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Comicus

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Has anyone else had big problems with magellan recently. The unit needs to be serviced or replace which they agree too becuse its under warranty. In order to recieve warranty replacement i have to give a credit card number to someone in India named Dominic , this is wrong and wonder if anyone else has a similar view. Send me a prepaid shipping label and ill send the unit back and then you can repair or replace it. Like how its done in the real world.

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Has anyone else had big problems with magellan recently. The unit needs to be serviced or replace which they agree too becuse its under warranty. In order to recieve warranty replacement i have to give a credit card number to someone in India named Dominic , this is wrong and wonder if anyone else has a similar view. Send me a prepaid shipping label and ill send the unit back and then you can repair or replace it. Like how its done in the real world.

 

Read the Forum Discussion with the same title a little farther down the column or at Magellan Customer Service

 

I don't mean to scare you but....... I would be surprised if you even got a return shipping label anytime soon. It seems to take constant hounding to get anything done.

 

Make copies of everything you receive from them before you ship your unit back. (I think it is standard to have to send the unit back, but don't know why they would need credit card info.)

 

If you don't get your shipping label or have any other run arounds try the "Corporate Number" listed on the above forum. It seemed to get me results quickly.

 

Good luck.

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That's not how my warranty repair was done a year ago. I was given an RMA number and the address of the repair shop. No exchange of credit card information and they didn't send a label to me. Just had to stick a copy of my receipt in the box as proof I had a warranty. Sure, I had to pay UPS to send the box, but I thought $9 to get my GPSr fixed was reasonable. I received my repaired unit about a week later and I didn't have to pay for them to ship it back to me. Seems pretty fair and real world to me.

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In the middle of the same thing described.

 

The down arrow on my explorist 210 just quit. They said the 210 can not be updated or repaired but quickly agreed to send me a 500LE. The catch? I had to give them a cc number and theyed send a return shipping lable for old unit if recieved in 30 days, no cc charge.

Just got the 500 today but.......no return shipping lable hmmm. I wonder if they'll keep me going in circles till the 30 days is up I'll get hit with the cc charge?

 

anyway, beat and banged on the old 210 over the weekend and now th joystick down arrown works.........well most of the time.

 

After watching the 500LE drian 50% bat life in 2 hrs at minimum screen brightness, i'm thinking about returning the 500 and taking my chances on the 210 which had decent battery life.......

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After watching the 500LE drian 50% bat life in 2 hrs at minimum screen brightness, i'm thinking about returning the 500 and taking my chances on the 210 which had decent battery life.......

Do a search on ebay for SNN5595B. The Li-Ion batteries are rechargeable in the device, and provide about 10 hours operating time. Keep the AAAs for emergency backup.

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My experience went like this:

 

One day my 210 - which i LOVE - stopped turning on properly and I got an error message. I called Mag. They told me it wasn't repairable by them so they would send me a 500. They took my cc info and told me I should send the old one back in the container (or whatever) they enclosed. Got the unit about a week later - no method to ship the 210 was there - this was months ago and no charge on my CC bill.

 

I have debated what to do - but as of today - my 210 is still here - my guess is the policy changed or wasn't applicable - but the rep was just reading a standard script. If they send me a way to return it - I will - if not - well...... I may try to figure out how to fix it with the help of the forums.

 

Thats my experience................

 

PS - my 500 battery's life is great with the light on - over 10 hours easy.

 

Also - as an FYI - though this isn't a bad thing I don't think - the replacement units are refurbished units.

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Magellan support is like night and day. My first experience was great. I got a return authorization number with no problem, sent in my Sport Trak Map, called Magellan a week later to confirm they recieved the unit and I was told that they had it and it was being repaired at that time. I recieved my unit back in 11 days from when I sent it in. I was impressed!

 

Now, I some how managed to shift into a paralel universe where Magellan support is some type of cruel joke. It took me three weeks to get a return authorization number, I sent out my Eplorist 400 on the 13th of August. When I called over a week later to confirm that they recieved it, that's when the nightmare started. I haven't gotten a straight answer from any body since. It's either a problem with their computers and can't get my account up or " you will be recieving a new upgraded 500LE in about 5 days. I have been told that I would be getting a new unit in about 5 days, five times now. I have made 14 calls to their support operators and it's been well over 60 days. The last word I got from one of the Magellan supervisors, " you should see you new 500LE by the middle of next week (31Oct). We shall see!

