Rambo

I to come to the conclusion MAGELLAN SUPPORT SUCKS
I will be returning the unit I purchased Magellan 3225 because it was missing
a part and your SUPPORT SUCKS- I waited on the phone for more than 1/2 hour and never did get thru
I sent 2- e-mails that were never answered
All I was trying to do was get a $ 5.00 part from them the USB cable that
attaches to the computer it was not in the original box
MAGELLAN you have a lot to learn about customer service and support of
your products. You are losing money because your support SUCK:thumb d: :t humbd::thu mbd::thumb d:

Andy

That seems to be a common theme from some people who have reported attempted use of Magellan's tech support.

dav

I'm currently shopping for a new GPS. Was interested in the Magellan Triton 2000.

Your experience echoes mine. I tried to find information from their website and from email.

Nothing.

Not currently considering Magellan due to this apparent lack of support.

Rambo

I finally received an answer to my e-mail. They are idiots this is supposed
to be the support help e-mail. I already told them they would not answer the
phone on the support line number and all I wanted was the USB cable a $ 5.00 item. and to please just send one out to me .I left my address and phone number if they had any questions. You are not going to believe the answer I received. " Please call our support line" that was it. Sending an
e-mail to them is like talking to an ice cube on the table and telling it not
to melt. So if anyone is planning on e-mailing don't waste your time. In my e-mail I even included my serial number of my unit. Any other issue I brought you like this model was not even listed on your website was completely ignored.:t humbd::thu mbd:

dav

Makes you wonder if there is anyone actually reading the email, or if it is simply an automated response:

Rambo

The same type of answer I received. I wonder how much money those idiots
replying to these e-mail make ? I would like a job like that.Get paid for doing
nothing. And pass you on to someone else. A 7 year old child must be answering these e-mails . A 10 year old child could help you better.
I think I will write a letter to the corporate headquarters regarding this
Att. Chairman of the Board. It won't do any good they have to many idiots
working for them. BOTTOM LINE- MAGELLAN SUCKS and they don't care about their customers.

Max

Just hope it's the 10 year old that gets the letter not the 7 year old


Sorry to hear your tale Rambo, it sounds similar to so many others.
I am glad we have forums like this now...we didn't back when I got into GPS originally and *almost* went down the magellan path, but every time I hear one of these I am glad I didn't. (well, anytime I actually use a magellan unit too, but thats another story )

Bulletproof

Rambo,
Sorry, but you're coming in off the tail end of the 2007 fiasco.Where numerous thousands of Magellan units ended up in the repair facility in Dallas, Texas...and Magellan didn't even keep track of which unit belonged to whom....
And they all break.
And don't expect to hear from customer support. They live and work in India. They do not give a crap about American "junk"....much less what you have to say about their support.
The three I had on the phone actually got an attitude with me when I demanded that they allow me to speak to their supervisor.
I bought Garmin....and try not to look back.
But I'm happy to pile on when Magellin is gettin' thumped.

cadillacron81

This has to be the worst company I have dealt with in recent memory. A friend asked me to update the firmware and factory maps to the 2008-2009 detail pack. Sounds simple enough YEAH RIGHT. Nothing is straight forward, their website sucks, I had to set up an account and locate the original box for the serial code (the sticker on the unit had been worn off so i could not read all the numbers) Than it costs $60 for the map pack but here is the best part after you pay for the disc and it comes to you, you need another activation code, only obtainable from their website OR you can call customer support. There site was down so I was forced to call them, I get a woman who spoke horrible english, and kept telling me to calm down and refused to help me because I did not want to give them my telephone number. I said " you allready have my name my address and my credit card info. why the hell do yo uneed my phone number" just give me the god damned code that I paid $70 for !!!!! F$*# this company and their outsourcing. Finally she found my info (that she had all along) and gave me the damned code. I will be happy when I hear on the news that this POS company tanked.

ccooksey

I've been trying to get a refund 2 months now, and have called Magellan 8 different times, and still no resolution. India call center says "We've transferred your information to headquarters and it's up to them to send you the refund." They will not transfer me to headquarters. I've never seen such poor customer service from any company I've ever bought from before. Whomever the VP of Customer Service is must either be swamped with issues, or does not understand how poorly his company is treating it's customers. I will spread my story every chance I get...

zebebad

I have hung up on the phone talking with them 3 times now can't they get anyone that speaks good english anymore ! Wish I had never bought this thing ! And I have only had it for 1 week ! :r ant::evilaug h::thu mbd::thumb d:

ccooksey

I somehow managed to get an RA number, sent the item back, and they never refunded me. I had to call Amex, send them the tracking number and documentation, and they credited my account. Magellan never responded to Amex's inquirey. What a joke of a company.

