Cracked Screen

[+TeamK-9]

Last night, I was out caching with my dad, and my dog. I was in a sort of "bunker" type thing. Just a large dug out area at the base of an uprooted tree. My dad was at the top, holding my beautiful golden retriever.

 

My dad took a step towards me to hand me a rock, and my dog, being the ever anxious puppy that she is, shot forward. Pulling my dad head first into my little dug out.

 

He landed directly on my leg, knocking me down. If he had landed just an inch lower, he probably would have dislocated my knee. And we both probably would have been seriously injured.

 

Anyway, I just thought I'd share the back story.

 

Sometime, during the whole falling, toppeling escapade, I managed to crack the screen on my Sportrak.

 

It's probably half the legnth of the screen, but it doesn't look too horrible, but I'm sure the waterproofing is shot.

 

Anything I can do about it?

 

(who knows, maybe this is my justification for buying a new xplorist)

[+JohnnyVegas]

For what the repair cost would be it may be more practicle to buy a new GPS, I have one of the new explorist 500s. It is a big jump from the sport track map which I have also owned (Untill I lost it). The only problem you will have with the explorsit 400, 500 or 600 is that the only work mapping software they work with is Mapsend direct route ot map send topo 3D, Your other option would be a Meridian gold or another sport track if you want to use the older magellan software.

 

Forget about the explorst 100, 200 and 300. they have no data port.

[+embra]

If you need some dollar figures to weigh the pros and cons, call Magellan to see what it would cost to fix.

 

Of course, if it still works and you're only concerned about waterproofing, just take care to not get it wet. (Myself, I'd take the incident as buying orders from God)

[+IVxIV]

So it still works fine, the screen is readable "around" the crack, but might not be waterproof.. Well, how important is waterproof-ness to you? If it's critical then of course you have to deal with that either replace the unit or have it fixed.

 

If you just want to buy more time though, stick on one of those PDA screen protector covers across the whole screen. With that on the GPSr should be quite resistant to water splashs, rain, etc. And, it might actually be waterproof lol.

 

I wouldn't toss it out just yet, especially if it's still working fine.

[+TeamK-9]

I have no intention of throwing away the old one, no matter what.

 

I could probably sell it to a friend for $50...

 

I've heard various stories about Magellan's customer support. Some great, some horrifying.

 

What can I believe?

[+GOT GPS?]

You could also call Magellan and tell them exactly what happened, and give them the Geocache waypoint, and they can see what happened via your Geocache posting, and they might be able to swing a deal for you. This might not work if it is out of warrenty though.

[tiber]

If it's out of warrenty, you're pretty much screwed.

 

If it's in warrenty, you're pretty much screwed since I was told that the warrenty only covers "defects in workmanship".

 

My Meridian Color is going to cost me $100 (at least) to fix, as quoted to me by Magellan.

 

If the LCD is intact, and it's a color screen, I might be interested in buying it from you.

Edited April 17, 2005 by tiber

[tubemonkey]

It's probably half the legnth of the screen, but it doesn't look too horrible, but I'm sure the waterproofing is shot.

Here's a thought; and I have no idea if it's even feasible, because I've never opened up a GPSr before. But maybe you could do a "screen swap" with another damaged unit.

 

Like I said, I have no idea if this would work, but it may be worth a try. Good luck.

Edited April 17, 2005 by tubemonkey

[+TeamK-9]

If it's out of warrenty, you're pretty much screwed.

 

If it's in warrenty, you're pretty much screwed since I was told that the warrenty only covers "defects in workmanship".

 

My Meridian Color is going to cost me $100 (at least) to fix, as quoted to me by Magellan.

 

If the LCD is intact, and it's a color screen, I might be interested in buying it from you.

Sorry, just a normal black and white screen here.

 

So, if I did decide to get "return authorization" from magellan and send it back, I would have to pay some money for repairs?

 

Screw that....

 

I'm going to start saving towards an Xplorist...

[tiber]

Yep, I'll paste my e-mail with them down here...