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I purchased a 500 North America in Sept 06. It lasted 6 months before it died. After dealing with Habib and the rest of the customer NON support, I finally got a RMA and address to send my unit in. Recieved a refurbed unit instead of my original one back in about 2 weeks. That one lasted another 6 months before it started suffering from gremlins. Back to dealing with the indians again. Wish me luck, I'll need it

 

TT

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Beleive it or not, Sunday morning at around 8:00, my phone rings. It's a Magellan support operator following up on my recent phone complaint. After a long talk I was again told (6th time) that I would be seeing my 500LE by the end of the week (1st or 2nd of Nov), now ain't that the S**t. last week I was told it would be here by the middle of this week (31 Oct), now it's the end. Well at least there on the ball, I wasn't let down first by not seeing it in the mail on Wednesday. I guess they figured they would speed up the let down proccess by calling me on my day off. Good work guys!

 

According to the Magellan operator, Magellan used to use seperate software to conduct thier business. But they have recently switch to using only one software program to handle everything, and it has been giving them trouble. They are suposed to be close to working out all the bugs. I sure hope so, I've always like the Magellan products I've owned and found them to be just as good as any other GPS'r on the market. I guess it just matters on what your used to using. Any how, in a few days I should have my stuff or I'll be making another phone call, like that will do any good!

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Has anyone else had big problems with magellan recently. The unit needs to be serviced or replace which they agree too becuse its under warranty. In order to recieve warranty replacement i have to give a credit card number to someone in India named Dominic , this is wrong and wonder if anyone else has a similar view. Send me a prepaid shipping label and ill send the unit back and then you can repair or replace it. Like how its done in the real world.

:rolleyes: Do you REALLY want to know??? Ok, My 'enter' button broke off. On Sept. 11th I called Magellan. It was under warrenty. It is an Explorist 100. I was told they are not repairing them, but would upgrade me to an Explorist 400. Fine. He needed my credit card 'as an assurance I would send the old unit back within 30 days" Sucker that I am. I gave it to him after 3 assurances it would NOT be run thru. I now have 6 PAGES of phone calls back and forth. I was told EVERY SINGLE week I would DEFINATELY rec. unit by Friday of that week (TODAY is Nov.10th) Call back on Mon/Tue. for a tracking number for UPS. When I call back I am told they cannot get that number since "their new system does not show that information". One week I was told it would DEFINATELY be there by Friday (this was a Thurs.) I told her GREAT then it will be here by tomorrow! She hesitated and said well, Sat. by the latest.When I called Mon. I was told it would be here DEFINATELY by NEXT Mon. but to call back that next Thurs. for a tracking number (I guess they forgot they cant access this!) I asked if I am getting it on a Monday, WHY would I want to call THURS. for a shipping number. Long Long story short. Last weekend while checking my bank acct. I found $199.99 missing from my acct. (I used a debit card) After 1 Hour and 1/2 I finally talked to a supervisor. You will find they protect their supervisors and will not let you talk to one. They will 'always' call you back which they never do. After being on the phone for 45 min. this time I insisted on talking to their billing dept. I was told they don't have one! NICE. I finally got to speak to a supervisor who kept insisting on mailing me a refund (since it was not suppose to be charged under warranty). 2 days later it DID finally drop off my acct. I have no GPS yet.

