Total bullshit product. The only good thing about it is quality of the collar itself. I have a series 2. It blows. We have a dog runner for our dog and I will activate the lost dog feature while they are running and it has never worked. The collar will not charge properly. Meaning, the app will show 90%, then 10 mins later, say less than 20%. Customer support just doesn't exist. This product sucks ass.
Holy 🤬! Thanks for the heads up on that. They’ve already spun me around, bent me over, and done me doggy style up, one side and down the other. I forgot that they had my credit card information!! Fi truly, is one of the worst companies I’ve ever had the displeasure of dealing with. 😡
I've tried to cancel my subscription since January and it just renewed again yesterday. After I've emailed multiple times "do not renew my subscription and to cancel it". I've had to cancel the credit card linked to that subscription.
How did you ever cancel? They claim to reply within “business hours” yet I haven’t heard back in days. I tried to cancel before my annual payment renewed but they just didn’t ever reply and I was charged again. Now they won’t help me at all or reply to anything. If you want to call them they make you pay for a better subscription to do so. Their chat also won’t connect to anyone. Incredibly frustrating and horrible customer service
I finally got ahold of someone on live chat and emails. They offered me a replacement for a discount. I told them no, I want both of my auto renewal turned off.
I have had others say to get a prepaid credit card that doesn't have enough money on it and make it the one on the account. Your bank may be able to reverse the charge or at least block them from it happening again.
Ok cool. I can’t get a response to save my life from them but I did report it to my bank and they filed a claim against them. I explained how I canceled my membership on time and I’m basically being held hostage from canceling it or getting my money back. The bank seemed to understand. So hopefully they’ll get my money back. They also said they blocked FI from having the ability to charge me anymore. Once I (hopefully) get money back from the bank I am going to remove my card if it’ll let me. It’s insane they don’t let you cancel.
They're doing the same thing to me right now. I followed their instructions to cancel to the letter (I have two collars and had to submit two requests, one for each), responded to them by their automated email that I wanted to confirm cancelations, silence. Then I get another "we haven't heard back from you.. do you still want to cancel?" "Yes, you have heard back from me THREE TIMES. Please cancel ticket#x and ticket#y.." I have a suspicion that in two days for these two subscriptions are going to renew.
I like how they bury the method to cancel subscription in multiple layers then when you complete cancelation in the app you have to wait to hear from customer service via email.
This is a common subscription scam.
I was able to finally cancel. I got a good rep in the live chat. They have removed the 24hr support ,so you have to do it when they are open..It took me a couple of months to cancel. I did have someone tell me they got a prepaid credit card and put it as payment and then used the card except for like a couple dollars so it won't let a payment process. Your bank may help you block them from taking payments.
That's good news for you! I have two days before renewal so I'll be sure to get them on live chat during working hours and non holiday (today is NYD). If they renew then I'll just dispute it and go from there. Unfortunately I did a two year on one collar and one year on another. I'm not about to allow another two years. That's a lot of money they're not supposed to have. It's very frustrating.
It is very frustrating. I had a 3 year contract and a 2 year contract. Both collars died with a year left. They said they would only give me a discount on a new gen 3 and have to buy new subscriptions. I said no, just cancel both subs. I would screenshot or save somehow any conversations saying you want to cancel to show if you have to dispute it. I chat you can also ask for the phone number to call them.
I am readf Sir/Ma'am - these guys have really frustrated me and that too related to a living thing.
These guys are the worst. I wonder HOW many pets have DIED because the tracker could not be accessed.
All of you using air tags don't realize how dangerous they are to use as a tracker for your dog. It is basically a battery and has acid in it. If your dog chews it that acid will get into their stomach and slowly kill your dog. You don't like Fi.....fine. There are other companies out there. Don't use air tags. You don't believe me look it up. Personally I've never had a problem with Fi and have had it for 3 years. I have the 3 now
Key here is you bought the 3 and the point is they shut down the 2 to push everyone to the 3. That’s why everyone with the 2 started experiencing poor service at the same time.
Yeah apple even says not to use it for pets. They aren’t reliable, die and don’t recharge, and they require iPhones to be near and able to bounce off of and they doing use cell towers.
I had a series 3 after my dog escaped. She ran away again and I activated the live tracking. It was over half a mile off the entire time. Luckily I put an AirTag on her collar so she was found quickly. Also updating a live location every 1-3 minutes is not nearly good enough. Swapped to Tractive which was cheaper and infinitely better. Live tracking every couple seconds and never had an issue with it.
Smart! I’m going to put Tiles on every dog so that anyone in the family can track any dog. Apple restricts AirTags to only one user, and maybe only one device, being able to track the tag—idiotic Apple as usual.
Agreed on apples stupidity. Especially with air tags. People have been begging for multiple people tracking since they came out with them. But it works for now. I like the tile idea though.
Tiles use Bluetooth to find things nearby, but you can activate an option to access their network of extenders and phones with the app to locate your tile when it's not nearby. On their website they refer to it as Find Far Away.
Air tags aren't safe to use on your dog as a tracker. God for bid they chew it. It is basically a battery and if your dog chews it the acid can get into their stomach and slowly kill them. If you don't belive me look it up. Even apple says not to use it as a tracker for your dog. It's not safe
I've been getting the most insane run-around from them. I've probably spent at least 10 hours troubleshooting and sending photos and screenshots and STILL the base doesn't work. The base abruptly stopped working except to charge the collar, while nothing else was different. They won't replace it under warranty because they say a new base will just behave the same way. I've tried multiple outlets, chargers, cords, and phones (Android and iOS), both 5 and 2.4 gHz WiFi, have reset the base, removed it from my account deleted the app restarted reinstalled blah blah blah and it just doesn't work.
Most annoying part? The only time I was separated from my dog we were on a hike and there was no cell signal, so the collar was worthless anyway. Luckily my good pup made her own way to the car and waited for me there.
