Gps Central Vs Gps City

March 21, 2005

I have been looking at a new GPS and found the best deals at GPS Central and GPS City.

Has anyone had good or bad experiances with these places?

Any other retailers that I should be looking at?

Star2004

1.3k · March 21, 2005

Over my almost 4 years of Geocaching I cannot recall anything negative about either. Personally I have only had experience with GPSCentral on a number of occasions which have all been excellent to say the least.

Olar

3.8k · March 21, 2005

I've had good experiences with GPS Central. Haven't dealt with GPSCity yet.

March 21, 2005

Been dealing with GPSCity Canada for about 6 years now (3 Units and numerous acc.). Excellent prices and service with fast shipping, absolutely no complaints here.

Eric

March 21, 2005

I've only had experience with Gps Central a few times, but they respond quickly and the staff seems very informed and are friendly.

March 21, 2005

gpscity provided good customer service and quick delivery. will order from them again for sure.

S

March 21, 2005

I have made purchases from both companies. All good experiences - shipping within a week. I bought mostly geocaching accessories, no big ticket items. I would deal with both again.

March 21, 2005

I have delt with GPS central. Excellent service and support. I broke a software CD opening the package. I e-mailed them explaining, I mail it back and had a new CD in days.

I was very amazed at the speedy reponses.

March 21, 2005

I've had excellent service from both. Initial GPSr purchased from GPS City no problems and fast delivery.

Recently I had a friend pick up an order from GSP Central in Calgary and they were very friendly. They said they'd make an effort to get one item ready for me as their order from Geocaching was due in the day before he picked the stuff up. Nice service.

March 22, 2005

I have bought a few things from GPSCentral, and have had great service. I would recommend them.

I returned one item. The RAM car mount for my Garmin Rino, because it didn't suit my usage. They were very pleasant over the phone, and were happy to take back the car mount.

I looked at both stores, but went with GPS Central, because it is closer to me.

March 24, 2005

Since my last post above, I have dealt with GPSCentral and had excellent service/buying experience with competitive prices.

I also discovered that GPSCity is apparently no longer a Canadian company per say. Guess the previous owner amalgamated with the American arm and now most everything appears to be run from the States. Customer service is all done in the US even when calling the Canadian numbers... I guess Calgary is pretty much only a shipping location now. Still good service, but wait times on phone for cust. svc. can sometimes be very looong.

Eric

March 24, 2005

I've bought a number of items from GPSCentral - always excellent service and incredibly fast shipping. I wouldn't hesitate to deal with them again.

March 26, 2005

Me too. I've bought all my gear (GPS, mount, cache gear) from GPS Central. No problems. Great prices and fast delivery. No worries with them.

2.2k · March 28, 2005

I have made a few purchases from GPS Central, both via shipping and in-store pickup. No complaints at all. In fact, it was at GPS Central that I first handled a 60CS, right after they were released and I have been trying to justify the purchase of one ever since. :blink:

March 29, 2005

I'm a little dissapointed with GPSCity - I placed my first order with them last week and I am positive everything I ordered (have double checked) said In Stock! Ships same day! on the products page.

When I check my order status, it has not been shipped because an item is on back-order.

In reality, if I had known it was not in stock I would have likely ordered elswhere or excluded the item from my order.

I hope it ships soon, but I guess I'll just have to wait (no idea how long).

March 30, 2005

Our experience has been with gpscity. We decided we NEEDED a new gps the week before xmas and we had it in time to put under the tree. Truly amazing and hassle free.

April 4, 2005

I use GPS cental mainly because I can visit the store itself. I've always had excelent sevise from them

April 4, 2005

I've dealt with both....because both are based in Calgary, I usually just pick up my order. GPS City is not always in the store when they say they are going be.(Which unfortunately a friend of mine found out after a long drive into the city to pick up his order) Where as GPS Central has actual hours of business and more of a "store front". They will take the time to answer any questions and really know thier stuff. This is just my experiences...

2.7k · April 26, 2005

I've ordered several times from GPSCity.ca. They've been good to me with decent prices every time. The only issue I've ever had wasn't their fault (Magellan delayed production) and they kept me informed throughout the process.

May 25, 2005

I'm a little dissapointed with GPSCity - I placed my first order with them last week and I am positive everything I ordered (have double checked) said In Stock! Ships same day! on the products page.

