[94SilverCab]

My letter to Garmin



Dear Support,



I am so incredibly angry with Garmin I never want to own another product !

...

I bought my first Garmin (a Nuvi 760) almost 3 years ago...it was my favorite piece of technology. Unfortunately I signed up for Lifetime updater to get new maps and that VIRUS completely ruined my unit (it was literally not able to turn on.



I called Garmin support and they agreed to replace my 2 1/2 year old unit (this was November of 2011). However, the replacement unit only lasted until April.



I was in Washington, DC and so I stopped into a Best Buy store and bought a new Nuvi50 (it comes with Lifetime Updater).



Lo and behold, I plugged my new Nuvi 50 in this weekend and the device first was recognized, but then then it said that the update was going to take 300 Hours !!!



I let it sit for a while, but I didn't have 2 weeks for the damn thing to update. I unplugged the unit and now my computer won't recognize the device. Thank god it is still working...for now.



Isn't it time for Garmin to confess that Lifetime Updater simply doesn't work?



Just my Humble Opinion

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[banditsc]

Never had an issue with the lifetime updater on the Garmins I've used it on. On a Mac by chance? They are the root of all evil.

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[tamathumper]

Garmin and TomTom and their unbelievable update costs are the reason I now primarily use my Android phone.

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[94SilverCab]

I am a PC user (not Mac)....the updater is total crap!



If you don't believe me go to their Facebook page...hundreds of complaints (some of them not mine)



Jay

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[blau]

Was using one of the new Garmin's this weekend and I was appalled at the directions it was trying to give. On the "fastest route" setting, it wanted me to get off 4 exits previous and take backroads because it was a "more direct route." Luckily I knew better.

I'll never trust it again.

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[BeBe]

My Nuvi 760 just quit working. I had recently updated the maps. I haven't had time to investigate. I was thinking it was just old (in terms of disposable technology items nowadays). It was doing some odd things before it quit. Now I wonder if it had help failing...

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[pure&simple]

Had a similar experience with the update tool bricking my device after I canceled the update in process (still unresolved). Please post if you find a solution. If I get around to fixing it first, I'll do the same.

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[94SilverCab]

I went to Best Buy and bought a new Nuvi50 with Lifetime Updater...you guessed it, the first time I plugged my new Garmin into Lifetime Updater, the unit was first recognized then it indicated the update would take 300 hours and locked up, then I unplugged it and now the computer doesn't recognize it. Lifetime Updater is Garbage and Garmin should be ashamed to sell this VIRUS. Let Garmin know how you feel about their inferior products.



I've gone days without a response from customer service. I am slagging the heck out of them on facebook and Amazon...this has become a crusade...here is my latest Facebook post:







No resolution,.. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/angry.png" class="smilie" alt="" />



Jay

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[Rap]

Jay for your own peace of mind and sanity get a massage, lite some candles and drink a robust cab. Or go drive your car fast. I worry about this continued agita you put yourself through! Lol

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[94SilverCab]

Garmin took their Lifetime Updater website down this afternoon "for maintenance"..viva la revolucion!!!



Jay

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[lbpesq]

I bought my first GPS, a Garmin Nuvi 350, back in 2006 for $800!. A couple of months ago, I was looking on eBay for a new suction mount, (left in a rental car - don't ask), and wound up buying a whole other Nuvi 350, suction mount, case,and car power cord for $24!!!! Talk about the price of new technology coming down! Now I don't have to remember to move it from the 968 to the Highlander and back, I just keep one in each car. I've never updated it. It's generally not a problem except every once in a while it takes me to a gas station or fast food outlet that no longer exists. And when I drive on a new bridge that was built a couple of years ago, the little picture puts me in the water while the lady says "recalculating". Other than that it works great. After reading this thread, I think I'll continue to forgo the updates.



Bill

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[flash]

most of my problems with any device, computer, or whatever, have been related to updates. i wait quite a while before i install them, if at all.

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[BeBe]

On top of that, the updates cost about $75, IIRC (unless you have lifetime updates). My new Garmin cost just over $100 and has more features.

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[ds968]

I don't know which model Garmin I have but it's the first generation ones. I don't travel to many unfamiliar venues that often, so I may have used it only three or for times in all the years since I bought it, but anyway, a couple of years ago I tried the online update and it gave me so many error codes and absurd " time to download " indications that I just gave up

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[94SilverCab]

So, I went home last night and deleted everything on my computer related to Garmin. Then, I restored my Nuvi 50 (and lost all my favorites AGAIN). I plugged in and the device was recognized so I updated "the old way" from the website (Not Lifetime Updater). I'm good to go, but still HATE LU. BTW, No thanks to Garmin Tech Support, still waiting for that email or call.



Jay

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[flash]

lol - they probably can't find their way back to the phone

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[AJG]

I tend to haul out my Mercator atlas, it worries oncoming traffic though when's it up against the windscreen.

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[rxter]

I used a nuvi for a while. Worked fine. Then I got an iphone. The free Mapquest app has been upgraded to the point that it's as good as the stand alone devices. And it's fully integrated into the stereo. And the maps update on Mapquest's server. And the app gets better without me having to do much of anything.



Seriously - the day of stand alone GPS is over. Get an iphone or an Android and call it a day.



I tried to give my nuvi to my son and he laughed. It's a museum piece. Now let's talk about the integrated Navtek in my 2004 Mazda. No possible way to update that. I use the flip up screen as a convenient place to hold my phone....

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[tamathumper]

I have the Kenwood DNX-6140 with built-in Garmin in my car, and may purchase another one for my wife's new EOS. Thankfully, I can update the maps easily from my laptop - from reading several forums it's clear that updates even within the DNX line are varyingly difficult, dependent on the particular model you have.

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[durtkillon]

If there is one thing I've learned about Garmin it is to update your firmware for the unit before uploading any maps. Somebody once described Garmin as the antithesis to Apple. It's not far from the truth. The one I use the most is mounted on my bicycle and took hours of online forum searches to understand how to use it and upload trax. Garmin's websites are often down or crashed, the instructions are terrible and the software is not intuitive. That said, you can't beat them when you are outside of cell phone range or require long battery life, which is almost always the case when mountain biking. Though rare in a car, if you are outside of cell phone range and lost, they can save your butt.



I just updated the one in my wife's car with the 2013 maps since it was running 2009 for so long. After the firmware patch, it worked like a charm. I still appreciate the large display over a phone, but I do agree that the stand alone GPS will be left to the Henry David Thorough types. For $80, it's a small price to pay for driving the kid hauler. The 968? I don't even carry a map. That car is all about the journey.

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