40 Customer Questions
ReviewsWrite a Review
155 Customer Reviews
New modles become obsolete too fast
I have had a Fi collar for my dog from the very beginning.I had one fi1 and went through three fi2's (the version I currently have). With the fi1 I would get A LOT of false escape warnings, that issue seemed to be rectified along with a significant battery life improvment when I upgraded to the Fi2. The only downfalls I found with the Fi2 was 1: the first two fell off CONSTANTLY leaving him not only without a GPS tracker but also no dog tags (identifying information) 2: the company seems to be doing a lot of innovation and turning out a new version with better options about once a year (thats awesome!) ...But they do not make the modules backwards compatable with the same locking mechanism. This means if you spend a good chunk of change on one of theire custom collars, you best be ready to fork out another $60-$80 on a new collar every time you want to update the module to get the best service. (Very Apple of them). Overall the collar does its job in a pinch, and seems to be improving year over year. I would deffinetly be upgrading to the fi3 for the imporved battery life and tracking accuracy if I didn't have to repurchase a whole new custom collar.
Bad product/bad customer service
I have an English bulldog, so nothing crazy running, jumping, swimming or high activity happening. I originally bought the fi collar in oct 2021, sometime around mid November the thin metal faceplate came off and the tracker stopped working. I emailed customer service and they sent a replacement saying the metal decal was integral to the interworkings of the collar. Cool. Last October 2022 the metal decal plate is missing again, collar still worked for another month. I reached out to customer service again because it shouldn't come off this easily. They had already charged me for the year renewal and said I needed to buy another one myself since the purchase was Oct 2021 and when I said no they told me they wouldn't prorate back the remainder of the year for the renewal. So now I have a second dead collar and $110 annual fee for nothing. So far haven't heard back about shutting off the auto renewal. When it did work the tracking was fantastic.
Charging Problems
I had problems with the collar charging after about 6 months. I kept contacting fi customer service about it, and they were able to walk me through hard resets. After 1 year it stopped recharging all together. Since it was out of warranty they wouldn't fix or replace, even though I was having problems prior to the warranty expiration. Just told me to buy a new one. No thank you! Why would I spend $150 if the collar only lasts 1 year. I cancelled my GPS subscription.
Poor design
I have two Fi2 collars for my two dogs. While pricey, I got them for peace of mind in case either one was let out of the house or yard. The issue is the Fi module is connected to the collar by a four metal prongs and can be removed. The problem is those prongs are not long enough to keep the Fi module and collar on the dog, and over time as I keep putting it back together and back on the dogs, the prongs and module get worn down to the point where it comes off too easily. These collars falling off is a problem. If they fell off during a 'lost dog' situation, I'd find the collar but no dog. Additionally, to get the collars refreshed under warranty, I have to find them and take pictures for Fi. Sometimes, it's not easy to find the collar and even the replacement collars get to the point where the Fi module is slipping free. By that time the 30 day trial is over, and there is no refund.
Unreliable software and hardware
After 11 months I am writing this off as junk. It was neat and novel to begin with but over time the software features have not been cooperating, it does not reliably pick up when the dog is out of home, even when connected to the app via Bluetooth. And now the GPS unit wont stay on the collar, resulting in it falling off on walks. Does not feel like a safety net.
Customer Support Is A Nightmare
This collar is mediocre at best. Customer support would receive 0 stars if possible. I am big on customer service as it sets the tone for the whole organization. They go a week or longer without responding to requests and still get things wrong. You can only set circular safety zones... Who here has a round house or yard?
Collar falls off
This is a very bad design. Collar and transmitter come apart which could lead to a dog with no collar and ID. Fell off my dog many times luckily in situations where she was not loose. GPS and app are ok, but I wish the transmitter could be attached to a reliable collar, not only usable with their collar. Also, lost the collar and transmitter on a hike and Fi would not replace, leaving me paying for a subscription with no use.
Don’t buy series 2
We owned a series one first. Great. Lasted two years. Still functional, but the plastic mooring is broken where the metal fixture for the collar attaches. Awesome buy. Series 2. Terrible. Do NOT buy. -Metal plate came off in the first month. Reattached it and it came off every 3 months after until I remolded it to fit the plastic shell better -battery issues after 3 months *Would say it was fully charged, but within 4 hours it would be at 64% or less. Charging again did get it up to 100% buuut *wouldn’t even charge in base 1/2 the time after 6 months. Had to fiddle with it for 5-10 minutes each time. Taking it on and off the base, unplugging the base, polishing the connection, ect. *series 1 charge even after 2 years of constant use: would last 3+ weeks. Series 2 charge after 6 months: might last a week, but closer to 5 days. On a series 1 a 5% charge would easily last a mile or two walk. Series 2: shut off before we got halfway done. *series 2: no longer works after 9 months. Won’t accept a charge. *Battery on a series 2 is so unpredictable you could use it for tracking your walks, but using it as any kind of emergency dog locator is a dangerous thing to trust. This got 2 stars because the SERIES 1 was sooooo good. Would have been 0 stars for SERIES 2. We bought a series 3 in the hopes it has gone back to series 1 reliability, but if cheap and shoddy craftsmanship carries over from series 2, we will no longer be FI patrons and will gladly spend the $600 for the next level up dog GPS collar.
LIFESAVER!
I've had my Fi Series 2 for a year now. I purchased it because I have a houdini husky... Prior to owning this collar, Ive had incredible people call me to tell me they just picked up my girl at the school car rider line or on the exit ramp to the interstate (both about 3 miles away). My girl was going to get herself killed if I didn't do something! (Mind you, ive spent tons of money trying to find ways to contain her....) In the last 12 months, with this collar, she's escaped at least 12 times and every time, I had her back within 5 to 10 minutes. She has not made it farther than the next neighborhood! My dog is still mine and alive because of this collar. I've never had a false alarm.
waste of money, especially for a small dog
I hate this collar so much. It worked great on the first walk and lulled me into a false sense of security. My little dog has slipped out of it more than five times. The GPS works sporadically. I have to reset my location with Google Maps constantly in order to use the app. The frequency with which the position updates makes it basically useless for tracking my rat terrier in the woods. And now I am locked into a year long service plan. Furious!