Are you brand-loyal to Garmin?

2 Garmin GPSs and counting.

Wouldn't buy any other brand.

Bes tinterface

....but generally satisfied. I've been using Garmin GPS's for over 20 years as a boat captain and outdoor enthusiast. Just recently (3 years ago) started using them in my car. All totaled, I've owned probably 12-15 Garmin units. I started with them, and thus got used to their GUI, so the few times I've used others like Magellan or T-T it's a fairly steep learning curve.

Overall, I'm happy with Garmin, but I only started using their units in my car when they came down in price--no way would I spend $4-600 for a GPS for my car......A new 765T for $180, sure.

I agree with others that I don't like the fact that they've been crippling their units by taking away features only to add them back to new models and charge more. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Try innovating with new features instead of playing keep-away with the old ones.......

I also don't like their charges for map updates--I think each unit should get one free map update per year, and charging $79 per update on their website is highway robbery......

I have had very good experiences with their customer service--had I not I would have switched years ago. I very much appreciate that I can speak with someone who speaks American!!

My biggest complaint is that I want to buy JUST ONE gps unit from them that will do all that I need.

I want one about the form size of a 765T, that will run on AA batteries or 12 volt (so I can take it on the trail with me) that will take topo maps, that includes the city navigator and turn-by-turn stuff, and that I can load Bluechart data onto for using on my boats. It should also be waterproof (like my GPSMAP 76C), and have the touchscreen features like the road units do. There's no good reason that they can't do this IMHO, but they'd rather have us buy one unit for our car, one for our boat, and one for the trails. BS! The first company that puts out the unit I want and need is getting my money...........

NP

Zuma314 - may be you are in the USA and customer service is very good BUT in the UK my experience is quite the opposite. Customer Service reps might know the products but do not have customer service skills - BUT THEY THINK THEY DO! - When CS reps try to tell me what I am thinking/needing/asking they have missed the entire concept of customer.

I regard the CS as so poor that I probably won't buy another Garmin unit when renewal time comes around. To put this decision in perspective I am on my 6th Garmin device.

Cheers

I have been very loyal in the past but if Garmin continues in the vein that they've been going in the last two years or so with the nuvi line, I'll be looking elsewhere.

Way too many models, new models released with bugs (using the end-user as their testers) that are seemingly never fully resolved due to the fact that newer models are released and the old get pushed to the back burner...this goes on and on. When new firmware is released to correct those bugs, seems as if new bugs are almost always introduced.

This and the constant removal of useful features that are again added to "new" units, with these "new" units having some other useful feature removed. This gives Garmin a recyclable feature pool to pepper their new models with.

Also, the constant dumbing-down of units to what Garmin feels is appropriate for the nuvi user rather that allowing the user to decide how advanced or simplified they want their unit to be.

As another users here stated, this leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I have three Garmin units. I wish my 765T was as customizable as my GPSMap 76CSx is. A marine unit has truck and bus options, a road only unit has only 1 road option and 2 non-road options. I with the display levels could be adjusted separately for day vs night. Same for the sound levels.

The 1490T is my first GPS. To say I am loyal would mean that the next GPS I purchase without question would have to be a Garmin. That isn't necessarily true.

The reason I purchased a Garmin was because until recently, most reviews placed Garmins above the competition.
Nobody else even came close. However, recently, I see that Magellan is beginning to catch up and in some reviews has bettered some Garmin's. (see Consumer Reports) Still, Magellan has a ways to go to beat the customer service that Garmin offers.

While Garmin listen's to our service needs, they seem not to be hearing what the customers want with regard to features. For example, they are decreasing the road detail on the maps even though people complain about it. Their screens now won't show what road you are driving on while on a navigational route, when older models did. Their junction view and lane assist has been little improved in spite of complaints that it rarely appears when needed.

So at this point in time, I still prefer Garmin over the other brands. But Garmin can't get complacent just because they are the sales leader with GPS's. They need to be aware that the competition IS listening to our complaints and wants. they are beginning to catch up with Garmin.

Finally, loyalty will only go so far. Look at what's happening to Toyota recently, if you need any better example of how quickly your reputation could change.

I've had several Garmin units and one Magellan. I tried switching back and forth between Garmin and Magellan units and found the operating differences could be confusing. I'm loyal just because I suspect quality, customer support, etc. are about the same among popular brands. This way I can use the same programs, ie. poiloader, between units and expect operation to be similar when I switch.

I have my eye on the 855, it's only $189, but we rarely have both in use in our household.....

