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Magellan Triton 1500 - Sending It Back


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I ordered a Magellan Triton 1500 on Monday from NewEgg.com. It arrived on Wednesday.

 

I know... I know... you all warned me about Magellan and their terrible support and their sketchiness. But I always love to try new things, so I had to try it out. Plus it was quite a bit cheaper than the Delorme model I was looking at so I thought I would try it out. Well, I learned my lesson.

 

On the outside of the box, the contents are listed, But missing from the box are the USB Data Cable, the VantagePoint Software, and the Quick reference guide and reference manual on CDROM. Those items are all listed on the box, but are not inside the box.

 

I take it out for a day despite not being able to do much of anything with it without the USB Data Cable. I manually type in and go find a couple geocaches. See my notes below about my experiences.

 

I called Magellan yesterday to find out about where my cable is. Magellan says they do not have any cables right now but would send me one when they get them in. They don't know when that will be. Just as many others have said about Magellan's terrible customer service in the past, I had the same exact terrible experience. I was routed from person to person, each one telling me a different story. One telling me I would have the cable in three days, another said a minimum of two weeks, another said they didn't have an estimate, and another said 1 to 2 weeks. All of the operators were foreign and very difficult to understand. Also, every time I told them something they would not understand what I was saying, and I don't have any kind of accent that would make it hard to understand. I argued with them for a few hours straight and finally gave up. This was the second worst customer service experience i have ever had.

 

I called NewEgg.com to find out if they have any cables. They do not have any either. They also have a special return policy for these items and their customer service rep kept telling me that because the picture on the web page does not show the accessories, they only guarantee what is shown on their website so they cannot guarantee what is not shown on their website. They gave me a real run-around which I was very surprised because I have dealt with NewEgg for years building PC's and purchasing other equipment when they have special deals and never had a problem before.

 

After many hours of discussion with support at Magellan and NewEgg, it appears to me that Magellan knowingly shipped many of these boxes to vendors without cables or CD's. In addition, it appears NewEgg knew about this and are using it to hide behind their little "policy" in order to make some quick cash.

 

NewEgg at first was adamant that I would have to return it for the same item. I kept explaining to them that i was not going to do that because all of their other boxes were missing the same items according to Magellan, so I was not about to return the Triton with missing pieces just to get another box of Triton with missing pieces.

 

After I kept explaining how unfair this was since it was not my fault as the consumer that not all the parts that are stated right on the packaging are not inside the package, they would not budge. Then after a while longer of badgering them they finally decided to, and I quote exactly from my chat log: "we can make a one-time exception to issue a refund RMA to you but we will charge the restocking fee."

 

So they want me to pay return shipping, and pay a $50 re-stocking fee for a product that came to me incomplete that they have no replacement product for that is complete.

 

Here is what the customer support rep at NewEgg said from my chat log about their policy: "All the information you see on Newegg.com comes directly from the manufacturer. We guarantee the information provided on our website. I see that on our website, the image shows that there is no CD and cable."

 

So I am no longer going to ever be a customer of Magellan or NewEgg again.

 

----------------------------

 

My Review of the Magellan Triton 1500

 

For it being the "latest and greatest" it seemed to be lacking a lot of features I thought it would have in the higher models. The accuracy was very good while out in the woods, but the navigation on the touch screen wasn't totally touch screen. I am used to having X buttons to close out windows and stuff, but with this unit you have to use the ESC button since there are no little X buttons on the windows. One thing I liked on my old GPS unit was that it would tell you how many feet you were from the cache spot. This one does not do that. It shows you an arrow and the cache location symbol, and they get closer together as you walk towards it, but there is no text saying how far you are from it at any given moment, which I think is very helpful. Another thing that I had a problem with was that I was trying to test out the different features (or what few I could without having a data cable). I recorded some audio, and even speaking at quite a loud voice it was barely audible when played back. Then you are supposed to be able to attach the audio to a specific waypoint. I tried to do that and it gave me some weird application error message in what i would call "engrish" (see engrish.com and you will understand). I turned it off and back on, and tried it again with the same result. So I was unable to save the audio I recorded with my waypoint. It is also slow loading in between screens. When you click on something on the touch-screen, it is slow to respond, so you often stand there looking at it wondering if you need to click it again or not, then it will finally refresh. Overall for the price tag I was not impressed with this unit, and I am sending it back. I would not recommend this product, as the software is slow and buggy. Really the only thing I liked about the unit is the way it looks with its cool orange casing and stuff (because it matches my orange Jeep). Now as far as reviewing anything else it does, I really can't because the map that came loaded on the thing only shows the big major highways on it. Other than that i was seeing lots of blank space everywhere i went. But not having a data cable to load maps or geocaches or anything on it, i can't speak to those features.