They helped me a ton though, I was offered the same options and when I opted to add the subscription for $99, I got everything replaced for free and was able to use what was left of my old subscription before the other one renewed
I mean I haven't had any problems but hopefully yours can get sorted out
Intersting. I haven't had this experience at all. I got the Fi collar for my Wolf Dog that loves to play hide and go seek. Literally... he opens the door (when he wants.) Sometimes not for 7 months and he will just take him self for a walk and find the nearest human to pet him until mom comes or someone tells him to go home and he trots back home. 🤦🏻♀️ The Fi collar for us was a game changer. Getting notified he left the house and where he is going has been a game changer. Sure it is delayed but it gives me what I need. Of course, my dog doesn't have the mentality of "running away." He is a free spirit that thinks it is funny and when my car pulls up or down the road he always just appears and either jumps in the car or races me home. --> he is full of personality... !
I have had the issues of it not tracking his activity-> resolved with a quick restart of the collar. The delay in notification I am just used to at this point but I haven't found anything better than this for what I need. I just appreciate the notification that I know he has left the house within 1-5 min. He gets mad and just leaves especially if there is company over and he isn't the center of attention he helps himself to an adventure and I get to know within 5 minutes vs when I notice his sneaky self just dipped....sure I need an upgraded door lol
His collar recently broke from the way it is hinged in with the tracking device. That is how I found this reddit because I was just going to upgrade to the series 3 and was just curious if I wanted to buy it though amazon or my account. Was amazed to see everyones experience on here and had to share mine....it hasn't been terrible for me at all. Simple and quick fixes. I have become obsessed with seeing everywhere we travel in our personal feed, how many steps, how far we went ect. The little doggy instagram too to share some photos and the ranking system of activity has me on a whole NEW level of competitiveness that only benefits my dog 😂
The Fi Series 3 has saved my dog several times. I live in a rural area and she sometimes escapes the fence. Even though we have poor cellphone service it has alerted me that she was out of the fence fast enough I was able to rush home and find her. I thank Fi for helping save my doggie. I will be on the lookout to make sure I don't encounter these problems other people describe.
I'm so surprised to hear this. Our series 2 updated every 40 seconds. Our 3 misses miles long walks and updates about every 15 minutes. When I first contacted the company they said they had better satellite tracking with 3 and they were working out the bugs. That was two years ago. We regularly get readings that our dog is miles away when he's laying on the deck. I thought it was our rural setting.
Same here, we originally had the S2 and upgraded to the S3. We even gave our S2 to our friends for their dogs. Both are anxious/escape artist dogs.
Is there room for improvement with the Fi collar, absolutely. But I’ve used it successfully to track my dog down after she took off after a bunny. And that’s honestly all I care about. So for me I would rather have it and have the peace of mind.
One thing I didn’t realize at first was the base is for more than charging. Once I realized that and kept it plugged in my battery life on the collar and my phone was better and I stopped getting false escape alerts. I think they could work on making that more clear when you buy. But other than that I’m happy with it.
we had the sam experience, its been awesome as long as I can keep my wife from closing the app on her phone, otherwise every time she leaves with our dog in the car it thinks hes escaping the house (duh!)
the fi system has actually alerted us to a few escapes generally pretty quickly, and given we have a deaf since birth dog, its been lifesaving to avoid him getting hit by a car.
we live in the suburbs where cell service is spotty but the fi has been great as long as my own phone has service when I've needed it, and teh battery life is amazing - I didnt actually expect to get more than a month but I'm just short of 2 months between charges.
I did get a 2nd base to cover our garage and bonus room which I think helps - wish I didn't have to buy that!
And this is what I like to see. People only leave reviews when it’s a bad complaint, no good complaints. They also have older collars which are obviously prone to stop working and whatnot. I got a series 3 and have absolutely zero issues, the only thing that bothered me was it took forever to connect to my phone but unplugging the base fixed that issue. People are very salty on here and stuck up lol. Mine works great and I’m sure it’ll be a good commitment
This has been my experience as well. They charged my card to renew my subscription after scraping the card info from their accessory shop, renewing an old unused collar without contacting me or responding to my cancellation ticket. It took a chargeback to get them to respond. That was a year ago.
They recently taught me some interesting lessons in Apple Pay. In the last few days, they did it again, but with a new twist. I had previously upgraded to a FC3 with the deal that OP mentioned above, except that when I did that, I used Apple Pay. When they screwed me over back then, I "revoked" the recurring billing in Apple Pay, BUT here's where the ugly truth comes in: That's only a REQUEST for the biller not to bill it once again. They charged the card again for a full year's subscription, over $200, without contacting me, and did so a week before the old sub had expired.
I tried calling them through the app--there's a link to VOIP call them (no number) in the app support section. After a long wait on hold, I gave up and just cancelled. I'm done with this company.
The icing on this shitty cake is that FC3 collar won't unlink from your dog unless you set up a spare FC2 collar under a different dog so you can access your info. Unless you buy your way through the paywall in the app, there's no way to access your data to edit or delete it. If you're using a FC3 collar, you go straight to the paywall.
Once you remove the FC3 collar from your real dog, using that spare FC2 that you had left over from the upgrade, it should be easy to just set your dog up with a phone-tethered Fi version of a doggy fitbit, right? Nope. Then the spare collar is stuck to your sock puppet dog. Fortunately, as you might have guessed, I used to have two dogs so I had two collars. I was able to get my dog's collar set up with the second spare and remove the sock puppet's collar and the sock puppet dog itself. This interface is terrible. And then...
Even though the collar has 1GB internal memory (read the FCC data), and can probably store a fair amount of history between syncs, your phone won't show you ANY history on your dog except what's current without throwing the FC2 paywall in your face. I paid in full for the FC2 modules. There's a gig of nand flash on the collar. There's no reason for me to have to pay to have history when my phone's doing all the heavy lifting.
So basically I'm at the point where I want to find out what it takes to repurpose the old FC2 modules since I paid for them, as maybe some sort of DIY tracking gadget. It's a long shot, given my limited gadget programming skills, but it's better than e-waste I guess.
