Are the Garmin Lifetime updates a scam?

[AR-15]

A scam in that they promise a lifetime update, then make it impossible to download updated maps to your Garmin device.

 

For example, I bought my Nuvi 1300T this last July since my Nuvi 260W was stolen. The 1300T offered lifetime updates.

 

I went to the Garmin site, downloaded the Lifetime Updater software and then tried to download the new map info (2012.3) for the Lower 48 states and it goes into "Preparing Files to Download" but never gets past that.

 

I'm now trying it on the second computer after 4-5 failures on my work PC. Eventually on that PC, I would get an error message: "Lifetime Updater had an error and had to stop; contact Garmin Customer Service if the problem persists" (or words to that effect).

 

Now, I'm beginning to feel that the "Lifetime Updates" was nothing more than a scam. Yea, they offer "lifetime updates", it's just that the download process errors out and makes it impossible.

 

Any thoughts or ideas?

 

Thanks,

Edited December 22, 2011 by AR-15

[jholly]

You probably have proxy or firewall problems. Works fine for me. Besides, since the lifetime update came with the unit how can it be a scam?

Edited December 22, 2011 by jholly

[+Fiver1]

I updated both my Nuvi's last week and had my first experience with the new Lifetime updater program. I agree it needs some work. Everytime I boot my computer, it keeps telling me I have a new map available. If I open the program, it thinks I still have an older map on my 255WT. Not so. My map is up to date. I emailed Garmin about this last week, and still have no response from them.

 

From now on, I'll just d/l from the Garmin website, and yes, it does take some time to d/l and install.

 

As far as being a scam, I think that is a bit strong. I rather think it is poorly implemented or written software.

[+splashy]

It's no scam, the question is do you need all these updates?

And if you think so, are the areas you need on that map, because the actual map update can take some time.

Last question, how long do you plan to have this gps, if shorter then about 2.5 - 3 years I think the actual map will do.

[+spotter/g]

one thing I noticed: If I was connected to internet via wi-fi, it would crash. So I connected via 'wire' and it worked out fine, BTW I'm on a Mac.

[+myotis]

 

I'm now trying it on the second computer after 4-5 failures on my work PC. Eventually on that PC, I would get an error message: "Lifetime Updater had an error and had to stop; contact Garmin Customer Service if the problem persists" (or words to that effect).

 

Now, I'm beginning to feel that the "Lifetime Updates" was nothing more than a scam. Yea, they offer "lifetime updates", it's just that the download process errors out and makes it impossible.

 

Any thoughts or ideas?

 

Thanks,

 

Yea, when in doubt read what they tell you. I would call customer support and ask them before starting a thread accusing them of a scam. Sorry I don't think expecting people to have the intelligence to read the message and understanding it can be fairly classified as a scam. There are many things to fairly criticize Garmin for and I am all for criticizing them for these things. However, it seems to me you should follow the directions and call them before starting a thread like this and suggesting a scam. Or at least ask for help without suggesting a scam.

[Grasscatcher]

In spite of several naive "true believers" above.....YES the "Lifetime Updates" program is ABSOLUTELY a scam....(NOT just an opinion....FACT)....and this subject has been covered before....but the gullible people keep coming....

 

READ Garmins own information.

 

When GARMIN arbitrarily decides that a particular model number has reached the end of it's "useful" life, then YOU get no more free maps. It makes no difference that your unit and maybe 10,000 of your closest friends units are still working perfectly, NO MORE FREE MAPS..... YOU don't get to vote, even though you are the one that payed for them.

 

It's happened before, and will happen again.

[+Fiver1]

The fact that lifetime map updates are tied to the market life of the GPS on which they are used is in no way a scam.

 

If you read Garmin's conditions concerning lifetime updates, it clearly states that they are for the life of the GPS meaning as long as they support it.

 

Only thing I can suggest is that if you don't agree with them on this, then by all means, don't buy the maps.