 

-----Original Message-----

From: josh_at_knarrnia.com [mailto:josh_at_knarrnia.com]

Sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 2:24 PM

To: Magellan Repair

Subject: Magellan RMA Request Form

 

The following RMA request was submitted on the Magellan website and has been routed to you:

 

Product  Meridian Color

Dept  RepairsNoAmer

Serial  edited for privacy

PurchDate  don't remember

Country  United States

IssueType  Hardware

FirstName  Joshua

Address1  edited for privacy

LastName  Knarr

EmailConfirm  josh_at_knarrnia.com

Email  josh_at_knarrnia.com

Phone  edited for privacy

City  Philadelphia

Submit  Submit

StateProvince  pa

PostalCode  19104

Description  Alright guys. I don't mean to be a pain but after the firmware problems, the mapsend problems (winXP whatever) and now this, I'm fairly unhappy with Magellan. If this isn't covered under warrenty and is expensive, I may consider buying another GPS elsewhere. My PDA has had a longer lifespan then this thing. I was hiking today, took a spill, and my GPS now has a cracked screen. I realize that you are not responcible for the hike nor the user, but with my PDA surviving intact and all the problems the color has had before, I would sincerely appriciate this being cheap. The unit will turn on and display on the lower (uncracked) half of the screen, but the top half has a rainbow and A SINGLE SCRATCH. Is this an example of how durable magellan products typically are? Feel free to call (preferred) or e-mail with any questions.

Sincerely

Joshua Knarr

 

Their reply:

 

Dear Magellan Customer

 

Send the receiver along with a check for $96.00 total ( this is if its the display only it has to be cheeked for internal damage since we really do not know

 

how hard a spill it took. If it has more damage inside it can be a maximum of $150.00          or call in with credit card number before you send it

 

(put this number on the outside of the package RA edited for privacy )

Thales Navigation

11333 E Pine St Suite 111

Tulsa OK 74116

 

There's no spellcheck here, there's no offer to pay for shipping, they seem unconcerned about my safety and about how their product performs.

 

I try calling them and after getting busy busy busy over and over again I finally get through to a rep who says they won't pay for shipping and they can't just sell me a screen. He doesn't know how long it will take but guesses it will take about two weeks round trip. I told him that for $100 I need a warrenty and he said it would be warrentied against defects in the workmanship, but that they can't be held liable for the performance of the screen. In other words, if I drop it next week, it's another $100.

 

I'm going to try calling them a second time and speaking with management. Yes, $100 is less then the price of a new GPS, but it's also awfully expensive to be paying yearly for repairs. I'm hell on equipment, and without a warrenty, it's not really worth my time. I expect the equipment to keep up with me, not to have to baby the thing.

[+TeamK-9]

So I can probably expect around $90 for a screen repair?

 

I think I'll live for the time being, while I save up for a new unit.

 

Maybe I can make my dad pitch in a couple bucks since he's the one who knocked me over.

[+user13371]

... I was hiking today, took a spill, and my GPS now has a cracked screen. ... $100 is less then the price of a new GPS, but it's also awfully expensive to be paying yearly for repairs. I'm hell on equipment, and without a warrenty, it's not really worth my time. I expect the equipment to keep up with me, not to have to baby the thing.

You don't need a product warranty, you need an insurance policy.

 

I don't know of ANY consumer grade PDA, cell-phone, laptop computer, etc that comes with a warranty covering an LCD screen breakage caused by accidents. I know you can buy product protection plans on consumer electronics from places like Best Buy, and these often DO cover accidental breakage - but you'd have to check with them if it would cover the screen.

[4x4van]

Yep, I'll paste my e-mail with them down here...

 

-----Original Message-----

From: josh_at_knarrnia.com [mailto:josh_at_knarrnia.com]

Sent: Friday, April 15, 2005 2:24 PM

To: Magellan Repair

Subject: Magellan RMA Request Form

 

The following RMA request was submitted on the Magellan website and has been routed to you:

 

