why why why (feature expectations)

Interesting comment, given my recent sale of a unit on eBay. I sold an ancient Garmin GPS II Plus to help offset the cost of my new nuvi 750 and Topo 2008 purchase. The Buyer wrote back with remorse after he got it because the GPS didn't show maps. Golly, GPS units can be bought new without mapping even today! At least he was good enough not to dock my eBay Feedback.

Only if people researched on what they are about to buy. 10 mins of research on the internet would solve half of these peoples problems.

It took me 2 months to decide on the nuvi 350. (didn't need widescreen or bluetooth)

Research is important to me when buying something like a GPSr. I like know to know what I’m getting myself into.

I do this all the time. Get something to start out with and then research and find that I want something else. However, it is almost always within 30 days so I just return what I had and get a new one.

I agree. I do my research first then I choose based on my budget.

Me to I research first. Most of the time it help to read the reviews of the product.

I bet it's probably because people are impatient and want to just go to the store and buy something and leave as quickly as possible, especially if it's cheap/on sale. Along with that is the spec sheets on items, where they don't want to waste the time asking anyone if this GPS has feature XYZ, or what feature XYZ really means. And I also think it's because they go in with the mentality that "Hey it's a GPS, it should do everything I'd expect from a GPS." Anyone who frequently buys technology should know how untrue that is, but some never get it. Almost every time I go to make a big purchase, I take a long time evaluating everything and make my wife roll her eyes sometimes. But she's yet to have a complaint about anything I've purchased

I find that it is pretty difficult to find a complete feature comparison list. I saw a fairly detailed one on consumer reports, but you have to pay for that. Is there a free one that details most makes and models that anyone knows of?

Sometimes you think you know what you want. Then after you get that item, such as a GPS, you discover new ways that you could use it that you had never considered before and then you start wishing you had one with more features.

"I do this all the time. Get something to start out with and then research and find that I want something else. However, it is almost always within 30 days so I just return what I had and get a new one."

...the kind of customer retailers hate. Every one of those units you return, they take a hit on. You are basically getting free rent while you try things out, then they end up with a used item that can't be resold as new. I only believe in returning something if it doesn't work right (or a gift that wasn't what I was looking for).

Personally I do the research first. That way I have a pretty good idea of what I want, and I'm rarely disappointed. I use info from friends and family, from retail stores, from internet sources... anyplace I can get it. I did that before I got my Nuvi 260, so I knew exactly what I was getting, and I've been completely satisfied with it.

I do alot of research before buying anything of much value. Drives my better half crazy. I took a year before I finally got my 660. My son bought his and told me about it so I downloaded the manual and read it first.

johnm405

If you're too quick to buy something without reserching it and then complain later...thats your fault. You should only blame yourself!

wow, that's a bit extreme by reading the User Manual first. I usually just do research to find features I want, narrow down to a few units. Then I just go to reviews sites (experts and users reviews) to get others' opinions on the features (how fast that features run "e.g. recalculate when I miss an exit" or how easily accessible is a feature "do I have to go through a lot of menu to reach it", etc).

Before I purchased the Nuvi 660 I downloaded the manual from Garmin and saw what the unit could do first, then I purchased the unit and already knew how to use it. I do this most of my electronics when the manual is available online for downloading.

http://www.gpsmagazine.com/buyers_guide.php

Actually that isn't true, they can get a RMA number and send it back to the manufacturer. They don't lose money. Besides, it is well within the right of the customer to do so as well as ethical in my opinion. I always think what I get is what I want and then I realize, Yeah, I would like that extra feature after all.

Unfortunately, the amount of information available pre-purchase has steadily declined. Downloadable user manuals, although often more thorough than the included printed manuals (if any), have still been dumbed down to basically quick start guides. Specifications are little more than a list of basic features. If you really want to know what a product can do, you have to find somebody else who bought it for the same use, has the same expectations and level of know-how as you for that use, and has written a thorough review that you can find and read. You also have to trust that the manufacturer hasn't changed the internal design for the given model (such as cost reduction or different suppliers) in a way that adversely affects your intended use.

