Garmin service sucks

KahuNZ
KahuNZ Posts: 401 Member
edited October 29 in Fitness and Exercise
Be aware that if you buy your Garmin watch from Ebay or the like your warranty is invalid. After emailing several times with no response I phoned Garmin and after being on hold for 15mins was told batteries are not replaceable and to get another it will cost $NZ170 with only a 3mth warranty....it sucks as my watch is less than a year old! Replacement from a New Zealand store is $NZ400
I have a Garmin Forerunner 210 - I thought a watch is a watch and you could replace batteries at a watchmaker - evidently not!
With researching I find most GPS watches don't have replaceable batteries.

Replies

  • donrdon
    donrdon Posts: 216 Member
    No problem with service here. I've had my Garmin 610 now for a year with no battery issues. The 410cx I had prior to that also no battery issues (still own it). I did though have a problem with it becoming unresponsive. Called Garmin, they gave me a contact number for their authorized service centre here in Canada and they simply replaced my watch (it was within the 12 month warranty period). I did purchase both from an authorized Garmin dealer.
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    First I have ever heard anything negative about Garmin service.

    That being said, it's not a watch, but rather a wrist mounted GPS computer and it sounds like Garmin made you a very fair offer to help you out even though your device was out of warranty.
  • donrdon
    donrdon Posts: 216 Member
    First I have ever heard anything negative about Garmin service.

    That being said, it's not a watch, but rather a wrist mounted GPS computer and it sounds like Garmin made you a very fair offer to help you out even though your device was out of warranty.

    Ooops, you're right it's not a watch, it's much more than that. Also, when buying from other than an authorized dealer you're taking a chance. not just with garmin but with just about everything.
  • iridenc
    iridenc Posts: 1 Member
    I purchased a new Vivosmart HR from Best Buy. Overall the HR was not as reliable or problem-free as previous Fitbit devices I've owned but overall I was satisfied. Then the "stairs climbed" feature became little more than a random number generator. The first call to Garmin resulted in instructions on how to clean the barometer contacts. On my second call (days later) I was instructed to copy and email my data file. Third call (week & a half later) I was informed the matter was still under investigation. Next call (few days after) I was told it was probably a software issue and I'd be getting an update. Then I received an email stating it was a hardware problem and wanted my address verification for shipment of my replacement. A few days later I got yet another email stating that I'd first need to ship my defective tracker back (at MY cost) and then 10-14 following receipt Garmin would send me a rebuilt HR back! WTF??? I complained and was told that alternatively I could pay a "refundable deposit" to get a rebuilt replacement before shipping the defective one back. The catch(es) here were A) the deposit is 167% the cost of a NEW Vivosmart HR, B ) shipping on the defect was still out of my pocket and C) it would realistically take 3 billing cycles (90 days) to get the bogus charge removed from my card. The useful life of the Vivosmart HR was barely 5 months and now I'm without any tracker until I get one back. Garmin warranty is pretty much like not having a warranty at all so if you got your heart set on the brand you may as well buy from Ebay or wherever it's the least expensive.
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