Product  Meridian Color

Dept  RepairsNoAmer

Serial  edited for privacy

PurchDate  don't remember

Country  United States

IssueType  Hardware

FirstName  Joshua

Address1  edited for privacy

LastName  Knarr

EmailConfirm  josh_at_knarrnia.com

Email  josh_at_knarrnia.com

Phone  edited for privacy

City  Philadelphia

Submit  Submit

StateProvince  pa

PostalCode  19104

Description  Alright guys. I don't mean to be a pain but after the firmware problems, the mapsend problems (winXP whatever) and now this, I'm fairly unhappy with Magellan. If this isn't covered under warrenty and is expensive, I may consider buying another GPS elsewhere. My PDA has had a longer lifespan then this thing. I was hiking today, took a spill, and my GPS now has a cracked screen. I realize that you are not responcible for the hike nor the user, but with my PDA surviving intact and all the problems the color has had before, I would sincerely appriciate this being cheap. The unit will turn on and display on the lower (uncracked) half of the screen, but the top half has a rainbow and A SINGLE SCRATCH. Is this an example of how durable magellan products typically are? Feel free to call (preferred) or e-mail with any questions.

Sincerely

Joshua Knarr

 

Their reply:

 

Dear Magellan Customer

 

Send the receiver along with a check for $96.00 total ( this is if its the display only it has to be cheeked for internal damage since we really do not know

 

how hard a spill it took. If it has more damage inside it can be a maximum of $150.00          or call in with credit card number before you send it

 

(put this number on the outside of the package RA edited for privacy )

Thales Navigation

11333 E Pine St Suite 111

Tulsa OK 74116

 

There's no spellcheck here, there's no offer to pay for shipping, they seem unconcerned about my safety and about how their product performs.

 

I try calling them and after getting busy busy busy over and over again I finally get through to a rep who says they won't pay for shipping and they can't just sell me a screen. He doesn't know how long it will take but guesses it will take about two weeks round trip. I told him that for $100 I need a warrenty and he said it would be warrentied against defects in the workmanship, but that they can't be held liable for the performance of the screen. In other words, if I drop it next week, it's another $100.

 

I'm going to try calling them a second time and speaking with management. Yes, $100 is less then the price of a new GPS, but it's also awfully expensive to be paying yearly for repairs. I'm hell on equipment, and without a warrenty, it's not really worth my time. I expect the equipment to keep up with me, not to have to baby the thing.

Hmmm...So you're dissatisfied with Magellan because they won't guarantee that you won't fall down and break it again? That's like denting the fender in your car and complaining that the manufacturer won't fix it for free, and to make matters worse, they won't even guarantee that you won't dent it again after they fix it this time! The fact that your PDA survived intact simply means that it didn't get subjected to the same blow that your GPS did, nothing more. I agree with lee rimer; you don't need a warranty, you need an insurance policy.

[tiber]

Hmmm...So you're dissatisfied with Magellan because they won't guarantee that you won't fall down and break it again? That's like denting the fender in your car and complaining that the manufacturer won't fix it for free, and to make matters worse, they won't even guarantee that you won't dent it again after they fix it this time! The fact that your PDA survived intact simply means that it didn't get subjected to the same blow that your GPS did, nothing more. I agree with lee rimer; you don't need a warranty, you need an insurance policy.

Well, two things. In your specific example, it would be covered under bumper-to-bumper warrenty.

 

But there's also the concept of expected wear-and-tear. I should expect that a ruggedized product which is waterproof (well, sorta, their gasket design sucks) also has been tested to take reasonable impact. I expect it to be able to be dropped on a rock or pavement. Garmin and Lowrance certainly understand the concept of durability in a hostile environment.

[+Marcie/Eric]

I must agree with tiber, a GPS is expected to take abuse, just like any outdoor-oriented product. I surely hope my GPS wouldn't break while hiking out in the woods. Alot of good my PDA will do me then.

 

Screen breakage upon DIRECT SCREEN IMPACT, like a rock smashing into the LCD - I could see them not covering that. But screen breakage from, let's say, a back or side impact, I think should be covered at least once. And any other (non-LCD) electronic or structural failure from a standard impact on hard ground should be covered for the duration of the warrantee. And Magellan should spellcheck their outgoing mail.

 

-

BTW-You know how many times I dropped my old B/W Gameboy on the floor and ground? That thing never broke. About the same size screen, and that was 14 years ago.

