GPSFileDepot.com
 

News:

Welcome to GPSFileDepot!

Main Menu

Any GOOD experiences with Garmin refurb units?

Started by hwstock, July 18, 2013, 03:51:39 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

hwstock

My 62stc had the power button fail after 15 months of use -- purely mechanical, it just started requiring harder and harder presses to turn on the unit.  I could still communicate with the unit via the USB connection.

I've known several other people who have had the same issue with recent garmin units; this just seems to be a problem of poor manufacturing and quality control.

In any case, I sent the unit in for replacement by a refurb ($110 plus shipping).  While waiting for the new unit to come back, I talked with several people who had bad experiences with Garmin refurbs.

When I got the refurb unit and turned it on, it immediately came up with "cannot unlock maps."  I called garmin, and they said this was a common problem with stc units, they forget to unlock the 100k maps that are supposed to come with a 62stc, or just corrupt the unlock code. WTF?  Don't they do the minimal, most basic checking of the unit -- e.g. making sure it turns on without errors, before sending it out? It doesn't take a genius to know there is something wrong with a unit when it displays an error message immediately upon power-up.

I've collected perhaps 5 stories from people who had serious problems with their refurb units.  Is this a remarkable coincidence, or had Garmin added unspeakably bad QA/QC to their reputation for unspeakably bad manuals?

Red90

I've never had any problems with refurb units.

Seldom

My 60CSX was replaced under warranty.  Don't know if it was a refurb, or new, but it hasn't given me any problems since.  It was definitely a different unit, because they had to give me new unlock keys for CNNANT.

alpine

I have had good luck with refurb Garmin GPS.

What I look for is a seller that is a Garmin authorized seller and the the unit has a factory warranty.

In fact I just bought a Montana 650 refurb unit, and I'll let you know how this works out.

I have been away from here for a while, but when trying to learn about a new GPS, this is the place to be.

I'm sure I'll have lots of questions for the gurus.

babj615

The majority of my new Garmin GPSr units have had issues within their warranty period, and the refurbs that replaced them are all still going strong, some many years later. You will likely now have a better GPSr than you originally purchased :)
Garmin GPSMap 60cs, Dakota 20, Colorado 400t, Oregon 300/400t/450/550t/650/650t, Montana 650, Lowrance Endura Sierra, nuvi 3790, iPhone 3G/4/4s
Geocaching ID: Atlas Cached
OpenCaching.com Ambassador