ElRoi65

I made the mistake of buying one of these worthless pieces of crap and it absolutely would not acquire satellites. Thus, making it completely worthless. I immediately returned it and stupidly got another one of these worthless pieces of crap. I was lulled into the belief that the first one was merely a bad apple in the barrel because the second one actually was able to acquire the satellites...for a little while. I have installed every update that Garmin has issued for this worthless piece of crap and I have no idea if it is going to acquire satellites the next time I power it up.

Now let's talk about Garmin's worthless piece of crap support line. If you don't mind waiting for nearly an hour just to speak to someone in Bombay who has absolutely no idea about how to rectify the problem with the worthless piece of crap product they have sold you, then you will be completely satisfied with Garmin's worthless piece of crap support line.

In conclusion, I am returning this worthless piece of crap as soon as humanly possible and WILL NOT purchase another worthless piece of crap Garmin product ever again.

nuvifan

I only wish that Garmin would read posts containing such anger and frustration with its products (and supposed "support" line), and EVENTUALLY respond with improved products and "support." There are literally hundreds of NEGATIVE posts in various forums about most of the Nuvis produced since 2008, also expressing frustration with one or more Garmin features, and then returning their products to vendors.

Furthermore, I have NEVER seen any internet post by a Garmin representative that attempts to explain or apologize for Nuvi problems, let alone seen any indication with the continuous spewing out of new Nuvis (7xx, 8xx, 1000, 13xx, 14xx) that quality control has improved.

Despite the early praise by some for the newest 3790 model, I expect that it won't be long at all before we read of new glitches in it: Screen lockups, touchscreen mistakes, loss of satellite signal, etc. Actually, the bulk of the first 10 Amazon reviews are full of high praise...but given Garmin's recent track record, who honestly expects that this will continue? I only wish that the 3790 would turn out to be a reliable product...and serve as an omen for future Garmin products.

...Now, if Garmin could just hire enough staff to answer the "support" lines in under 30 minutes, even if they are foreign and speak from scripted menus...

GeorgeC

An interesting two posts.

A first time poster and a 3 time poster.

I wonder????

G

nuvifan

Well, come on GeorgeC: What is it that you wonder? Why do you not tell us what you really mean? Is there some sort of concern over the legitimacy/illegitimacy of our two posts?

Why would one doubt the sincerity of Elroi (the first poster), given the extensiveness of his outrage over the non-performance of his Nuvi? Further, why do my followup comments cause you to doubt the sincerity of MY feelings about Garmin quality control?

Do my defensive comments immediately above justify them being perceived as suspicious?

If I had responded with praise for the performance of a Nuvi 1490, would that have been suspicious? What if I, instead, had reported similar probems with a 1490: Suspicious? or would it have given greater weight to the impression that the 1490 operates poorly for some owners?

Must one have many previous postings here to give one's claims and comments a sense of true belief?

Hey, now that this comment is being made...am I "up to 4 comments," and thus on my way to someday being considered credible? If I had chimed in with a contrary claim that MY Nuvi works great, would my 3 previous comments have been believable?

I am a one year owner of a Nuvi 855, and extremely satisified with it (despite several well publicized shortcomings), BUT do recognize that Garmin quality control is pathetic...and is responsible for hundreds of extremely dissatisfied customers during the past year that I have been monitoring internet discussions about GPS.

My hope is that by criticizing Garmin's poor quality control (and I have done so several times in other forums), that it will stimulate other owners to express their frustrations about their Nuvis...and eventually force Garmin to respond with much more RELIABLE products.

I am NOT a Garmin "fanboy," but do recommend certain models to friends considering a GPS purchase...with warnings about their reliability and need to be prepared to return or exchange them, if necessary. In the long run, I hope that when the day comes for me to buy a new GPS, that there are several brands with desirable features AND which work reliably, whether they are Garmin, Tomtom, Magellan, Motonav or whatever.

Well...what do you find suspicious about THIS comment????

cz9h3d

My first post too

This user made the same post over at gpsreview.net. Obviously he's had a very bad experience with two 1490T's, as well as with Garmin support. Amazing how some people have no issues, while others have no luck at all - and I see this pretty much across the board for all mfgs/units.

My two cents - I really like this unit. 1 new unit, 1 refurb (so far), and no issues other than the refurb sometimes garbles speech on bootup (on/off fixed the issue, but sent it back, have a new unit sitting on my counter waiting for confirmation of my successful return).

Anyways, nice big 5" screen, very easy to use (great for my wife, as I permanently installed it in her car). The lane feature works very well, and the speed limit is really the "killer feature" that has kept me from considering a TomTom or Magellan - shows current speed limit for almost all roads.

Only improvement I would like is the ability to exclude a specific road in a route (i.e. like Magellan), the "detour" option is too much of an unknown to me.

stpfarms

I just purchased a brand new Garmin Nuvi 1490 and it refuses to pick up a satellite? It stays at acquiring satellites or locating satellites forever. I updates all the software on it but it still just hangs there saying I am in Chicago. I go to a wide open area but it doesn't help. Should I get a TomTom or what do you recommend? I like the Garmin name but it appears they may make faulty products.

BC6152

I wish to comment on the uselessness of the Garmin manuals. I also bought a 1490 and read the "quick start" manual. I also downloaded and printed the full manual. I have yet to find out how to utilize the city navigator SD card. I looked in the quick start and full manual - nothing. No documentation came with the SD card NADA! I refuse to call the support phone line as I know I'll be frustrated and angry.