I think overall they seem to be the most reliable,even though there seems to be to many models ,it wouldn't hurt to consolidate a few features.So far I am loyal to Garmin.

But I am still angry at the way Garmin treats early adoptors and how they got into bed with AT&T. The NUVIfones were very anticipated and Garmin locked them and only sells the G60 in the US. They could have at least offered the M20 on their US website to TMobile customers. It is just wrong given that my first NUVI 360 was $858... for that price they should have given me lifetime maps too!

But in spite of that, I feel like Garmin offers the most versitile GPS units, and more maps of places around the world that anyone else. The only thing I haven't tested are the aeronautical charts.

So yeah, I will always be annoyed about the whole NUVIfone thing, but I still just bought a new NUVI 550, and it is pretty darn cool.

If another company come out with a with a gps with features that i like i would go for it.

I have 2 garmins, but Tom Tom's IQ routes sounds very impressive - something I want to try. The Navteq traffic data hasn't been too useful for me because it tells you that there's traffic ahead, but usually, that's still the fastest way to my destination.

Link to what IQ routes does
http://www.tomtom.com/whytomtom/topic.php?topic=5&subject=7

I like Garmin, but since I bought the Zumo 550 I never had a reason to try another. It works in the car and on the bike.

I am not Garmin Loyal. We had a Garmin unit that just didn't work well. Part of the reason might be that Navteq maps aren't as good in our area, but for that reason we have to stick with units that use Teleatlas.

Yup, there are othere brands with better features, as a matter of fact anything new, anything new Garmin hasn't even come up with. The competition has been rolling out the newest features for a while now, then Garmin is forced to follow.
Below find a partial list of features people had to wait for by being brand loyal to Garmin, that were available on other brands, here are a just a few that you probably thought Garmin designed & programed while you were wearing your blinders.

I've ever owned! Until it totally let's me down and causes slot of problems then I'll try something different then I'll try something different!

And it's all trumped by ease of use. I don't care how many features brand x has over brand y or even z, if it isn't easy to use with a fairly intuitive user interface I won't spring for it.

Last year you were all hot for Navigon which pulled out of the market. Great features, but extremely difficult to customize because they locked it down pretty tight. They would rather sell you a subscription to a POI you could download and install for free from POI Factory, but you never complained because you liked their feature set over Garmin. Magellan went through some rough times trying to compete and ended up being bought by the MIO maker. MIO as a brand is gone, but the difficulty of loading custom POI to the newer Magellans never gets a peep from you.

Yes, Garmin has its warts and the poor testing of software is absolutely HUGE. The fact that new models are often the same as an older model with a feature shuffle is another strike, but then the other manufacturers do it as well - but we never hear about that from you do we?

But you know something, we hear very little in the way of complaints about the user interface, in fact it is the one thing they consistently rate the highest on. Operation of a Garmin is pretty intuitive, not so for some of the other brands I looked at. And I did do a hands-on comparison to TT, Magellan, MIO and others before deciding I would buy my first unit.

When you get down to it, the Garmin is a pretty good device that is easy to use, easy to customize and about as reliable as many of the others. My first unit, a Nuvi 200 was stable. The only updates needed were mainly improvements and not bug fixes. The 885 hasn't been as great in the bug area, but it does everything I need it to do.

So, other than being anti-everything Garmin, what else?

I've been a Garmin user. I had several. I'm open minded though and when I left my last Garmin on the table a McDonalds and never seen it again. I thought I'd try a TomTom. Well about after owning it for about 30 days. I dropped it. Yep, I dropped it about 2 big whopping feet...thats about 24 inches. Its deader than a hammer. So much for that. I guess I shoulda got that replacement plan. This was one I purchased as a refurbished unit online. Anyhow, I think they ought to be a little more durable than that.

I have had 3 units. One was a Nokia which they no longer support ( Even though they own the maps now. No Nokia anything for me from now on.) A V7 which seems to have also become an orphan. Now I have a Garmin 855, which I can get updated maps for and is supported.

So I don't know if I am completely loyal to Garmin, but I will stick to GPS only companies so I don't end up with something completely obsolete again.

At least until someone come up with a opensource GPS with a better UI using Garmin's maps! So I don't think I am brand loyal. Definitely room to improve.

I've recently graduated from being semi-old school (using Google Maps, etc.) to purchasing my first GPS unit, the 255WT. Only about a week, so can't claim brands yet. I will say that no technology is going to ever be perfect. I think it's more about what we choose to tolerate and dismiss.