I too just ordered more than $500 worth of merchandise from GPSCITY and all was in stock according to their site at time of order. I ordered a Garmin 60CS and City Select and to top it off I wanted it this weekend (I ordered on Monday) for an outing so I added two day shipping for an extra $20+. No response, no confirmation, no telling me it was backordered, so I contacted them. Their response was that it was backordered and might ship in a couple of weeks, but they were vague in their response.

I also questioned about the two day shipping since I wanted the unit now and they refused to address this issue. My thing is that if you state on your website that it is in stock and will ship the same day, then if it doesn't (maybe weeks later) then why should I have to pay the two day shipping. It is their mistake they can eat it in my opinion.

The worst part is that they didn't even notify me it was backordered, I had to go to them to find out. Which brings up my biggest concern. Are they going to bill my credit card immediately and not deliver for many weeks (if at all) As of right now with GPSCITY.COM's policies, I wouldn't order from them again.

Marc of TeamAirik

May 25, 2005

I've bought from GPSCentral on two separate occasions and have been pleased with the service both times. Shipping was quick and on the first order, I forgot to type in the last few cc numbers so they phoned me a couple of hours later to get that info.

Prices are very close to GPSCity and since, afaik, GPSCentral is 100% Canadian owned/operated, I buy from them.

FWIW, if you're in the Vancouver area, there is a marine electronics store on Granville Island that can actually match their prices.

GeoBC

May 29, 2005

I live in Calgary so GPSCentral is just a quick drive down the road. I have gone thru them for all my gps and geocaching requirments and I have never found them to be anything less than extremely helpful and very knowledgable. I have never used GPSCity and with the service I get from GPSCentral I see no need to ever have to. I have been in the store when they were sorting out problems over the phone and after overhearing the conversation I can say that they did everything in their power to satisfy the customer.

May 30, 2005

I have never used GPSCity but have been to GPSCentral a few times. I am co-organizing an Event Cache in Sylvan Lake in June and went to GPSCentral to inquire about them donating prizes for the event. There was no question that they would support us and they were generous with their donation. I asked how much Geocaching they do, and they don't really, but they are fully supportive of the community and said they may attend the event for the fun of it.

Neat!

peanutbutterbreadandjam

May 31, 2005

When I decided to buy a GPS back in February, I used Google's local feature and came up with GPS Central. I later found GPS City, but went with GPS Central anyway because they have a storefront and I wanted to be able to discuss my GPS needs with someone. I found them to be very helpful, accommodating above and beyond any expectations of a retail store, and knowledgeable. I've been back for a further purchase, and will continue to go there for all my GPS/geocaching needs. Also, they keep a bowl filled with chocolates on their front sales desk which makes them just about my daughter's favourite place to shop (after Toys 'R Us).

June 28, 2005

I've had great sucess with gps central. There regular shipping gets to Winnipeg in 2 days usually. All orders have been complete and accurate. I have ordered from them 6 times. Very easy to deal with. I would highly recommend them.

Mike

July 4, 2005

:unsure: I live in Quebec City. Wednesday I bought my e-Trex Legend from GPSCentral and friday I received it. :mad:

And it was 48$ cheaper then Canadian Tire !

Edited July 4, 2005 by Malain

July 4, 2005

I've bought from both but had to return an item to gpscity (didn't work out). There was no problem getting the return permission. I was told that since the software was untampered with, there would probably be no restocking fee however if there was it would only be a couple of dollars at the most. I was most surprised to see I was charged $17.50 restocking in lieu of what I had been told. And in response to an earlier post, you always talk to someone in the US - never anyone in Canada. I'm still waiting to hear about my complaint about this high charge. justthe2ofus

July 8, 2005

Just ordered 4TB and A GeoCoin on Tuesday, small mixup Tuesday night with email payment that I fixed up Wednesday night, In the mail today. Now its up to Canada Post. lol

Would recomend GPS Central for interact email payments (have not delt with GPS City yet :unsure: )

parker2

July 20, 2005

Had to post that my restocking fee was refunded in full.

July 21, 2005

I have done all my business so far with GPS Central. The service was incredible. I made an Typo in my order and the called me an hour later to confrim what it was I wanted. I live in N.S. and I was shocked when I was only using their Xpress post for $12.00 and it was there in 36hrs.

I have nothing but good things to say about this company. I am getting ready to make an order this week for some assy. and was considering trying GPS City but after reading this thread I think I will stick to GPS Central.

