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Poor Quality Assurance At Garmin!!

Hinge Thunder

By Hinge Thunder
in GPS technology and devices

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Hinge Thunder

Hinge Thunder

Posted
Posted

I got a brand new Garmin V for Christmas. I was excited as I was opening the box, and starting to get the unit set up. I opened the battery door to put the batteries in and was looking for the symbols as to which way to insert them. It was then I noticed the little spring conductor that is supposed to be on the battery door was missing. I looked in the battery compartment to see if it fell in. Looked around on the floor to see if it fell out. It is just not there. So I have a expensive paperweight at this point because of a missing part that cost probably a penny!!!! *GGGRRRRRR* Now I have to figure out how to get the thing fixed. My wife bought it at Amazon, so I can't just take it to the local store and exchanged it, and I don't particularly want to send it back and wait for month for the round trip shipping. I will call Garmin first thing Monday morning and find out what to do.

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Hinge Thunder

Hinge Thunder

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I'm sure Amazon will take it back and send you out a new one if you like.

I hate to see Amazon take the hit when it is Garmin that screwed up. Then the time element as to when I will have a working unit. I also on not looking forward to trying to repackage the thing to ship back. *GRUMBLE* Not pleased with Garmin at this moment!

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Hinge Thunder

Hinge Thunder

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It's just a gps dude, not like it was nitro pills for your heart or something you actually need. Garmin does enough good with their customer service I am sure you will be taken care of..relax..it's the holidays.

Yeah, but it was MY GPS. Merry Christmas, heres a broken toy from Garmin! And if Garmin's customer support is so good, why do I have to wait till monday! Frankly this whole situation sucks! I have to wait till Monday before I can even find out what the options are. I think should next day me a new unit, but I doubt they will. The best scenerio that I can think of actually happening would be they next day me the missing part (hopefully nothing else is missing or broken!!). But I am not going to hold my breath for a quick and easy resolution. If Magellan made an equivalent unit, I would seriously be looking at that right now. :P

 

I just hope thier customer service is better then thier quality control. I mean I have a dead unit because someone forgot to put in a small spring and then no one noticed that the spring was missing. I have two hundred plus dollar unit that is dead because it is missing 1 cent part!

Edited by Hinge Thunder
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Jamie Z

+Jamie Z

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Posted (edited)

I'd blame the gift giver for buying a GPS from such a poor company. What was that person thinking to get you something like that?

 

Really.. calm down. Put in a temporary fix, and if you're a little more reasonable on Monday, give a call to Garmin who would otherwise be happy to fix the problem.

 

Perhaps a new GPS wasn't the right thing to get you.

 

Jamie

Edited by Jamie Z
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Cachengrab

+Cachengrab

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I do not know the Garmin V unit but are we sure that the spring for the door is a part of the GPS? I ask the ? because I have both a Rino 120 and a Legend and niether one has this sprig that you refer to.

It was then I noticed the little spring conductor that is supposed to be on the battery door was missing.
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Blind Avocado

+Blind Avocado

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Relax! When Tiger GPS sent me the wrong case for my 60C then insisted that it was the right case, I emailed Garmin to ask them if it was the right case. 2 days later I got a Fedex package with the right case plus a T-shirt - both Free! Garmin takes care of their customers. I understand the frustration of not being able to use you great new GPSr, but dont't be too hard on Garmin; even the best of companies make mistakes. The real test of a company is how they make it right.

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GPSKitty

+GPSKitty

Posted
Posted
I'm sure Amazon will take it back and send you out a new one if you like.

I hate to see Amazon take the hit when it is Garmin that screwed up. Then the time element as to when I will have a working unit. I also on not looking forward to trying to repackage the thing to ship back. *GRUMBLE* Not pleased with Garmin at this moment!

Amazon won't "take a hit" for this. When retailers have defective mdse returned to them, they return it to the manufacturer.

It's all part of doing business.

Be very grateful that you received such an expensive toy. There are people going hungry and people fighting wars.

Sleep well in your warm bed with a smile on your face, thankful for the blessings you have. :unsure:

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Hinge Thunder

Hinge Thunder

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I do not know the Garmin V unit but are we sure that the spring for the door is a part of the GPS? I ask the ? because I have both a Rino 120 and a Legend and niether one has this sprig that you refer to.

