory of the Band, but the reality appears different.

Each of them has charging issues where the connector in the charging port of the band begins to wear away or corrode when you wear it all day, as if it were a normal watch. Eventually the Band ceases to charge altogether.

Also, even when the Band is in watch mode, after a few months of use, the Band begins to turn itself off without reason. All three have done this.

I do not have a physical job, working in an office, so damage due to being used roughly is not the issue here, but now the Band replacement I have only been wearing for 7 weeks is showing all these signs again, as well as the black coating peeling away and falling off in 2 separate patches.

Something must be wrong with the Design or the manufacturers quality control.

When the Band works, it looks great and I love it functions, but the longevity of the materials is becoming beyond a joke.

Has anyone else had any of these issues with their Bands? Or perhaps this next issue? (I apologise if any of what I am asking is in a popular topic or a repeat of thousands, but now living and working in China it is rare to be able to find out such things on a social network.)

The little raised lumps on the sensor in the back of the Band have caused a red lump on my wrist, and three distinct white raised spots in the exact configuration of those on the sensor. Was worried at first it might be a growth of something, but after swapping the Band onto my other wrist, the rash/mark has begun to clear up, with the exception of the 3 dots.....which actually now feel like small burn scars.

Has anyone had this issue either?

Regards

Rick:unhappysweat::unhappy:

 

[poit57]

There have been discussions in these forums on most of the issues that you have described. I personally haven't really had a negative experience in the build quality and materials. I am on my third Band in 7 months, but my first two replacements were due to technical issues rather than physical. I've had my current unit for about 4 1/2 months and the rubber has only begun to peel in the last two weeks. This is just cosmetic, so it hasn't worried me too much.

I never developed a rash where the charger contacts touch my wrist, but there is a slight redness under the skin. This redness was noticeable within 2 weeks of use, but it has never worsened or caused any discomfort so I don't really think about it unless I have taken my Band off to charge and happen to see it under good lighting.

 

[slysy]

I had the same issues on the band v1, hoping this new version will fix it. It looks like the charging connector is different basd on the pictures maybe?

 

[Penecho]

I had the same issues on the band v1, hoping this new version will fix it. It looks like the charging connector is different basd on the pictures maybe?

Yeah charging Connector seems to be on the outer clasp this time. So no skin contact on the charger...

I am also worried about the corrosion. I have very heavy corrosion on my Band 1 (lasts about 4 month until I can not charge it anymore due to corrosion, last replacement was in May, have to send it in again next week), on the GSR Sensor and the HR Sensor... I really hope that will not happen on the v2

 

[anon(5327127)]

I am now on my third Microsoft Band in a single year. One a replacement under warranty, two of them I had purchased directly.

I love the band...or at least the theory of the Band, but the reality appears different.

Each of them has charging issues where the connector in the charging port of the band begins to wear away or corrode when you wear it all day, as if it were a normal watch. Eventually the Band ceases to charge altogether.

Also, even when the Band is in watch mode, after a few months of use, the Band begins to turn itself off without reason. All three have done this.

I do not have a physical job, working in an office, so damage due to being used roughly is not the issue here, but now the Band replacement I have only been wearing for 7 weeks is showing all these signs again, as well as the black coating peeling away and falling off in 2 separate patches.

Something must be wrong with the Design or the manufacturers quality control.

When the Band works, it looks great and I love it functions, but the longevity of the materials is becoming beyond a joke.

Has anyone else had any of these issues with their Bands? Or perhaps this next issue? (I apologise if any of what I am asking is in a popular topic or a repeat of thousands, but now living and working in China it is rare to be able to find out such things on a social network.)

The little raised lumps on the sensor in the back of the Band have caused a red lump on my wrist, and three distinct white raised spots in the exact configuration of those on the sensor. Was worried at first it might be a growth of something, but after swapping the Band onto my other wrist, the rash/mark has begun to clear up, with the exception of the 3 dots.....which actually now feel like small burn scars.

Has anyone had this issue either?

Regards

Rick:unhappysweat::unhappy:

Your very first post is the one above .

Do you work for Google or Apple? Anything that comes into tight contact with your skin will eventually cause issue. heck ask any woman that wears a bra for x amount of hours a day

P.s. Still on my first band.

 

[anon(8555314)]

v1 was in many ways a prototype which allowed MS to gather data about what people like and dislike in this type of product, and to start building a robust firmware, phone apps and web dashboard. Since they launched it, they have added tiles for biking and golf, and added a number of useful connected apps such as Strava, and launched the web dashboard. In that sense v.1 was very successful.

I think it is all about expectations. If you went into it knowing that v1 was going to have some bugs in it that would need to get fixed in future iterations, but having a Band would put you on the cutting edge of this new technology, then I think you can live with the limitations. They replaced mine when the corrosion made it stopped taking a charge, so I was happy with the way they dealt with the problems.

