Before I bought the vivosport as a christmas present for myself I did some research and found out that the straps on the vivo series have been a weak point and known to break after just a few months. The vendor somehow convinced me that it must have been a production error, and that I could just return it under waranty as soon as it started breaking as long as it was not completely broken through or like a clean knife cut. So, I bought it, and to be sure, checked it regulary for breaks or tears, treated it carefully, etc etc. A few days back, when putting it on in the morning the strap tore at the unit, the tear following the contours of the unit. Luckily, the tear was not complete and the strap is still attached by a few mm. I returned it to the store where I got it. However, they said now that warranty doesn’t cover this. I got quite angry (though of course that salesperson is not to blame). He then confessed that the last few months they had several customers with the same issue. So, They agreed to send it to Garmin who will now check if its a design flaw or me abusing it. This will take several weeks and the sales person told me I should not hope for a replacement. 200 euro for a wearable that is not usuable anymore after 6 months...thank you Garmin :( My next wearable won’t be a garmin!
Had my vivosport about 7 months when the band broke on one side of a loop. It appeared to be where the clasp was always resting. Contacted Garmin and received an RMA. Waiting for the replacement. I did buy a Square Trade extended warranty when I bought mine from Amazon. Will try alternating clasp locations to see if I can get more life out of it. Miss the replaceable bands of my charge 2. Moved to Garmin because of frequent issues with both my Charge HR and the 2. Neither lasted more than about a year.
Very interesting reading. This why I shy away from devices that don't have a replaceable band. Fitbit has gotten better about this. And inexpensive replacements are available from eBay.
Thank you for this thread. Definitely good data point on the Garmin decision. Currently a dissatisfied fitbit (Charge HR) owner.
I am very frustrated with the communication I have received from your service and feel I have no option but to raise a complaint, but find you don’t have an address to submit a complaint to!!
I had to return my vivosport due to the straps breaking after 6 months of normal use.
This in itself was arduous enough to arrange, but then a replacement was apparently sent out, although I received no notification from the warehouse or any tracking details.
The delivery driver did not leave a card to say they had attempted delivery.
The watch was returned to yourselves.
5 phone calls and three emails later my watch has apparently again been sent from the warehouse, but again no notification from them and no tracking number.
Last Thursday I was promised an email from the support centre to let me know the tracking number or to let me know if they couldn’t get hold of one. I received nothing.
Today, I received an email in response to one I sent on 3rd August giving me the tracking number of the watch that was returned on 27th July?!?!
Same here, strap broke after about 6 months. Fortunately the webshop (Coolblue) replaced the device with a new one (after investigation). I was wondering: I took some showers with the device. Maybe soap is a problem for the strap?!?
Will be replacing my wife's FitBit (it's literally falling apart because of incredibly poor design and manufacturing and materials) and am drawn to the VivoSport because of the size. She has smaller wrists and doesn't want anything big. Even my VivoActive HR is too big for her tastes. The issues with the strap tearing are a concern. My experience with Garmin customer service has been stellar so I have confidence in them as a company. I'm wondering how many times a watch will be replaced if there really is a design flaw, though. Would you all buy this particular model again?