I have or have had several other GPS units and none of them had the conductors on the battery compartment door either, but then they opened from the back, and not from the end (the Garmin V opens from the end).

Edited by Hinge Thunder
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TresOkies

+TresOkies

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I doubt it will do any good to try to interject reason into your arguments, but I'll try...

 

As JamieZ suggested, it's not very difficult to make the connection work temporarily with a paper clip or something else that finishes out the circuit. Jamie uses a Magellan GPS, so he's used to these types of defects and knows how to fix them. :unsure:

 

On Monday, call Garmin technical support at 1-800-800-1020. It being the day after Christmas, their phone lines will be jammed with people who can't find the power switch. I suggest that you use a speakerphone and have something else to do while you listen to the nice Musak. Garmin's support line is staffed by real employees in Kansas and is not outsourced to Bangalore. I have had very good experiences dealing with them in 4 years with 6 Garmin GPSes. If you explain your situation calmly, tell them it was a gift and you are disappointed that you couldn't use it, they might spring for the shipping or throw in a hat or a t-shirt. Generally, turnaround time is one day, so you should have it back in 4-5 days, depending on how you ship it to them.

 

Consumer electronics, be it an iPod, Palm, DVD player, etc. all have an "out of the box" failure rate. That rate will never be zero. As a manufacturer, you attempt to make it as low as possible. No matter how many sets of eyes you have looking at something, there will always be one that slips through. You were the unfortunate recipient of such an item. It doesn't really reflect that badly on Garmin--what will reflect on them is how they treat you when you call. If you don't verbally abuse them, they will try hard to make up for the problem.

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Hinge Thunder

Hinge Thunder

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My 2 cents...

 

Garmin customer service is FANTASTIC.  They have always gone above & beyond the 2 or 3 times I needed them.

 

"Bassmedic"

We shall see. I will call them tomorrow morning first thing (8am CST). I better not get stuck with return shipping to get this thing fixed!

Edited by Hinge Thunder
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Hinge Thunder

Hinge Thunder

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Uh, have you tried it yet? I've always hated the design of the battery compartment on my V. They should have put longer springs at the bottom and none on the door. It would close easier that way. Maybe this is not a defect but a design change.

Yes I did put batteries in there, and nothing. Unless the plastic door is magically a conductor, there is no circuit. You get two batteries on each side that make contacts at the bottom of the battery well, but nothing at the top. Even the drawing in the manual shows springs or coils on the door.

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woof n lulu

+woof n lulu

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Yeah, but it was MY GPS. Merry Christmas, heres a broken toy from Garmin! And if Garmin's customer support is so good, why do I have to wait till monday! Frankly this whole situation sucks! I have to wait till Monday before I can even find out what the options are. I think should next day me a new unit, but I doubt they will. The best scenerio that I can think of actually happening would be they next day me the missing part (hopefully nothing else is missing or broken!!). But I am not going to hold my breath for a quick and easy resolution. If Magellan made an equivalent unit, I would seriously be looking at that right now.  :lol:

 

I just hope thier customer service is better then thier quality control. I mean I have a dead unit because someone forgot to put in a small spring and then no one noticed that the spring was missing. I have two hundred plus dollar unit that is dead because it is missing 1 cent part!

Asia quake death toll nears 10,000

Sunday, December 26, 2004 Posted: 3:39 PM EST (2039 GMT)

 

(CNN) -- Massive tsunamis triggered by the largest earthquake to shake the planet in more than 40 years wiped out coastal areas across Asia as far as 1,000 miles away, killing almost 10,000 people.

 

At least you have a Monday morning to wake up to :unsure:

Edited by woof n lulu
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Team DEMP

+Team DEMP

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Hinge: Ignore the useless post above. Some people just can't not say something.

 

In looking at my V, unless they changed the design after mine was manufactured, I'd imagine they can just send you the wire part that goes into the door. On mine it's 2 coils of metal seperated by a straight piece that goes in the slot in the middle of the door.

 

If they can send the part, you should be good to go by the end of the week.

