Garmin
reviews and complaints

I had been a loyal Best Buy customer for years until recently. The reason I liked shopping there is because they have a huge selection of products, the store always seems to be clean, the sales associates are knowledgable of the products and they are also very nice. With that being said let me explain why I won't shopping there anymore. In January of this year (2011), I purchased a very nice Garmin GPS unit. The cashier offered the normal array of additional service warranties at the counter and fortunately for me I went ahead and got the one year plan. I used the the GPS unit for a week around town so that I could get a feel for it before the big trip I had planned. The Garmin GPS was working great. It was easier to use than my old one, had a bigger screen and more options. I was all set. Eight days after purchasing the GPS unit I went on a 1200 mile trip. I was 3 hours into the trip and my GPS went out on me as I was driving. I was able to stop at a Best Buy store that was nearby and exchange the unit. Sounds good so far doesn't it? Well, remember that one year service plan that I purchased for around $70? It is only good for one time if you exchange the product. The sales associate told me that 3-4 units are returned each month that just quit working on the owners. I hadn't damaged my GPS unit it was just a weak or defective unit that I was unlucky enough to have purchased. So I ended up having to by another 1 year service plan with the new unit they exchanged for me. Basically I paid an extra $70 for a defective product. Best Buy won't stand behind their product for even one week.
I also purchased a Toshiba laptop computer from Best Buy earlier this year. I am not computer savvy so I normally buy a middle of line laptop every two or three years when my old one breaks. This past week I turned my computer on to read my email and do some browsing a message pops up saying the my virus protection had expired and that I had all kinds of viruses on it. The next message popped up trying to sell me Window's Defender virus protection or something like that. My computer never gave me a warning that the virus protection was set to expire soon or that one or more viruses or worms had infected my computer. It just all hapened at once. I decided to disconnect my computer from the internet and take it to the Geek Squad the next day during lunch. I got to the store the next day with my computer in tow. I had to wait for a few minutes as one of the computer technicians finished up with another computer but it didn't take too long. I got up to the counter and a young man named Curtis helped my out. I described what happened to Curtis as he patiently listened occasionaly asking questions for clairification. It took about 15 minutes but finally Curtis had a good understanding of what was wrong with my computer and I understood what the Geek Squad could do to fix it. Curtis was able to deduce that my computer indeed had a virus and that it would cost $200 to remove it. Now that $200 is actually a service plan that allows me to bring in up to 3 different computers over the course of a year for various services. I couldn't just pay them to remove the virus. I would have just restored my computer to an earlier date and saved myself the money and 10 day wait period but i hadn't backed up my computer and I desparetly didn't want to lose the data that I had on it. I should have backed up my computer on a more regular basis to keep me from being in that situation from the start. Now I back my computer on a regular basis. So I leave Best Buy and my computer with Curtis after having paid $200 to remove a virus and thereby saving my data (Itunes movies, 2010 taxes, pictures). After a week had gone by a recieve a call from one of the Geek Squad associates saying that they need me to come to the store and sign a form stating that it is okay for them to either back up my computer or restore it to its default state. Now I had just paid $200 seven day earlier for them to remove the virus and save my data. The Geek Squad associate on the phone told me that they could not remove the virus so that they would have to restore the computer to its default setting. He went on to explain that if I wanted to save my data that they could back it up for me for around $80. He quoted me that price because I told him that I had new movies on it that I had not backed up yet. Can you imagine paying Best Buy $80 dollars to back up $30 or $40 worth of movies. I already own an external drive and I know how to back up my data. So I ask the guy about the $200 I paid to remove the virus and save my data. He is probably an honest person who was just following company policy so he didn't really have an answer for me. Curtis, the Geek Squad associate who took possession of my computer when I dropped it off, had told me that the $200 would cover the cost of removing the virus. I didn't want a service plan and I wouldn't have paid for it. Computer don't last for more than a couple of years or they become outdated so I know that it won't be more than two or three years before I get a new one anyways. $200 is about 1/4 - 1/3 of the amount I will pay for a computer in two or three years. So now I find myself in the position of having just wasted $200 and still having a virus on my computer. All they did for me was restore my computer back to its default status which I know how to do and install a better virus protection program on it for me. I got ripped. I don't think Curtis lied to me I think he just kind of assumed that the other technicians would be able to remove it or he just wanted to make a $200 sale. Either way he did a poor job. If he wasn't absolutely sure about being able to remove the virus ethically speaking he should not have pitched ther service plan. When I pick up my computer I will be speaking to the manager. He or she doesn't know it yet but they are about to have a bad day.
In summation, I hope that anyone who plans on shopping at Best Buy reads this complaint before hand so they can make a more informed choice. Yes, Best Buy has a huge selection and fairly decent prices. However, the nickel and dime you to death on service plans. They will not stand behind the products they sell if the item(s) breaks. The sales associates are very friendly and knowledgable but at the end of the day they still have to enforce the company's return policies. So even if the lovely young woman is smiling at you while she explains that your week old GPS unit or laptop computer can't be exchanged since you did not purchase the additional $80 warranty you will still be out of luck. No matter how nice they are it will not make you feel any better when you have shelled out a couple of extra hundred dollars to have your new computer fixed. By the way, I am not so well off that I had an extra $300. Believe me, the money that I used to have my computer fixed will leave me short in another area. I would really like to throw out some obvious accusations here but since I have no solid evidence I am going to bite my tongue for now and just send out a friendly warning to my fellow consumers. Good luck everyone and please pass on information like this so we can keep the big businesses honest.