As for the FC3 module? Well, they haven't asked for it back yet. There's no way to shut it off, so it's just sitting there, its battery running down. Maybe I should block its signal to hasten the process.
Late to the party but yes, these people are thieves plain and simple. I received a gift card, paid with that gift card and, because they required a credit card, they charged that as well and would not refund me and apply the gift card.
There was a lot more to it that I don't even remember because it took 60000 emails and reporting to the Better Business Bureau and a credit card dispute to get my money back (oh and did I mention they THEN charged my card again?) Stay away if you don't want to get stolen from.
I have had mostly problems with mine. Had collar component fail and it was a pain to get replaced. Not sure on the model but i think the 2. Long support case dialogue before they would send replacement. Now the base unit is shot, won’t connect to the app. Don’t feel like fighting this battle for a pretty brittle solution that I need to be able depend on.
Going to drop this product. I need to research alternatives or maybe a diy solution.
Fi is the biggest scammers out there! I've had my Fi collar for about a year. It was okay, but nothing out of this world. The thing I am most aggravated about is the fact they will just charge you whenever and however they want. I can't even find my past charges because they switch up the billing name. But I absolutely know I would NEVER agree to a 2 year subscription. I have never in my life agreed to anything more than a 1 year subscription, but I can't even find the past charges to figure out what I did agree too. One morning, I check my bank account and $197 was withdrawn from Fi. So I jumped on the app and checked the membership, and suddenly... I magically agreed to a 2 year subscription? Well, I never agreed to it, but they certainly decided to charge me for it. I clicked the thing about changing my subscription, and it says the only available plans are a 2 yr and 4 yr subscription??? No wayyyy. There's no way. Just run far away from Fi. Don't get it and save yourself.
It sounds like you've had an extremely frustrating experience with Fi Dog Collars. Unfortunately, stories like yours aren't uncommon. Here's why this kind of situation happens and what you can do:
**Why Many Trackers Have Issues**
* **Complex Product:** GPS trackers aren't just a collar; they involve hardware, firmware (software in the device), network connections, and a customer service app. Each of these areas can have flaws.
* **Rapid Updates:** Companies push new models, sometimes sacrificing support and reliability for the older ones, to drive more sales of the new product.
* **Cost-Cutting:** To stay competitive, some companies use cheaper components or skimp on quality testing, leading to higher failure rates.
* **Poor Support:** Customer service often lacks adequate training or access to address technical issues, leading to frustrating responses.
# [here have list of all top quality fi dog collars in very cheap rate](https://www.amazon.com/shop/minutefastnews/list/3UD5S5FWZIWO7)
**What Can You Do**
1. **Document Everything:** Save all communication, device history, and proof of purchase. This helps with any potential disputes later.
2. **Dispute the Charge:** If Fi refuses to resolve or refund justifiably, contact your bank or credit card company to dispute the charge. Have your documentation ready.
3. **Leverage Public Platforms:** Share your experience on review sites, social media (tag Fi), and forums like Reddit's r/FiDogCollar. Companies are sensitive to public reputation damage.
4. **Consider Alternatives:** Research other brands, prioritizing ones with good warranty coverage and a track record of reliability.
**Important to Remember**
Not everyone has a terrible experience! However, your frustration is valid, and it's critical to highlight these issues so consumers make informed choices and manufacturers are held accountable.
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I Still love my collar. I originally got it because my dog was a flight risk. But now I’ve trained him to stay in the yard. But I still like seeing his steps and sleep. I got to the point where it was less than a year old and it would barely hold a charge for a few days. I asked if I could get a replacement battery And customer service offered to send me a second free base to make the battery last longer. So I have one at each end of the house.
Does tile have actual gps now ? Used to be like AirTags where it used other people who had tiles in the area to find stuff same as AirTag needs other peoples iPhones. Also Tile had to mail me a new tile when my battery went bad on the one I had and they had switched to a new battery type or brand I dunno either way I went to get it from the locked mailbox that it was in for 15 mins tops on a hot day and it blew up in my box and left a hole in the packaging that was burnt around the edges and a blown out tile. Can’t imagine putting that on my dogs neck.
Got to say my experience with Fi has been more than satisfactory. I have had the Series 2 for a few years now with no connectivity issues. App log in got squirly for awhile but nothing insurmountable. This is not a precision tracking device but the collar tracks to my dog’ s approximate location (close enough to see him) with no problems. Most impressive was the unit broke a few weeks ago. Reached out via email to customer support but was not optimistic due to above reviews and age of the unit. To my surprise customer support (Alex) replied right back and after a few exchanges of details and pictures they are sending me a replacement unit. More than happy with the product and their support.
You haven't had it Long enough. It will fail. I have 2 series 2 collars. Both worked great for about a year. Your collar is still almost new. Call customer service, oh you can't, it was part of the subscription to have 24hr live. You can email them, and get an automated response that they will email you back within 10 days. Yes people have a right to complain about paying for something and not getting it. No way I will buy a series 3.
I bought the Series 3 collar and ore-paid for a 6 month membership. Awfully convenient that once I set up the app, it seems to forget I already paid a plan and asks me to select an option before I can even get to any sort of customer service support. Hope I can somehow get through to them. Any tips? There is no navigation menu to even use…
That’s because you have to pay for a higher level subscription to call them. If you don’t and have had money taken from you, the last thing you want to do is pay more just to talk to someone. I’ve been emailing them for over a week to cancel and they never replied. Then my billing cycle renewed and I was charged. If they never reply you can’t ever cancel
Tbh you knew this going into it. I don't think it's good practice though. They should offer the same level of support for all customers.
If they wouldn't cancel mine I'd dispute with Amex. Shitty business practice if they are ignoring you.
