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Magellan Tech Support


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On May 1st I sent my Explorest XL in to be repaired. It was fixed and was being tested by the 8th. 4 weeks ago I called to get an update on the shipping details. I was told to call back the following week. 3 weeks ago I called and was told it was waiting to be shipped and to call back the following week for shipping details and a tracking number. 2 weeks ago I called and was told it was waiting to be shipped and to call back the following week. By now I'm just a little upset and I start demanding to know why I am getting the old run around. I ask for the repair centers contact number so I can deal directly with them. Nope, they don't give that number out. So last week I called and I was told it is waiting to be shipped and to call back the following week which brings us to today. I called first thing this morning and I am told it is being repaired. When I tell them I was already told it was repaired, tested, and awaiting to be shipped, they tell me it takes 2-3 weeks after being repaired before it is shipped out. I then proceed to lose my f***ing mind. I went on an out of control explanation of not only has it been 2-3 weeks since it has been repaired but it has actually been 5 weeks since it has been repaired and it has been waiting 4 weeks to be shipped.

 

Their answer........call us back next week. ;):rolleyes::unsure:

 

Anyone else have the same experience? How long did it take to get your unit back?

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I have heard of other horror stories about thier support. I still bought a magellan gps. I love the unit. It works great. i bought a 4 year extended warrenty from the place i bought the unit from. If it breaks they replace it in store with the same unit or one of eqaul value and features. When the warrenty runs out after 4 years if it breaks i guess i will just buy a new unit.

Edited by Prothos
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A friend had two different Magellans. Both went bad at the same time. One was still covered under the original warranty, and also covered by an Extended warranty.

 

It took forever for him to get an RMA to send the unit in and it took weeks to get it back.

 

He bought the new Garmin GPSMap 60CSx.

 

Not everyone can afford to do that . . . :rolleyes:

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Their answer........call us back next week.

 

And you let them end with that? I would have been talking to corporate HQ at that point and would have my GPSr shipped out for overnight delivery. I don't know why but I am REALLY good at dealing with people like that. I had an argument with dishnetwork once and by the time it was over they paid me to buy out my contract :unsure: I have had several run ins with Verizon wireless and always came out on top on those too. As a matter of fact one of those was just yesterday over giving me a new Motorola RAZR V3 because of problems I was having with my year old samsung phone :rolleyes:

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Their answer........call us back next week.

 

And you let them end with that? I would have been talking to corporate HQ at that point and would have my GPSr shipped out for overnight delivery. I don't know why but I am REALLY good at dealing with people like that. I had an argument with dishnetwork once and by the time it was over they paid me to buy out my contract <_< I have had several run ins with Verizon wireless and always came out on top on those too. As a matter of fact one of those was just yesterday over giving me a new Motorola RAZR V3 because of problems I was having with my year old samsung phone :ph34r:

 

Hahaha....It's because I usually lose it by that time and start slamming and throwing the phone around with a whole lot of cussing. I told them they had until the end of this weekend to have it in my hands. If not, they have a headquarters about a half hour from my work. I think I'll stop by and see what the malfunction is. :laughing:

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So, I have to ask... if people keep reporting about Magellan's horrible tech support, and Garmin's great support, why do people keep on buying Magellans?

 

I suppose it's why only 4% of the population uses Macs. The rest of you prefer to come home every day, take off your shoes, hang up your coat, and then punch yourselves repeatedly in the face.

 

Have fun. We'll be waiting to welcome you when you're ready to enjoy your lives.

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So, I have to ask... if people keep reporting about Magellan's horrible tech support, and Garmin's great support, why do people keep on buying Magellans?

 

I suppose it's why only 4% of the population uses Macs. The rest of you prefer to come home every day, take off your shoes, hang up your coat, and then punch yourselves repeatedly in the face.

 

Have fun. We'll be waiting to welcome you when you're ready to enjoy your lives.

