by eamarquardt » Wed Mar 05, 2008 4:51 am
We (my two sons and I) bought Suzy (my significant other half) a Garmin GPS for Christmas. I did “due diligence” before the purchase but received bum scoop from Garmin and the unit we bought wouldn’t automatically take a bunch of waypoints (punched into a PC and downloaded into the GPS) and route you from one to the next to the next in the shortest manner (useful for garage saleing). So, I was willing to buy a new GPS attachment (I have a DeLorme now but the streets and lat/long don't match and it gets confused and a little lost in Simi Valley) for my laptop but there is a new one coming out in a couple of months (Garmin mobile PC for about $100) that is more cost effective (read cheaper) than the current model (GPS 18). In addition, I learned that the current model won’t do the point to point that I want for garage saleing. So I called to find out about the new version and after several wrong answers finally got a hold of a fellow who upon hearing my tale of woe offered to upgrade our 660 for a 760 that will do the point to point (a $100 value for free). I graciously accepted his offer, but I would have been happy to get a straight answer on the capabilities of the new “laptop” version. When the unit arrived, it didn’t have an owner’s manual because, they claim, it is soooooooo user friendly that one is not required. Yeah! Sure! Right! So I downloaded the manual from their website and buried in the fine print in the middle of the manual is this statement: “this unit incorporates a non-replaceable lithium ion battery”. I called to find out what that meant and learned that the battery has a long life (according to them) but only has a 1 year warranty. They say, of course, they will “treat you right” if you have a problem in the first three to five years (but being the skeptic that I am, I prefer to believe only what they put in print in the warranty). They then assured me that they could replace the battery for a “nominal” charge. The “nominal” charge I was quoted was $275. Being that I have problems with the concept of disposable flashlights, lighters, cameras and the like, a “disposable” $750 GPS unit was beyond my ability to cope with. I then started calling, expressing in no uncertain terms my outrage, that I was not angry (yet), but was certainly not happy. I then suggested that I could get angry if required. Given that I can’t return the unit to the store I bought it from (as it is not the model I purchased from them) and Garmin’s "oh well" attitude, I graciously offered up for their consideration that I would be willing to pay the price difference between the 760 I now have and the 850 (due out in a month or so) that has a user replaceable battery. During the first several calls to their tech support line (including the gentleman who upgraded me in the first place, and I told him it was a verrrry generous concession to my earlier issue of not getting the straight dope in the first place) I offered to pay the difference between the 760 I now have and the new 850. The first several times (phone calls to them) they were able to resist my generous offer. Suffice it to say, persistence pays off. They now have offered to upgrade me to the 880 which is the same as the 850 that I want (automatic routing and replaceable battery) except the 880 also has Bluetooth hands free telephone interface (for $200 additional it does the same thing as a $30 headset-not in my humble opinion (MHO) such a great, cost effective, deal). So, I don’t know if they just got confused, or are trying to make me spend $300 more versus the $100 I want. Rather than fight that battle now, I’ll wait till the new units come out then push the issue. Either way, I will end up with a GPS with the features I was told I'd get with the first one and one with a replaceable battery. If enough consumers pushed back on the manufactures on their impractical designs (as in MHO non replaceable batteries), maybe they'd clean up their acts. Was I unreasonable?
By the way, I prefer to be thought of as extremely cost effective, not pathetically cheap.
Cheers,
Gus
The opinions in this post are my own. My comments are directed to those that might like an alternative approach to those already espoused.There is the right way,the wrong way,the USMC way, your way, my way, and the highway.
"I'm impatient with stupidity. My people have learned to live without it." Klaatu-"The Day the Earth Stood Still"
"You can't handle the truth!"-Jack Nicholson "A Few Good Men"
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. The Marines don't have that problem"-Ronald Reagan