KEEP IT IN CANADA.

1.2k · July 22, 2005

Living in Toronto I've dealt with neither. Take their quotes over to Radio World or Canadian Tire and if necessary they'll match the price and you can pick it up that day. No point giving money to UPS or Purolator when you don't have to.

C-A

July 22, 2005

I called GPS Central's toll free number before ordering and was greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable voice at the other end and had confirmation that the unit I wanted was in stock, as per their order site. I then proceeded to place my order on-line and shortly after, realized I omitted some info and called them back and things were corrected immediatly and had shipping confirmation within 2 hours. This was on a Friday afternoon at 4:30 pm Calgary time. My order was recieved in Moncton by noon on Monday. I also assisted a friend place an order about a month later on a Tuesday evening, about 4:30 pm Calgary time and the order was recieved by 9:00 am Friday in Dieppe (Moncton). Shipping was by xPress Post. Excellent service and wouldn't hesitate to order again.

Keeping it in Canada for quick and hassle free shipping.

RAYAR

July 22, 2005

Garmin's authorized dealer for GTA is:

www.radioworld.ca

I recenlty bought a new gps there and found them to be better priced then GPS central or GPS city.

The service was far beyond what I expected as well.

They do in person and via the internet sales.

I suggest anybody looking to spend some $$$ in GPSing ought to check them out!

1.2k · July 22, 2005

I recenlty bought a new gps there and found them to be better priced then GPS central or GPS city.

Agreed. I bought my brother a Garmin Legend last Xmas and Radio World was already the best price.

C-A

2k · July 22, 2005

I have had Some extremely positive customer service experience with GPS Central.

July 22, 2005

I've ordered three times from GPSCentral and all three times, the order was shipped immediately. Before purchasing a GPSr, I called there and they talked with me about the pros and cons of different units. He even invited me to stop in at the store when on the way through Calgary. I got to browse/hold the different unit and even check out the local caches on their very own computers. Loved the price and the service and would highly recommend them.

July 26, 2005

I have pruchased from Both companies. No problems with either. GPScentral is far more professional. They are will stocked and are a Canadain company. GPScity is just a mail forwarding facility. There office is a single desk in the back of a store shared with an ergonomics company.They have very little stock everything come from they US facility. The guy in Calgary at the desk does not no much. GPSCentral far more knowledgable. I Recommended GPSCENTRAL

August 1, 2005

I've made a number of purchases from GPS Central and to be honest, I wouldn't consider buying anywhere else. They are professional, excelent pricing, very informative and supportive. I am a very happy customer.

August 1, 2005

We've used gpscentral time and again and have never had a problem, even with returns. Have just ordered a Garmin iQue M5 from gpscity, our first purchase from them, which should arrive later this week.

August 8, 2005

Update on gpscity/gpscentral: The Rino 130 arrived right on schedule from gpscentral, gpscity got my shipping/billing address screwed up :laughing: . Not a good first impression. In any case, turns out I won't need the iQue M5 until January or so, so I cancelled the order with them. Maybe I'll try again in the winter.

August 9, 2005

:unsure: I ordered a Garmin GPS 18 sensor from GPS Central online last Wednesday and had it shipped Xpresspost, it arrived Friday morning. Very impressed and I will use GPS Central anytime. Nice to see and hear they are a Canadian company and have an actual store not just an order desk to ship things through from the US. Thanks to GPS Central for the fast service, this GPS 18 is great with the laptop on the go, it will really help in paperless caching. Use the GPS 18 in the truck and laptop with nRoute and GSAK, then take the ETrex LEgend and off to the caches we go. Geocaching just got much better for me.

Go Canadian and go GPS Central.

August 9, 2005

I've ordered twice this year from gpscentral.ca and couldn't be happier with their prices and service. Their staff knows their product lines well, they are friendly, have reasonable shipping rates, and ship very promptly.

I haven't had experience with GPS City, so I can't comment on them.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend gpscentral, though, for anyone planning to purchase GPS stuff or who needs good advice.

August 19, 2005

I tried to order my first GPS from GPS City. The conversation went something like this:

Me >Hi I would like to by a Lowrance PhD

GpsCity>Sorry we don't have that in stock.

GpsCity>We have the PhD Plus version.

Me >That comes with the US map right?

GpsCity>Yes

Me >Well I'm in canada, it's useless to me. Can you get me a Plus version

Me >with something useful to me like a Canadian Topo map?