 

If anyone is thinking of getting one of these, and you have any questions about anything specific it does, feel free to post your questions and I will answer them and can take pictures if you wish, since i will have it in hand until NewEgg sends me my return authorization.

 

------------------------------------------

 

DELORME TO THE RESCUE

 

Delorme PN-20 with Topo USA 7.0

Earthmate GPS PN-20 Handheld

 

Ok, so after being totally mad at NewEgg and at Magellan for scamming, yes I said SCAMMING me, I made a phone call about the other GPS that I had been looking at before I decided to try the Triton. I had been looking at the Delorme PN-20 Earthmate. I am originally from Maine, and Delorme is a family-owned business from Maine and actually started out in the map-making business many years ago. I remember as a kid and a teenager growing up in the Maine wilderness that i never went anywhere without one of their maps. Their maps went with me hiking, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, you name it their maps were in my pocket.

 

Well after my unsettling experience I gave Delorme a phone call to their customer service. What a refreshing change of pace after talking to Magellan. First of all, they answered the phone right away. I didn't even have to wait. Then I told the nice guy on the phone who was actually in America and is actually from America, unlike the outsourced drones at Magellan, that I was in a predicament. I told him the straight facts. I have a hiking trip planned this weekend. I told him my experience with Magellan and ask him some questions about the Earthmate to compare. He was very knowledgeable about the product and what it did, not having to put me on hold for 20 minutes every time i asked a question like Magellan did. He answered every question very thoroughly and was trying to advise me where I could get one of these units by tomorrow so i could still go on my hiking trip.

 

Then he told me to hold on a second and he was going to check something. Then within 30 seconds he came back on the line and told me that if I were able to place my order within the next 20 minutes (their cut-off for fulfillment for the day was 3:30 pm to get stuff shipped that same day by UPS), that he would waive the overnight shipping charge and get it overnighted today and i would have it in hand tomorrow to take on my trip. I was in total SHOCK! After being charged restocking fees for a useless product, this company was giving me completely free overnight shipping because they wanted to make sure I could go on my hiking trip, and not have to run all over town to try to find a unit at one of the stores! Now that is what service is about. Delorme, you have just found a customer for life. I haven't even gotten the GPS unit yet and you have won me over. Your customer service was excellent and your support was just as excellent. I appreciate them helping me out so much. So, tomorrow I will have my new DELORME PN-20 with their American-based customer support personnel, and their American-based support personnel to back me up. He also was very kind to point out that if I had any issues with the unit at all that I could return it for a full refund and they would not even charge me any sort of restocking fee if i was unsatisfied for any reason. Take that, NewEgg!

 

The Delorme was pricier than the Triton, but looking at all the additional features and the fact that Delorme has the full-color aerial photos, like Google Maps for your GPS, that I am going to be very happy with it. I will have to live without the touch screen for now, but I think all the other features will surely make up for it.

 

Thank you Delorme for saving me. I can now go hiking to my heart's content this weekend.

Edited by jenwardwell
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I'm feeling better already. I just bought a Garmin 60CSx after considering a Triton. I already own a Magellan eXplorist 600 and it works very well but... after a couple expereinces I quickly decided that the only thing worse than Magellan's software was their support.

 

They were shipping copies of Topo USA that they knew didn't work. Only the perseverance of the dealer (GPScentral.ca) got me a working copy and that took weeks.

 

Jon V.

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I do most of my purchasing online, have done so for many years. I have never had any problem like this after ordering something. This was the first bad purchase i have run into, and it was surprising coming from NewEgg because I have ordered from them many times before and things were perfect. But I agree it is nice to see something and have it in your hand and check it out right in front of you before you buy it.

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Thanks for posting the first hand experience in dealing with NewEgg and Magellan even though it was a bad experience. This type of communications (good and bad experiences) about internet companies, their policies, and how they handle customer relation issues is the only way online buyers can reasonably expect to have a positive buying experience from someone / company that they have never met / been in.

