ElliePrimavera

Oh dear, I think I have fallen into a trap by buying the Garmin E-trex 10. I bought it as part of a geocaching starter pack, so assumed it would serve the purpose. We trialled it on Salisbury plain and were very disappointed to find: a) compass was not accurate it took ages to update our position so we ended up going round in circles and did not find the cache. c) there is no map to speak of, and no maps can be uploaded. I said I did not think the device is fit for purpose and asked for my money back, which Garmin is refusing. Garmin customer services say: 'As it is this device does not have an electronic compass, so can only provide directional information from GPS and as such can only provide directional information whilst moving. Today's GPS receivers are extremely accurate, thanks to their parallel multi-channel design. Certain atmospheric factors and other sources of error can affect the accuracy of GPS receivers. Garmin® GPS receivers are accurate to within 15 meters (49 feet) 95% of the time. Generally, users will see accuracy within 5 to 10 meters (16 to 33 feet) under normal conditions. As there is this margin of error, when the satellites refresh it may position you in a slightly different position which can cause slight fluctuations in the compass, and this is unavoidable as its due to the limitations of GPS technology, but should reset itself correctly once it has determined the direction of travel once again. The eTrex 10 is not a mapping device and has never been advertised as such. It does have a basemap which will show landmass and some major roads and cities, but this is just to provide a rough indication of location (full coordinates can be obtained) as there is no option to add any mapping. If you wished to obtain and add mapping to a device then you would have required the eTrex 20 and 30. As the unit is picking up the satellites correctly there appears to be no fault with this, and is working correctly. As it is long past the required time to return the item under the distance selling act, this cannot be returned unless there is a fault, which does not appear to be the case, and in accordance with our warranty terms, should there be a fault, would replace any faulty items with a like for like model as the sole solution in this matter.' Am I missing something? Should I be persevering or is this machine really a complete waste of money? All the best