 

The only way this could be a scam is if you spent your money and got nothing in return.

[Grasscatcher]

The fact that lifetime map updates are tied to the market life of the GPS on which they are used is in no way a scam.

 

"Where does it say "MARKET Life" in the promotion? "

 

If you read Garmin's conditions concerning lifetime updates, it clearly states that they are for the life of the GPS meaning as long as they support it.

 

There is no logical correlation between "Life of the GPS" and YOUR interpretation " meaning as long as they support it."

Only thing I can suggest is that if you don't agree with them on this, then by all means, don't buy the maps.

 

I never have, and never will, because their Lifetime is deceptively false.

 

The only way this could be a scam is if you spent your money and got nothing in return.

 

That is exactly what has happened to thousands of buyers that have any models that have been discontinued. Their units may work flawlessly for years to come , but they are denied receiving what they paid for.

[+Cacheoholic]

I have a nuvi (discontinued model) that I have received 12 map updates over the past 3 years. The updates have now cost me about $7.50 each or $30/year. It used to cost me $60/year to update before Lifetime Maps. Scam? Do the math. I’m way ahead even if I did get shut off now.

 

You need to call Garmin customer service (800-800-1020). Don’t ever email Garmin unless you are extremely patient and don’t need an issue resolved for weeks. Emails get very low priority.

[jholly]

In spite of several naive "true believers" above.....YES the "Lifetime Updates" program is ABSOLUTELY a scam....(NOT just an opinion....FACT)....and this subject has been covered before....but the gullible people keep coming....

 

READ Garmins own information.

 

When GARMIN arbitrarily decides that a particular model number has reached the end of it's "useful" life, then YOU get no more free maps. It makes no difference that your unit and maybe 10,000 of your closest friends units are still working perfectly, NO MORE FREE MAPS..... YOU don't get to vote, even though you are the one that payed for them.

 

It's happened before, and will happen again.

Not only does Garmin scam you with the maps, microsoft scams you on their operating systems. Try to get the recent security problems on Windows 95 fixed, no go, it is past it's useful life.

Edited December 23, 2011 by jholly

[+ngrrfan]

Interesting in that when I talked to Garmin the Lifetime updates are for as long as I own the unit, even if I send it in for repair or whatever.

 

Either their own people don't know what has been stated as being on their website or what has been said is on their website isn't really there.

[jholly]

Interesting in that when I talked to Garmin the Lifetime updates are for as long as I own the unit, even if I send it in for repair or whatever.

 

Either their own people don't know what has been stated as being on their website or what has been said is on their website isn't really there.

If you send your unit in for repair, make sure you tell the person on the other end you have the lifetime update so they can reset registration on their web so you can again register the replacement unit and continue on with your lifetime update.

 

As for the lifetime updates, it pretty much is for as long as the unit can be updated. I had a 750 that was several years past the obsolete date that was being updated. I noticed the updates were getting bigger and bigger. I suppose at some time the unit would not have enough memory and at that point I would probably be at the end. Or that there is a change in the file format that can not be accommodated on the unit. Your pretty much dead at that point.

[+Red90]

I have had this for a few years. I've never had a problem downloading or updating any units.

[+Red90]

I suppose at some time the unit would not have enough memory and at that point I would probably be at the end.

 

No. They allow you to download to the computer and then send how ever many tiles you want later to the unit with mapinstall.

[+myotis]

This is straying way off topic. The OP contents the lifetime updates are a scam in the sense that Garmin takes your money and you are never able to download any updates. The OP is basing this "scam" claim on it not installing on his computer and telling him to call Garmin for assitiance. The OP's claim is obviously absurd and the problem is the OP accused Garmin of a scam instead of calling custemer service like the program directed him to do. So the topic is not how long you can download the maps from Garmin (there are other thtreads on that), the OP's issue was a contention Garmin takes your money but you are not able to download the maps.