With respect to GPS receivers, there are additional concerns. While you can preview the MapSource coverage online, you can't tell, before you visit the real location for the first time on vacation, whether the maps are off 3/4 mile and several degrees orientation (I'm not making this up -- this was with Hertz Neverlost). You can't tell whether MSN Direct provides the current prices for gas stations within 15 miles of you, or if it will always display prices that are 3-4 days old, until you try it. And funny enough, despite over a year of researching before I finally got one, I didn't run across somebody saying that the StreetPilot c5 series does not display coordinates until after I had one. Nonetheless, it works great as an in-car navigator, which is my primary use, so I'm keeping it.

Sometimes you just have to buy it and try it. Having a good return policy is the price some retailers choose to pay, knowing that happy customers do repeat business and recommend them to their friends.

I have come to the realization after all these years that within reason, "cheapin' out" results in a lack of satisfaction. I have purchased too many items and realized I wanted the better unit only to shortly buy the upgrade and sell the first one at a loss.

I do agree that research is essential, impulse purchases usually have less shine in the long run.

Why didn't I think of that when I was getting married? the wife could have returned the dress that she only wore once, or perhaps next time I go on vacation instead of renting a car just buy one and return it when vacation is over, after all Asianfire said it is ethical and within my rights to do so. hehehe

That only applies if it is defective. For those units that are returned just because we have decided we would like something else better, the retailer owns it. They have to try and resell it as an open box item at a discount.

Sounds like similar situation for me...but I decided to keep the Garmin nuvi 350. It does the job.

thats not the case at some auto parts stores ,yeah the well known ones...you return an item that was ordered if it doesnt work ...it goes right back on the behind the counter shelf ,until someone else orders it ,it is bought and returned 3 times before it is sent back ,,the store hopes that one buyer will not return it ,therfore they have made money on something that doesnt even work

I did the same thing when I got my 680. I not only downloaded the 680 manual, but others as well. I then created an excel spreadsheet with everything each one had on them, how valuable that feature was, etc. etc. It drives my wife crazy but I try to narrow any purchase down to getting the best for what I intend to use it for. I do the same for other major items like TV's, sterio, cars, etc.

I din't think I went to a extreme I already had a Magellan Colot and it was top of the line when I bout it but got it home and it was not userfriendly. Even had the 150.oo Software to go with it. My son had the 660 and was telling me all he cna do that I couldn't do with mine. I even conpared it wot tom tom and some other high end gps. I think it woked great for me. doesn't mean eveyone needs or should do the same. I even compared it to my laptop MS Streets & Trips. Now use both

...$26.00 in subscribing to "Consumer Reports" to see the GPS they had tested and recommended. At the time, the Garmin Nuvi 360 was the one, so that is the one I bought and dearly love. It's compact, no larger than a pack of smokes, AND it WORKS!!! Well!!

Flaco,
A better question might be, "why are the GPS companies introducing new models two to three times a year?"

There are many features that can be introduced with new software, not hardware.

I would enjoy an opportunity to get the new features at a price.

Jen

And there are many features that can't be introduced without new hardware, some that may be transparent to you, others not.

For example:

Moving from full size to micro-SD card slots

More powerful and faster processors that allow better and faster routing where those same algorithms might be just too painfully slow on current hardware or have to be dumbed down to work on older hardware.

Better antenna and receiver designs to pick up sats faster and hold them in trouble areas (downtowns with lots of tall buildings).

Brighter LCD screens that allow you to have the same brightness levels you have now but at much lower battery consumption.

etc. etc. etc.

PT

I work for a very large retailer and am resposible for the area that handles customer returns for all of the stores. By example, there is a very well known electonics vendor that allows us to return 1% of our purchase dollars from them for defective items. Last quarter, we were allowed to return a fraction of the nearly half million dollars of product that has been returned to stores. The balance is sold as salvage for a fraction of it's cost.

Many of the returns are the result of returning to upgrade size or features, buyers remorse, damage due to abuse, and other issues that are not valid reasons for return to the vendors. Vendors know what their failure rates are and make agreements for return according to that data. About 75% of the units returned to our stores have no defect.

The loss to the company is reflected in the increased cost of goods for other products sold. That cost is shared by every consumer, including those who return rather than research. There is no free lunch. The other options for retailers is to stop carrying those products or go out of business.

By example, we have had video cameras returned the week after a wedding and are overflowing with TVs after super bowl. Retailers go to a lot of effort to make customers happy and keep them coming back. There is a limit and cost to trying to make everyone happy.