 

[silkyrichness]

I've managed to make mine last nearly a year. The build quality is terrible. They are too expensive to keep buying.

Its a joke that they have a "year's warranty" but the device isn't fit to last a year.

 

[NBrookus]

I haven't had any of the issues people have reported. No separation, no corrosion, nothing. I've got some scratches on the bezel and scuffs on the wristband and that's it. Everything else works like new.

That said, ANY metal in contact with your skin constantly can cause irritation depending on your personal body chemistry. The FitBit Charge HR left scars on me and 24k gold will raise blisters on my skin within minutes.

If the Band causes that kind of skin irritation on you, you should probably not wear it and look for something else.

 

[luxnws]

For Band horror stories, read some of the reviews on amazon.com from Verified Purchasers.

Hopefully Microsoft addressed the problems earlier in the manufacturing process and the build quality improved over the run.

 

[slysy]

I haven't had any of the issues people have reported. No separation, no corrosion, nothing. I've got some scratches on the bezel and scuffs on the wristband and that's it. Everything else works like new.

That said, ANY metal in contact with your skin constantly can cause irritation depending on your personal body chemistry. The FitBit Charge HR left scars on me and 24k gold will raise blisters on my skin within minutes.

If the Band causes that kind of skin irritation on you, you should probably not wear it and look for something else.

I've never had a problem with anything metal except the MS Band V1. Interested to see if people are reporting skin irritation from band V2 or whether they have improved this somehow

 

[Rivera73]

I got my Band about 9 months ago and really liked the product. At least to me this was the best option from the limited list of activity monitors that are supported by Windows Phone. However, after 2 months of use there were already signs of wear and tear and the display was scratched quite badly. Finally the actual wrist band just broke. After looking for hours how to get the warranty going I finally was able to figure out the process by chatting with one of the support guys. At this point I was still quite positive and thinking that it should be obvious that my Band would be replaced since obviously the materials and quality of the product cannot last. At this point I have to add that I am an office worker and my usage of the Band is really light and civilized for an activity monitor. Anyway back to the topic, so UPS picked up my band and inspected it. About after a week there was a package being sent back to me. I was happy and pleased with the customer support. After receiving my package it was quite a shock to get my old broken Band back with some lame explanations about Limited Warranty and damage not being caused by normal use.

DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!

It will not last past 9 months, or at least mine did not. My usage honestly was not heavy, I have been to the Gym and Biked with the monitor for like 10 times. This is supposed to be an activity monitor, while having the Band I was not even being active and it was completely worn out. If this product cannot handle office work it will not be able to handle any kind of "active" lifestyle.

Also it would be somehow understandable that for the first iteration of the product there would be quality problems and not enough testing or long lasting testing of the materials in real use. BUT that would require supporting your customers with replacement products when they break down!!

I liked my Band and miss it but I will never buy anything from Microsoft again. After my Lumia 1020 is done I will try something else, too bad that the options are so horrible. I hate Apple and Android but it is really hard to see what else to do with the quality and support from MS.

 

[josuedelgado1]

I got my Band about 9 months ago and really liked the product. At least to me this was the best option from the limited list of activity monitors that are supported by Windows Phone. However, after 2 months of use there were already signs of wear and tear and the display was scratched quite badly. Finally the actual wrist band just broke. After looking for hours how to get the warranty going I finally was able to figure out the process by chatting with one of the support guys. At this point I was still quite positive and thinking that it should be obvious that my Band would be replaced since obviously the materials and quality of the product cannot last. At this point I have to add that I am an office worker and my usage of the Band is really light and civilized for an activity monitor. Anyway back to the topic, so UPS picked up my band and inspected it. About after a week there was a package being sent back to me. I was happy and pleased with the customer support. After receiving my package it was quite a shock to get my old broken Band back with some lame explanations about Limited Warranty and damage not being caused by normal use.

DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!

It will not last past 9 months, or at least mine did not. My usage honestly was not heavy, I have been to the Gym and Biked with the monitor for like 10 times. This is supposed to be an activity monitor, while having the Band I was not even being active and it was completely worn out. If this product cannot handle office work it will not be able to handle any kind of "active" lifestyle.

Also it would be somehow understandable that for the first iteration of the product there would be quality problems and not enough testing or long lasting testing of the materials in real use. BUT that would require supporting your customers with replacement products when they break down!!

I liked my Band and miss it but I will never buy anything from Microsoft again. After my Lumia 1020 is done I will try something else, too bad that the options are so horrible. I hate Apple and Android but it is really hard to see what else to do with the quality and support from MS.

I can understand, it happened to me. Will probably go with the fit.......

 

[Markeyse Jamar Mundy]

I'll have to agree. I was just cleaning it today, and it starting ripping apart. I went to the site and seen it, but it seems like they want to charge me or it. Really! I'm going to try and go in the store and see if it is better.