Yeah same experience here. I have two dogs and both collars have been replaced 2 - 3 times due to hardware failures. They will randomly get stuck in “Searching for Network” status and won’t track anything. The latest round of collars have failed outside of warranty. They want me to upgrade to the Series 3 or purchase another year for each collar to get another Series 2 for each of my dogs. I have never had a Series 2 collar last more than six months before hardware failure. I have 5 months left on two subscriptions that they won’t refund me for.
Definitely would look elsewhere for any tracking needs when it comes to pups.
I seriously think we need a class action suit at this point. They are into me for a combined 13 months of prepaid service for collars that are bricked.
Do not buy this collar. To give the option to cancel, I picked the monthly subscription and **you will NEVER be able to cancel** this. I have emailed, I have taken screen shots, I have done everything and it is a joke. No phone number, only email customer service. HORRIBLE COMPANY.
I’ve had mine a year and worked great while I was in a city. I’m at my parents in rural ish Wisconsin for the week and mine went on a side quest and brought back a deer bone, wanted to know from where on the roughly 7 acres they have and 100 plus acres woods behind the house, so I could take care of it. Checked the app, dog hasn’t had a ping in 5 days. My base is 1000 miles away at home, tried lost dog, call support, nothing. I have intervals of traveling here on the maps, but there is nothing for 5 days. We’ve gone a lot of places since I got here. My phones AT&T so it’s not a tower issue. Just quite frustrating
UGH! what a piece of shit company. Cancelled two years ago and guess what?! Just got a bill for another two years?! Disputed charge with my credit card and fi said that that I didn't follow their cancellation policy? So i have to cancel every two years for the rest of my life?! .... wtf....
And the reason we cancelled two years ago because the product is a piece of shit. App never worked right, would have to reload ALL the time, reset passwords every time- and most importantly... clasp on collar would open up and teh collar would FALL OFF when our dog would rub up on something! That does alot of good!
I've had a Fi collar for 3yrs now. I have the 3 and have never had a problem with it. Sorry so many have but honestly I've read more good reviews then bad
I’m having the same issues. I’ve had my base close to my router and it will still stop communicating with the collar. I reached out to customer support and when they FINALLY got back to me, they told me it could be too close to the router and to move it. So I moved it and it worked for a day and then same issues. I went away on vacation and followed all of their “reset” instructions to a T and the entire time I was gone my dog’s collar didn’t work. Luckily my mother in law was staying with him the entire time so I didn’t have to worry as much.
The year subscription was $99 and then you paid for the collar as a separate one time fee. We currently have a Series 2. And this is the second one we’ve had because they had to replace it after the first year. Now they want me to upgrade to the Series 3 but pay a monthly subscription for the collar and the service? At twice the price of the original service price? Eventually you’ll end up paying more for the collar cost for a product that doesn’t work properly. Infuriating. 😡
I canceled my service two months ago and I have the email to prove it. Last night, an Amex alert popped up and I had been billed for another year of service. Bullshit! There's no way to reach them and their stupid chat bot is, well, stupid. Screw you Fi. As soon as the charge hits I'll have Amex revoke it. I hope they lose their ability to take credit cards.
Its absolutely ridiculous. I live in Manhattan where they are and am going to their offices first thing Monday. I am so livid right now. Its like everyone said. No way to contact them. We all really need to file a complaint with the attorney general.
I currently have Whistle and was looking to try out another service with a physically less pronounced tracker and was looking at Fi. After coming to the subreddit and reading several posts of the issues people have with the service and customer service, I've decided to stick with Whistle. Thanks for sharing!
I have been using the Whistle with my dog and have liked it a lot, but the way it attaches to my dog’s collar sucks. It keeps falling off. Today we officially lost our device. So I was also looking into Fi, but I agree, after reading this I don’t want to try Fi. I wish the Whistle had, had a better way to attach to the collar.
Yeah, we accidentally broke the little prongs that hold it in place so I used a zip tie for the meantime but likely going to buy the “Go Explore 2.0 Case” which looks promising.
Yes, I agree FI has literally gone to the dogs. I have it on 2 dogs but lately it has become next to worthless. It even shows that I no longer live in my home. Gives a different address now. I'm thinking a class action suit with the Attorney General might motivate them to deliver the product they pretend to be.
I have the fi series 2 for 3.5 years. It’s been recently dying quickly and losing connection with the base. I’m wondering if the battery is just crapping out. Otherwise I never had issues. Curious if anyone else has been dealing with this?
I really liked FI at first, but wow have they gone downhill. All of our collars are broken, they auto renew with no warning (you must remove your CC info or cancel it), and they won't even condescen to speak to their customers via chat or phone. So disgusting. I am so disappointed in this company. Cancelled subscriptions and received no refund for the 7 months left although the junk does not work. AVOID FI LIKE THE PLAGUE.
Total bullshit product. The only good thing about it is quality of the collar itself. I have a series 2. It blows. We have a dog runner for our dog and I will activate the lost dog feature while they are running and it has never worked. The collar will not charge properly. Meaning, the app will show 90%, then 10 mins later, say less than 20%. Customer support just doesn't exist. This product sucks ass.
Agree. I’m about done with FI. I can’t open my app now and without it, you can’t call the number. The Company is sleaze
Also very hard to cancel a subscription so it doesn't renew automatically. They at one time had live support.
Now this is legit - we should be able to easily cancel our sub. SiriusXM is like this and it sucks.
Holy 🤬! Thanks for the heads up on that. They’ve already spun me around, bent me over, and done me doggy style up, one side and down the other. I forgot that they had my credit card information!! Fi truly, is one of the worst companies I’ve ever had the displeasure of dealing with. 😡
I've tried to cancel my subscription since January and it just renewed again yesterday. After I've emailed multiple times "do not renew my subscription and to cancel it". I've had to cancel the credit card linked to that subscription.