GeorgeC

Just why should anyone read a post such as yours since you do not seem able to post without vile language. When you grow up and learn to use the English language properly then maybe you can get some help with your problems.

G

Woody469

I wouldn't consider his "piece of worthless crap" phrase offensive or "vile"! You live in a bubble? It sounds like he has some heavy frustration with his Garmin and it really dosent seem like he is the only one! Give him a break, he's pissed!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

GeorgeC

I will give him a break when he learns proper etiquette and learn to speak proper English. That is the way children talk before learning to speakl properly.

G

BC6152

There are, apparently, some things inherently wrong with the software in the Garmin units. I also own a 1490 - brand new - and, to date, have experienced no issues. However the sheer amount of complaints, whether valid or not, would indicate that there are problems with many of the Garmin products. This is a forum and a place to inform, learn, and vent when necessary. Elroi65 is venting and informing at the same time. I hope all that belong will join in and let all others know of their experiences with these GPS units so that we're all informed. Language notwithstanding...

BTW - Woody469 - like your photo...

Andy

When I bought a Nuvi 550, I had to send to Garmin due to a software/hardware issue. Of course with the millions of units they sell it's not surprising there may be some out there with hardware/software issues. That's why customer service is so important.

midlife

I've had a 1390T for six months or so and have had a few issues with it but nothing like what's been described above. The one thing that has most impressed me about Garmin has been the phone support. I don't like waiting for 30-45 minutes but on the two occasions I've had to I got great help from very knowledgeable people who did not at all sound like they were anywhere other than the USA (or Canada?).

I've been somewhat annoyed that my unit will not synch via bluetooth to my older LG dinosaur phone OR top my wife's newer LG Touch....... but neither one is listed as being linkable, so I can only mutter about that problem.

sviking

Oh, please. Bombay me fookin' arse. Have you actually called Garmin's customer service and actually spoken to someone?

Their customer service is U.S. BASED in Olathe, KS and the few times I've had to call, the person was very, very helpful and my issues were resolved. I will admit their wait times (45 min or so) are WAY too long, but the service is just fine.

I've been helped via emailing Garmin as well.

NoBite

I find the first post hilarious. The choice of words was perfect to get his point across and I feel for his frustration. Did not seem childish to me at all.

I have yet to call Garmin support, but I have used the email support twice recently. Both times I got less-than-24-hour replies and quick follow-ups to my additional questions that solved my problems. Completely satisfactory!


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

toobite

There are a number of posts on this forum with complaints about Garmin devices and the lack of support. The persistent difficulty of getting access to prompt support shows a lack of care. If they sell millions of devices, and they care about the people who bought them, they can afford to answer a higher proprotion of the support calls faster, and to do a better job of communicating that care on discussion boards like this one.

The online retailer newegg has customer feedback pages where some vendors regularly take the opportunity reply to posts by dissatisfied customers to make things right. Those vendors show they care. Does Garmin do this somewhere?

sviking

Garmin has a forums section on their website and employees definitely have a presence there.


https://forums.garmin.com/index.php

spokybob

I purchased my first Garmin just a few months ago. I had trouble with the free map update with my 1490t. Garmin CSR figured out my problem & solved it. I love the unit. I recommend it & two of my relatives also bought the same unit. No problems. I bought the 295w when Amazon lowered the price to $62. No probems with it either.
It's unfortunate that the OP had problems.

Russbaney

I may be jinx'ing myself, but I just bought a 1490T from Amazon and it's working like a charm! sorry to here that some others are getting lemons...

MDMesser001

Bought myself a 1490T for my birthday, 3 days ago, and so far it seems to perform just fine. I'm in Houston, Texas, USA, and it acquires satellites immediately. I got it to replace my Nuvi 255W which had stopped picking up traffic after 2.5 years. Cord repair would have been 60 bucks (or more) and replacing cord would have been 150, so I got the newer model. Happy so far.

khjr

First post for me on this forum too - I'm shopping for a GPS right now. What has me incredulous is the broad disparity of reviews for the various models. People either have ones that "work great" or are "worthless pieces of junk."

I am assuming that, contrary to what your post implies, all units of a given model are identical in construction and software in design.

As such, I give more credence to the negative reviews, and assume that the favorable reviewers simply haven't used the problematic features yet which cause the units to lock up etc.

spokybob

Or it could be that some users will comment negatively about all things. Since my prior post, I have had a lockup. It is easy enough to do a reset.

__________________
Nuvi 1490t & 295w, Explorist

MDMesser001

My 1490T crashed, too. Froze up. Less than a week after purchase. So I returned it and got a 1450 LMT, which so far, has been fine. About 3 months, I guess. Still slower at refreshing when trying to scroll, but very functional.

I just wish I could get a better traffic system... hopefully the technology will improve and be cheaper in a few years.

sviking

Well, I've have nothing but darned good luck with Garmin. I'm pretty representative of a "old, not so old and newish" customer with regard to their products. Way old: StreetPilot 2720...rock solid unit. Not so old: Nuvi 660...rock solid unit. Newish: Nuvi 3790T, owned about a year...rock solid unit, but they had some issues with the junction view file in the last few map updates, which has been addressed. No problem with the hardware. I also have an old Etrex and not so old 60CSx for Garmin handheld hiking units. I'll probably be getting a Montana or Oregon soon enough.

GeorgeC

Yes, all units are identical in construction and software design. However, that does not mean that any given unit may or may not have some unintended error or "quirt." Individual components do fail in mechanical systems.

Just like any product, failures do occur. How many and how often these occur or do not occur is what reviews will show and tell the reader if an entire "line" should be judged bad.

George