GpsCity >No we can't do that.

Me >Can you break up a Plus, and ship me the PhD with a canadian map?

GpsCity >No.

ME >What about the Lowrance Map & Music?

GpsCity >Sorry we don't have that in stock.

Me >What about the Lowrance Marine GPS.

GPSCity > Sorry, not in stock. The only GPS we have in stock is the

GpsCity >the Lowrance ifinder Pro

Me >Grrr...

I'm thinking of Cost vs features, I spent about 3 weeks researching GPS's and

knew everything that I wanted in a GPS and how much I wanted to pay.

The Pro is ok, but lacked a few things.

I decided to look for a decently priced Magellin (even though, it does not have

an external antenna jack).

Me >Ok then, what about a Magellin xxx.

GpsCity >No we don't have that in stock.

Me >Well then, I guess I'll call back when you actually have some GPS's in

Me >stock. :rolleyes:

I then tried GPS Central. A plain PhD was in stock, and the Canadian Topo maps were also in stock. It arrived quite quickly, priced lower than my local B.C. lowrance dealers cost, and I was able to use it on my Kayak trip. I was quite happy with gpscentral.

If GPSCity actually had GPS's, I would have been happy with them as well.

Regards,

---- Robb ----

August 24, 2005

Was shipping comparable between the two stores? Some stores like to earn an extra buck or two that way... <_<

September 10, 2005

:grin:Prices between the two seem comparable though shipping seems to be a couple dollars less at GPS City where I've recently placed two separate orders. Their online checkout process is smooth and works well. In both cases I ordered before 9am EST and received my orders before noon the next day.

October 19, 2005

Interesting to note. I have two aquaintences that have bought GPSrs just before the last price drop.

Even after the sale my 1st friend called GPS Central called and voiced his opinion on how he was dissapointed he missed the price drop. They honored the price drop and sold it to him for the new price.

Second individual ordered from GPS City. When he called they told him they do not offer price protection and told him he would be charged a restocking fee if he returned it.

Now who would you rather do business with.

My vote stays with GPS Central.

GPS City is sounding more and more like a company that has forgot that customer service and appreciation can go a long way.

2.1k · October 20, 2005

Never been in GPSCity, but GPS Central is awesome. Friendly staff, great customer service. Really a pleasure to deal with.

When I bought my 60CS, after a little over a month, it started to randomly shut off on my. GPSCentral's stated store policy said they would take back a deffective unit for 30 days after purchase (I think we were on day 37 or some such thing). Anyways I called them, and they had no problem 'bending' their own rules a tad. Got that one, and two days latter the button broke off, called Garmin, they said they'd fix it under warranty, called GPSCentral, and they said, sure no problem we'll take it back *again*. So now I'm on unit number three. I see no reason to go anywhere else.

January 6, 2006

I have dealt with GPS Central a couple of tmes and can say that this is a great store. Good service and good prices. I had a RAM mount that cracked and they replaced it on warranty, no questions asked. Courteous and professional!!

January 6, 2006

I ordered my eXplorist 210 from GPSCity.ca for $199 last week because GPS Central has their price at $229.00 and GPSCity was offering free express post shipping at the time (hooray boxing day!). The website said it was in stock and it was in stock. My order was processed and shipped the next day and I was emailed my tracking number. The GPS was on my doorstep in 3 business days for about $40 cheaper then GPSCentral.

The only problem I had in the entire process was with Canada Post. It blows me away how horrible they are at updating their tracking information, especially on something express post. I've never received a package and 20 mins later had the site tell me "It's out for delivery" then a short time after say "delivered". Screwy system.

My experience with GPSCity was a good one, I even called them to check on the status once and, though the CSR sounded rather dazed, stoned, or just stupid, he knew what he was talking about and gave me the info I needed. I would have prefered to go with GPSCentral as I've heard nothing but great things about them and would have rather given them my business, but when you lack money a $40 difference in price is enough to drive you to another store.

January 7, 2006

I have purchased 2 units from GPScentral and have had great experience with them both times. Shipping was fast, 2 days. I had a problem with a card I used to order with it and called them and Charlene was excellent at dealing with the issue. Turns out it was my fault, I entered the wrong card number! They are great and I have already planned to order another unit for my folks!

Gps Central Vs Gps City

Recommended Posts

Join the conversation