Sims J., 26 of San Jose, California was at work when he got the email. It was an invitation to join a challenge his health insurance company, Blue Shield of California, was running through Walkadoo, a wellness program that challenges participants to meet daily step goals. According to the email, if you fulfilled the requirements, you’d be entered into weekly prize drawings. Best of all, if you signed up and didn’t already own a compatible activity tracker, you’d be given a Fitbit Zip.
Sims had used an activity tracker once before but the battery died and he never replaced the unit, so signing up for Walkadoo was a no-brainer. “I thought it would be a cool opportunity to get a free Fitbit tracker and get back into counting how many steps I take a day,” says Sims.
Using the Zip quickly became a part of Sims’ daily routine. “I don’t really work out,” says Sims. “In order to keep somewhat in shape I just try to walk as much as possible during my lunch breaks and my afternoon and morning breaks. It’s nice having my Fitbit Zip just keep track of how much I do, and seeing the difference on days days I don’t walk versus the days I do.”
Then one day, after only a month of use, Sims reached for the Zip to check his steps—as he liked to do towards the end of each day—and came up empty handed. “I didn’t think I would get it back,” says Sims. “I thought it was gone forever.”
But Sims’ Zip wasn’t gone forever. It was in someone else’s pocket. Not long after Sims lost the Zip—perhaps even the same day—a Redwood City resident and new Fitbit employee found it on the train platform Sims uses to commute to work. She took it to work with her and immediately posted messages on two community-based social media platforms in an attempt to find the owner. When none of the leads panned out, she contacted Fitbit customer support at the recommendation of a neighbor. Fitbit emailed her back and included a prepaid shipping label.
The Land of Lost Fitbit Trackers
It only took a few days for Sims’ Fitbit Zip to land on the desk of a shipping clerk in Fitbit’s San Francisco offices. It was not alone.
Fitbit has been collecting and returning lost Fitbit trackers since 2013, and receives an average of 120 per month. So when Sims’ Zip arrived the shipping clerk knew exactly what to do. He used the unit’s serial number to look up the email registered to the device. When he found it, he emailed Sims letting him know that his tracker had been found.
“When I got the email, I was pretty shocked,” says Sims. “I didn’t think there was a way for them to find out who it belonged to.”
Sims replied to the email with his shipping address. His Zip arrived less than a week later. “They even paid for the shipping!” says Sims. “I was pretty excited.”
No one wants to think about losting their Fitbit tracker, but when you use something so often it can happen (hello, house keys). If you misplace your tracker, try these tips for finding a lost device. If you find a Fitbit tracker that isn’t yours, contact Fitbit customer support. You just might make someone as happy as the good samaritan in this story made Sims.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or condition. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, altering your sleep habits, taking supplements, or starting a new fitness routine.
Danielle Kosecki
Senior health and fitness editor Danielle Kosecki is an award-winning journalist who has covered health and fitness for more than 10 years. She’s written for Glamour, More, Prevention, and Bicycling magazines, among others, and is the editor of The Bicycling Big Book of Training. A New York native, Danielle now lives in the Bay Area where she doesn’t miss winter at all.
This is really cool. I’ve lost a couple but never got them back. Good to know that they have a process in place to return them to their owners.
I lost mine and have searched and searched where I was when it was lost. Too bad it does not have a beeper on it they are so small. Mine slips out of its casing quite a bit.
I’ve lost 3 over the years. I had a charge that the strap came undone and I didn’t notice. The last one was flex 2 last month. I took off the strap to charge it and it had fallen out. Haven’t replaced it yet. Still upset about it falling out when it was on my wrist. No idea how that happened.
i lost mine(fit bit one) for nearly 6 months. Bought a new one and found the old one in a pocket of my sweater, i had packed away for the summer. Check pockets. It would help if they glowed in the dark or where something other than black.
Fitbit has the best customer service! Satisfied customer since March 2015.
Fitbit has the best customer service! Satisfied customer since March 2015.
I lost mine and customer support was extremely helpful – definitely contact them if you lose your Fitbit
As we are a Fitbit family (all seven of us wearing them) we’ve lost our share … we’ve had pretty good luck with a little “fitbit finder” app (using bluetooth to track it down if we knew the general area it had been lost in, it worked on the elementary school playground and the soccer field and around our house) but still have had several just disappear. I always tried to put our phone number as the “welcome” display … but all other lost ones have stayed lost.
I am not getting breakdowns of my sleep pattern anymore. I by to see how many hrs of deep sleep I am getting
my fitbit stop transmitting to my phone on March 8th 2017. What went wrong, I am so disappointed that I can’t track my activities. It is tracking on my wrist but not transmitting. Help?
Can i have the french translation of this article.
Thanks
I lost my Fitbit a month ago. I called customer service and they replaced my Fitbit because it was still under warranty for free. I am loving my Fibit.
Having found Pauline’s Fitbit in Wellington New Zealand I was disappointed with the following reply:
“Hello Murray,
Thanks for letting us know where you found the Fitbit.
At this time, we have no way of reuniting the tracker with its owner. Should any customers reach out regarding a lost tracker, we will do our best to assist them.
If you found the lost tracker near a local business, you may wish to submit it to their lost and found. Otherwise, we suggest recycling this Fitbit at a local electronics recycling facility.
Thank you again for reaching out. We very much appreciate it. “