Forerunner 55 - having problems as it is going through a loop and no longer connecting to my phone or ipad

I’ve had my forerunner 55 since end on October. It has been glitchy since then not accurately recording my activities but recently has got stuck in a loop and not allowing me to save my runs. Initially I thought it was just me but have had a running buddy who also uses garmin here this week and she has confirmed what I expected that it isn’t just user error. 
I contacted garmin support by chat and followed their instructions the situation now is even more frustrating as the watch is no longer recognised by either my phone or iPad. 
I walked approximately 7 miles on Monday but the watch recorded 0 -although it had originally recorded a 3.4km walk totalling 4000 steps earlier in the day. 

I’m at a loss as to where to turn next. awaiting a response to my latest email to garmin.
Reluctant to spend out on another sports watch but as I’m training for my next marathon I wanted a watch designed for running. 
thankfully I still have my Fitbit sense which I am reverting to whilst I figure out what to do next.