I have a Nuvi 200W which is being recalled. After one month of exchanging emails with Garmin customer service, I can conclude that nothing works. The quotes below are extracted from Garmin emails.

1. Quote "Your confirmation number is [protected]. Garmin will replace your battery free of charge. Someone within Garmin will contact you within 1-2 business days." Unquote.

No one has contacted me, I had to contact Garmin instead.

2. Quote "You should have been emailed a shipping label, for you to contact UPS on [protected] and arrange a collection. please make sure your shipping label is attached to your packaged device." Unquote.

No shipping label ever sent.

3. Quote "This shipping label can take 48hours to arrive. This should now be with you." Unquote.

No shipping label arrive even after 480 hours.

4. Quote "Please can you contact your local Garmin dealer in order to have the unit exchanged." Unquote.

Local Garmin dealer refuse to exchange the unit due to unavailability.

5. Quote "We are unable to collect units from Qatar we can carry out the recall for you however you need to be responsible for the inbound postage however, this unit for health and safety reasons cannot be shipped via air freight.

If you would like to return this to Garmin please return the unit to:" Unquote

What a statement! Do you know if their is any postal service that can send the unit by land or sea? If Garmin can not ship the unit via air freight, and I do like to return the unit to Garmin, do Garmin expect me to drive or board an ocean going vessel to get to the UK for returning their faulty product?

In conclusion, what a great product and service.

Purchased/downloaded for $49.95 the GPS maps for Mexico. Spent a week driving in the state of Oaxaca -- the GPS directions were close (but not entirely) useless. Do not waste your money. In fact, on the way to the airport the directions were taking us to some place 20 miles from the actual airport. When we were close enough to see the places it kept insisting that we were 20 miles from the airport and we should "make a U-turn). I called Garmin but they had absolutely NO INTEREST in listening or refunding my money

I was on Wavee Auction for the first time and won a Garmin GPS. I paid the start up amount as well as the amount I had to pay for the item that I auctioned for and have still to receive it or the courtesy of a reply email.

We bought a card at Best buy Laval Quebec Canada.
We did not scratch the Garmin CODE in the back of the card. So we returned it in it's original state.
Within the 30 days return max date, we took the card back as it wasn't required any longer.
But the store refuse to take it back mentioning that they had registered the card...
Even Bestbuy Canada said that it is let at the store discretion to accept it or not...
Bestbuy Canada said that they have no reasons to not take it back...
But the store refused anyways...

Tried getting my Nuvi 670 repaired by garmin only to find they no longer offer service my model of GPS. Found a place called SHARCNET-USA who was very helpful and they repaired my unit and had it back to me in less than a week. They emailed me when they received my GPS and when it was about to ship back. They provided me with a full repair report along shipping tracking information. I was very pleased with their service.

I had a new lobster boat built and took delivery of the vessel in December 2009. The Garmin system has not functioned correctly since day one. The boat builder and Garmin have been to my boat on several occasions but have failed to fix the problems. They have now fitted a larger autopilot pump but have connected it to the original hydraulic pipes. These have a working pressure of 625 psi and the new pump has a working pressure of 900 psi. Yes your thoughts are correct it blew the pipe out of the pump while I was at sea. You can view the problems on youtube by searching for cheetah catamaran. Or you can use the link below. I strongly advise everyone not to buy the Garmin Marine Autopilot.

I had a new lobster boat built and took delivery of the vessel in December 2009. The Garmin system has not functioned correctly since day one. The boat builder and Garmin have been to my boat on several occasions but have failed to fix the problems. They have now fitted a larger autopilot pump but have connected it to the original hydraulic pipes. These have a working pressure of 625 psi and the new pump has a working pressure of 900 psi. Yes your thoughts are correct it blew the pipe out of the pump while I was at sea. You can view the problems on youtube by searching for cheetah catamaran. Or you can use the link below. I strongly advise everyone not to buy the Garmin Marine Autopilot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQJgf2wkE9s

Purchased 2 new Garmin GPS units, and when I went to get the one time map updates I was told it would cost almost as much as I paid for the GPS to get updated maps.