[Suscrofa]

This is straying way off topic. The OP contents the lifetime updates are a scam in the sense that Garmin takes your money and you are never able to download any updates. The OP is basing this "scam" claim on it not installing on his computer and telling him to call Garmin for assitiance. The OP's claim is obviously absurd and the problem is the OP accused Garmin of a scam instead of calling custemer service like the program directed him to do. So the topic is not how long you can download the maps from Garmin (there are other thtreads on that), the OP's issue was a contention Garmin takes your money but you are not able to download the maps.

 

Exactly !

 

So many people complaining, accusing while the fault lies in their inability to use an equipment, read a manual, or understand !

 

Not many people daring to tell them either !

 

You got to present supporting evidences, facts to support a claim ! And you better be careful when you accuse !

 

Based on the elements presented, the OP should have asked for help in understanding what was happening.

Edited December 25, 2011 by Suscrofa

[+dakboy]

until your product’s useful life expires or Garmin no longer receives map data from its third party supplier, whichever is shorter

Garmin gets to decide when your device is no longer "useful." Even if it's in perfect working order, Garmin can declare its "useful life" terminated on a whim.

 

It may not be a full-on scam, but promises of "lifetime updates" are certainly misleading.

[+ras_oscar]

I have found the multiple assertions of updates received successfully on older models to be very enlightening. All in all a balanced and thoughtful discussion of the OP's original assertion.

[+yourpad2mn]

Well, I have to put my 2 cents in here.. I own 2 Garmin GPS's and I have have found using them to be quite easy. But when 1 of the parameters of your purchase is the "Lifetime Maps Update" you have to ask ? Who's Lifetime? Now my Nuvi 265w was sold to me with this benefit. I didn't expect a ""LIFETIME"" mine or yours... But, I did expect it to last the lifetime of the unit. I understand units like this a lifetime is 2.5 to 3.5 years. After you buy it, get it home, register it, and set it up. The disclaimer on the Garmin Lifetime Maps update is ....... Ready...... 90 days after the unit is registered or after it connects to the 1st satellite. Now why would I EVER, invest into another Garmin? Only reason I have 2 is because one was a gift. Garmin sells high end handheld and automotive GPS units... To Garmin the update doesn't cost them a thing. >Except repeat customers< So I hope that all who are looking to Buy a new GPS of any type. I would stay away from Garmin products. Well unless you life expectancy is less that 90 days or can afford to piss money away. Don't get me wrong I get that a map update may not be all that important. To some it is due to changing highways, and roads in many major cities. I live in Las Vegas NV the past 8 years and the roads have changed a few times. With added Exits and Junctions as well as closed exits and roads. IMO Garmin has false advertisments in regards to the "Lifetime Maps".

[+larryc43230]

Well, I have to put my 2 cents in here.. I own 2 Garmin GPS's and I have have found using them to be quite easy. But when 1 of the parameters of your purchase is the "Lifetime Maps Update" you have to ask ? Who's Lifetime? Now my Nuvi 265w was sold to me with this benefit. I didn't expect a ""LIFETIME"" mine or yours... But, I did expect it to last the lifetime of the unit. I understand units like this a lifetime is 2.5 to 3.5 years. After you buy it, get it home, register it, and set it up. The disclaimer on the Garmin Lifetime Maps update is ....... Ready...... 90 days after the unit is registered or after it connects to the 1st satellite. Now why would I EVER, invest into another Garmin? Only reason I have 2 is because one was a gift. Garmin sells high end handheld and automotive GPS units... To Garmin the update doesn't cost them a thing. >Except repeat customers< So I hope that all who are looking to Buy a new GPS of any type. I would stay away from Garmin products. Well unless you life expectancy is less that 90 days or can afford to piss money away. Don't get me wrong I get that a map update may not be all that important. To some it is due to changing highways, and roads in many major cities. I live in Las Vegas NV the past 8 years and the roads have changed a few times. With added Exits and Junctions as well as closed exits and roads. IMO Garmin has false advertisments in regards to the "Lifetime Maps".

