Garmin flat rate repair/ replace review

cavmedic

cavmedic

Line Up and Wait
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Dec 12, 2011
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602
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Pottstown Pa
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Qamakazi
I recently purchased a used 560 and it went belly up a month after. After contacting Garmin , they suggested to send it back for the $400.00 flat rate repair. So after just spending $1250 for the unit used, now I have to drop another $400.00 to have a functioning unit.

All in all , the service was ok , they did have a refurbished replacement sent to me within a week.

The pro: I now have a factory refurbished unit, for the price of a bran new unit MINUS current maps :mad:

The Con: The maps I just updated died with the old unit and I can't re download them because they were last cycle :mad::mad:

Been on hold for over 20 minutes as of this message to square this away:mad2:
 
Last edited:
It looks as if they are going to grant me the updates. I have to finish updating the firmware and then see if it allows me to download the updates....


You would think they would take care of this prior to sending the unit to the customer , along with registering the new serial number.
 
Garmin's flat rate repair policy sucks...

...plain and simple.

I have a $50 problem w/ my 496 that they want $400 (or is it $500?) to fix. It's not a debilitating problem so, until it becomes so, I'll just live with it.
 
I dont work for Garmin and i understand the frustration with the flat fee when you have an inexpensive repair. On the flip side it is nice when you have a really expensive repair but it only costs you $400.
 
My issue was that it shut off on me but would not turn back on . I tried 4 different mounts, new battery , every possible combination I could. It was really my only option at that point.

But in the grand scheme , I got the bundled update that was about 400 bucks when I called them back. So all in all , I guess it turned out ok.


You could scavenge ebay for non working units , send em in , and resell them and make some coin I guess. The refurbs are only warrantied for 90 days though.


I would rate my experience an 8/10.
 
timwinters said:
Garmin's flat rate repair policy sucks...

...plain and simple.

I have a $50 problem w/ my 496 that they want $400 (or is it $500?) to fix. It's not a debilitating problem so, until it becomes so, I'll just live with it.
Click to expand...


I dont know if they have different rate fees for different units. The 560 was $400 though. Maybe the older units are less...
 
What's the age of your 496?

timwinters said:
Garmin's flat rate repair policy sucks...

...plain and simple.

I have a $50 problem w/ my 496 that they want $400 (or is it $500?) to fix. It's not a debilitating problem so, until it becomes so, I'll just live with it.
Click to expand...
 
Garmin care. Nice. My company flies 206s in Indonesia and the humidity eats up our 430w's all the time. Personally I wish we could move to something different, but the 430s still are one of, if not the nicest units for pilots.

We have had screen failures, internal battery failures and all other failures. Some of them have not been worth the flat fee at all. For others the flat fee is a steal. FWI, the panel mount gps flat fee is about the same as the handheld flat fee.
 
What is the warranty period for a new unit?

cavmedic said:
I recently purchased a used 560 and it went belly up a month after. After contacting Garmin , they suggested to send it back for the $400.00 flat rate repair. So after just spending $1250 for the unit used, now I have to drop another $400.00 to have a functioning unit.

All in all , the service was ok , they did have a refurbished replacement sent to me within a week.

The pro: I now have a factory refurbished unit, for the price of a bran new unit MINUS current maps :mad:

The Con: The maps I just updated died with the old unit and I can't re download them because they were last cycle :mad::mad:

Been on hold for over 20 minutes as of this message to square this away:mad2:
Click to expand...
 
cavmedic said:
I dont know if they have different rate fees for different units. The 560 was $400 though. Maybe the older units are less...
Click to expand...

They do. The flat rate on my 396 was $100 less than my 496. It's $100 more than my 496 for my GNC 300XL...it's $600 IIRC.

@ Wayne. My 496 is about 2007...2008 vintage.
 
My GMA audio panel went tits up. By the time you add the price of the flat rate repair on the thing (in this case 1/3 of the cost of a NEW unit) plus the expedited freight charges (AOG in this case) it was easier to just buy a new one.

Garmin Olathe SUCKS.
 
PS engineering makes a direct slide in replacement for the gma340. It is just a paperwork change. For an extra couple bucks you can get it with bluettoth as well. I am trying to convince my management to try them out. They have a 3 year warranty and the flat rate repair is 200 i believe. The model is the PMA8000.
 
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