Welcome to the site! A great first post too. Be very careful about spending time on this site. You too will be addicted.

right now with garmin they still hold the edge .
i also have 2 garmins but would i switch if someone else came along with a product that gave me more bang for the buck. you bet i would.
mike

Can't say I'm loyal to Garmin but, like a previous poster mentioned, it's more an issue of comfort. I'm comfortable with Garmin. One big issue I have with Garmin is the cost of map updates. I ended up doing the lifetime map subscription and just hope my zumo 550 doesn't brick on me before the lifetime pays for itself (of course, given how much the zumo 550 cost, that should have included lifetime maps anyway!).

I'm also not happy with their policy of forcing users to buy separate map sets for each unit they own. I'd be much more likely to buy an additional unit for hiking or off-roading if I could share maps amongst units. By the time you add in the cost of separate maps, it's cheaper to go with one of the "disposable" brands as a second or third unit.

I also agree with the folks who are upset with the "dumbing down" of the units. I'm much less likely to "upgrade" to a unit that allows fewer waypoints, fewer routes and has less capabilities. That just doesn't make sense!

Finally, at least on the zumo 550, I wish there were a way to reorder the screens and lists of items. I don't like having to work my way through three or four choice just to get what I want for the "where to" function. I also don't like that I can't set "near my route" as the default for the look up function. That's just dumb! I don't want to backtrack 5 miles looking for a hotel or restaurant when there's one right on my route 10 miles ahead.

So, as long as my zumo 550 is working, I'll stick with it but once it bricks a lot will depend on how Garmin handles that as well as what options are available. Of course by that point, our phones will do everything our Garmins do and a separate GPS unit will go the way of the record player.....

The Topo maps are not locked.

I am new to this since Christmas but find my unit easy to use with a very realistic voice. So far so good!

I'm not necessarily loyal to Garmin, but right now feel they're putting out the best products. I will reevaluate when I'm due to buy a new unit.

I Love My Garmin

I have purchased 3 garmin backpacking units and 1 Garmin Nuvi. nothing against the other company's but I have always been very impressed with the quality, ease of use and customer service of Garmin.

I have been completely satisfied with my Garmin. My only complaint is the newer models have more features, but when I decide to purchase a new one, I will get the newer features. Just like the computer industry, wait a while and something will be faster, better, and cheaper.

I do like Garmin but the only thing that bothers me is all the problems, fixes, etc. they seem to have on every GPS they make. There quality seems to be lacking. I don't know if other manufacturers have the same problems or not.

I love my nuvi 260w in many ways.. the sleek design, the easy to read/use wide-screen & interface, minimal glare. Only problem I'm having with it, and it's a big one, is that it tends to take me on nonsensical routes/detours on my way to my destination - often - when a far more direct route is available. Pretty frustrating at times. It has 2009 maps and now the latest firmware update. Do others have this issue? I'd move to another brand to do away with this issue the next time I buy.

I find the concept of brand "loyalty" or brand hating interesting. Many people will say they love or hate a brand due to one or two bad experiences with a product or service from that brand. From my perspective, that's just plain silly. Brands are businesses out to make profits and do what makes the most busniess sense to them.
I am a consumer that is reasonably demanding and purchase products after doing my due diligence researching products I want to purchase. There are many brand names out there from many industries that have stopped making the same quality of products they started out with and just live off of their "brand name". If consumers just buy products based exclusively on the brand then they are wearing blinders and will be disappointed at some point.
Hold manufacturers accountable for the products they produce. Let's not be sheep.

I tend to be very brand-loyal as long as my experience the first time around is acceptable, which thus far it has been. Part of it is comfort, part laziness - if it works acceptably, don't break it (switch brands). I like the fact that I can switch-up cars, POIs, etc, seemingly quite easily. An issue with customer service has not come into play yet with my Garmin. I may compare other brands if only to see if they take me on weird detours as described above (2 posts up) the way my nuvi 260 does from time to time.

Yes. I like Toyota quality, but not the gas pedal which bothers me a lot by reading the following article.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100129/ap_on_bi_ge/toyota_recal...

I've been stuck on Garmin since I got my first StreetPilot III. My folks were just asking me this weekend what to get, and debated the overall differences from the Tom-Tom to the Garmin. In short, Garmin wins, at least in my book.

No product is ever perfect but my Forerunner and Nuvi do everything I want them too. Any glitches along the way have been fixed by customer service so I'm loyal as long as they keep up the good work. I keep toying with the idea of purchasing a GPS for hiking and as I search what is available I just gravitate back to Garmin for ease of use, cost and known reliability.

my Garmin. Never getting rid of it.

