Bestbuy Sends Garmin a Message

An Internet search only lists recall of Garmin Blue Chart Data Cards (Marine).

Recalls are made for safety reasons, not bad software - unless the software could cause personal injury. With the Marine units, it's obvious that a bad chart could cause you to hit an obstruction and sink the boat. I don't think dead units fall under that criteria. Lack of a functional GPS will not cause a vehicle to crash, else the millions of other vehicles out there would be junkyard candidates.

Please do a little research before you announce that "The sky is falling".

I agree with you. A patent for something as basic as displaying upcoming street names in the text bar can't possibly hold up in court. That is not an invention. If Garmin doesn't challenge this and offer it back to their PTA line, I would support anyone who wants to dump Garmin and go to the competition over this. And if or when they do bring it back, they had better offer it to the current late model owners through a software upgrade that don't currently have it. Many of them are loyal returning customers that are used to having it and greatly miss it.

Also, they should offer a setting to return all the street names to the streets for those that prefer that feature as well.

I personally like the current setup and would probably continue to use it that way most of the time. But there are too many loyal customers that prefer it the old way. And I'm sure many new customers would prefer it the old way as well. You can always remove information to the level you prefer. But you can't add information that isn't there.

If Garmin refuses to give the customer what they want, the customer will simply go to someone who will. Garmin needs to remember that the customer "is" the company. Because without the customer, there "is" no company.

I have learned many things about Garmin from these forums that I don't like. I may go elsewhere myself for my next GPS purchase.

It's too bad Navigon has decided to give up on the U.S. market. They have some really nice units.

I have had screen calibration issues with my 765 since I purchased it about a month ago. I contacted Garmin and they assured me that it is not a generic issue with these units but that some of them (out of the millions with that screen hardware) have had this issue. They offered to have me return the unit (less than 30 days old) for a new replacement. Since I purchased it at Sam's Club, they suggested that I simply exchange it at Sam's rather than wait for the exchange process.

I checked the Sam's Club website and the 765 was gone (it had been there the day before). I called my local store and they said they had none, but that another store had 14 of them. I called that store and they said that Garmin had recalled all of the units, but that they were under the impression that they would be back on the shelves shortly.

I then called Garmin, since if these had been recalled or discontinued, I wanted to return the 765 to Sam's for a refund rather than an exchange. The Garmin tech explained that Garmin had decided to recall all of these units from retailers to install the 'mandatory update' so that people would not open the box to a dead unit. They said that they had none available for my exchange until last Friday (7/10) at which time a new unit would be shipped to me. I am expecting it this coming week.

Also, I did receive an e-mail from Garmin on June 24th entitled "Free mandatory Garmin GPS software update for nuvi 7x5." I downloaded the update and installed it. Other than the screen registration issues, the unit never failed.

Hopefully, the new unit that I get back from Garmin will solve the issues that I have had with screen registration. I replaced a 680, and as others have noted, the QC and basic quality of the Nuvi line leaves much to be desired. However, the new features are very useful. In addition, my 680 drove me crazy, as shortly after I purchased it, an update required for the MSN service removed the 'North Arrow' and the map scale indication. I could no longer estimate how far the next town was or determine if I was heading in the correct direction without going to 'North Up' mode. The 765 thankfully returned these necessary features.

I'll make my overall judgement when I get the new unit and see if the screen calibration is good.

-Herschel

I don't doubt that you lost the North Pointer since I had the same issue with my nuvi 350 when I had it. What I doubt is that it was an MSN update that removed it. A certain nuvi unit software "update" removed the zoom scale indicator from the 3D map view (I think it was still available on the 2D map screen though but I cannot check since I no longer have the unit).

The point is that Garmin has a habit of removing certain useful features from units via firmware "update" (or "unit software" as they refer to it), depending on what Garmin believes the user wants/needs and not what the user wants/needs. Another feature that was removed from the 3xx/6xx series was the ability to disable auto-zoom. This irked MANY 3xx/6xx owners who conveniently had the feature stripped from their units via an "update". The feature was there when the unit was purchased so users felt they had paid for it in purchasing the unit. To have it (or any feature already on the unit) simply removed at will by Garmin is just simply wrong and totally uncalled for.

You take your chances with any Garmin firmware update...you'll never know what they'll remove from your unit next.

Yes... the update was not from MSN. It was from Garmin, but to "enhance" the MSN functionality. When selecting 'Track Up' the scale showed in the sample but was totally gone from all views. To see how far a town was, I needed to enter it as a destination, see the distance, note it on my odometer, then return to the original destination. What a pain when I just wanted to see if I could make it to the next major town to get gas or if I needed to get gas before I got there.

At first Garmin denied that those features were removed. Later they admitted it.

LOVE my Zumo 550

My new 765T arrived from Garmin and it seems to have corrected the screen registration issues. The sound quality seems to be improved as well. Very fast turnaround on Garmin's part. I did an express return... charged the new unit to my credit card and simultaneously sent the old one back for a credit.

-Herschel

How many websites are you going WHINE on anyway? While you may have ONE or TWO valid points, your method of delivery is annoying. I banned your butt from my website, not because you voiced complaints but instead because once you made your point, you just wouldn't SHUT UP.

