Band 2 died (again) - Notified by Support there might not be a replacement

[Jon Snyder]

My Band 2 died for the fourth time in a year (stopped charging). Brought it in to the store to be replaced, the store didn't have any more. Assured me they just ran out of stock recently. Told me a new one would come by mail soon. Called up support later because it didn't sit right and was notified that it would take 2-4 weeks to determine if there was any inventory left to ship me, otherwise Microsoft would be sending me a check for what i paid for the Band 2.

So disappointed. Really don't want a fitbit

 

[ashram]

MS has had my band 2 for 3 weeks (Since Dec 23). I've called/chatted once a week and last week they escalated my case... Today I got an email that, besides telling me nothing new, said:

Service Request **********

Hi ***********,

This is Duke with Band Variance Team. I hope you are having a great day. I am reaching out to you today regarding the Band 2 Exchange Order.

We have sold through our existing Band 2 inventory and have no plans to release another Band device this year. We remain committed to supporting our Microsoft Band 2 customers through Microsoft Stores and our customer support channels and will continue to invest in the Microsoft Health platform, which is open to all hardware and apps partners across Windows, iOS, and Android devices. Our intention is to fulfill any open orders on a first come first service basis when stock is replenished. If you Band 2 has already arrived at the service center, we ask that you allow up to two weeks from the date of receipt for your order to process.

If your order is processed as intended, you will receive an automated email indicating that a replacement Band 2 has been shipped to the address provided on the original service request. Once the Band 2 has shipped it typically arrives within 24 to 48 hours.

If your order cannot be processed as intended when your non-functioning Band 2 arrives at the service center, it may be necessary to refund you the purchase price of your device. We apologize but this process can take extra time to complete. If a refund request is submitted, you will receive an automated email confirming that the Band 2 could not be replaced and a refund check will be coming to you within 6 to 8 weeks from the time your device was received at the service center. This email will contain the amount of the refund we will be providing.

As this process is being handled automatically by our internal support teams and we are unable to provide specific status updates on either the order itself or the refund, I am closing this service request at this time. If you wish to inquire on the status of either the order or potential refund check, feel free to reply to this email to re-open your case, and I will get back in touch with you as soon as I can. Alternatively, you can please visit https://forums.windowscentral.com/e...w.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fband&token=TTKr0dPD to reach our frontline support team.


Kind regards,
Edsel Duke C.
Microsoft Band Variance Team
© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved

We already know that they will not be getting any more, but 6-8 weeks to decide on a refund is insane.... And to top it off, I can't find another device that gives me all the features I used on the band.

 

[poit57]

I got a similar email to what Ashram posted regarding my warranty return that was delivered to them on December 13. The chat support agent that escalated my issue said that he could see that my Band passed the warranty testing on the 14th. By my calculations, I should have about 1 to 3 weeks left to wait for my refund.

I purchased a Garmin Vivoactive HR after Christmas. I like it, but the notifications are very sporadic.

 

[KrayMat]

My Band 2 died Saturday, went to my local MS store and he definitely tried to steer me toward a refund right there. I thought, no way, I'll just wait and ship it back, I want a Band. Now I'm thinking it's going to be a waste of time to try to send it back.. I think they are done. I guess I'm going to try the blaze and wait patiently for the Creators update and GATT support. On the plus side I had a brand new Band 1 sitting in the box at home that was a warrantee replacement. Maybe this thing will last me a few months.

 

[ashram]

My Band 2 died Saturday, went to my local MS store and he definitely tried to steer me toward a refund right there. I thought, no way, I'll just wait and ship it back, I want a Band. Now I'm thinking it's going to be a waste of time to try to send it back.. I think they are done. I guess I'm going to try the blaze and wait patiently for the Creators update and GATT support. On the plus side I had a brand new Band 1 sitting in the box at home that was a warrantee replacement. Maybe this thing will last me a few months.

don't bother sending it back... been waiting a month already for them to decide whether to find a replacement or refund me.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

Same situation for me. They've had my Band 2 since the first week of December. Support info has been non-existent other than letting me know that it passed warranty. Bought a Vivoactive HR yesterday. Loved the Band 2, but I can't wait forever.

Sent from mTalk

 

[KrayMat]

Same situation for me. They've had my Band 2 since the first week of December. Support info has been non-existent other than letting me know that it passed warranty. Bought a Vivoactive HR yesterday. Loved the Band 2, but I can't wait forever.

Sent from mTalk

How do you like the Vivoactive HR so far? I'm torn between that and the Fitbit Blaze. The problem with returning the band to the store is that they give you store credit, not a check. and MS doesn't sell the Garmin line.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

Don't know, yet. It arrives tomorrow. Should have mentioned that I bought it online. I'm really looking forward to it though. I've never had any experience with any Fitbit devices, so I won't be able to say. When I get the HR in tomorrow, I'll leave some thoughts here. You might want to check out this video if you haven't seen it yet:
https://youtu.be/sbF1zc2MZl0

That really bums me out about MS only giving credits. Just when they'll give me that credit is my next question. Ha h

 

[ashram]

had an interesting chat with MS support today.
Since it has now been a month with no real answer. Today I was told that as of recently, any Band sent in and beyond 8 days at MS would automatically getting a refund, BUT you still have to wait 6-8 weeks from the date that MS received it will be getting a refund, but the exact amount isn't known yet. So I have another 2-4 weeks to wait if true.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

6 to 8 weeks? I wonder why the delay? If their only course of action is a refund credit, why would that take two months? I guess the good news is that I only have a week or so left.
When I sent mine in, I was told that I would most likely get a refund of the "current value" of my Band 2. What the current value is I do not know.
Thanks for the info ashram.