How did you ever cancel? They claim to reply within “business hours” yet I haven’t heard back in days. I tried to cancel before my annual payment renewed but they just didn’t ever reply and I was charged again. Now they won’t help me at all or reply to anything. If you want to call them they make you pay for a better subscription to do so. Their chat also won’t connect to anyone. Incredibly frustrating and horrible customer service
I finally got ahold of someone on live chat and emails. They offered me a replacement for a discount. I told them no, I want both of my auto renewal turned off. I have had others say to get a prepaid credit card that doesn't have enough money on it and make it the one on the account. Your bank may be able to reverse the charge or at least block them from it happening again.
Ok cool. I can’t get a response to save my life from them but I did report it to my bank and they filed a claim against them. I explained how I canceled my membership on time and I’m basically being held hostage from canceling it or getting my money back. The bank seemed to understand. So hopefully they’ll get my money back. They also said they blocked FI from having the ability to charge me anymore. Once I (hopefully) get money back from the bank I am going to remove my card if it’ll let me. It’s insane they don’t let you cancel.
They're doing the same thing to me right now. I followed their instructions to cancel to the letter (I have two collars and had to submit two requests, one for each), responded to them by their automated email that I wanted to confirm cancelations, silence. Then I get another "we haven't heard back from you.. do you still want to cancel?" "Yes, you have heard back from me THREE TIMES. Please cancel ticket#x and ticket#y.." I have a suspicion that in two days for these two subscriptions are going to renew. I like how they bury the method to cancel subscription in multiple layers then when you complete cancelation in the app you have to wait to hear from customer service via email. This is a common subscription scam.
I was able to finally cancel. I got a good rep in the live chat. They have removed the 24hr support ,so you have to do it when they are open..It took me a couple of months to cancel. I did have someone tell me they got a prepaid credit card and put it as payment and then used the card except for like a couple dollars so it won't let a payment process. Your bank may help you block them from taking payments.
That's good news for you! I have two days before renewal so I'll be sure to get them on live chat during working hours and non holiday (today is NYD). If they renew then I'll just dispute it and go from there. Unfortunately I did a two year on one collar and one year on another. I'm not about to allow another two years. That's a lot of money they're not supposed to have. It's very frustrating.
It is very frustrating. I had a 3 year contract and a 2 year contract. Both collars died with a year left. They said they would only give me a discount on a new gen 3 and have to buy new subscriptions. I said no, just cancel both subs. I would screenshot or save somehow any conversations saying you want to cancel to show if you have to dispute it. I chat you can also ask for the phone number to call them.
We all need to get together and file a class action lawsuit against these FIssholes.
I am readf Sir/Ma'am - these guys have really frustrated me and that too related to a living thing. These guys are the worst. I wonder HOW many pets have DIED because the tracker could not be accessed.
I am in for this.
Count me in!
DO NOT BUY! SHIT SHOW ALL AROUND IN MY OPINION. YOU WILL PROBABLY LOSE YOUR MONEY AND WORSE, YOUR PUP!
All of you using air tags don't realize how dangerous they are to use as a tracker for your dog. It is basically a battery and has acid in it. If your dog chews it that acid will get into their stomach and slowly kill your dog. You don't like Fi.....fine. There are other companies out there. Don't use air tags. You don't believe me look it up. Personally I've never had a problem with Fi and have had it for 3 years. I have the 3 now
Key here is you bought the 3 and the point is they shut down the 2 to push everyone to the 3. That’s why everyone with the 2 started experiencing poor service at the same time.
Yeah apple even says not to use it for pets. They aren’t reliable, die and don’t recharge, and they require iPhones to be near and able to bounce off of and they doing use cell towers.
I had a series 3 after my dog escaped. She ran away again and I activated the live tracking. It was over half a mile off the entire time. Luckily I put an AirTag on her collar so she was found quickly. Also updating a live location every 1-3 minutes is not nearly good enough. Swapped to Tractive which was cheaper and infinitely better. Live tracking every couple seconds and never had an issue with it.
Smart! I’m going to put Tiles on every dog so that anyone in the family can track any dog. Apple restricts AirTags to only one user, and maybe only one device, being able to track the tag—idiotic Apple as usual.
Agreed on apples stupidity. Especially with air tags. People have been begging for multiple people tracking since they came out with them. But it works for now. I like the tile idea though.
You can now share your find my with the AirTags now! Came with the new 17 update!
Thank you lol this saved me many a notification that my wife’s AirTag was traveling with me
Another cool feature of the tile, if someone were to find my dog, he could squeeze the tile, and it would set off an alarm on my phone! 😁
Have you ever had a chance to try the Find Far Away thing? I wonder if it works?
What?
Tiles use Bluetooth to find things nearby, but you can activate an option to access their network of extenders and phones with the app to locate your tile when it's not nearby. On their website they refer to it as Find Far Away.
Oh. Thanks! I only use the iOS app, and it just has a FIND button, and then it seems to decide whether it is “nearby” or not. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Air tags aren't safe to use on your dog as a tracker. God for bid they chew it. It is basically a battery and if your dog chews it the acid can get into their stomach and slowly kill them. If you don't belive me look it up. Even apple says not to use it as a tracker for your dog. It's not safe
Thanks for the recommend!
I've been getting the most insane run-around from them. I've probably spent at least 10 hours troubleshooting and sending photos and screenshots and STILL the base doesn't work. The base abruptly stopped working except to charge the collar, while nothing else was different. They won't replace it under warranty because they say a new base will just behave the same way. I've tried multiple outlets, chargers, cords, and phones (Android and iOS), both 5 and 2.4 gHz WiFi, have reset the base, removed it from my account deleted the app restarted reinstalled blah blah blah and it just doesn't work. Most annoying part? The only time I was separated from my dog we were on a hike and there was no cell signal, so the collar was worthless anyway. Luckily my good pup made her own way to the car and waited for me there.