I had previously owned another Garmin and I had 1 year for the free upgrade.

Now Garmin says you have to get the free update within the first 60 days of purchase or it will cost you almost as much as GPS cost.

NO WHERE on the Garmin Box or in the included paper work do they tell you to get your free upgrade within 60 days of purchase. You find that out ONLY when you go to download free update.

I submitted complaint to Garmin and I basically got a smart [censored] answer from some rude idiot. After complaining to second person he asked me to fax in receipt (which I did) and he NEVER Responded, so I resent note asking why no reposnse - 4 days later I got short curt answer saying it was my responsibility to get free upgrade in 60 days and there were no options open - other than BUY UPDATE!

I have always recommended Garmin but trust me when I say this NEVER AGAIN!

Tom Tom has cheaper prices with exact capabilities and FREE LIFE TIME MAP UPGRADES. Our daughter bought Tom Tom and she loves it and in fact YES they do have FREE LIFE TIME Upgrades!

GOOD BYE GARMIN - HELLO TOM TOM... I PLAN ON SPREADING THE WORD EVERY WHERE POSSIBLE TO NEVER BUY A GARMIN, HELP PASS THE WORD AROUND!

I purchased a Garmin Zumo 550 in May 2007. I only use it for a month each summer for motorcycle touring. This means I have used it for months. On my last trip one rubber soft touch control button fell off. Without it the unit cant be used. The button is a 10 cent item. Garmins only repair option is a $180.00 exchange unit. No parts are available, and they wont simply replace the button. I spent $850.00 on this unit, and treat it very well, its in mint condition. I feel strongly that I should not incurr this type of expense on a unit which has very little use. I have asked garmin to reconsider there policy but they wont budge. I do not recommend Garmin products soley due to there limited repair policy

I bought a Garmin global positioning system (GPS) that didn't work properly. I was referred to a web site that supposedly had a team of experts available to help in such cases. The deal was that I would describe the problem and the level that I was willing to pay when and if the problem was solved to my satisfaction. The levels were $18 and two more, something like $28 and $38. I indicated the $18 level and gave my charge card number. I was calling Friday, July 2, 2010. In short, the problem was NOT solved and the answers given were not even close. It so happened that my 30 year-old grandson was visiting and fixed the GPS. I find that my charge card has been charged $18 and I want a refund.

Garmin CityXplorer maps for Europe are horribly inaccurate when they work at all, and Garmin does not stand behind them at all. This is a SCAM! I bought maps for five cities (total $60) for my 3-week trip in June-July 2010. Started in Brussels, which I know well (I lived there for 14 years); I thought this would be a good chance to learn the CityXplorer "pedestrian mode" system and check out the accuracy. The Brussels directions were a complete joke--for example, telling me to walk 5+ miles to catch a bus when I was less than 300 yards from a stop for the same bus that I rode 3 times a week for years. Worse than useless! Next I tried Luxembourg; the CityXplorer map does not work in pedestrian mode at all, it is just a copy of the street driving map (useless, but at least it didn't pretend to give directions). Next Paris--AWFUL, INACCURATE walking and Public Transport directions for part of day1, getting us totally lost, compounded by a battery life of less than 1 hour despite a full charge (Nuvi 1370). Day 2 in Paris: twenty minutes in, I enjoyed a freeze-up and complete failure of the Nuvi 1370 unit (which, when I returned from the trip, I discovered was happening for the majority of units). So, I never had the chance to test Madrid and London; I can only suspect that they are as completely useless as the maps for Brussels, Luxembourg, and Paris. Finally, after I returned from the trip I immediately contacted customer service and explained the various problems with the maps and the Nuvi (still within 30 days of purchase). They told me that they would not issue a refund. SAVE YOUR MONEY--buy paper maps, try dead reckoning, or flip a coin at every intersection--anything but Garmin.

Bought a Garmin Nuvi 765T in Feb 2010 Its June 2010, and unit will not acquire satellite. Emailed Garmin as they recommended (for faster service) - been a week no response. I am on hold now 34 minutes & counting. I would not recommend a Garmin product to anybody.

My gps kept having 'pop-up messages' telling me that my maps were outdated and that I should go online and update them in my StreetPilot c330. I finally gave in and purchased the upgrade for the newer maps. But, when I did, it erased all of the canals in my city. I live in Cape Coral Florida, and this city happens to be the city with the most canals/waterways in the world! There are over 400 miles of canals here and you have to see them to know where you are in the city.

After complaining and several correspondences to the company, they reluctantly refunded the $119.00 to my credit card, but refused to do anything about my ruined gps unit. They said the roads are on there and some of the older units like mine won't show the water overlays with the upgraded maps.

I told them I wanted the old map back and they said they didn't have that software any longer and wouldn't do anything about it. When I kept insisting that you need to see where the waterways are in this city and that even the Caloosahatchee River, which is over a mile wide, is missing from the maps, they said it was just too bad.