 

[KrayMat]

At the store I was told $175. He basically said exactly what I'm hearing here.. if you send it in, it takes 6-8 weeks (maybe longer) and you will get a refund check. If you return to a store... you get store credit. Thanks for the video btw, that helps a lot. I still think I'm going to go with the Blaze just bc of the store credit. Maybe later this year something better will be out.

 

[poit57]

As a follow-up to my previous post on January 19, I received an email notifying me that my refund had been issued yesterday. That is 6 weeks to the day that a previous chat support agent informed me that my Band 2 had passed warranty eligibility testing on December 14. I'm also curious as to why it takes "6 to 8 weeks" to issue a refund when it usually took about 2 days to ship a replacement unit for the mail-in warranty exchanges I did on the Band and Band 2 over the past two years.

My check amount, according to the email, is $193.35. I assume that includes an estimated tax on top of the $175. I actually paid full price of $249.99 shortly after launch, but I'm not going to go through the hassle of claiming the difference because I'm grateful that they actually honored the warranty past the first year. My account shows my warranty goes through July 2017 - 21 months after my initial purchase.

 

[KrayMat]

I just got back from the store in Tampa. I was able to get full refund of $249 plus my extended service plan that I paid for $49 back on whatever card I wanted. Ended up being $309 refunded. My wife originally bought it in November 2015 as Christmas present for 2015 and they were able to look up the original purchase in the system. I will say.. I do a lot of business in the Tampa store for work, I purchased 4 surface pro 4's recently and the employee that helped me today recognized me from previous visits; that may have helped my cause. Anyway, I'm very happy. I highly recommend going into a physical store if you have one near you. Now I'm just hoping my Band 1 holds up for a while and something new comes this year.

 

[Netwolf-irc]

I just got back from the store in Tampa. I was able to get full refund of $249 plus my extended service plan that I paid for $49 back on whatever card I wanted. Ended up being $309 refunded. My wife originally bought it in November 2015 as Christmas present for 2015 and they were able to look up the original purchase in the system. I will say.. I do a lot of business in the Tampa store for work, I purchased 4 surface pro 4's recently and the employee that helped me today recognized me from previous visits; that may have helped my cause. Anyway, I'm very happy. I highly recommend going into a physical store if you have one near you. Now I'm just hoping my Band 1 holds up for a while and something new comes this year.

I've replaced my band 2 twice now. In 3 months. First time, it mysteriously died and won't charge. Second time, the rubber band came apart. I happen to take care in handling my gear, so was surprised with the failure rate. Each time MSFT replaced the band. No problem

Sent from mTalk

 

[ashram]

As a follow-up to my previous post on January 19, I received an email notifying me that my refund had been issued yesterday. That is 6 weeks to the day that a previous chat support agent informed me that my Band 2 had passed warranty eligibility testing on December 14. I'm also curious as to why it takes "6 to 8 weeks" to issue a refund when it usually took about 2 days to ship a replacement unit for the mail-in warranty exchanges I did on the Band and Band 2 over the past two years.

My check amount, according to the email, is $193.35. I assume that includes an estimated tax on top of the $175. I actually paid full price of $249.99 shortly after launch, but I'm not going to go through the hassle of claiming the difference because I'm grateful that they actually honored the warranty past the first year. My account shows my warranty goes through July 2017 - 21 months after my initial purchase.

This is good to hear... I sent mine a week and a half later, and the warranty expired 1 week after they received it, so I sent it just in time.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

So, I just received my Vivoactive HR in the mail this afternoon. First impressions:

It is a 99.9% exercise/activity tracker device. It does handle notifications, though. So far, I can only view and delete them. No interactions other than that.
The build is good. The band is stretchy, which is good, in my opinion, for working out. The main body is plastic but solid.
The screen....oh, the screen. It doesn't compare to the Band 2. It's very dim. And the resolution is pretty poor. But, it's acceptable for what it is. If this were more of a smartwatch, it would be a joke, though.
I'm going to do a ride on my indoor bike later this evening to test out the exercise functions. From what I've seen, this thing is gonna a be a beast at tracking my workout regimen. Pretty stoked about that.
Just a few thoughts. I'll have more after a few days.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

The screen, backlight off.

The screen, backlight on.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

Well, I take my opinions back regarding the screen of the HR. I didn't understand the tech behind it until after doing some reading. Under brighter lighting, the display gets brighter and clearer. The original pics were taken in a darker environment.

 

[Scienceguy Labs]

 

[poit57]

Well, I take my opinions back regarding the screen of the HR. I didn't understand the tech behind it until after doing some reading. Under brighter lighting, the display gets brighter and clearer. The original pics were taken in a darker environment.

The first evening I had my Vivoactive HR, I had the same reaction to the screen. It looked fine when I first put it on (in the parking lot where I bought it in the middle of the afternoon). When I was winding down for the day and watching TV with the lights off in my living room, I could barely even see the screen. Even with the backlight on, I thought something was wrong because the screen was much dimmer than it had been earlier. It wasn't until I walked into the kitchen with the lights on that I realized that the surrounding lights made a difference on how bright the screen looked.