Last Mon. I called again and was FINALLY sent to the RA Dept. After talking to 3 other people first. I asked what exactly this RA Dept was. Are you ready? Ritten Authority (as in Written Authority dept.) HE tells me ALL my information has to be put into HIS computer and that there is NO RECORD of my information!! He had the audacity to ask for credit card"as an assurance I would return unit in 30 days!" I told him to go talk to supervisor Perry.... He tells me HIS dept. cannot TALK to other depts and kept repeating he needed my credit card info. I kept telling him NO. They already screwed THAT up. I told him I DO NOT TRUST HIM with my credit card. I DO trust myself to send back the unit in 30 days and he should go talk to his other computers. I have him the names of every person I talked to, the amt. of time I talked to them and finally he says. I will ship it 2 day AIR and you WILL get it in 4-5 days (can't figure out THAT timeline!) I told him this has been going on for 2 months and HE can get my credit card information from the Better Business Bureau if they want it. I went down and filed a complaint with them. Magellan is not a member of the BBB (not surprising) and they cannot force a resolution but can build a file. They opened a file on Magellen last June 07 and there have been 10 complaints for warranty problems and from people who sent their units in for repairs and can't get them back. I would NEVER deal with Magellan again. DO NOT give them your credit card information. They have lied to me for 2 months, I still do not have a GPS and I am thru with them.

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Beleive it or not, Sunday morning at around 8:00, my phone rings. It's a Magellan support operator following up on my recent phone complaint. After a long talk I was again told (6th time) that I would be seeing my 500LE by the end of the week (1st or 2nd of Nov), now ain't that the S**t. last week I was told it would be here by the middle of this week (31 Oct), now it's the end. Well at least there on the ball, I wasn't let down first by not seeing it in the mail on Wednesday. I guess they figured they would speed up the let down proccess by calling me on my day off. Good work guys!

 

According to the Magellan operator, Magellan used to use seperate software to conduct thier business. But they have recently switch to using only one software program to handle everything, and it has been giving them trouble. They are suposed to be close to working out all the bugs. I sure hope so, I've always like the Magellan products I've owned and found them to be just as good as any other GPS'r on the market. I guess it just matters on what your used to using. Any how, in a few days I should have my stuff or I'll be making another phone call, like that will do any good!

 

Good luck! I know ALL about their 'ugrading their software' and all their problems with it. As of TWO weeks ago, they have all the bugs worked out and it is up and running 'for better customer service' The only problem now seems to be they can't communicate with any other dept. except their own. Do I believe this???? NOT!

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With all the problems people are having it may be appropriate to contact their Senior PR Manager

 

Thanks, I took your advice and since he is Media Customer Service. I emailed him and told him I only WISH I was the media as I would write a nice long article about my experiences and gave him a VERY brief description. Within 30 minutes he emailed me for names and details. I just sent them to him so we shall all see what happens. Will update as soon as I hear something

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I am presently on hold to magellan service. I have the time to write since it has been nearly 45 min since i started the phone call. I am on my third person for this call. :D

This call is my third call in the last 8 to 10 weeks. About my explorist 210 that the display does not work. With each call i have spent approximately 1- 2 hours on the phone and talked to an average of 4 persons. I have been given a case number and I have given a credit card number to guareentee that the old product will be sent back within 30 days or the card will be charged. however nothing has arrived which is the reason for this call.

 

I have now talked to Persons numbers 4 and 5 while writing this and i am now on hold for number 6. time on the phone is now at 1 hour and counting. :D so far they have canceled the old ra number and will start a new one instead of the explorist 600 replacement in previous conversations the new will be a new explorist 210 with one year warrenty. (for whatever the warrenty is worth) They have stated that they will send out the new 210 today and delivery thursday or friday. however I am still on hold. :laughing:

I talked to the 6 th person they gave me a new number and I had to give the credit card number again since they lost the previous card number when they deleted the old service number. They then promised to send out the new 210 today. however I will believe that when I go caching with it. total time on the phone today was 1.6 hours.

 

for what it is worth. I have spent approximately 10 hours on the phone and have talked to around 20 different persons at the service numbers. If this is what you want when you have a problem then buy magellen. personally I am going to check out garmin for my next gps.

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"With all the problems people are having it may be appropriate to contact their Senior PR Manager"

Like that's going to help? I wrote the guy a LONG e-mail outlining in detail what my problems were.....his reply?

"I will see what's going on....I am very sorry..."

That was four days ago.....Magellan customer service still hasn't done a thing to help me. "Senior PR Manager"? What a joke!