I do a lot of research before buying anything, largely because I don't enjoy the shopping experience you find in most retail stores. When I make a purchase, I know what I am going in the store to buy and am only looking for the best price. I have no intention to return the product unless it has an initial failure. For ongoing support, buying a product from a reliable vendor with excellent product support is very important.

I tend to like feature rich electronics and cars, my two habits. My wife once complained because I was looking at a car for her that she thought was too expensive. I gave up and took her to the car lot to pick out her own car and features. I remained silent as she told the salesman that she wanted the cheapest ____ that they had. The salesman quickly took her to a whole row of the model that she described. When she sat in the car, she asked where the heated seats and power windows were. It wasn't until then that she began to appreciate the dollar/feature relationship that existed in the cars that she had grown accustom to enjoy. So far there is only one manufacturer that I know of that allows you to return a car that you bought and didn't like within a short period of time and miles. She still thinks I buy too many gadgets, but does appreciate that I don't smoke, drink or gamble to excess or spend money on wild women; except for her, of course.

Sorry for the rant, but we are all paying for the cost of return of product that is not defective. Maybe that's why Garmin stopped providing the case and chargers out of the most recent models. Perhaps it was us and not them that caused the change.

Bill

Thanks for that enlightening explanation. I've never thought that returning something just because you changed your mind was fair. In fact, I would find it embarrassing, which is why I make no impulse purchases. It is not only the retailer that often suffers, but anything returned to the manufacturers increases their costs as well. We all pay for the people who don't stick with their decisions.

Could you tell me where you find wild women that don't require you to spend money on them? That's a POI I'd put in my favorites for sure!

Possibly some non-techies like me are afraid of the new tecnology. I bought the low priced model to stay away from all the bells and whistles. After I found out how simple and useful the gps was and that I actually had a real use for it, I did the research and bought a model that had the features I liked.

gusb

I think if I have the hardware to support it, I should be able to get the most out of my gps/hardware than having the software limit me. The hardware should be the limitation and not the software. Additionally, I should be able to modify/use/program my own controls if my GPS lacks them or use someone else's program for my GPS unit to get additional, non-hardware limited features. I hate all this proprietary crap

OK so you have intimate knowledge of the hardware and software design of your unit and know for a fact that the limitations are purely some sort of arbitrary crippling done by the GPS manufacturer?

Feel free. Reverse engineer the unit and let us know how it all goes.

Ya, damn companies designing products to make money and not giving you all the design details for free. Good thing that sort of thing doesn't happen in China, eh?

PT

Yeah, you'd think people would look into researching a 300+ dollar purchase but...

Alas, sometimes the world just doesn't work the way YOU think it should !!!

Go here:
http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=77
Hack away. Have fun. Hope your unit still works afterwards.

GPS manufacturers do market research to determine what is best for their bottom line and financial future. Sometimes they may be wrong. Was Apple wrong in 1977 to have closed code so that only its software could be used? Or was IBM wrong in 1981 to open the code and architecture on its PC so that anyone could clone it and write software for it?

On the GPS, the design will probably evolve to the point where they all are physically alike. The physical package is probably cheap to produce. The main differences, and the main continuing costs, will be in the software design and customer support. Garmin has probably determined that these areas are where it can excel and increase its market share. Without some product and service differences, people will just buy the cheapest GPS and there will be a price war as there was with the PC clones in the 1980's.

I recently bought the Nuvi 260 after a lot of research and it arrived at my house about ten days ago. It does everything I want it to do--has US and Canada maps and spoken street names--and was in my budget (under $250).

That being said, after I had ordered the 260, Garmin announced--at a lower list price--the 255, which does everything the 260 does and a few other things: "Where Am I?" emergency locator, a faster processor, new shaded elevation maps, and "HotFix" capability to store satellite locations, thus reducing satellite acquisition time.

I decided to keep my 260 because I have places to go in the near future and it will still do everything I want it to do. Nevertheless, you can bet that I would like the additional features of the 255. A quick check of the 260 price shows that it is now $15 less than two weeks ago.

BUT...I'm sure that when I buy a new GPS in three years or so, there will again be something just on the horizon with features I wish I had. Likewise, it will likely be down in price fairly quickly after I buy it. That's just how technology goes.

At some point, you determine your budget and your needs and you accept that (1) something more advanced is coming soon at the same price and (2) the price of your GPS will come down quickly in a fairly short while.

Couldn't agree more. And, it's not just limited to GPS purchases!