 

Did you ever think about how many times you see people post problems with their garmins and have to send them in for repair and then think about how few times you see people posting problems with their magellans? All of these problems with the Garmins are scaring me off from buying one. Now I will say that I have never once had a problem with my SporTrak map or my GPS III plus. I was kinda thinking about getting a 60CSx but I'm not sure I want the problems that come with it.

 

Oh and I also do not have problems with my PC. Most problems are caused by people that don't know what they are doing or from software that they installed. Also you hear more complaints from PC users over Mac users because there are millions more people using a PC over a Mac :laughing:

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Here is what I posted in another thread

 

QUOTE(vagabond @ May 8 2006, 12:37 PM)

 

QUOTE(vagabond @ Apr 27 2006, 01:08 PM)

 

Well after 9 months and over 1300 caches I'm finally sending my exp 500 in for repair.

I sent Magellan an email 12 days ago and haven't received a reply from them yet, So I called them and got right through with THIS #1800-707-9971 received my ra # and the addy in Fortworth TX

My problems were sticky buttons, rubber membrane on joystick split, and on occasion when it was turned on my So Cal map would not be the active map, but one of the other ones would be, strange as I'm the only one to use the unit.

 

May 8 2006

 

I finally sent it in this morning, insured for $400.00 maybe I'll get lucky and it will get lost in the mail.

Will post any info I get, and how long it takes to get back from Magellan

 

May 24 2006

 

For general information, My 500 was returned today by ups. When I first opened it up 1 was surprised by a new case I think everything is new except the circuit board The membrane was replaced, the click stick works very smoothly in all 8 directions all the other buttons work like they should.And they sent a extra battery. I am one very happy customer.

Just a little over 2 weeks can't do much better then that.

 

A lot of people complain about service but you very seldom hear any praise.

Oh the thread was Explorist Bug/enhancements

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Here is what I posted in another thread

 

QUOTE(vagabond @ May 8 2006, 12:37 PM)

 

QUOTE(vagabond @ Apr 27 2006, 01:08 PM)

 

Well after 9 months and over 1300 caches I'm finally sending my exp 500 in for repair.

I sent Magellan an email 12 days ago and haven't received a reply from them yet, So I called them and got right through with THIS #1800-707-9971 received my ra # and the addy in Fortworth TX

My problems were sticky buttons, rubber membrane on joystick split, and on occasion when it was turned on my So Cal map would not be the active map, but one of the other ones would be, strange as I'm the only one to use the unit.

 

May 8 2006

 

I finally sent it in this morning, insured for $400.00 maybe I'll get lucky and it will get lost in the mail.

Will post any info I get, and how long it takes to get back from Magellan

 

May 24 2006

 

For general information, My 500 was returned today by ups. When I first opened it up 1 was surprised by a new case I think everything is new except the circuit board The membrane was replaced, the click stick works very smoothly in all 8 directions all the other buttons work like they should.And they sent a extra battery. I am one very happy customer.

Just a little over 2 weeks can't do much better then that.

 

A lot of people complain about service but you very seldom hear any praise.

Oh the thread was Explorist Bug/enhancements

 

I wish I had the same experience.

 

I bought a car adapter, from them and it worked once and then fried my XL. I called on April 30th and got the RA#. May 1st I mailed it overnight, also with $400.00 INS., with email notification of delivery. It was delivered on May 2nd at 10 am.

 

Still waiting :laughing:

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I feel for you. I had similar problems with my 400 and sw. Fortunatly I was able to return it to my local Costco and I got a full refund. Now I'm looking at getting either an Lowrance Expedition, or the Garmin 60Csx. The Garmin seems to have a more loyal following. But the Lowrance is more affordable. However, it seems that there are difficulites with Lowrance's sw.

 

As I said, I feel for you, I would NEVER buy another Magellan again!

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I found that the people I spoke with and / or emailed were very nice, especially since they knew I was totally irate. But that's where the good service ends... to me it is all lip service.

 

I only had good experience with tech support and my STP... in fact, that is why I purchased another Magellan. Conversely, I've only had terrible support with my eXplorist600. It has been in for repair three times. Each time, I was without an operational unit for a month. I got the unit back within three weeks, but they always left something out... like the battery or replacement cable for charging the unit.

 

I WILL NEVER purchase another Magellan GPS and I will never purchase another GPS that requires batteries that cannot be commonly replaced.

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My experience with Magellan support is both good and bad. I sent my Meridian back way back in the day when the Blue Spots were all the rage. When I got my GPS returned, it looked as good as new and included a bunch of accessories.

 

My Explorist 500 had a sticky click stick, so I emailed. Not once, in the two or three weeks that Magellan had my GPS was I able to ever reach anyone by phone. Finally I got someone to listen to me through email, and she apologized for my repair taking so long. In a few days when I got a package in the mail, it was a brand new, in the box GPS.

 

My question is, how did you ever reach anyone by phone? My personal impression is that they get good work done in a timely manner, but you can never reach anyone by phone.

 

Jamie

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I had a Meridian Gold and it was fine for a while and then started cutting in and out ,

shutting off and telling me i was 60 miles form were I was! I talked to Magellan both

by phone and e-mail and they said they knew about this problem and if I would send

the unit back for $182.00 they would fix it. I told them that i only paid $180.00 for it

brand new and it was not even a year old yet and should still be under warranty! The

person from Magellan said yes but it was not covered for this problem.

I won't buy any Magellan product any time soon.

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A friend had two different Magellans. Both went bad at the same time. One was still covered under the original warranty, and also covered by an Extended warranty.

 

It took forever for him to get an RMA to send the unit in and it took weeks to get it back.

 

He bought the new Garmin GPSMap 60CSx.

 

Not everyone can afford to do that . . . <_<

 

WOW! What do you suppose the odds were on that one? Did he run to Reno the same day? :D:D:P

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A friend had two different Magellans. Both went bad at the same time. One was still covered under the original warranty, and also covered by an Extended warranty.

 

It took forever for him to get an RMA to send the unit in and it took weeks to get it back.

 

He bought the new Garmin GPSMap 60CSx.

 

Not everyone can afford to do that . . . <_<

 

WOW! What do you suppose the odds were on that one? Did he run to Reno the same day? :D:D:P

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On May 1st I sent my Explorest XL in to be repaired. It was fixed and was being tested by the 8th. 4 weeks ago

Anyone else have the same experience? How long did it take to get your unit back?

 

I had the same thing happen to me with my XL only few months ago. After the run around I faxed them a polite but stern letter explaing that I felt they were dropping the ball and felt I deserved a coupon for Topo 3D for my troubles. That way I could unlock from the DVD they gave me with the unit. Next day I got a phone call from a nice lady with the code and I was told a unit would ship very soon. They sent me a new unit rather then my old one but I got it back a couple of days later via priority fedex.

 

Long story short. If your really upset and having trouble, a written explaination of your problem and details about what they can do to make you happy work well.

 

No problems with the new unit, and the Topo 3D maps are very nice on the big XL screen.

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Did you ever think about how many times you see people post problems with their garmins and have to send them in for repair and then think about how few times you see people posting problems with their magellans? All of these problems with the Garmins are scaring me off from buying one. Now I will say that I have never once had a problem with my SporTrak map or my GPS III plus. I was kinda thinking about getting a 60CSx but I'm not sure I want the problems that come with it.

I think we see more comments about Garmin problems because there are so many more Garmin users.

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Did you ever think about how many times you see people post problems with their garmins and have to send them in for repair and then think about how few times you see people posting problems with their magellans? All of these problems with the Garmins are scaring me off from buying one. Now I will say that I have never once had a problem with my SporTrak map or my GPS III plus. I was kinda thinking about getting a 60CSx but I'm not sure I want the problems that come with it.

I think we see more comments about Garmin problems because there are so many more Garmin users.

 

So Garmin is now the PC of the GPSr world? :)

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Many of the Magellan users started out with flakey eTrexes, that did poorly around trees, and I had an eTrex Vista that was Garbage in my hands, but somehow it received the satellites ok when my sister had the GPS.

 

Several people had bought the eXplorist 600, instead of the 500, or XL, and I find that people had more problems with the 600, and then switched to a Map60CSx, also I find that the Map60CSx has more problems than the simpler Map60Cx without the sensors.

 

I'm thinking that there are problems with Thales over there in Europe, and they are concentrating more on the Galileo GPS satellite system now, and abandoning the american system, for their new GPS satellites that should be online in 2008.

 

I wished a large american company would buy Magellan, and fix their customer service problems, and the design issues with some of their GPS units. There are problems with the eXp600, also Joystick problems, and problems with operation in low temperatures(maybe due to the use of a lithium batt pack instead of AA bateries). The issue maybe the Charging/Power circuit in these units, that cuts-out on in low temps.

 

If anybody jumped ship from Magellan, the Map60Cx would be a good simple small light-weight unit.

 

Lately my eXplorist XL has been getting more use than the Map60Cx, due to it's 240x320 pixel screen, and TOPO 3D that is loaded.

Edited by GOT GPS?
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Their answer........call us back next week. :P:ph34r:<_<

 

Anyone else have the same experience? How long did it take to get your unit back?

 

I too had grief from Magallen Customer Support. I became so fed up that I was able to returm my 400 to my local Costco for a refund. Never Again will I buy a Magallen.

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Maybe I am a Charmed One. My experiences have been good so far. I have gotten replacement parts from Magellan within a week. I have never waited 6 hours on the phone. But of course, I do call as soon as they open. The time I called 45 minutes after opening, I still only waited a few minutes.

 

Yes, I did get irritated when one of their techs did not agree with my diagnosis of a charging problem and wanted to try replacing the battery instead of the whole unit. I'm sure it's their policy to try the cheapest fix first.

 

However, Magellan has agreed to replace my eXplorist that got damaged this weekend after falling from my car's roof and meeting with a Ford. Magellan is trying hard to keep me as a customer. Though I admit I am interested in Garmin's new x-series SiRF equipped receiver. I might spring for one, I might not.

 

Magellan's tech support is not perfect, particularly the folks who handle e-mail, but I am finding that they are not as horrible as most people in the forum say they are. Of course, my opinion will change if they manage to screw up the warranty replacement of my damaged eX400.

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Magellan has agreed to replace my eXplorist that got damaged this weekend after falling from my car's roof and meeting with a Ford.

 

Of course, my opinion will change if they manage to screw up the warranty replacement of my damaged eX400.

This is a warranty issue? :laughing:

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I have mixed opinions of Megellan's tech support.

 

About a month ago, I went Geocaching with my kids. I have two GPSrs, an eXplorist 600 and 200. My kids were in charge of the 200, and it hung from a lanyard around whichever one of them was carrying it. It was a damp day, with rain on and off.

 

After our last find, I took the 200 from my daughter to put away in my backpack. As I was about to turn it off, I noticed that the display didn't look right. About 80% of it was "solid black". At first I thought that perhaps water got in it, so I removed the batteries and put it away. The next day, I took it out and popped a fresh set of batteries into it and turned it on. Still on the fritz.

 

I sent Magellan an email via their web page, asking if it sounded like something I would have to send it in for warranty repair for. I waited 1 week before I got a reply. The reply stated that it would need repairs, and to send them shipping info, along with the serial number, etc. to get an RA number to ship it back for repairs.

 

I replied to their email and minutes later it bounced back as undeliverable.

 

I went back to their web site and filled out the forum, this time choosing some option to obtain the "RA" number. I specifically asked for an RA number.

 

Again, 1 week later I got a reply. It said pretty much the same thing as the first. That it needed repairs, send them the following info, yada yada yada. So, I sent it AGAIN.

 

Just over 1 week went by and no reply. I called them during my lunch on June 1st. 5-10 minutes later, I was speaking with a woman who asked how she could help me. I told her that I was calling for an RA number. I explained the whole email ordeal. She told me that she would transfer me to their tech support, who could authorize the return for repair.

