Don't buy GARMIN....until you read this...

[tommcgee]

Living in yesterday with technology just doesn't compute.

 

[pglaves]

Living in yesterday with technology just doesn't compute.

That depends on what you want. I just - within the week - bought another Nuvi 265 on ebay for $27. A decent set of features, detailed maps of Canada, U.S., Mexico, etc. If a subdivision went in within the past 2 years it won't show it. The last time that might have bothered me was over 10 years ago. I don't need or want tunes, bluetooth, radio, etc. Just a decent GPS. I run the Nuvi 265 as a second unit with a Streetpilot III - also an "obsolete" unit with no tunes, bluetooth, wifi, Sirius, etc. Just a GPS. The best GPS I ever had was a 276c. I'd buy a 478 except I refuse to pay $700 or $800 (which is the going price) for a 10 year old unit even if it is best GPS Garmin ever built.

 

[pch123]

Issues above

Certainly doesn't put me off buying another Garmin. The offer they made is certainly a lot better than most consumer organisations. Update issues on old GPS is vey well documented. I can see some disappointment on the OP case but it wouldn't sour me. Try your mobile phone, Internet stero,automobile EPIRB etcetera, has been the same. Paul's needs for a base GPS can easily be still accommodated. Most people want all the latest bells and whistles.
Garmin makes great GPS consumer products and software.
Regards

 

[greenwald]

Certainly doesn't put me off buying another Garmin. The offer they made is certainly a lot better than most consumer organisations. Update issues on old GPS is vey well documented. I can see some disappointment on the OP case but it wouldn't sour me. Try your mobile phone, Internet stero,automobile EPIRB etcetera, has been the same. Paul's needs for a base GPS can easily be still accommodated. Most people want all the latest bells and whistles.
Garmin makes great GPS consumer products and software.
Regards

Agreed.

Have had experience with Tom-Tom's and Magellan's with rented bike excursions. GARMIN is still 'King of the Hill' in my opinion.

I run a Nuvi in my cages and a Zumo 650 on my bike. Excellent units. Most pilots I hang with also love GARMIN in their cockpits, where quality GPS can be "life and death."

These days, you can get GPS units with lifetime updates, instead of laying out big bucks for that feature every two years or so.

However you navigate your ride, ride safe and often!

 

[mikegalbicka]

lifetime updates

As has been discussed it is important to remember that lifetime in this case does not mean the owner's lifetime usually but rather the life cycle of the product which is determined by the manufacturer and can be much shorter than the former in most cases but still better than paying every few years.

 

[greenwald]

As has been discussed it is important to remember that lifetime in this case does not mean the owner's lifetime usually but rather the life cycle of the product which is determined by the manufacturer and can be much shorter than the former in most cases but still better than paying every few years.

Good point.

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Omega Man]

When a company or salesperson starts with the "lifetime garenn-T", I aways ask "yours, mine or the product"
OM

 

[WalterK75]

Life time guarantee is up to the point the unit fails. That's the life time. At least it seems so these days.

 

[vectorprime27]

Life time guarantee is up to the point the unit fails. That's the life time. At least it seems so these days.

And in Garmin's case, if it doesn't fail they will kill it!

 

[gfspencer]

IMHO Garmin made you a good offer. If you don't want what they offered buy a used Garmin StreetPilot 2820 on eBay for $150 and move on. Just don't try to update the maps.

 

[garthw]

Just purchased a Garmin unit for the car. Here is the disclaimer that was posted for its sale

1If you purchase a n?Maps Lifetime subscription (sold separately or bundled together with certain GPS models), you will receive up to 4 map data updates per year, when and as such updates are made available on Garmin?s website, for 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. A products useful life means the period during which the product (a) has sufficient memory capacity and other required technical capabilities to utilize current map data and (b) is capable of operating as intended without major repairs. A product will be deemed to be out of service and its useful life to be ended if no updates have been downloaded for such product for a period of 24 months or more. Unless otherwise stated, 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. In some instances, your Garmin product might not have sufficient memory remaining for you to load an update to the map data, in which case you will need to either (a) select reduced map data coverage for your updates, or (b) purchase separately a microSD/SD card (if and 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/SD card slot contained in your Garmin product. If neither of the measures in (a) or (b) can be used to address your product?s lack of sufficient remaining memory, then Garmin may conclude that the useful life of your product has expired. Garmin may terminate your nMaps Lifetime subscription at any time if you violate any of the terms of this agreement or your subscription. Your n?Maps Lifetime subscription may not be transferred to another Garmin product..

 

[pauleknight]

Yeah, I still have some Dell PowerEdge 2850's that I'm squeezing the life out of .

ha ha , i got an 8 y/o Poweredge 1800 that still lives on in my home server farm. I feel ya!

 

[pauleknight]

Not sure how many times I need to make these points, but I'll do it at least once more. Destroying a perfectly good device with no warnings is NOT ACCEPTABLE. Had I gotten ANY warnings (which apparently they now have) telling me the device might be damaged by an update, I'd have heeded it. I received no warnings, nor any choice about even doing the update, as it just ran off and trashed the GPS a soon as the program ran. Don't think that is unrealistic. As for the offers, I was given the choice of a completely useless replacement (it can be bought for about $59) or a whopping $70 credit toward the full purchase price of a new unit....neither of which is fair because a comparable unit costs far more than they were offering.

It has nothing to do with the years of service. If you took your bike in for an oil change and the mechanic destroyed the engine because he decided to adjust the idle (without asking you), would you find it acceptable if he said to you, "Jeezz...sorry man...but it was an old motorcycle and you probably got lots of years of service from it. They don't run forever! Guess you I need to sell you a new one now." You think you'd find that acceptable? I seriously doubt it.

Here is the bottom line. Had I been warned, I'd have the option of making a choice; buy a new one, or live with the old one with no updates. That isn't what happened. No choice, and basically a "your screwed, if you want one like you had, give us a bunch of money" from Garmin.

vectorprime27, I feel your pain. To have a device go bad when installing a map is certainly a bad thing....

I know this is an old thread but have you tried an older PC and just plugged it in to the USB and loading the device as view-able memory and deleting some of the files on the embedded memory?

Just a thought. I am sure that you can bring this back to life if you can get to the internal memory like the device is a memory stick.

As far as Garmin customer service I agree. I had to harangue the president of the company till they gave me a refund over the problems I had with the bluetooth on my 665. It took months but I was persistent and polite and eventually won out.

Your case is a little different in that your device is older and way past end of life.

Have you had any luck?

 

[petergsa]

gps

My gps is a tom tom I just purchased a standard automotive one and made up a bracket that holds it in place behind my wind screen on my 06 gsa, when I purchased this unit I also bought a three year warrantee, so if it dies who cares, this electronic junk in my observation is designed to self destruct anyways, so therefore even if it is still working after two years and eleven months after purchase it's going back. just playing their game and this way I can up grade, with a newer model and purchase the three year warrantee again.peter

 

[globalrider]

I am of the buy quality, buy once mentality not typical of our sad throw-away society. Why have it end up in a landfill.

My GARMIN 60 Cx is now going into its 10th year and still looks like the day I bought it. Its been on countless multi-week motorcycle tours, hikes and was even used in my car till I also bought a Nuvi 40 LM a couple of years ago.