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Hinge Thunder

Hinge Thunder

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Hinge: Ignore the useless post above. Some people just can't not say something.

 

In looking at my V, unless they changed the design after mine was manufactured, I'd imagine they can just send you the wire part that goes into the door. On mine it's 2 coils of metal seperated by a straight piece that goes in the slot in the middle of the door.

 

If they can send the part, you should be good to go by the end of the week.

Thanks Team DEMP. That is exactly the part I am missing. Though the part isn't there, it is pretty obvious what the part is as there is the little slot for the straight part of the wire to fit in, and the two nubs (one metal, one plastic) for the coils to fit around. I am hoping they will overnight the piece to me. I am going on vacation in a few weeks, and will be doing a lot of driving. It will be nice to have. And it would be nice to get used to the unit before-hand.

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sbell111

+sbell111

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They will probably require you to send it in. When I had my accident, my 3+ lost its battery door. Garmin requested that I send the unit in, rather than just send me a new door. (I ended up getting one from an old 2, so I replaced it myself.) They are no doubt just going to send you a new unit, you will likely get it in the mail within a week of sending yours in.

 

You are correct that you MIGHT be out shipping charges. 10 bucks for a $250 unit sounds like a good deal to me. :unsure:

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woof n lulu

+woof n lulu

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At least you have a Monday morning to wake up to :unsure:

Yeah, that was a real tragedy. But apparently you don't understand the difference between 'an act of God' and the incompetence of Garmin.

But I do know the difference between acting like a spoiled child, and being thankful (even with a small inconvenience) at Christmas.

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uperdooper

uperdooper

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put it in your drive way and run over it a few times. that should relieve your stress. it will also show garmin that they are sending out unchecked products. how will they know you smashed it with your car? do as much as you can to make everyone you come into contact with miserable, especially everyone who had nothing to do with the building of the gps or inspection. it is all the fault of the person on the other end of the phone. chew their tush out like no tomorrow.

 

sheesh!

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Alan Ellis

+Alan Ellis

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Almost the same thing happened to me on Christmas Day. I got a brand new 60CS. I played with it for about 2 hours when the Power button began to malfunction. The power button would no longer activate the backlight and it would not shut the unit off. So I changed the batteries and did everything I could think of. Once I took out the batteries, I could not get the unit back on.

 

Luckily, my wife ordered it from Walmart.com. I could have exchanged it at a local Walmart, but none of my local stores had one in stock. So, I am sending it back tomorrow with postage paid by a label printed from Walmart.com. Walmart.com was very helpful on the phone.

 

It is frustrating, but I should have another one in about a week. :rolleyes:

 

Has anyone else heard of the power button malfunctioning on a 60CS?

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briansnat

+briansnat

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At least you have a Monday morning to wake up to :mad:

Yeah, that was a real tragedy. But apparently you don't understand the difference between 'an act of God' and the incompetence of Garmin.

But I do know the difference between acting like a spoiled child, and being thankful (even with a small inconvenience) at Christmas.

Really, the guy's acting like this is the first defective piece of electronic equipment ever manufactured :(:rolleyes::(<_< .

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Team Sydster

+Team Sydster

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ATTITUDE!! that is the key word here. In your present state of mind there is nothing that Garmin can do that will satisfy you. I'm sure you have never made a mistake, but if you do I hope people are more understanding than you are. I hope you will let us know how this plays out with Garmin. They are really upright people and don't deserve the flaming you are dishing out.

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Pipanella

Pipanella

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And if that happens, what will you do?

I will find some way to exchange it some place, then proceed to post anywhere and everywhere every detail of my experience with Garmin.

 

You complain about Garmin and then tell us how you plan to stick it to someone else. :rolleyes:

 

Don't be surprised if you can't get any pity here.

 

John

EXACTLY my thoughts...

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flinnfamilyfinders

flinnfamilyfinders

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Right about now Unhinged Thunder is either on hold with Garmin, or has contacted the seller for a solution.

 

My money says he opens up with guns blazing on whover receives that call and they suddenly forget all the things they "could" do for him and stick to the company line.

 

Seriously HT, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. The folks who answer those phones really want to solve your problem and make you a satisifed customer.

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