Garmin repair service

I have a TomTom unit that went bad and I just found out that if it is
out of warranty it is a paperweight as far as TomTom is concerned.
That is there is no repair service available from TomTom.

Is Garmin any better? Can I get a broken unit fixed if it is out of
warranty? Of course I expect to pay for the service, if I can get it.

If Garmin doesn't repair their units, is there an OEM company that
does?

Thanks.

Shagnasty

On 30/03/2009 23:30, Shagnasty wrote:

In my experience Garmin's (UK) repair service is excellent.
I had a Geko that was about 3 years old or so when it stopped working. I
filled in the form on their website, then sent it back to them, they
replaced it free of charge.
I also had an eTrex which I broke the screen on. Returned it to Garmin,
and they repaired/replaced it for a flat fee.


--
Craig Wallace
http://craig.neogeo.org.uk
http://www.neogeo.org.uk

Shagnasty wrote:

I have heard others put down Garmin customer support but from my
personal experience Garmin customer support is second to none. I have
nothing but praise for them.

I have 3 Garmin units. GPS V, Quest, and QuestII. Soon after I got the
GPS V, the display went bad. Sent it to Garmin and it was returned (no
lost data), within a week.

Had some weird stuff going on with one of the mapping programs. Called
customer support and this girl was on the phone with me for at least an
hour and a half trying various fixes. She finally offered to send me a
brand new CD. After I hung up with her, I found the fix to the problem
and all was fine. Called Garmin back and I did not get to talk to the
same girl, but they had a record of my call with notes. I told them it
was not necessary for the new CD and thanked them for the extensive
amount of time she spent with me trying to solve the problem.

The times I have spoken with them, they have always been very helpful,
courteous and polite.

One final thing. My GPS V which is a LONG discontinued device developed
a problem picking up in WAAS mode. This was due to a change in
satellite data that was transmitted. Even though this GPS had been out
of production for at least 5 years (probably more), Garmin put a
software patch online (free to download). I ran the software fix and my
unit is working perfectly.

        The Garmin tech and customer service seem like a fine group of
professional. But the marketing and software developing are sux big time.

Shagnasty wrote:

I've always had good experiences with them. Can you get units "fixed"
after warranty? I'll give that a qualified "yes". Yes you can get the
unit replaced with a refurbished unit from Garmin. Your same unit? no.

A friend of mine had his 76CS go bad (I don't remember what) and they
replaced it for $75.

I recently had a battery contact break in my 76CSx which has been out of
warranty for about 6-8 months or so. I called 'em up and they wanted
$150 to replace the CSx. I said "for a thirty cent battery contact?!?
Thanks, but no thanks. I'll fix it myself" The guy then had a sudden
realization that it did sound pretty stupid and explained that the fee
was a "blanket" fee and covered everything, processor, display, etc..
but then said to send it back and they'd "fix" it at no charge, except
for me paying to ship it back of course.

--
Steve