Okay other than you not knowing the Navigon product, every thing else I said is true, you even threw in the bugs, I didn't go there.

GUI's are easy to explain, and you seem to have fallen right in the groove.
when you first started using a computer and learned word perfect for a word processor, chances are your still using it because that's the GUI you learned, even though there are better word processors out in the market place. And with your blinders on you still use a older technology word processor. Of coarse that was a sample situation.

As far a Navigon Goes I still use it, because it has the simplest of GUI's and the best features.
Locked down? I don't think so, it was written with open architecture in Windows CE and very tweak-able with the program variables. I load POI factories files in it just like I do for my garmin's so I really don't know what your speaking of, and neither do you as far as Navigon's go. And yes I do use a third party piece of software to load and run them on the Navigon but no big problem. I love the Hi-res screen that allows what ever POI i want to roll by while I drive... enough about the Navigon..
Am I Garmin loyal.. "No" for the reason I stated, Do I use them, use because I buy, repair and sell all brands..And I feel bad for anyone that uses a Garmin and has never used anything else and makes a statement like Yes I am Brand Loyal. Or doesn't understand that Garmin doesn't even own their own maps but has to buy them.

Thanks for tiring to make me think your below statement is OK, even though it totally sucks:

Yes, Garmin has its warts and the poor testing of software is absolutely HUGE. The fact that new models are often the same as an older model with a feature shuffle is another strike, but then the other manufacturers do it as well.

Umm, All the points I made in my other Post were from other manufactures, I'm waiting for garmin to come out with IQ maping too like Tom Tom...Give me a example of a feature that Garmin has come out with that the competition didn't first. Oh wait, Free traffic with "ad's" I forgot.. others just gave it for free!

Hey I use Garmin's,and have a few of them. I just don't wear blinders, and will say Garmin is always behind in technology and highest in price, and always willing to discontinue a model just to bring out a new one with features the took away from another model earlier.

You said:
And it's all trumped by ease of use.
I say:
Depends on the word processor you learned on.

Thank Goodness Jon learned DRUPAL and didn't stick with quick-basic! ::

Garmin seems to be the only GPS company that is "MAC" friendly. They offer downloadable software for the Macs and the customer support has been excellent for me anyways. I also like Garmin's offerings.

yeah. I'm loyal to Garmin. It takes a bit to know a gps unit in and out. I don't really want to learn another units apps and features like I did with my current garmin.

I'd say so, more or less, because I haven't used other brands to know the alternatives well enough.

I've had a navigation system in my car the last few years, and I'm further ambivalent about it. I did a comparison:
http://homepage.mac.com/scott_r/nav.htm
Pretty outdated, I know, comparing my 2620 rather than my nuvi 350, but the points mainly hold as-is.

But, the car's system is always there--I don't have to remember to bring it with me and put it in place, or to take it when I leave the car. And, of course, the car's system is tied into the drive system and has accelerometers, so it works in tunnels or with heavy tree cover.
On the other hand (and I should make this point in the comparison) I can't use my computer with it at all, so no downloading new information at all (and the car's map updates are ridiculously expensive).

That's exactly what is it all about. It seems, Garmin has got an attitude towards their customers that they are like a sheep...that's why they wouldn't listen what features they ask for, and trying tricks as there was no competition, they are forgetting there are already many ones that will listen...technology advances and market is different than 10 years ago...result of the attitude like that, probably will be the same as that one, what happened to N/A auto industry...very sad, but true...

I research major purchases, and I consider a GPS in that category. While this is my first Garmin, they need to get their collective s**t together and realize they have competition. While I like my unit, removing Zip Codes with a firmware update is NOT on my short list of 'upgrades'. Nor are other items they have removed.

Take heed, Garmin. This may be my first and last purchase from you. Competition is strong, and I vote with my wallet.

I've had my 765T for over a year now, and overall I've been pretty happy with it. I've used TomTom before and the Garmin is much better. Maybe once I need to replace this unit, I will look into something else.

While I applaud Garmin for Mac compatibility, for many, many years Garmin ignored the Mac market and it has only been recently (since the switch to the intel chips I think) that Garmin began offering support for Macs. Still, they do it and I'm glad they finally "saw the light" that the rest of us have been seeing since 1987.........lol!

NP

I have only had the one GPS ,so I will say yes.

ohwogo nuvi 750

I have had 4 GPS and they have all been Garmin. I can't say why they are all Garmin but I am happy with them.
Maybe that is why.........

is there other people making a GPS?