 

A companies reputation is earned with every transaction and can be destroyed by just one bad transaction. Needless to say just from your experiences with NewEgg's ludicrous policy and hassle they gave you I will never buy from them or recommend them to anyone I know, regardless of their prices and the same goes for Magellan.

 

There is absolutely no excuse for bad customer support. You would think that companies would show some appreciation for buying their products instead of being difficult to deal with. Maybe one day all of these companies that have such poor customer relations will put themselves out of business; when we all stop buying from them. Sorry to be on such a soap box, but businesses that can't seem to recognize or administer good common sense policies really rub me the wrong way.

Edited by eaparks
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Hi Jenwarwell:

 

I think you will be happy with your Delorme PN-20. I'm happy with mine. And as you said, Delorme customer service is great. I've got to warn you though, don't necessarily expect to install the software (Topo USA) & learn it well in the day before your trip. It is very capable, but can be a handful. The manual is good. In one part day, You may want to settle for grabbing the area you will be hiking from Topo USA and loading it to the GPS (an SD card reader WAY faster than the cable). Think about a 2GB SD card also. BE VERY GENTLE with the SD card socket in the unit. Suggest you read their on-line (their forum) instructions for it. Maybe it has been improved. That was the one weak spot in their hardware.

 

Good luck! Good hiking!

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You gotta hand it to em...they figured out a new and novel way to really screw this one up. Will make interesting discussion in upcoming MBA marketing classes, no? "Yeah, its OK...we need to get those units out there by X date. It doesn't matter that the piece necessary to connect it to the computer isn't in the box...they'll never notice the difference...and even if they do, they'll get over it." If I wrote that on my exam, I'd fail that course in a heartbeat....

 

From reading the user's manual posted above (another glaring sanfu - how can you allow your customers to be the first entity to post the user's manual on the net? Defies logic and any thing resembling good business sense, so I guess it really is par for the course), it seems possible that you can modify the displayed data fields to show distance to the waypoint/cache to be displayed on at least a couple of the nav screens. Can somebody verify? Or is it just that you cannot display that info on the map screen?

 

To clarify...the above sarcasm comes from a MeriGold user that has been pretty happy for two years, but gets the feeling he's now watching a bad spoof of The Three Stooges instead of a real business...Larry, Curly and Moe couldn't have done it much better. Nor, frankly, could Larry, Darrel and Darrel....

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From reading the user's manual posted above (another glaring sanfu - how can you allow your customers to be the first entity to post the user's manual on the net? Defies logic and any thing resembling good business sense, so I guess it really is par for the course), it seems possible that you can modify the displayed data fields to show distance to the waypoint/cache to be displayed on at least a couple of the nav screens. Can somebody verify? Or is it just that you cannot display that info on the map screen?

 

You can select 0, 2 or 4 fields to display on the map screen and 2 on the compass screen. The options are pretty standard and include distance to next and distance to end.

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Can the VantagePoint Software be used to upload the maps to the SD card? If so, then you could download that software from the Magellan site. I would think the manual would also be available as a download from their site.

 

All the other units by Magellan allow the direct loading of the SD card with maps and waypoints and routes, I would think this unit would follow suit. Maybe in the documentation for the VantagePoint Software is where you will find the procedure needed.

 

John

 

PS: I think I'll wait several weeks and be able to pick up a Triton 1500 CHEAP on e-bay. :huh:

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Can the VantagePoint Software be used to upload the maps to the SD card? If so, then you could download that software from the Magellan site. I would think the manual would also be available as a download from their site.

 

All the other units by Magellan allow the direct loading of the SD card with maps and waypoints and routes, I would think this unit would follow suit. Maybe in the documentation for the VantagePoint Software is where you will find the procedure needed.

 

It appears to me that NG TOPO maps have to be uploaded through the NG TOPO software, and that it only works with a direct, cabled, connection. I haven't found anyway to load them via VantagePoint.

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I noticed reading through the Triton 200-500 manual that it doesn't mention how to load maps or data on the units. And their pictures of the unit on the manual don't show where the USB cable would connect to. I guess my question, is it a standard USB cable that will fit in the unit or a Magellan only cable????

 

I realize Magellan perhaps wanted to make the Triton easier to use but the manual that was uploaded seems to be missing so much information. Hopefully, Magellan will quickly take care of these problems and the units turn out to be really good competition for Garmin. Competition is always good.