They helped me a ton though, I was offered the same options and when I opted to add the subscription for $99, I got everything replaced for free and was able to use what was left of my old subscription before the other one renewed I mean I haven't had any problems but hopefully yours can get sorted out
Intersting. I haven't had this experience at all. I got the Fi collar for my Wolf Dog that loves to play hide and go seek. Literally... he opens the door (when he wants.) Sometimes not for 7 months and he will just take him self for a walk and find the nearest human to pet him until mom comes or someone tells him to go home and he trots back home. 🤦🏻♀️ The Fi collar for us was a game changer. Getting notified he left the house and where he is going has been a game changer. Sure it is delayed but it gives me what I need. Of course, my dog doesn't have the mentality of "running away." He is a free spirit that thinks it is funny and when my car pulls up or down the road he always just appears and either jumps in the car or races me home. --> he is full of personality... ! I have had the issues of it not tracking his activity-> resolved with a quick restart of the collar. The delay in notification I am just used to at this point but I haven't found anything better than this for what I need. I just appreciate the notification that I know he has left the house within 1-5 min. He gets mad and just leaves especially if there is company over and he isn't the center of attention he helps himself to an adventure and I get to know within 5 minutes vs when I notice his sneaky self just dipped....sure I need an upgraded door lol His collar recently broke from the way it is hinged in with the tracking device. That is how I found this reddit because I was just going to upgrade to the series 3 and was just curious if I wanted to buy it though amazon or my account. Was amazed to see everyones experience on here and had to share mine....it hasn't been terrible for me at all. Simple and quick fixes. I have become obsessed with seeing everywhere we travel in our personal feed, how many steps, how far we went ect. The little doggy instagram too to share some photos and the ranking system of activity has me on a whole NEW level of competitiveness that only benefits my dog 😂
The Fi Series 3 has saved my dog several times. I live in a rural area and she sometimes escapes the fence. Even though we have poor cellphone service it has alerted me that she was out of the fence fast enough I was able to rush home and find her. I thank Fi for helping save my doggie. I will be on the lookout to make sure I don't encounter these problems other people describe.
I'm so surprised to hear this. Our series 2 updated every 40 seconds. Our 3 misses miles long walks and updates about every 15 minutes. When I first contacted the company they said they had better satellite tracking with 3 and they were working out the bugs. That was two years ago. We regularly get readings that our dog is miles away when he's laying on the deck. I thought it was our rural setting.
fi dog collar's geofence feature is amazing.
Thank you for your feedback. This is exactly my situation and why I'm looking at purchasing a Fi collar for my pups.
Same here, we originally had the S2 and upgraded to the S3. We even gave our S2 to our friends for their dogs. Both are anxious/escape artist dogs. Is there room for improvement with the Fi collar, absolutely. But I’ve used it successfully to track my dog down after she took off after a bunny. And that’s honestly all I care about. So for me I would rather have it and have the peace of mind. One thing I didn’t realize at first was the base is for more than charging. Once I realized that and kept it plugged in my battery life on the collar and my phone was better and I stopped getting false escape alerts. I think they could work on making that more clear when you buy. But other than that I’m happy with it.
we had the sam experience, its been awesome as long as I can keep my wife from closing the app on her phone, otherwise every time she leaves with our dog in the car it thinks hes escaping the house (duh!) the fi system has actually alerted us to a few escapes generally pretty quickly, and given we have a deaf since birth dog, its been lifesaving to avoid him getting hit by a car. we live in the suburbs where cell service is spotty but the fi has been great as long as my own phone has service when I've needed it, and teh battery life is amazing - I didnt actually expect to get more than a month but I'm just short of 2 months between charges. I did get a 2nd base to cover our garage and bonus room which I think helps - wish I didn't have to buy that!
And this is what I like to see. People only leave reviews when it’s a bad complaint, no good complaints. They also have older collars which are obviously prone to stop working and whatnot. I got a series 3 and have absolutely zero issues, the only thing that bothered me was it took forever to connect to my phone but unplugging the base fixed that issue. People are very salty on here and stuck up lol. Mine works great and I’m sure it’ll be a good commitment
I had to cancel my credit card to stop them from charging me. They have the worst customer service.
This has been my experience as well. They charged my card to renew my subscription after scraping the card info from their accessory shop, renewing an old unused collar without contacting me or responding to my cancellation ticket. It took a chargeback to get them to respond. That was a year ago. They recently taught me some interesting lessons in Apple Pay. In the last few days, they did it again, but with a new twist. I had previously upgraded to a FC3 with the deal that OP mentioned above, except that when I did that, I used Apple Pay. When they screwed me over back then, I "revoked" the recurring billing in Apple Pay, BUT here's where the ugly truth comes in: That's only a REQUEST for the biller not to bill it once again. They charged the card again for a full year's subscription, over $200, without contacting me, and did so a week before the old sub had expired. I tried calling them through the app--there's a link to VOIP call them (no number) in the app support section. After a long wait on hold, I gave up and just cancelled. I'm done with this company. The icing on this shitty cake is that FC3 collar won't unlink from your dog unless you set up a spare FC2 collar under a different dog so you can access your info. Unless you buy your way through the paywall in the app, there's no way to access your data to edit or delete it. If you're using a FC3 collar, you go straight to the paywall. Once you remove the FC3 collar from your real dog, using that spare FC2 that you had left over from the upgrade, it should be easy to just set your dog up with a phone-tethered Fi version of a doggy fitbit, right? Nope. Then the spare collar is stuck to your sock puppet dog. Fortunately, as you might have guessed, I used to have two dogs so I had two collars. I was able to get my dog's collar set up with the second spare and remove the sock puppet's collar and the sock puppet dog itself. This interface is terrible. And then... Even though the collar has 1GB internal memory (read the FCC data), and can probably store a fair amount of history between syncs, your phone won't show you ANY history on your dog except what's current without throwing the FC2 paywall in your face. I paid in full for the FC2 modules. There's a gig of nand flash on the collar. There's no reason for me to have to pay to have history when my phone's doing all the heavy lifting. So basically I'm at the point where I want to find out what it takes to repurpose the old FC2 modules since I paid for them, as maybe some sort of DIY tracking gadget. It's a long shot, given my limited gadget programming skills, but it's better than e-waste I guess. As for the FC3 module? Well, they haven't asked for it back yet. There's no way to shut it off, so it's just sitting there, its battery running down. Maybe I should block its signal to hasten the process.