Would YOU want to communicate with YOU. I think not.

Anyway, it's too bad that Zumo (and other models) didn't deliver as we had hoped...although I am STILL hopeful, but so much of threads on this subject is LOST in bramfrank's drivel.

OK...enough of bramfrank!

I honestly believe this is the future of electronics...to release cameras, gps's, stereos, etc before they are proven. It does appear that more and more we the consumers are testing the products for the companies. Personally, I don't think it is necessarily a TERRIBLE thing, just annoying.

I have had this SAME problem (I mean exactly the same type of situation) with a $5000 Canon camera I bought a year ago and it has gone back to service no less than 4 times for hardware AND firmware updates...So this is NOT unique to Garmin.

Say your piece when slamming companies, then let it go...if you feel you need to "TELL THE WORLD", start your own website.

Wally

Ok Ok, settle down guys, no need to be mean to eachother.

Miss POI

You're right Miss POI, but when he was disrupting my forum, I could do something about that...I came here to look around and read...and I get the same thing here unfortunately.

Speaking from experience, members like that CAN (and do) have an overall negative effect on the entire morale of the forum...

But, you're right and I'll go back to reading and getting information (my original intent when I came here).

Thanks,

Wally

I didn't get any e-mail from GARMIN so far. I got my 765 goin' again only thanks to this forum.

I'm amazed how Garmin's quality can go downhill so quickly. It wasn't long ago I wouldn't even consider any other brand. Right now I'm thinking my next unit will likely be anything but Garmin. It's a shame they've gone down like this so fast.

If you base your perception of Garmin quality on what you read in this thread, it indeed seems as if Garmin's quality has gone into the toilet. But get back to reality. I just bought a new GPSr, and after doing a lot of comparison shopping and research in other forums, technical sites and places like consumerreports.com, I wound up getting another Garmin. All the other manufacturers have similar or worse problems with hardware and software. They all have the same problems with map updates or lack thereof. Every manufacterer has its good points and bad. Some just have more bad points than the others.

So my recommendation is to do your own research before you buy - not just with GPSr's, but with any major purchase. Don't base your purchase decision on someone else's knee jerk reaction. You won't be happy in the long run.

BINGO (and well stated)...they ALL have issues and it's almost become the way that big companies do business. I have seen it with EVERY major electronics that I own, including my Canon 1D Mark III ($5000) and has been back to the manufacturer 4 times in one year (and still ain't right).

Some people like to complain just to hear themselves and for others it is just their way of life. If there is a problem with a product, report and then wait for the fix...good manufacturers will eventually fix their products.

what you have buy something else and like it. My problems have mostly been me. I started with Garmin and still give them the benefit of the doubt. It's a competitive market and they are trying to keep the doors open like the rest of the company's. God Bless America for the right to choose is what I feel.

For those of you who thinks the latest firmware fixes the freezing, think again. The problems are more than just software.

I went through 3 different 765Ts before Garmin upgraded me to a 855T. My first 765T had issues before the famous bug hit. My second 765T froze with the latest firmware installed. My current 855T, which I've had for only 4 days, has so far rebooted itself for no reason once and froze on me once.

You have to be the unluckiest Garmin GPS owner I have heard of. To have 4 problem units in a row and from two different series. It appears that the GPS Gods really do not like you.

I have had a Garmin 885T for nearly 2 months and over three thousand miles all over California, Nevada and Arizona and I have never had it reboot or freeze even one time. I also have had a 760 and a c550 for over a year and both of them are still working fine.

It appears from this and your other postings you have made in the week since you joined this forum that you are very unhappy with the Garmin GPS units you have had. Maybe it's time for you to cut your losses and move on to another manufacturer and see if they work out any better for you.

what are the problems besides being slow? I've been using 885t for about 6 month now, didn't notice any major issues.

for the 760 and 780 at amazon, 199.99. Doesn't seem like there's that much need to spend $200 anymore for a gps! I think I spent $299? for the 660 just a year ago!

Well written, but the catch is: if there are no complains, there is no reason for fixing! " only squeekig hinges get the grease." Please realise that!

Everybody is writting their own experiences, some of them are positive and some of them are negative ones, but condemn somebody for either opinion is totaly stupid.

One of the things I've learned while working with (but not "for") some large companies manufacturing products is that there are people accessible to you who have an interest in improving the product. They may have a title like Regional/Area/Sales/Market/Manager and are often located in the territory they are responsible for. Their annual/quartererly bonus is dependant on sales so they have a keen ear to the market and want/need to know about problems. They will listen to you if you can track them down.

I've been out of town and had not checked in for a while and came across the obviously unjustified personal attack that resulted in the above lame explanation.

Rather thin-skinned, aren't we?

And you believe that everyone should smile, turn a blind eye to obvious issues and pretend that everything is just fine?

Look - you may own a web site - that gives you the right to be as anal as you like OVER THERE and lock it down so that no one can see what goes on without your permission.

But that doesn't give you the right to come over here and chastise me for describing my experiences here. That was simply an unjustified personal attack. Had someone done on your web site what you've done here, they'd have been permanently banned.