Edited April 19, 2005 by Marcie/Eric

[4x4van]

Hmmm...So you're dissatisfied with Magellan because they won't guarantee that you won't fall down and break it again?   That's like denting the fender in your car and complaining that the manufacturer won't fix it for free, and to make matters worse, they won't even guarantee that you won't dent it again after they fix it this time!  The fact that your PDA survived intact simply means that it didn't get subjected to the same blow that your GPS did, nothing more.  I agree with lee rimer; you don't need a warranty, you need an insurance policy.

Well, two things. In your specific example, it would be covered under bumper-to-bumper warrenty.

 

But there's also the concept of expected wear-and-tear. I should expect that a ruggedized product which is waterproof (well, sorta, their gasket design sucks) also has been tested to take reasonable impact. I expect it to be able to be dropped on a rock or pavement. Garmin and Lowrance certainly understand the concept of durability in a hostile environment.

Wrong. No "bumper to bumper" new car warranty that I've ever heard of would ever cover dents caused by the driver running into something. That's called insurance.

 

As far as "expected wear and tear"...all I'm saying is that even well-designed outdoor equipment can never be indestructible. I've never been disappointed with the durability of my ST Pro, nor the GPS315 that I had prior to this unit. Both have seen much heavy use and abuse, and have held up very well. They have, in fact, been dropped a number of times directly onto rocks with no damage other than minor sctratches. There have been a number of posts on this board referring to units (both Magellan and Garmin) surviving major impacts, such as falling from the roof of a car onto pavement while moving at highway speeds, etc.

 

At the same time, I also realize that any one of those drops could have resulted in a broken screen if it had hit "just right" on the screen. I suspect that's what happened with your unit. No fault of Magellans, no fault of yours, just a "freak" unfortunate hit. I also would bet that any Garmin or Lowrance would suffer the exact same damage if it were dropped onto a rock and just happened to hit at exactly the right point/angle (yes I also own a Garmin, I have seen no difference in durability between the two brands). Finally, I have a hard time believing Garmin or Lowrance would replace/repair such a unit for free, either. So for you to badmouth Magellan for damage that you caused, and say that Garmin/Lowrance would take the blame, is not only unfair, but inaccurate, as well, IMO.

 

Just my $.02

Edited April 19, 2005 by 4x4van

[tiber]

Wrong.  No "bumper to bumper" new car warranty that I've ever heard of would ever cover dents caused by the driver running into something.  That's called insurance.

 

As far as "expected wear and tear"...all I'm saying is that even well-designed outdoor equipment can never be indestructible.  I've never been disappointed with the durability of my ST Pro, nor the GPS315 that I had prior to this unit.  Both have seen much heavy use and abuse, and have held up very well.  They have, in fact, been dropped a number of times directly onto rocks with no damage other than minor sctratches.  There have been a number of posts on this board referring to units (both Magellan and Garmin) surviving major impacts, such as falling from the roof of a car onto pavement while moving at highway speeds, etc.

 

At the same time, I also realize that any one of those drops could have resulted in a broken screen if it had hit "just right" on the screen.  I suspect that's what happened with your unit.  No fault of Magellans, no fault of yours, just a "freak" unfortunate hit.  I also would bet that any Garmin or Lowrance would suffer the exact same damage if it were dropped onto a rock and just happened to hit at exactly the right point/angle (yes I also own a Garmin, I have seen no difference in durability between the two brands).  Finally, I have a hard time believing Garmin or Lowrance would replace/repair such a unit for free, either.  So for you to badmouth Magellan for damage that you caused, and say that Garmin/Lowrance would take the blame, is not only unfair, but inaccurate, as well, IMO.

 

Just my $.02

Alright, I'm not going to argue the bumper-to-bumper point. The analogy I'm trying to use, which seems completely lost on you, is that the GPS unit is generally not listed as a consumable item. Batteries, for example, are consumable. If I go offroading in my Subaru WRX, and it spins a wheel hub, I expect some type of warrenty on a new wheel hub. They will not fill the tank. Similarly, if I go offroading with my GPS and a nonconsumable item breaks, I expect them to repair it. The warrenty is what I feel is unreasonable. If I get the item (wheel hub, etc) repaired, I expect them to at least give me a three month warrenty. That is the (belabored) point of that post. As someone who races and has family in the SCCA, I'm pretty familiar with the return policy and expected durability of parts. I just did a strut-tower assy in my MR2 and the parts I purchased are warrentied for one year. They don't even care that I'm not a professional mechanic. If I bend the tie rod or control arm, I just send them the twisted wreckage and I get a new one.