I've owned my Garmin 60CSx since I purchased it new in April, 2006. I purchased a "Lifetime Maps Update", as you refer to it, when they first became available. I'm still getting updates for the unit more than seven years later. I've gotten far more than my money's worth for my $99 or so.

 

--Larry

[+larryc43230]

I forgot to mention that I bought a Garmin Oregon 650 earlier this year, and bought the lifetime map updates for that unit, too. Given how much I would have paid for separate map updates, it's a heck of a bargain, even if the offer expires at the end of the unit's lifetime (as defined by Garmin). And based on my experience with the 60CSx, that useful lifetime can cover a good number of years and a good number of updates.

 

--Larry

[insig]

The disclaimer on the Garmin Lifetime Maps update is ....... Ready...... 90 days after the unit is registered or after it connects to the 1st satellite.

 

That's for the NuMaps guarantee -- not Lifetime Maps. You have 90 days from when you first turn it on to register it and download a one time map update. This is so that you can buy a unit that has been sitting on a store's shelves for a year without worrying about it having old maps. You take it home and have a one time update to get the latest maps.

[+larryc43230]

To clarify my previous posts, those were Garmin nüMaps Lifetime™ North America maps I purchased for my units. I couldn't remember the name of the package when I posted previously.

 

And insig's explanation of the guarantee is correct.

 

--Larry

[+BAMBOOZLE]

It's no scam, the question is do you need all these updates?

And if you think so, are the areas you need on that map, because the actual map update can take some time.

Last question, how long do you plan to have this gps, if shorter then about 2.5 - 3 years I think the actual map will do.

 

I totally agree. I have 4 Nuvi's and a hat full of handhelds and I've never felt the need to upgrade. I have 10 year old maps on my Magellans that show roads the new Garmin maps don't and are still great to cache with. Unless you're running a delivery service or something I don't think upgrading is worth the trouble.

[+larryc43230]

It's no scam, the question is do you need all these updates?

And if you think so, are the areas you need on that map, because the actual map update can take some time.

Last question, how long do you plan to have this gps, if shorter then about 2.5 - 3 years I think the actual map will do.

 

I totally agree. I have 4 Nuvi's and a hat full of handhelds and I've never felt the need to upgrade. I have 10 year old maps on my Magellans that show roads the new Garmin maps don't and are still great to cache with. Unless you're running a delivery service or something I don't think upgrading is worth the trouble.

I'll respectfully, and strongly, disagree with this based on my use of Garmin units over the past ten years in Central Ohio and western Pennsylvania. The roads, and especially the freeways, have changed drastically over that time time period. If I hadn't kept the maps up to date, the unit would have led me astray more than half the time I took the freeway system anywhere. The surface roads haven't changed a whole lot, but the highways certainly have.

 

--Larry

[+BikeBill]

Regarding useful life of the unit: I have a Garmin Nuvi 760 that I bought new around '08. A couple years later I purchased the Lifetime Maps and successfully upgraded the unit once or twice a year. A few upgrades ago the downloads became bigger than the available memory of the Nuvi. This is a known problem and can be solved by going into the unit's memory and deleting unneeded languages, etc. This fixed the problem but I expect that sooner or later the updates will require more memory than the unit has available no matter how much stuff I kick out. That might be the 'useful life' of the GPS.

 

BTW, I recently upgraded to a 5" Nuvi 2597LMT. Wow, what a difference in boot up, satellite lock and route calculation times! Also, the new OS is a big improvement over the older model, which mow resides in my secondary vehicle.

 

Someone above mentioned that they rarely upgrade maps because roads don't change that much. Maybe this is true for your area, but you're also updating all the restaurants, libraries, parks, and other POI's.