Max

Thats awful

__________________
Nothing free is good, nothing good is free.

Max

We do have a Magellan rep on the forums, though I believe she works mostly on their new products, some information here:

Ask a Magellan Rep!

__________________
Nothing free is good, nothing good is free.

rugerkahr

Zing! Good one!

Seriously, the OP needs to take a chill pill, especially if it's a non-proprietary USB cable. All this bitching and moaning over a part than can be had for a couple of dollars at TONS of local places. Even my drugstore has USB cables. Heck, I'll bet he even has one from a digital camera, music player, cell phone, etc that would work just fine. I'm running BOTH my Garmins off an old Sony digicam USB to USB mini cable.

As for Maggie and that "help" link, she sounds next to useless like the rest of Magellan's customer service. I've had my problems with them, too. Her direct quote and those textual errors are hers and hers alone...straight cut and paste:

"If you questions about your PND, I can try to answer them too; however, please be aware that I am not specialized in that department."

MaggieMagellan

Rugerkanr,

Yes, I am new and mostly work only on Smartphone. But Useless?
I don't quite believe so. I may not be specialized in the PND department but I can still help get the answers you need. I am here to help improve our customer service and work for you. So please feel free to at least ask.

rugerkahr

Ok, Maggie, sorry for the "useless" comment. But, now that you're here and offered to help, I posted this same question in another thread and never got my answer, either here OR from Magellan's on-line/email customer support, which seems to be non-existent these days. And, that's not just based on my observation... Much obliged if you can help!

Magellan SporTrak Pro: (Yes, I've already been through the manual)

When I select a waypoint to navigate to, it properly draws a straight line from my present position to the waypoint, like pretty much all GPS handhelds do. However, as I move away from my original starting point, the end of the line stays "stuck" at my original starting point still going straight to the waypoint...it never updates. It should be "pinned" to my current location/"vehicle" and update/re-draw the line as it moves away from the starting point. All of the other hiking type GPS units I've used do this automatically. In fact, I just took my Garmin 60CSx on a trip yesterday and the line from the "car" icon" to the selected waypoint updated automatically just like it should.

How do I "fix" this and have the line from current position to a selected waypoint update/re-draw? I've been through every menu setting I can find and didn't see anything. No luck on internet research, either.

MaggieMagellan

Ok, this is a outdoor question. Our Outdoor product manager is currently at a Trade show, but I forwarded him your message. He has to take a look at the product when he gets back. Its quite a old unit but he replied that the option should be on there somewhere. I will get back to you when I hear back from him.

rugerkahr

Thanks, Maggie. It shouldn't even be an "option". It should be automatic as it is with my Garmin handheld and the units I use when flying. There is NO usefulness to have a line drawn back from the waypoint to the point where the waypoint was selected and never updated to "track along" with the movement of the position/vehicle icon. It's just screen clutter. There isn't even a WAY to select something like that in every other GPS unit I've used, be it handheld, auto or glass cockpit/panel mounted.

Again, no "option". I went through ever menu and sub-menu selection looking for something relevant. Found nothing...

MaggieMagellan

Rugerkahr,

I finally was able to get the answer about your question from our outdoor product manager. He replied:

The Spotrak /Pro/Meridian GPS has two navigation options on the map screen

1. Depart to destination line

2. Position to destination line

The position to destination line is in and means you have a fix and graphically shows how far off course you are. The original depart to destination line in gray will stay constant on these units. You can change the gps to show both or just one of these lines using the display menu under map options below.

That explains why you could not find a option. I believe this was a much older unit which lacked that feature. Is the Garmin you are comparing to purchased the same time as the Sportrack? All of our current outdoor products: Magellan Triton includes that feature.

I am sorry, I know this wasn't the answer you were looking for. But please feel assured that we do care about our customers and the service we provide them. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I will try my best to address them.

Thank you.

HumVee

MaggieMagellan, thank you very much for taking the time to run down the answer to an issue that wasn't even in your department. Every company needs staff like you that is willing to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to help frustrated customers with their issues!

