I was wondering if anyone has any experience with there polar watch band disintegrating. I have checked with some local shop’s that sell Polar watches and they have all suggested contacting Polar.
I called Polar to see if it was covered under warranty. I was told it was not and that I would need to pay to have it fixed. I’m not really thrilled about having to send off my watch for something as trivial as replacing a watch band.
Can someone recommend a watch band that would fit a polar watch? The reason I ask is the same thing happened to my sisters Polar and she was told by a watch shop that because where the band and watch meet is so narrow they could not find a band that would fit. There suggestion was to contact the manufacturer.
As a side note, I’m not all that impressed with the customer server on Polar watches; I had a question about replacing the battery and was told again to send it back to Polar. There watches are great but for what you pay for them I would maybe expect a bit more.
Polar have the best customer service out of any tri related company I have seen (at least in Australia). I have had my band replaced cheaply and promptly and would not waste time trying to find a band that may not fit properly to save $2. Mine lasted a few years so I can accept that as normal wear and tear.
I agree with Blacky, Polar customer service is excellent. Yes, Polar HRM’s are expensive, so it’s worth it to send them back to them for any and all service issues. Many times they will replace almost the entire unit at little to no cost. They also test everything, batteries, water resistance, etc., so you know everything is going to work like new.
Step 1:Go to wal mart
step 2: Look for replacement band in the jewelry section
step 3: Ask nice lady at counter to replace and and pay on your way out
Step 4: ??
Step 5: Profit
I happened to discover that Creative Health Products is an authorized Polar Factory Authorized Service Center, the only one in the U.Us… At different times, CHP has been the only authorized Polar warranty repair facility in the U.S.
I have tried to get assistance from Polar in the past to address performance issues with a HRM. I was less than satisfied by my perception of their indifference to customer service and the lengthy delay in turn around time for units sent in for repair.
My experience with Creative Health Products was the exact opposite! This is a company that is customer service obsessed. If anything, they set the standard for customer service and satisfaction.
It would not surprise me if part of the turn around delay with Polar is a result of Polar shipping their units for service to CHP and then CHP sending the serviced unit back to Polar for Polar to then return the serviced unit to their customer.
Should you find that you wish to go this route, you can access their website at: www.chponline.com or by telephone at 1-800-742-4478 or 1-800-287-5901. Their business hours are 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM EDT.
I own more than one Polar HRM and the ones I own have what appears to be a replaceable strap, i.e., a pin secures the strap to the watch as with many traditional wrist watches. CHP may be able to supply you with a repacement strap, although you may have to purchase the strap it should not be all that expensive and you should be able to replace it yourself if your model Polar HRM has a wrist strap of this type.
Good luck.
I am not a CHP employee or owner, just a very satisfied customer!
I second the recommendation for Creative Health Products. Five stars *****. If you are local you can visit their location in the rural Ann Arbor area. It is in a series of farm houses.
I will try and contact CHP for more information; unfortunately I am on the west coast. Since posting I have heard of a shop in LA called WatchTech?? that also do repairs.
Regarding Polar and CustService, I was more bummed at having to send off the watch for repair. The person I spoke with was very friendly and helpful ( to a point ), so I have no real beef. I also chatted with a friendly Polar rep at Escape from Alcatraz on Sunday where I was told to contact via the 1-800 number. I figured that Polar is a popular brand available at most specialized running/fitness stores that it would not be that much trouble obtain a replacement band.
I guess my problem is that the watch was purchased in May of last year and the band has cracked and is now broken. It is the S210 model so as mentioned no cheap ( I no longer have the receipt so warranty was not honored, no fault of Polar ). I guess I’m just not sure if I had purchased another brand would I have to mail it off? Maybe I might have to, who knows?