[jholly]

Regarding useful life of the unit: I have a Garmin Nuvi 760 that I bought new around '08. A couple years later I purchased the Lifetime Maps and successfully upgraded the unit once or twice a year. A few upgrades ago the downloads became bigger than the available memory of the Nuvi. This is a known problem and can be solved by going into the unit's memory and deleting unneeded languages, etc. This fixed the problem but I expect that sooner or later the updates will require more memory than the unit has available no matter how much stuff I kick out. That might be the 'useful life' of the GPS.

 

BTW, I recently upgraded to a 5" Nuvi 2597LMT. Wow, what a difference in boot up, satellite lock and route calculation times! Also, the new OS is a big improvement over the older model, which mow resides in my secondary vehicle.

 

Someone above mentioned that they rarely upgrade maps because roads don't change that much. Maybe this is true for your area, but you're also updating all the restaurants, libraries, parks, and other POI's.

My 1390 also hit the wall. I was able to delete unused/unneeded stuff for that update. The next update it again hit the wall. I put a 8GB micro SD card in it and it has been happy ever since. I take the 4 a year updates that came with the LMT version I got.

[+Lieblweb]

As far as I knew....if the model you buy has an LM on the end of the model number...you have Lifetime Maps. Otherwise you don't have it. I've never had a problem getting updated free maps on my 2450LM.

 

In terms of upgrading the firmware - the last time I did that, the unit got into a funk reboot loop that I did all sorts of research to try and fix it. The unit was only 2 years old. I ended up sending it back to Garmin and paying $55 to get a new one.

 

Needless to say, I'm half afraid to ever upgrade the firmware again.

[+DonB]

Read what it says, if you do then what you get can't be called a 'scam':

 

¹If you purchase a nüMaps Lifetime™ subscription (sold separately or bundled together with certain GPS models), you will receive up to four (4) map data updates per year, when and as such updates are made available on Garmin’s website, for one (1) compatible Garmin product until your product’s useful life expires or Garmin no longer receives map data from its third party supplier, whichever is shorter. The updates you receive under the subscription will be updates to the same geographic map data originally included with your Garmin product when originally purchased (it is possible to use Lifetime map updates if you purchased a City Navigator® map on DVD and it is used on the same computer you installed the City Navigator maps). In some instances, your Garmin product might not have sufficient memory remaining for you to load an update to the same map data originally included with your Garmin product, in which case you will need to either (a) select reduced map data coverage for your updates, or ( purchase separately a microSD card or a SD card (as applicable to your Garmin product) and load all or a portion of the map data coverage for your updates to the card and insert the card into the microSD card or SD card slot contained in your Garmin product. Garmin may terminate your nüMaps Lifetime subscription at any time if you violate any of the terms of this Agreement. Your nüMaps Lifetime subscription may not be transferred to another person or another Garmin product.

 

And in practice Garmin have continued to supply updates for models plus 10 years old ... I know folks with 15 year old street pilots STILL getting map updates

That's odd, I have a Street pilot 2610 that is less than 10 years old and Garmin changed their map format so maps aren't even available for it anymore. I also bought the original Street pilot III in 2001 and can't get maps for it anymore either.

[Fangamon]

I always update and upgrade for free from the swarm/cloud.

 

It's quick, easy and free of cost..

 

 

... and illegal

 

Ever tried to get a download to actually work from the Garmin site!?

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=317399

... some people have more cents than money!

 

If they fixed it, I would use it!

 

 

~

Edited November 17, 2013 by PigSti

[+BikeBill]

jholly said <<My 1390 also hit the wall. I was able to delete unused/unneeded stuff for that update. The next update it again hit the wall. I put a 8GB micro SD card in it and it has been happy ever since.>>

 

and sussamb said <<Just add a SD card to your 760 and you'll be fine for a long time >>

 

Thanks to both of you for the advice. I was under the impression that the maps couldn't be put on the SD card as the unit accessed map information from its internal memory. Good information to know.