MTalvola

Can you please provide the exact menu steps/selections because I'm looking at my SporTrak Pro right now and not seeing any selection like that with a waypoint currently selected as a "GO TO". And, I've never had a "current position to destination" line. Just the stationary one from "depart to destination". Nothing under "customize" or "map setup" and the "format" or "display" tabs.

Then, which is it? In your first quote, you said the SporTrak Pro can display both lines and you can change the GPS to show one or both. Now, you say it's an "older unit" and lacks this feature?

No, the Garmin 60CSx was purchased last year, but it's definitely not a "new tech" unit. I believe they came out in 2005-6, but the basic 60C unit has been around for even longer than that. I purchased my SportTrak Pro in the first half of 2004. However, I have a MUCH older Lowrance (late 90's) and it does the correct thing of showing the line from current position to the waypoint. It does not "leave" the original departure point to destination line. Again, I see no usefulness for that. This isn't a "new tech versus old tech" thing.

But, thank you VERY much for your help! I look forward to your answer on this as I've had this same question/problem as the other member for a long time with my Magellan.

MaggieMagellan

HumVee,

Thank you for the kind words...but I know there is much more work I will need to do to help boost customer confidence with you guys for Magellan.

Let me introduce a little about myself. Recently hired by Magellan, I work on the product management side of smartphone. ie. Magellan Roadmate for iPhone & Magellan Premium Car Kit for iPhone/iPod Touch.

I also act as a community representative for forums and bloggers. You can find more of my activity in smartphone/apple forums.

Like I said, at Magellan we are currently striving on doing our best to improve quality and service. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions that you couldnt find an answer to.

I will try my best to get them.

MaggieMagellan

You can change what lines are displayed by accessing the display menu . Please refer to the image attached. Please let me know if that helps.


Let me clarify. I believe he asked why the lines do not move and update when he is on route. I answered that those lines do not change on the unit; rather they are static.

Attached Thumbnails

   

MTalvola

Yes, that helps...as in showing I don't have those selections on that exact same page. Only the option to "clear all" or "mark all" for just track lines and waypoints.

The line from present position to waypoint/destination (POS-DEST Line, as per the picture, which is what I'm after) should NOT be static. "Present position" is always changing when on the move and the line should be "rubber banded" from the present position to the selected waypoint. But, yes, the useless "departure point to waypoint" line would remain static because both the start AND end points do not change...and that line continues to clutter the screen...

What software version is that screen shot from and is it specifically from a SporTrak PRO, i.e. NOT a Meridian as you previously mentioned? I have Rev 3.03 dated June 24, 2002. How would I update my unit if that's the issue?

edited to add: I ask about the software version because I see that page has a "geocache" option to select. I don't think geocaching was even really around much in 2002. Or at least not very popular at all, when that old 3.03 version was released.

MaggieMagellan

MTalvola,

I believe his SS was from a SporTrak Pro ver. 5.34. You can get that update at our homepage Magellan GPS-Support

Please let me know how that turns out.

MTalvola

Hoo boy. A COM port? What's that? LOL

I have the data cable...somewhere... I've never actually used it and haven't seen it in years. I'll have to see if I can dig it up. I'll let you know if it works, but I assure you it won't be soon... I'm also not too happy that, according to the instructions, you lose all your waypoints with no way to back them up since this isn't a "drag 'n drop" type unit. I have a lot of waypoints in that thing...

Thanks for the link to the software update. That probably is the "problem".

Edited to add: Double thanks for that direct link to the firmware. I registered my SporTrak Pro and there was nothing listed for updates. Probably because it is so old.

MTalvola

Aw, forget looking for the cable. I found one for $9 on Amazon and ordered it. It said it was for the Meridian, but it looks exactly like my SporTrak cable connector did and another place that had it said it was for the SporTrak as well. So, I'll let you know if it works a lot sooner than originally predicted.

Another question, though... I downloaded the software update. Do I need any sort of driver for this GPS? It's definitely not a plug and play device. Hopefully, I won't since the instructions didn't say anything about one.

MTalvola

Sorry...yet another question now that I'm interested again in this old GPS. Does Magellan still produce any US Topographic map products that are compatible with the SporTrak Pro? I did some looking on-line, but didn't find anything.

MaggieMagellan

MTalvola,

Sorry....but that would be a negative. It is time to upgrade!! LOL. Onward to the future....have you checked out the Magellan Triton? It is pretty awesome.