Rant: Wasted $200 on a 'smart' water bottle that couldn't do its one job

I bought a HidrateSpark bottle in February because it tracks your water intake and glows to remind you to drink. Thing died on me after 3 weeks. The app kept disconnecting, the sensor stopped working, and customer support ghosted me after one email. Has anyone else had a gadget just crap out with zero support?

3 comments

3 Comments

victor_robinson22d ago

I used to think smart water bottles were cool but yeah that changed my mind fast.

rubyk2622d ago

Yeah I saw an article about how those bottles leak way worse than regular ones because of all the electronics inside. The whole app connection thing sounds nice in theory but in practice it's just another thing to charge. @victor_robinson They also track your water intake and then sell that data to insurance companies apparently. Kind of defeats the purpose of trying to be healthy when your privacy gets sold off like that. Regular bottles have worked fine for decades, don't really see the upgrade.

kimmurphy22d ago

My buddy Mark got one of those for Christmas last year. He was so excited about it, showed me the fancy glowing thing and everything. Three days in the sensor started giving him readings saying he drank 80 ounces when he didn't even open it. By the end of week two the battery wouldn't hold a charge for more than a few hours. He contacted customer service six times, got one automated reply that said "we'll get back to you" and that was it. The thing is just sitting in his kitchen cabinet now collecting dust, he went back to using a regular Nalgene bottle. Total waste of money and a headache he didn't need.