Setting up my own web site wouldn't get the word out about the fact that Garmin missed the mark. Posting where potential buyers go (here, epinions and such) will get them to ask questions before plunking down excessive amounts of money.

It also doesn't make the Zumo 660 any better as a premium navigator - it is and remains a prime example of a product that does not meet it's obligations. Even you admitted to that in your posts here;

Last time I checked (and I copied it from your site with attribution into a comment on my epinions review) the bug and wish lists for the Zumo 660 were VERY long - and only one or two of the line items came from me.

If we sit back and placidly accept sub-par premium-priced products, the manufacturers WILL continue to dump them on us - YOU PAID FIVE GRAND FOR A DEFECTIVE CAMERA? Why not return it and get your money back and buy a camera from someone who can deliver something that works? THAT sends a message to the dealer and to the manufacturer.

I haven't started a thread here to popularise the issues with the Zumo 660. I simply used my post as an example of how Garmin has been pushing crap out the door, making us all beta testers - I even went so far as to sympathise with them for the horrendous pressures they are under - but I don't agree with the fact that they appear to have compromised their quality book nor that we, as a group of consumers should accept this type of treatment, as you appear to be resigned to believe is inevitable.

The Zumo 660 competently does everything a Nuvi 760 does with the addition of watertightness and the A2DP Bluetooth connection and the lack of an FM transmitter (and even the basic functionality has some issues) - yet it commands a $600 premium in today's market.

For that money I expect quite a bit in return. And it is those 'extras' where Garmin has failed to deliver.

Yes, Garmin has changed their RTOS with the release of the affected units - the new RTOS has more overhead than the old one. They've also changed their GPS and Bluetooth chip suppliers, opting for cheaper devices that appear to not be fully compatible as things stand.

But I didn't come here and start ranting about just how juvenile your gang on your web site is - so kindly explain to me why you feel that you have the right to challenge my right to post certain of my opinions on this site? Opinions that are shared by a large percentage of the people who have purchased the device and who actually get out there and use it on the road.

I certainly have no respect for the likes of a couple of your members, one of whom went so far as to pretend to represent Garmin and self-described himself as a beta tester when the reality was that all he had done was to somehow get hold of a hot copy of an unreleased firmware version and lorded it over everyone until I discovered the truth and called him out over it.

That would be the same person who was telling the membership how things worked without having even tried them out and, of course turned out to be absolutely wrong . . . .

It is interesting that he started going out of his way to deny that he is attached to Garmin after that exchange.

So, please . . . go back to reading here. Obviously, you should feel free to make your comments as you see fit, but do not get vocal and personal about MY posts. Especially since you actually agree with my opinion!!

Feel free, of course to continue to play king of the hill at your own site. But please, do not try to impose your personal views on others not subject to your whims.

If there is more than 1 store that took them off the display so the notice comes from Garmin.

Too many features to choose from, Too many problems
David

All major corporations are out for only one thing, maximize share holders profits. Why should GPS manufacturers be any different.

New to this whole area. What is the problem with a Garmin?????

Many people have problems with their units due to programming errors from the factory. Not all the issues raised in these forums have to do with errors but many are comparisons between different models and manufacturers.

No major software product I have ever seen in over 45 years in working with computers is ever free from all errors. Some of the errors are catastrophic, some are minor annoyances while still others are caused by omission.

Given the anonymity of an open forum such as this you will always receive more statements of "It's broke and (insert supplier here) should have (insert proposed solution here)" statements than the I'm having no problems with my unit. Different people have different expectations and when something doesn't perform in the manner they think it should, they voice their frustration.

Granted, the last debacle with the 7x5 units was something that should have been avoided but with the current crop of programmers fresh out of school they do not have the background and experience to write and test code to the degree it was done in the past.

It's not just software issues though. The 7x5 series has hardware problems. The same copy of City Navigator North America will run perfectly in a Nuvi 350 / 650 / 750... but not on the 765T.

While I had my 765T, I hoped every next firmware update would fix my GPS, but it never did.

yea what problem are you having with your 5000 now the garmin fix my GBD 50 problem i am real happy with my 5000 the 5000 is the only one you can plug in a back upcam to love it

don
nuvi 5000 & nuvi 200w
(lifetime maps )

\

Yikes! i spent $700 on my nuvi 760 a little over a year ago....blah!!!

Wow...that's 30 seconds of my life I'll never get back.

Enjoy your fans...both of them.

Razorbiker

It seems, someone have difficulties to accept different opinion than his own.

The Zumo 660 is still being sold online but it is only being sold through the Best Buy For Business website.

Garmin did not drop the price of the Zumo 660 while it spent several months resolving a firmware issue. While that was happening they were not selling any. I expect many bought the Zumo 550 instead of waiting.

I have a 765T for my car and the Zumo 660 for my Can-Am Spyder. I wanted the 660 because it is -- in many ways a clone of the 7X5 series -- and is very close to the 765T.

$350 is a fabulous price for a 765T. Why wait?

id be happier if garmin didnt dick around and put some features on a few models and a different feature on other models