 

Cheers

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DeLorme does indeed have great customer service. Back in '99 my house in VA burnt to the ground. After getting settled in (back home here in PA), I called them. I was a registered user of their Street Atlas USA Version 3, so I was wondering if I was eligible for an "upgrade" type of deal. Upon hearing about my house, she said "Hold on a minute"... I guess she was telling others in the office of my plight. A minute later, she comes back on and said they were going to ship me a new one, no charge. 3 days later, I recieved a brand new Street Atlas USA, VERSION 5!

 

Because of this, the DeLorme was the first unit I looked at as my 1st GPSr. But OUCH!, the price is steep, and we're on a pretty tight budget right now, between Christmas, and an 275 gal. oil tank that's about empty, and Kerosene is $3.19/gal! :huh: Then I saw a deal I couldn't refuse on eBay. New eXplorist 400 bundle, with Topo 3d, case, cable, charger and 256 MB SD card, won it for $101.25.... No brainer, to say the least. ;)

 

Now I just have to hope nothing goes wrong, as my Punjabi sucks! :huh:

Edited by geowizerd
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Unbelievable. It doesn't surprise me that Magellan screwed up, but it surprised me that NewEgg was so hard-headed about the return. You've got to wonder what the heck is going on at Magellan. I recall reading other posts here about eXplorists being shipped without cables or with the wrong cable. They really screwed up the release of this product.

  1. Multiple delays in release date
  2. Items missing from box
  3. Website still has blanks for the specs
  4. No manual available from Magellan's website, and Triton isn't even listed in the support section
  5. Still buggy (based on Jen's Engrish comment)

Asus was slow to release their Eee PC, but at least they got the product right, making the wait worthwhile. What did Magellan do? Got us excited, left us hanging, and botched the second-highest model in the Triton line. We have only heard from Jen and Rich so far, but based on Magellan's past performance, this will probably be par for the course. I was looking at the eTrex HCx series as a replacement for my eXplorist 400 and was excited when Magellan announced the Triton. I quit looking at the Garmins. I'll give Magellan to right things, but I have little faith in them. The purchase by Shah Capital didn't change anything at the company like I hoped it would. I've purchased 3 eXplorists and like the hardware, but I don't want to support a company that jacks around its customers.

 

Make things right, Magellan! Your livelihood depends on it. Just today a co-worker asked me about what kind of car GPSr to buy. The first words out of my mouth - Don't get a Magellan. There was so much potential for the Triton and they have initially blown it. If all the initial reviews of the Triton say it's bad, nobody's gonna buy the thing. That's why you have to make sure things are right coming out of the box. In this case, things weren't right coming out of the box, literally.

Edited by geognerd
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I just had to read the Newegg policy on returns. That is one company I will never deal with. Using the newegg logic, if anything is wrong with an order it is the customers fault. I guess it they were selling board games, if you open the game and the box is empty they do not have to give you a refund because on the weg page they only have a photo of the box.

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I just spoke to a contact at Magellan. Apparently what happened with the 1500's coming from NewEgg is this...

 

Magellan subs out to a fulfillment center. It is their responsibility to put all the components in the box. Sounds like they need a new fulfillment center! Magellan is now trying to determine the best way to reach those customers to ensure that they receive the missing items. I imagine they will have to go through the retailers to do that.

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I just spoke to a contact at Magellan. Apparently what happened with the 1500's coming from NewEgg is this...

 

Magellan subs out to a fulfillment center. It is their responsibility to put all the components in the box. Sounds like they need a new fulfillment center! Magellan is now trying to determine the best way to reach those customers to ensure that they receive the missing items. I imagine they will have to go through the retailers to do that.

 

That Sucks! Mine should be here this afternoon :-( I guess I will be calling up Magellan CS soon.

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DELORME TO THE RESCUE

 

The Delorme was pricier than the Triton, but looking at all the additional features and the fact that Delorme has the full-color aerial photos, like Google Maps for your GPS, that I am going to be very happy with it. I will have to live without the touch screen for now, but I think all the other features will surely make up for it.

 

I'll echo the sentiments about Delorme. I never had a personal need for Magellan's CS or TS, but I felt ignored in terms of any feedback for user requests that were ever forwarded to them.

 

Contact with Delorme has been a relative dream come true--this applies to CS, TS, marketing, programming, beta test administration--any facet of the company with which I have had contact. It feels like a business relationship fuzzed into friendship.