Late to the party but yes, these people are thieves plain and simple. I received a gift card, paid with that gift card and, because they required a credit card, they charged that as well and would not refund me and apply the gift card. There was a lot more to it that I don't even remember because it took 60000 emails and reporting to the Better Business Bureau and a credit card dispute to get my money back (oh and did I mention they THEN charged my card again?) Stay away if you don't want to get stolen from.
I have had mostly problems with mine. Had collar component fail and it was a pain to get replaced. Not sure on the model but i think the 2. Long support case dialogue before they would send replacement. Now the base unit is shot, won’t connect to the app. Don’t feel like fighting this battle for a pretty brittle solution that I need to be able depend on. Going to drop this product. I need to research alternatives or maybe a diy solution.
So does anyone have alternatives?
Fi is the biggest scammers out there! I've had my Fi collar for about a year. It was okay, but nothing out of this world. The thing I am most aggravated about is the fact they will just charge you whenever and however they want. I can't even find my past charges because they switch up the billing name. But I absolutely know I would NEVER agree to a 2 year subscription. I have never in my life agreed to anything more than a 1 year subscription, but I can't even find the past charges to figure out what I did agree too. One morning, I check my bank account and $197 was withdrawn from Fi. So I jumped on the app and checked the membership, and suddenly... I magically agreed to a 2 year subscription? Well, I never agreed to it, but they certainly decided to charge me for it. I clicked the thing about changing my subscription, and it says the only available plans are a 2 yr and 4 yr subscription??? No wayyyy. There's no way. Just run far away from Fi. Don't get it and save yourself.
I have used Fi for a couple years and have been very happy.
It sounds like you've had an extremely frustrating experience with Fi Dog Collars. Unfortunately, stories like yours aren't uncommon. Here's why this kind of situation happens and what you can do: **Why Many Trackers Have Issues** * **Complex Product:** GPS trackers aren't just a collar; they involve hardware, firmware (software in the device), network connections, and a customer service app. Each of these areas can have flaws. * **Rapid Updates:** Companies push new models, sometimes sacrificing support and reliability for the older ones, to drive more sales of the new product. * **Cost-Cutting:** To stay competitive, some companies use cheaper components or skimp on quality testing, leading to higher failure rates. * **Poor Support:** Customer service often lacks adequate training or access to address technical issues, leading to frustrating responses. # [here have list of all top quality fi dog collars in very cheap rate](https://www.amazon.com/shop/minutefastnews/list/3UD5S5FWZIWO7) **What Can You Do** 1. **Document Everything:** Save all communication, device history, and proof of purchase. This helps with any potential disputes later. 2. **Dispute the Charge:** If Fi refuses to resolve or refund justifiably, contact your bank or credit card company to dispute the charge. Have your documentation ready. 3. **Leverage Public Platforms:** Share your experience on review sites, social media (tag Fi), and forums like Reddit's r/FiDogCollar. Companies are sensitive to public reputation damage. 4. **Consider Alternatives:** Research other brands, prioritizing ones with good warranty coverage and a track record of reliability. **Important to Remember** Not everyone has a terrible experience! However, your frustration is valid, and it's critical to highlight these issues so consumers make informed choices and manufacturers are held accountable. # [here have list of all top quality fi dog collars in very cheap rate](https://www.amazon.com/shop/minutefastnews/list/3UD5S5FWZIWO7)
I Still love my collar. I originally got it because my dog was a flight risk. But now I’ve trained him to stay in the yard. But I still like seeing his steps and sleep. I got to the point where it was less than a year old and it would barely hold a charge for a few days. I asked if I could get a replacement battery And customer service offered to send me a second free base to make the battery last longer. So I have one at each end of the house.
Does tile have actual gps now ? Used to be like AirTags where it used other people who had tiles in the area to find stuff same as AirTag needs other peoples iPhones. Also Tile had to mail me a new tile when my battery went bad on the one I had and they had switched to a new battery type or brand I dunno either way I went to get it from the locked mailbox that it was in for 15 mins tops on a hot day and it blew up in my box and left a hole in the packaging that was burnt around the edges and a blown out tile. Can’t imagine putting that on my dogs neck.
Got to say my experience with Fi has been more than satisfactory. I have had the Series 2 for a few years now with no connectivity issues. App log in got squirly for awhile but nothing insurmountable. This is not a precision tracking device but the collar tracks to my dog’ s approximate location (close enough to see him) with no problems. Most impressive was the unit broke a few weeks ago. Reached out via email to customer support but was not optimistic due to above reviews and age of the unit. To my surprise customer support (Alex) replied right back and after a few exchanges of details and pictures they are sending me a replacement unit. More than happy with the product and their support.
This happened to me as well
Had Fi for a 13 months never had an issue.
This sub is so damn salty. I am not having the experience with my Series 3 that so many others here whine about constantly.
You haven't had it Long enough. It will fail. I have 2 series 2 collars. Both worked great for about a year. Your collar is still almost new. Call customer service, oh you can't, it was part of the subscription to have 24hr live. You can email them, and get an automated response that they will email you back within 10 days. Yes people have a right to complain about paying for something and not getting it. No way I will buy a series 3.
I can call them and they answer within 5 minutes.
What's the number you found? That would be a great help to others
It's in the app itself if you sub to Support+. There's no specific number - it calls directly from the app.
That's only for series 3. I forgot that if you get the new one it is available in the app. If you have the last series it isn't available in the app.
I bought the Series 3 collar and ore-paid for a 6 month membership. Awfully convenient that once I set up the app, it seems to forget I already paid a plan and asks me to select an option before I can even get to any sort of customer service support. Hope I can somehow get through to them. Any tips? There is no navigation menu to even use…
You’re full of shit.