 

Search the forums for the amount of broken Magellan units at the moment and the runaround people are getting. Now do the same for the Garmin. You cannot honestly expect me to believe I'm getting the same deal the Garmin people are.

Edited April 19, 2005 by tiber

[+user13371]

... you cannot honestly expect me to believe I'm getting the same deal the Garmin people are. ...

I believe you are getting EXACTLY the same treatment as if you fell and broke the screen on a Garmin GPS. Or a Palm handheld. Or your computer laptop. No manufacturer's warranty of any consumer grade electronics covers accidental screen breakage. At least none that I know of - and if you or anyone else wants to correct me on this, please provide a link to the actual warranties.

 

Do yourself a favor and buy your next GPS from a big reseller with a local store near you (Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, etc.), and buy one of their "product protection plans" - but make sure first that it covers accidental screen breakage. It costs extra but might give the kind of coverage you seem to want.

 

If you have a major "gold" or "platinum" credit card, you might also want to see if they offer any kind of buyer protection plans.

[+JohnnyVegas]

Search the forums for the amount of broken Magellan units at the moment and the runaround people are getting. Now do the same for the Garmin. You cannot honestly expect me to believe I'm getting the same deal the Garmin people are.

 

Having been a buyer for a Garmin, Magellan and Lowarance GPS dealer and after selling GPS products for over ten years and dealing with repair service from Garmin, Magellan and Lowarance I can tell you that you would have been treated the same way by all three of them, try reading the warranty information that came with your GPS.

You dropped it, you broke it, so why should the GPS manufacture have to pay for your mistreatment of the GPS. If anyone is being unreasonable it is you. As far as your Bumper to bumper idea of a car warranty, go to any car dealer and ask them if they will cover a car if you run into something and damage it.

[4x4van]

Alright, I'm not going to argue the bumper-to-bumper point.  The analogy I'm trying to use, which seems completely lost on you, is that the GPS unit is generally not listed as a consumable item.  Batteries, for example, are consumable.  If I go offroading in my Subaru WRX, and it spins a wheel hub, I expect some type of warrenty on a new wheel hub.  They will not fill the tank.  Similarly, if I go offroading with my GPS and a nonconsumable item breaks, I expect them to repair it.  The warrenty is what I feel is unreasonable.  If I get the item (wheel hub, etc) repaired, I expect them to at least give me a three month warrenty.  That is the (belabored) point of that post.  As someone who races and has family in the SCCA, I'm pretty familiar with the return policy and expected durability of parts.  I just did a strut-tower assy in my MR2 and the parts I purchased are warrentied for one year.  They don't even care that I'm not a professional mechanic.  If I bend the tie rod or control arm, I just send them the twisted wreckage and I get a new one.

 

Search the forums for the amount of broken Magellan units at the moment and the runaround people are getting.  Now do the same for the Garmin.  You cannot honestly expect me to believe I'm getting the same deal the Garmin people are.

Your analogy is not lost on me at all, I simply believe that it is wrong. A bumper on a car is not a "consumable" item, either, but if I rear end someone on the freeway, the car manufacturer certainly isn't going to replace that bumper. In the example of a spun wheel hub on your Subaru, I agree, it could be covered under warranty. If, however, you are in an accident and damage that same hub, the warranty won't cover that, nor should it. By your line of reasoning, if you buy a new car and then wrap it around a tree 2 weeks later, the manufacturer should replace that car for free .

 

If that tie rod or control arm on your MR2 bends through no fault of yours, then it should be covered under warranty. If, on the other hand, you smack the track wall/freeway barrier at 60mph and bend that tie rod or control arm, should the manufacturer replace it for you? No, and I have a hard time believing they will(unless you lie to them and say you were just driving down the street and it failed . ) The parts are warrantied against failure under normal use, not abuse (and I'm sure that sending them the "twisted wreckage" would constitute "abuse".)I suggest that you actually read the fine print of the warranty supplied on those MR2 parts you refer to.