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I hate it when people recommend contacting corporate PR with their grievances. PR people are for dealing with the press. They don't have the power or knowledge to fix whatever problem you have. All they're gonna do is forward your complaint to who-knows-where.

 

Sure they might have connections with the department that can set things right, but going to PR is like complaining to the airline baggage handler about the food you got on the plane.

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All I know is I give up too - I'm filing a dispute with my problem and have contacted VISA they agree I have a dispute for sure - I can't send it back they wont accept it and wont fix the problem. I have only 120 days to dispute the charge it has been 108 so VISA instructed me to send in my dispute with my documentation a copy of which I will be sending to any place that will lessen or do something - this is just outrageous and I'd hate to see others go through it.

 

Because I've had plenty of time to figure this mess out my research has concluded that the Magellan 500LE and others that use this cable are being sent out with the wrong cable - a contract disagreement or something has occurred and the assumption was that they would straighten it out late so units are sent out with the wrong cable in order to fill the orders.

 

As far as I know this is about the same time frame that problems developed with their web service and reorganization.

 

Obviously some restructuring as occurred and I'm convinced outsourcing.

 

last time I called although I was stern (a right in which I think was warranted long before now) I didn't loose my cool as the person attempted to test me and try to start all the way back at the beginning - I learned why you will never be able to talk to a supervisor - you are talking to a person that in not in an office because they are working from home (outsourced). Yep, I heard that cat in the back ground and the glass or dish break - I questioned him and he hung up!

 

Nice huh.

 

What can I prove, not much it's all bits and pieces from slip ups and excuses. I have 14+ hours of dealing with them on the phone and have heard it all. I have almost as many RA's and Case#'s to go with it.

 

You know what it really doesn't matter what I think the problem(s) are, it all boils down to this:

 

For Xmas I gave GARMIN GSMAP 60CSX's - It would have been Magellan but I know better now and wouldn't do that to a friend let along a family member!

 

THAT my friends is the reality that will soon catch up to Magellan unless they get their act together.

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With all the problems people are having it may be appropriate to contact their Senior PR Manager

 

 

BTW He has at least 2 calls he hasn't returned - I know that for a fact. I had the Corporate Office number and have a few messages there too. They are wise to us seeking help as they have made it so if you don't have a person you are contacting guess where you will end up - yep, good Ole CS.

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I am presently on hold to magellan service. I have the time to write since it has been nearly 45 min since i started the phone call. I am on my third person for this call. :cool:

This call is my third call in the last 8 to 10 weeks. About my explorist 210 that the display does not work. With each call i have spent approximately 1- 2 hours on the phone and talked to an average of 4 persons. I have been given a case number and I have given a credit card number to guareentee that the old product will be sent back within 30 days or the card will be charged. however nothing has arrived which is the reason for this call.

 

I have now talked to Persons numbers 4 and 5 while writing this and i am now on hold for number 6. time on the phone is now at 1 hour and counting. <_< so far they have canceled the old ra number and will start a new one instead of the explorist 600 replacement in previous conversations the new will be a new explorist 210 with one year warrenty. (for whatever the warrenty is worth) They have stated that they will send out the new 210 today and delivery thursday or friday. however I am still on hold. :ph34r:

I talked to the 6 th person they gave me a new number and I had to give the credit card number again since they lost the previous card number when they deleted the old service number. They then promised to send out the new 210 today. however I will believe that when I go caching with it. total time on the phone today was 1.6 hours.

 

for what it is worth. I have spent approximately 10 hours on the phone and have talked to around 20 different persons at the service numbers. If this is what you want when you have a problem then buy magellen. personally I am going to check out garmin for my next gps.

 

update 11/20/07

called again ( annother 1 1/2 hours on the phone) since the promised e210 did not arrive as scheduled. :cool: after only 2 persons it was decided to issue yet another number :ph34r: and send a 600 to me. (notice the second go around on the 600.) the promised delivery date is end of the week. when questioned about the thanksgiving holiday thay assured Me with utmost confidence of arrival before the weekend. (evidently a caned responce since I have heard that one 3 times before.)

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<_< I bought a Magellan Meridian Gold on Sept 15, 2007.