 

Jen, be sure to register with the Delorme users forum. You'll get quick support for any snags you run into getting up and running. The PN-20 (and the Topo7 software) have features that other GPS/software packages don't, and the maps work a little differently (3 levels: basemap, regionals, and detail maps)...so it can feel a little complicated. There are lots of helpful people on the forum to get you up to speed (just like here). And of course, don't hesitate to call Delorme TS if you need to.

 

One other comment: although the PN-20 seems pricey, it's not bad when you consider that it includes national Topo 7 software and $100 worth of imagery downloads.

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Two words come to mind...quality assurance. Apparently, Magellan has little familiarity with either.

 

Interesting, tho, is the NewEgg experiences. About 18 months ago, I had purchased a rather pricey (for the time) video card for my PC thru them. After about a month, it began to act very funny, and it was quite apparent it was failing. I had no problems arranging a return with NewEgg...were quite helpful, in fact. Guess that level of customer service is no longer tolerated within their company...a phenomena that's getting more common, it seems.

 

RMB - any other first impressions, observations, etc you could share about the unit? Screen visibilities in daylight, more insight as to ease/difficulties in menu navigation, etc?

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Magellan Strikes Again!!!

 

If you have read about the neat things the Magellan Triton GPS will do, do not expect too much too soon.

 

Someone has said they received their Triton with no cables to connect to a computer.

 

I tried to order the National Geographic TOPO maps, and I can not even get the maps.

 

 

SHIP TO

PRODUCT NUMBER/ (SEE QUANTITY UNIT

DESCRIPTION BELOW) ORDERED PRICE STATUS

 

20518 1 1 99.95 BACKORDERED

TOPO! GEORGIA, ALABAMA, FLORIDA

 

It is like buying a new car with no gas available to drive it.

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RMB - any other first impressions, observations, etc you could share about the unit? Screen visibilities in daylight, more insight as to ease/difficulties in menu navigation, etc?

 

I don't want to prejudice a full review, and I'm not convinced I have the latest firmware, which I'm trying to verify.

 

Having said that, the screen is not as bright as my 60CSx. The buttons are stiff and will take a little getting used to. The touch screen is nice though. My initial take is that menu navigation is intuitive. Satellite lock seems quick enough even indoors. But those are just first impressions.

 

I've got a copy of MapSend Topo 3D USA and will try to load that via SD and Vantage Point this weekend and get out in the field with it.

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Magellan Strikes Again!!!

 

If you have read about the neat things the Magellan Triton GPS will do, do not expect too much too soon.

 

Someone has said they received their Triton with no cables to connect to a computer.

 

I tried to order the National Geographic TOPO maps, and I can not even get the maps.

 

 

SHIP TO

PRODUCT NUMBER/ (SEE QUANTITY UNIT

DESCRIPTION BELOW) ORDERED PRICE STATUS

 

20518 1 1 99.95 BACKORDERED

TOPO! GEORGIA, ALABAMA, FLORIDA

 

It is like buying a new car with no gas available to drive it.

You might want to order the maps from another company, NG map are fairly easy to get, lot of companies sell them-try REI

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You learned the hard way about NewEgg's return policy. Unless it's their "standard" policy, I won't buy an item from them. I bought an absolute DOG of a notebook computer from them, and am stuck with it, because they wouldn't even accept a return for store-credit-only. I told 'em I was willing to spend $100-$150 more for a notebook that worked as expected, and got nowhere. Bottom line, if I can't return it for any reason, I'm not buying it from NewEgg.

 

edit for clarity- 1) The computer wasn't broken, just crippled by the software the manufacturer loaded on it. According to the manufacturer, it's working as designed. And after returning it as defective and having the second one come out the same way, I'll have to say their designers are idiots.

and 2) NewEgg has different return policies for different items. Read carefully before ordering.

Edited by JSWilson64
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Step 1. Contact your credit card company and file a dispute on the charge for this purchase. Include a detailed explanation of your issue.

Step 2. Return the item. You'll probably have to eat the return postage.

Step 3. If the restocking charge appears on your credit card statement, dispute that one, too.

 

Let the vendor fight with the credit card company. If the circumstances are as you described, I rather suspect that the only thing you will pay for is the return shipping.

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Out of curiosity, I went to Newegg's website to look at the photo of the Triton. I searched and searched and couldn't find any reference to the Triton even existing, let alone being out of stock.

 

I think somebody should get their $50 restocking fee back...

 

I did the same thing earlier. As I recall, the only Triton model I found was the 300.

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