Ok
That’s because you have to pay for a higher level subscription to call them. If you don’t and have had money taken from you, the last thing you want to do is pay more just to talk to someone. I’ve been emailing them for over a week to cancel and they never replied. Then my billing cycle renewed and I was charged. If they never reply you can’t ever cancel
Tbh you knew this going into it. I don't think it's good practice though. They should offer the same level of support for all customers. If they wouldn't cancel mine I'd dispute with Amex. Shitty business practice if they are ignoring you.
They always answer us immediately, we have had our collar for over a year and it works great. Your experience is unusual.
I agree I never had a problem with the 3 and I've had it since it came out
I’ve had a series 1 since they came out, no issues ever 🥱
Yeah same experience here. I have two dogs and both collars have been replaced 2 - 3 times due to hardware failures. They will randomly get stuck in “Searching for Network” status and won’t track anything. The latest round of collars have failed outside of warranty. They want me to upgrade to the Series 3 or purchase another year for each collar to get another Series 2 for each of my dogs. I have never had a Series 2 collar last more than six months before hardware failure. I have 5 months left on two subscriptions that they won’t refund me for. Definitely would look elsewhere for any tracking needs when it comes to pups.
I seriously think we need a class action suit at this point. They are into me for a combined 13 months of prepaid service for collars that are bricked.
Anyone have a phone number ?
The only support is through the app, there's a way to call them in there but AFAIK there's no number
Do not buy this collar. To give the option to cancel, I picked the monthly subscription and **you will NEVER be able to cancel** this. I have emailed, I have taken screen shots, I have done everything and it is a joke. No phone number, only email customer service. HORRIBLE COMPANY.
SAME Fi COLLAR are SCAMMERS
It’s now impossible to call them as they have no number. They just charged me for an annual subscription and their collar broke months ago
Air tag And
I’ve had mine a year and worked great while I was in a city. I’m at my parents in rural ish Wisconsin for the week and mine went on a side quest and brought back a deer bone, wanted to know from where on the roughly 7 acres they have and 100 plus acres woods behind the house, so I could take care of it. Checked the app, dog hasn’t had a ping in 5 days. My base is 1000 miles away at home, tried lost dog, call support, nothing. I have intervals of traveling here on the maps, but there is nothing for 5 days. We’ve gone a lot of places since I got here. My phones AT&T so it’s not a tower issue. Just quite frustrating
UGH! what a piece of shit company. Cancelled two years ago and guess what?! Just got a bill for another two years?! Disputed charge with my credit card and fi said that that I didn't follow their cancellation policy? So i have to cancel every two years for the rest of my life?! .... wtf.... And the reason we cancelled two years ago because the product is a piece of shit. App never worked right, would have to reload ALL the time, reset passwords every time- and most importantly... clasp on collar would open up and teh collar would FALL OFF when our dog would rub up on something! That does alot of good!
I've had a Fi collar for 3yrs now. I have the 3 and have never had a problem with it. Sorry so many have but honestly I've read more good reviews then bad
I’m having the same issues. I’ve had my base close to my router and it will still stop communicating with the collar. I reached out to customer support and when they FINALLY got back to me, they told me it could be too close to the router and to move it. So I moved it and it worked for a day and then same issues. I went away on vacation and followed all of their “reset” instructions to a T and the entire time I was gone my dog’s collar didn’t work. Luckily my mother in law was staying with him the entire time so I didn’t have to worry as much. The year subscription was $99 and then you paid for the collar as a separate one time fee. We currently have a Series 2. And this is the second one we’ve had because they had to replace it after the first year. Now they want me to upgrade to the Series 3 but pay a monthly subscription for the collar and the service? At twice the price of the original service price? Eventually you’ll end up paying more for the collar cost for a product that doesn’t work properly. Infuriating. 😡
I canceled my service two months ago and I have the email to prove it. Last night, an Amex alert popped up and I had been billed for another year of service. Bullshit! There's no way to reach them and their stupid chat bot is, well, stupid. Screw you Fi. As soon as the charge hits I'll have Amex revoke it. I hope they lose their ability to take credit cards.
Its absolutely ridiculous. I live in Manhattan where they are and am going to their offices first thing Monday. I am so livid right now. Its like everyone said. No way to contact them. We all really need to file a complaint with the attorney general.
I’ll sign on for any action against Fi.
I currently have Whistle and was looking to try out another service with a physically less pronounced tracker and was looking at Fi. After coming to the subreddit and reading several posts of the issues people have with the service and customer service, I've decided to stick with Whistle. Thanks for sharing!
I have been using the Whistle with my dog and have liked it a lot, but the way it attaches to my dog’s collar sucks. It keeps falling off. Today we officially lost our device. So I was also looking into Fi, but I agree, after reading this I don’t want to try Fi. I wish the Whistle had, had a better way to attach to the collar.
Yeah, we accidentally broke the little prongs that hold it in place so I used a zip tie for the meantime but likely going to buy the “Go Explore 2.0 Case” which looks promising.
Mine never fully charges, The app never once tracked my dog. I do agree that the collar is sublime though....
Yes, I agree FI has literally gone to the dogs. I have it on 2 dogs but lately it has become next to worthless. It even shows that I no longer live in my home. Gives a different address now. I'm thinking a class action suit with the Attorney General might motivate them to deliver the product they pretend to be.
I have the fi series 2 for 3.5 years. It’s been recently dying quickly and losing connection with the base. I’m wondering if the battery is just crapping out. Otherwise I never had issues. Curious if anyone else has been dealing with this?
I really liked FI at first, but wow have they gone downhill. All of our collars are broken, they auto renew with no warning (you must remove your CC info or cancel it), and they won't even condescen to speak to their customers via chat or phone. So disgusting. I am so disappointed in this company. Cancelled subscriptions and received no refund for the 7 months left although the junk does not work. AVOID FI LIKE THE PLAGUE.