It did not work correctly so Customer Support told me they would ship me an Explorist 500 LE NE within 4-5 business days-- after giving them my credit card number(to ensure I returned the Meridian).

5 weeks later and 8 long multi transferred India-outsourced phone calls later (during which I was told given various excuses about why I had not rec. the Explorist) I did actually get the Explorist by FedEX- without the shipping label.

I have emailed Senior PR and filed a complaint about poor customer service and poor billing practices with the Better Business Bureau of CA. www.labbb.org

Good luck with these people.....

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We also had problems. It was very frustrating. In the end they did take care of our problems, but only after a BBB complaint was filed. (A part of me suspects that it may also be because at the time I was very active on the boards and very vocal about our situation. The man who i spoke with claimed he was a geocacher also.)

 

I had hoped at the time that Magellan was turning over a new leaf. This thread makes me wonder. So far, they have taken care of us, but i wonder about next time we decide to purchase a GPS and i wonder about the customer service others might be getting.

 

I had a complete run around until the BBB complaint was filed.

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update 11/20/07

called again ( annother 1 1/2 hours on the phone) since the promised e210 did not arrive as scheduled. <_< after only 2 persons it was decided to issue yet another number <_< and send a 600 to me. (notice the second go around on the 600.) the promised delivery date is end of the week. when questioned about the thanksgiving holiday thay assured Me with utmost confidence of arrival before the weekend. (evidently a caned responce since I have heard that one 3 times before.)

I wonder what would happen if you took Magellan to small claims court. They probably won't show, resulting in a default judgement. Then you'd have to deal with trying to get Magellan to pay up, though you would have a court order in hand. I'm not an attorney and I've never dealt with small claims; just throwing an idea out there.

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I've had no problem with their service. My zoom in and out buttons quit working on my 500 - about two weeks after the warranty ran out. I gave them a call and was told it would not be a problem, they would take care of it for me. I received a reference number. and was told to write it on the outside of the box. I mailed the unit the next day (I did make sure to send it receipt requested) and without 10 days received the GPS back. It seems to work just fine. They also included a rechargeable Li-ion battery. I didn't have to give them my credit card number.

 

I think it's like anyplace else, you have good customer service reps and bad customer service reps.

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update 11/20/07

called again ( annother 1 1/2 hours on the phone) since the promised e210 did not arrive as scheduled. :) after only 2 persons it was decided to issue yet another number :) and send a 600 to me. (notice the second go around on the 600.) the promised delivery date is end of the week. when questioned about the thanksgiving holiday thay assured Me with utmost confidence of arrival before the weekend. (evidently a caned responce since I have heard that one 3 times before.)

I wonder what would happen if you took Magellan to small claims court. They probably won't show, resulting in a default judgement. Then you'd have to deal with trying to get Magellan to pay up, though you would have a court order in hand. I'm not an attorney and I've never dealt with small claims; just throwing an idea out there.

 

Typically, warranties have a clause in them that sets the venue in which a claim may be brought. Unless by coincidence you happen to live in California (or wherever Magellan currently declares its venue), filing suit in any other venue isn't likely to get you anywhere. The way things work, they'd probably hire a local attorney (via email) to go in and take care of business (motion to dismiss, probably, for lack of jurisdiction). I'm not an attorney, either, but having gone through legal training and having dealt with small claims, I'm pretty sure the attempt wouldn't be any more successful than making a call to Magellan's CS dept for service. It would probably wind up costing you more to file the claim in court. My $0.02.

 

What I've read, so far, regarding Magellan's CS doesn't surprise me. Nor does it really have much bearing on my choice of gps, having long ago decided that customer service is a racket. Those folks are paid to run interference for the company - this is especially true for those companies that hire "representatives" in distant developing countries. I haven't had to deal with CS at either Magellan or any other gps company, but I'd hazard a guess that you're equally liable to get bad service at any one of them -- unless you have a personal, intimate connection to the company. In fact, MY suggestion, if you want to get good CS out of Magellan, is that you befriend someone who WORKS there (in California - or wherever they currently have their HQ). Your chances of getting good service will increase exponentially.