Bottom line is that when I upgraded, because they have a pop-up program that brow beats you to upgrade, and it rendered my unit unusable for this area. They screwed me and won't do anything to make it right.

I purchased a download to update my Garmin Street Pilot on Thursday evening for a trip to Nashville early Friday morning. I was up most of the night trying to get it to work. In not only failed, it fried my Street Pilot. I arrived in Nashville without a hitch but on Saturday and Sunday, I was trapped by floodwaters with no idea on where to go. My best friend and I nearly died. I wrote and called Garmin to complain, but their customer service is non-existent. You have to wait an hour every time you call and they simply say "oh well, these things happen". They send follow up emails to see if your issue was addressed. I replied with all the details and they simply ignore your response. They only take calls during M-F 8-5 and they must have only two CSRs working at any one time. Their online support is a complete waste of time. I spent $70 and ended up losing all GPS function all together. Do not buy anything from this company. I nearly drowned as a result of my last purchase from them.

For the second time in 5 months our Garmin nuvi 770 has blown fuses in our 1999 Toyota Camry. I have had three conversations with Garmin technical support, Garmin claims that our unit is the only one they have heard about that is doing that. At $80 a pop to replace the fuses, we are no longer using the Garmin.

My daughter purchased a Garmin (GPS System) from them and the screen was cracked. She did not use it for about 2 weeks which is when she noticed it. She also had paid for an extended warrenty for it. They told her they could not change it or repair it because it had to have been dropped. And her warrenty did not cover misuse. All they would do was refund her the prorated amount of the warrenty. This is not the first time We have had a problem with them but they never have to worry about anyone in my family buying anything else from them ever.

Before you buy anything from pricebreak.com learn from my mistake and first read their return policy for defective products: you may be astounded to learn that they will charge you a very steep “return fee” plus you pay all shipping costs... For returning a defective product!

Even thought the product was defective out of the box and returned to pricebreak immediately, pricebreak.com demands I pay them $54.59 as a “return fee” for sending back a defective $309 garmin gps device I bought off their website. Worse than that: it has been almost 2 ½ months since I returned the product and I still have received no refund at all, just a lot of stalling tactics and chicanery.

Here are the facts:

I placed order pkb6333005e on dec. 9, 2009 for a garmin nuvi 885t gps. The total cost (Incl. Tax and shipping) was $309.99. I paid by visa check card.

The product arrived dec. 18th, a friday.

Busy, I waited to open the package until the evening of monday, dec. 21st within 60 minutes the screen had frozen several times requiring the unit to be turned off and then turned back on to resume operation. The garmin also shut itself off without warning, requiring a manual re-start to continue.in short: it didn’t work.

Now the chronology of events to date:

12-21-09:
A) I opened the package, charged the unit and tested it, finding it to be defective.
B) I called pricebreak.com customer service that evening (Dec. 21st) and was instructed to send the garmin back by ups with the return merchandise authorization number I was given by customer service (The rma number turns out to simply be the order number with rma added to the front of the order number).

12-22-09:
I sent the unit back to pricebreak.com the next day as instructed, at my cost (Approx $10.00)

01-10-10:
I emailed pricebreak.com asking about my refund, but got no response.

02-06-10:
I again emailed pricebreak.com, demanding a response and promising to start filing complaints if I did not hear from them.

02-07-10:
I received an email that appeared to be a refund receipt for the garmin unit. The refund notice contained a line item charge made against the total for $54.50 in “return fees”. It is in fact an invoice they seem to expect me to pay, apparently before they “refund” my original payment..

02-10-10:
A) I emailed pricebreak.com and notified them that I was unwilling to accept a $54.50 chargeback in addition to my out-of-pocket shipping costs in order to return a defective product within 2 business days of receiving it.

B) “arthur gwynne” of pricebreak.com responded to my email with one of his own back to me email stating that pricebreak.com has a policy of charging some 20% of product cost in “return fees” for returning a defective product as noted in faq section of their website.

C) I responded to mr. Gwynne by email stating that was not acceptable and demanded a full refund.

3-1-10:
As of today, pricebreak.com has not refunded any of my money. They seem intent on stealing all $309.99.

I bought a Garmin a couple of years ago and today tried to update my maps. The Garmin is unrecognized by two different computers using two different cords. Customer service acknowledges this problem happens and told me I woul have to pay $85 dollars to have the unit refurbished and sent back to me with a 3 month guarantee. They told me this would include the same map that originally came with the unit. This means to get my GPS in good working condition I have to pay $160-210 (depending on whether I want the single map update $69 or lifetime updates $119). I may as well buy a brand new GPS. I would recommend researching other brands to see if they offer better warranties/customer service. Garmin has left me feeling very dissapointed. I'm going to buy a new GPS and Garmin will be my last choice.