 

No manufacturer can make an indestructible product. No matter how durable/tough, someone can and will abuse it and break it. If you believe that a manufacturer should replace a damaged (not defective; there's a difference) product regardless of the cause of that damage, then I feel sorry for any company that sells you something, and if Parts suppliers are replacing parts that you damage in a crash, I have to believe that you are lying to them about the cause of that damage or you have a special deal/relationship/sponsorship worked out with them.

 

Again, my point is that your GPS unfortunately hit just right for the damage to occur. It happens, and to hold the manufacturer responsible for that is ridiculous. The same damage would have occurred to any other brand in the exact same circumstances; Magellan, Garmin, Lowrance, your PDA, cell phone, wrist watch, etc. And none of the manufacturers would replace the unit for free. Nor could they possibly guarentee that you won't damage it again! Finally, I'm sure that Magellan's repaired screen would carry some sort of warranty, but again, that warranty would not cover damage, only defects.

Edited April 20, 2005 by 4x4van

[tiber]

If you believe that a manufacturer should replace a damaged (not defective; there's a difference) product regardless of the cause of that damage, then I feel sorry for any company that sells you something, and if Parts suppliers are replacing parts that you damage in a crash, I have to believe that you are lying to them about the cause of that damage or you have a special deal/relationship/sponsorship worked out with them.

 

Alright. Now you're accusing me of lying which is completely unreasonable....

 

As it stands, and in an effort to make this into a constructive thread instead of a pissing contest over who's opinion is correct without representation from magellan, I called them and I spoke with a manager. It took some effort to get a manager to call me back but persistance has paid off.

 

I was told that my antenna was also damaged but they were still going to charge me the $96 (understandable, the screen was shoved upwards). Normally an antenna and screen would be $130 to $150 (the price of an entire unit god forbid it gets hit by a truck), but I was originally quoted $96 and they were willing to honor that. The manager today also told me that the unit will have an unconditional 90 day warrenty, but he also assured me that if I had any failures in six months, there were "pretty good" about replacing the damage for free. They're basically refurbishing the entire unit, including the nasty scratch the rubberization had on the side. The manager was polite and articulate and even went so far as to ask me if I was OK while telling the story.

 

So, I suppose the lesson learned here is that Magellan support can be spotty, but they weren't the jerks that their initial representation made them out to be.

[4x4van]

Sorry, not trying to call you a liar. However, I stand by the statement that you quoted me in that if you return a car part that is damaged in a crash, the warranty will not cover that part unless you convince them it wasn't damaged in a crash (a lie), or you have some special deal/relationship worked out with them.

 

In the end, after badmouthing Magellan, they gave you a fair deal. While they didn't cover the damage caused by abuse (which I wouldn't expect them to), they did fix it for a reasonable price, including other more extensive damage (antenna, rubberization, etc) at no additional cost, and will warranty the repairs for a reasonable amount of time (which I figured they would) against failures.

 

However, I also stand by my opinion that a freak hit that breaks the screen isn't a "failure" of the product, and that a company shouldn't be expected to cover that kind of damage. If they do cover it out of the goodness of their heart, great, but there's a difference between "defective" and "damaged", just as there is a difference between "warranty" and "insurance".

 

Glad you're getting your unit back, and I'll keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't take another "hit" like that again.

[tiber]

Alright, thanks man. I agree it's a pretty fair deal given the circumstances.

 

Hopefully out of all this anyone else who has a dead magellan will either be offered the same thing or follow suit and manage to land the same deal.

[4x4van]

Yup, most companies really do care about customer service, and both Magellan and Garmin have really good reputations for it. In fact, in many cases, Magellan usually throws in a few extras, like 12vdc cords or car mounts, when they return a repaired unit. So you might even come out better than you think.

 

I've found that while you may occasionally have to press the issue, treating CS reps with respect will usually go along way towards a positive outcome. As they say, you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar.