Garmin Repair Canada - any better?

[+JDandDD]

I have a C530 that needs to go in for repair of the ring that holds it to the mount. Read the thread from 2005 about the Canada repair centres and it didn't sound very good. Has that service improved? and what is the turn around time like?

 

Thanks

 

JD

Edited September 15, 2007 by JDandDD

[+Landsharkz]

I think it's in Quebec isn't it? We sent away a Garmin GPS that had the rubber ring come unglued and we had the replacement in our mailbox within 7 days. They didn't try to fix it, they just sent us a new one. I've heard many similar stories from cachers on the west coast over the past couple of years. Actually I have to say with all honesty that I haven't heard a single negative thing about Garmin repair or customer service - it's 5 star according to Garmin users we've talked to. GPS Central has the same stellar reputation for customer service with the Garmins they sell, but I'm not sure how long they offer that for? Maybe the first year?

 

The only horror stories have been about trying to get service for a Magellan - that's consistent too.

 

Hope that helps :-)

[+JDandDD]

Thanks Landsharks. Did you send it to Raycheck in Quebec or directly to Garmin? The 2005 thread seemed to imply that Raycheck (at that time) was very slow which is my concern. Two weeks or so I can live without the Streetpilot but longer than that is a problem. Any advice on what would be the fastest way (US or Quebec)? Thanks for your help.

 

JD

[+slippery_1]

My GArmin 76CSX had one of the power pins in the back fall out one day while I was using the adapter in my car. Since then it's been batteries only.

IS there an adress I can get to not only corrispond with regarding this, but to perhaps sent it to them to see if it can be fixed?

[+Storm_Shadow]

My GArmin 76CSX had one of the power pins in the back fall out one day while I was using the adapter in my car. Since then it's been batteries only.

IS there an adress I can get to not only corrispond with regarding this, but to perhaps sent it to them to see if it can be fixed?

 

One of my buttons on my GPSMap76 has come out. I am using a piece of cardboard in the meantime.

 

Will they mail out trivial little items like that if I contact them? And do I do it through their website?

[+chriscattt]

I purchased a refurbished Garmin 60CS off eBay in July, it arrived DOA. The seller instructed me to contact Garmin, which I did, the directed me to Raytech.ca. They replied to my email inquiries very promptly. I sent the dead unit to them and they shipped me a brand new one within 2 weeks. Simply amazing customer service. I would suggest contacting them through their website, tell them your problem and ask what they suggest...or call Garmin tech support first and see what they say..

 

Good luck

Edited September 17, 2007 by chriscattt

[+Landsharkz]

Thanks Landsharks. Did you send it to Raycheck in Quebec or directly to Garmin? The 2005 thread seemed to imply that Raycheck (at that time) was very slow which is my concern. Two weeks or so I can live without the Streetpilot but longer than that is a problem. Any advice on what would be the fastest way (US or Quebec)? Thanks for your help.

 

JD

 

My GArmin 76CSX had one of the power pins in the back fall out one day while I was using the adapter in my car. Since then it's been batteries only.

IS there an adress I can get to not only corrispond with regarding this, but to perhaps sent it to them to see if it can be fixed?

 

My GArmin 76CSX had one of the power pins in the back fall out one day while I was using the adapter in my car. Since then it's been batteries only.

IS there an adress I can get to not only corrispond with regarding this, but to perhaps sent it to them to see if it can be fixed?

 

One of my buttons on my GPSMap76 has come out. I am using a piece of cardboard in the meantime.

 

Will they mail out trivial little items like that if I contact them? And do I do it through their website?

 

We phoned Garmin customer service/tech support and after listening to our woes, they directed us to the exact page on the Raycheck site to print off the page/packing slip to send with my unit. I must admit I was skeptical, but it all turned out great. Try phoning Garmin customer service for all of these questions and see how you do.

[+JDandDD]

Thanks again Landsharkz. After your first post I got into an email discussion with Garmin Automotive division. They were great and the support is terrific. Looks like Canadians have to use Raytech now for everything except aviation products.

 

For others looking for the info, you have to use their return form on raytech.qc.ca

 

JD

[+Landsharkz]

Thanks again Landsharkz. After your first post I got into an email discussion with Garmin Automotive division. They were great and the support is terrific. Looks like Canadians have to use Raytech now for everything except aviation products.

 

For others looking for the info, you have to use their return form on raytech.qc.ca

 

JD

Do let us know if you have a happy ending (or don't ) please . I'm a sucker for a happy ending .

[+slippery_1]

When I check out the name of the company you give us I get this web site,raytech so is this the poeple you delt with when sending your garmin away?

Edited September 19, 2007 by slippery_1

[+wavector]

When I check out the name of the company you give us I get this web site,raytech so is this the poeple you delt with when sending your garmin away?

 

That was them.

Raytech, that name brings up a bunch of really bad memories.

Suffice to say that I returned the Etrex backup unit I had purcased and got an Explorist 210 as my backup unit after having to deal with that company and the repair on my GPSMap 60C. The next time the little on/off switch breaks on my Garmin and I am looking at a $210.00 bill to repair a fully functional GPS I will become a Magellan customer - forever - I will grit my teeth and bear it.

 

That is right, $210.00 to repair a fully functional unit. I could hold the little power switch down and everythng worked but if I let go of the little switch then the unit shut down. That was the only thing wrong with the unit. I sent it to Raytech and three weeks later I had to call them to get some smug operator who said, "yes we received it two weeks ago and the charge is $210.00, if you don't like that, too bad, we can ship the broken unit back at your cost." Not only was it highway robbery it was an ignorant robber, not even polite.

 

I have used both units now and the Garmin is easier to use but my experience with Raytech left no doubt in my mind that I will become a Magellan user the next time my Garmin GPS breaks, no doubt at all.

 

Ya Raytech, that was them.

Edited September 19, 2007 by wavector

[+JDandDD]

When I check out the name of the company you give us I get this web site,raytech so is this the poeple you delt with when sending your garmin away?

Yep, that's the one. It was because of things that I read from a 2005 thread here that made me wonder about sending to the US. But that's only an option if Garmin gives you an RMA to send the unit to them. They wouldn't and sent me to raytech. It appears to be the only option now for Canadians.

 

JD

[+Landsharkz]

When I check out the name of the company you give us I get this web site,raytech so is this the poeple you delt with when sending your garmin away?

 

That was them.

Raytech, that name brings up a bunch of really bad memories.

 

I have used both units now and the Garmin is easier to use but my experience with Raytech left no doubt in my mind that I will become a Magellan user the next time my Garmin GPS breaks, no doubt at all.

Ya Raytech, that was them.

 

Wavevector, that sounds horrible. It might be an idea to phone Magellan's customer service department, pose some hypothetical 'what if' questions and see if you find a potential improvement over Garmin before you take the plunge.

[+wavector]

Wavevector, that sounds horrible. It might be an idea to phone Magellan's customer service department, pose some hypothetical 'what if' questions and see if you find a potential improvement over Garmin before you take the plunge.

 

I already took the plunge.

 

I had purchased an Etrex to use when I shipped my Garmin off to Raytech.

After dealing with Raytech I returned that Etrex unit and purchased a Magellan Explorist 210 and a copy of MapSend Topo Canada.

You have to be pretty nerdy to use this thing and even then it doesn't work as effortlessly as my GPS Map 60C. I still use my Garmin unit and it hasn't broken again but when it does it is straight into the garbage and then I become a full time Magellan customer.

I have no reason to call Magellan, my Magellan unit has never experienced any issues at all, it works flawlessly (which is not true for my Garmin).

 

The dimple switch on my Garmin broke just one month after it was out from warranty. That little switch probably cost about $1.50 and I got dinged for $210.00 in repair and the turnaround was many weeks because Raytech didn't even bother to phone me, they waited until I phoned them.

 

Everyone will have different repair experiences and all that I can do is relate my own experience accurately. It sucked totally and it was highway robbery to boot. Just knowing that those same highway robbers are still the selected repair depot really frosts me, I wonder how much of my money was passed on to Garmin?

 

I never tried to get special service, I never squawked, I never called Garmin USA hoping for a break, I am just a normal customer who went the normal route and got shafted. Magellan can shaft me if they wish, as soon as this unit breaks (if it does) they will have that same opportunity, if they do then I will become a Lowrance customer I guess. The thing is, I don't have to cross that bridge until it is neccesary.

 

You are 100% correct about one thing, it was horrible. Especially the impolite offer to ship my broken unit back at my cost if I didn't like getting screwed in the fashion they had selected.

[+JDandDD]

I do want to clarify one thing. I didn't call Garmin USA to squak. Actually, my contacts with them were intially about a different support issue and then this piece broke in my C530. It was a continuation of the conversations with Garmin USA that led to the raytech issue. (Garmin automative USA were VERY good with me and better than when I've dealt with Magellan).

 

I also never repair any electronics out of warranty. Doesn't seem to matter what it is, with the level of integration on circuit boards these days what looks like a simple replacement often ends up being the entire board (saw that in my work siituation all the time). As such, the cost usually starts to approach the cost of a new unit.

 

Rudeness, however, should never be part of customer service.

 

JD

[+wavector]

I do want to clarify one thing. I didn't call Garmin USA to squak.

 

I hope you don't think I was referring to your experience!

 

At the time I had my bad experience with Garmin repair in Canada I had more than one person tell me I should go directly to Garmin USA and that would be the best route, I actually decided just to go the way I was directed to go by Garmin themselves so that is what I was referring to.

 

I work with electronics everyday and that dimple switch is definitely not part of an integrated circuit.

If you pay $600.00+ dollars for a GPS, as I did, and it breaks after 13 months then very few people would just write it off, are you rich perhaps? Do you toss your computers if the video card burns out?

 

As far as the repair process, the decisions made by the manufacturere are their decisions and I don't buy the excuse that the unit they sold me is non-repairable because they integrated everything and now nothing can be fixed. If they do that then they have to live with it and if replacing the whole unit is the only fix then they should factor that into the cost. Charging me 33% of the purchase price 30 days out of warranty is what actually happened, it as as I said, it was highway robbery, plain and simple.

 

The GPS worked fine, there was nothing wrong with it that couldn't be solved by holding down the power switch, I couldn't go geocaching while holding down the power switch.

 

You go ahead and send your GPS off to Raytech but don't think I am going to buy any of the excuses you appear to be offering up on Garmin's behalf. The bad experience I had may be attributable to the design of the GPS as you suggest but the GPS was working very well except for that switch. My bad experience was my bad experience. If anyone asks about repair experiences they have had with Garmin in Canada and I see the question I will gladly tell them about my experience.

 

My Magellan GPS has not had a single hiccup, no problems, no issues at all, and it cost less than the single repair I got from Raytech for my Garmin.

[+JDandDD]

I respect your thoughts wavector and understand that you had a bad experience. Not questioning that in my response at all. I haven't looked at these circuit boards so not sure how they are constructed But I also have worked with electronics and have seen all kinds of bad ways of installing switches, leds etc. that make things more expensive to fix than they should be.

 

What I was really reflecting is how I'm seeing design decisions that put switches etc. on a circuit board in a way that you can't really repair them without risking harm to the main board. I think that is something that manufacturers could do better to make repairs cheaper and more efficient. My comment was a reflection on what I see as generally poor design for the sake of increasing profit margins and not a comment on what your experience was.

 

I was also just trying to tell people that I generally find out of warranty expenses too high to make them worth it, not that I think it is right at all.

 

Also, I want to add that I appreciate your input into this. If I had had a choice, your comments would have convinced me to not use raytech. Unfortunately, I discovered after starting this thread that Garmin doesn't give Canadians choice now. Experiences like your make a good case for Canadians to complain directly to Garmin to improve our repair services.

 

JD

Edited September 21, 2007 by JDandDD

[+2quigs]

Well, I'm sold on Raytech! I had a problem with 60CX not "locating satellites, so I had to send it for repair. I sent it to them on Sept. 17th and the replacement was put in the mail today the 24th..... 1 week....not bad. I'm impressed with speed in responding to my emails and also the quick turnaround. Anyway, good job Raytech!

[+DanOCan]

Hmm...I have a broken power pin on my 60CS. I have been holding off getting repairs done because I can't find my old eTrex Legend to use as a replacement.

 

After hearing about a $210 repair bill for a simple button issue I have my doubts. Maybe I'll juist get used to using the unit in the car without the backlight until the time comes to replace it.

[+JDandDD]

Well, my unit is at raytech, just arrived there yesterday. I'll update folks on how it turns out.

 

JD

[+DanOCan]

After getting a reply from Raytech, I definitely will get used to driving without the backlight on:

 

"Garmin's flat rate repair/exchange cost is: 170,78$"

 

That's way too high considering a new 60Cx from GPS Central would only cost be $389 less a $50 rebate.

[+TOMTEC]

"Garmin's flat rate repair/exchange cost is: 170,78$"

Hmm, I should seriously consider opening my own "Unauthorized" GPS repair center... most of these issues are quite easy to fix if you've got the right tools. For most repair and service jobs, when a component on a circuit board goes bad, they will scrap the entire board instead of trying to remove and replace the faulty component. Then again, many of these places just don't have the skills required to preform surface mount component open heart surgery!

 

TOMTEC

[+JDandDD]

So far so good with raytech. Got the notification today that Canada Post has the return package on its way to me. That turn around would be about 4 days from when it arrived at Raytech. Not bad at all. Should have it back Tuesday I would think. Raytech looks like its working out.

 

I agree that prices for repairs seem awfully high, but, there are a lot of costs involved. The repair company has to pay its staff for their time( $10-$20/hour), shipping for the return, rent on their business space, parts (likely the least expense), office overhead, their repair equipment costs (purchase, replacement, upkeep of tools, testing equipment), plus profit (it is a business). All of that is a proportion of every repair bill.

 

Having run an IT maintenance department and having to make decisions between repair and replacement of a variety of IT, I was always confronted with how quickly the cost of repair (even in my non-profit setting) could approach the cost of replacement. $170 flat fee may not be as unreasonable as it initally seems.

 

JD

[+JDandDD]

Well, that actually went pretty well. Raytech proved to be no problem at all. Got my GPS returned yesterday with a note to email or call Garmin for a new unlock code. That was required because it was replaced not repaired. Garmin support got that set up fairly quickly after a downed server came back on line.

 

The only real problem was getting my City Navigator Update 2008 DVD working again. They kept having trouble with their system releasing its association with the old GPS. Finally they re-did my account and presto I'm now back in action.

 

Bottom line, sending to Raytech is fine from a technical point of view. No complaints. Pricing if not under warranty may be an issue but I was under warranty so no issue there for me.

 

Thanks Raytech!!

 

JD