 

All of that said, I'm leaning toward Garmin because they seem to have more offerings among which to select. My only real hesitancy is in that my only gps experience has been with Magellan (310 and 315) and, knock on wood, I've never had a problem with the product. My 310 seems to have developed Altzheimers, but I suspect it's because it was something I did to it - namely, tried to get it to connect to my computer's serial port or messed up the antenna somehow. The 315 still works. I just think it's time to upgrade.

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I am presently on hold to magellan service. I have the time to write since it has been nearly 45 min since i started the phone call. I am on my third person for this call. ;)

This call is my third call in the last 8 to 10 weeks. About my explorist 210 that the display does not work. With each call i have spent approximately 1- 2 hours on the phone and talked to an average of 4 persons. I have been given a case number and I have given a credit card number to guareentee that the old product will be sent back within 30 days or the card will be charged. however nothing has arrived which is the reason for this call.

 

I have now talked to Persons numbers 4 and 5 while writing this and i am now on hold for number 6. time on the phone is now at 1 hour and counting. :D so far they have canceled the old ra number and will start a new one instead of the explorist 600 replacement in previous conversations the new will be a new explorist 210 with one year warrenty. (for whatever the warrenty is worth) They have stated that they will send out the new 210 today and delivery thursday or friday. however I am still on hold. :D

I talked to the 6 th person they gave me a new number and I had to give the credit card number again since they lost the previous card number when they deleted the old service number. They then promised to send out the new 210 today. however I will believe that when I go caching with it. total time on the phone today was 1.6 hours.

 

for what it is worth. I have spent approximately 10 hours on the phone and have talked to around 20 different persons at the service numbers. If this is what you want when you have a problem then buy magellen. personally I am going to check out garmin for my next gps.

 

update 11/20/07

called again ( annother 1 1/2 hours on the phone) since the promised e210 did not arrive as scheduled. :D after only 2 persons it was decided to issue yet another number B) and send a 600 to me. (notice the second go around on the 600.) the promised delivery date is end of the week. when questioned about the thanksgiving holiday thay assured Me with utmost confidence of arrival before the weekend. (evidently a caned responce since I have heard that one 3 times before.)

 

B) I seem to have hit the lottery or at least i should buy some tickets . B) a replacement 210 showed up today!!!!! :D:blink::) ( not the 600 promised ) However anything is good at this stage. I believe that i am still not out of the woods none of the numbers on the paperwork that arrived agrees with any of the numbers that I was given over the phone. The return authorization paperwork is not with the unit.

 

Tha saga continues.

 

stopping by to buy more lottery ticket because a second 210 showed up today however this one at least has a reference number that I recognize

Edited by gramp larry
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The saga continues. things seem to be changing at magellen. B) for those that have had problems try again.

I have now recieved a total of 4 gps units from magellen. B) I have yet to sort out all of the numbers but it seems that every time I called someone opened a file and they are just now catching up some of them. some of my complaints are now several months old but I recieved 2 model 201's before christmas and sent back one along with the unit that was defective. just before christmas a new model 600 showed up. today 12/28/07 a second rebuilt model 600 showed up. At one point I had been promised a 600 to replace the defective 210 but was told that that order had been cancelled and replaced with an order for a 210. so I do not understand the 600's that have showed up in the last few days. so I will try to sort out the paperwork and extra units. B)

but just wanted to let people know that something at magellen seems to have changed.

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The saga continues. things seem to be changing at magellen. B) for those that have had problems try again.

I have now recieved a total of 4 gps units from magellen. B) I have yet to sort out all of the numbers but it seems that every time I called someone opened a file and they are just now catching up some of them. some of my complaints are now several months old but I recieved 2 model 201's before christmas and sent back one along with the unit that was defective. just before christmas a new model 600 showed up. today 12/28/07 a second rebuilt model 600 showed up. At one point I had been promised a 600 to replace the defective 210 but was told that that order had been cancelled and replaced with an order for a 210. so I do not understand the 600's that have showed up in the last few days. so I will try to sort out the paperwork and extra units. B)

but just wanted to let people know that something at magellen seems to have changed.

 

How many units do you now have? lol...and what are you going to do with it?

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