 

I explained the problem to the tech and he agreed that it sounded like it needed repair :(. He started to process it for an RA until he found out I was from Canada. He then said I would have to send it to somewhere in Canada for repair, and asked if he could put me on hold for a minute.

 

A few minutes later he returned and gave me a phone number for an "authorized repair depot" in Ontario. He said if I called them, explained the situation, they could help me. He gave me a case number, I thanked him and hung up.

 

Before calling this new number, I Googled it and found that it belonged to "Bill's Electronics", in Mildmay Ontario. I even found an old thread on here saying that Bill's was great for warranty repair.

 

I called the number and got a recorded message. On the recorded message it said that if I was calling for repairs on Magellen's GPSrs to ship it to them along with a note explaining the problem.

 

So that's what I did. Although Bill's recording didn't ask for the receipt, I made sure to include it (2 weeks under a year old!) I mailed it on June 2nd, but missed the last pick up so it sat at the post office for the weekend.

 

It went out on June 5th. Arrived at Bill's Electronics on June 6th. Was back at my door on June 7th (today!)

 

The service order in the box said:

 

Problem: Defective display.

Action Taken: Replace unit.

 

And that's what they did. Looks new. Might be a refurb, but it has the protective plastic over the display. Smells new too. :(

 

Boo to Magellan for making me jump through hoops. :(

 

Kudos to Bill's Electronics! ;)

 

Scott

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HEY MAGELLAN!!!!!!!!!! Send my stuff to Bill in Canada from now on. You people in wherever Fortworth, TX SUCK!!!!!!!!

 

Well it has completed week 5 now into week 6 and still no shipping details. Even though now they told me it has been "released for shipping" it hasn't shipped yet and to call back in 2 days for tracking numbers. That was 3 full days ago and still nothing. I tried the supervisor route and being nice to being a complete a**hole and I got the same effect. No cooperation.

 

After about 300 phone calls, 2 emails (with no reply), and 1 fax (I think I'm on a flagged list or something) I have come to the conclusion that Magellan really doesn't care for the people who buy their products......Oh yeah AND THEY SUCK!!!!!!!!!

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My complaints about Thales go way back, I have posted my experiences a few times here...THALES SUCKS! When it was Magellan, service seemed great. Last experience, MeriPlat went in twice for same problem, the theives wanted to charge me a $100 to fix wha they said was a fried board...funny, cleared memory and it works...bunch of yahoos.. I plan on getting a Garmen soon. Spent way too much on CD map and accedsories..going elsewhere.

Edited by Dirtnapper
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Another reason why Thales/Magellan SUCKS!!!!!! I ordered a swivel bracket over 3 weeks ago. It has been on back order with an unknown release date. A buddy just got one off of EBAY. He ordered it 2 days ago and it has already been delivered. How dare they sell these brackets to outside companies before they have taken care of their own customers who have had their orders on backorder. I'm cancelling my order with Magellan and shopping EBAY.

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Now the swivel bracket status on my order account just went from being on backorder to being out of stock. I'm cancelling my order with Magellan and I have one on the way from EBAY. It will be here tomorrow and cheaper than Magellan is selling them.

Just curious, why didn't you buy from eBay or someone else first? It's always more expensive to buy straight from the manufacturer. Look at the eXplorist batteries, like $40 from Magellan or about $5 on eBay.
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Now the swivel bracket status on my order account just went from being on backorder to being out of stock. I'm cancelling my order with Magellan and I have one on the way from EBAY. It will be here tomorrow and cheaper than Magellan is selling them.

Just curious, why didn't you buy from eBay or someone else first? It's always more expensive to buy straight from the manufacturer. Look at the eXplorist batteries, like $40 from Magellan or about $5 on eBay.

 

I figured Magellan would be the first to sell its' own product. I guess I was wrong. I wasn't concerned with the price. Its the speed of delivery that concerns me.

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