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Battery failure in Garmin Forerunner 305
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The battery on my two year old Garmin Forerunner 305 failed to re-charge. It was then that I realised that the watch is a sealed unit. After seeking information on the internet on how to replace the battery ( the tool kit required includes a soldering iron, which I don't have, then you have to find a battery that fits), I finally rang Garmin on 0808 238 0000 in order to resolve the issue. (It's a freephone number).
Garmin immediately offered to replace the watch unit with a new one at a cost £58.80p. They required a credit card number and then they would e-mail me an address in Southampton to which I should send the watch. I decided that this was the most cost effective way of getting my Garmin 305 either repaired or replaced.
I appreciate that £58 is a lot of money to pay for what amounts to a failed re-chargeable battery. I have had training watches from other manufacturers and personally found that the Garmin 305 was best suited to my needs.
For me, therefore, this seemed like the cheapest option open to me to get a training watch of the same standard. (A new Garmin 305 is selling on Amazon for £289 (£133 for a used one) at time of this post)).
I hope this information is of use in the event that others have the same problem in the future.
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Comments
Peter - good advice. It's well known that Garmin will offer a fully refurbished model of your current model for a reduced price. I love my 305 and will be getting another one once it's done.
I've also heard that the delivery times and response from customer service is top notch too.
Emmy H,
So far, 5 stars for customer service plus the phone was answered almost immediately (after selecting the correct department from a recorded options menu).
I will let you know about the response times. It's the first time I have had to test them.
Vixx76 on here has just had his renewed and complimented the quick turnaround of the team.
+ 1 for Garmin's aftersales service
I have a 305 that's five years old now. A couple of years ago I was really dissapointed in it though. Like you I couldn't get it to charge, upload etc, it had started as an intermittent problem. A friend suggested I try something which they'd heard of before, change the charging base. That was the disappointment, it worked perfectly for a cost of £12, as opposed to the £300 Mrs C had signed off for a 910
On another note, Mrs C's 110 had a button disintegrate a short time outside the warranty. One phone call, and it was all sorted in a few minutes, send it in and they'll replace it. Which they did turnaround straightaway.
I love Garmin.
Chimney,
I checked out Garmin's FAQ's and tried a few things with my Garmin ie a soft reboot, before deciding the watch battery was dud. I also tried the charging cradle from my wife's 305. Didn't help either.
Having said that, the charging cradle fault is useful to know as another possibilty to eliminate before changing the watch. Thanks for the info.
I just moved up to a 310. £150 online. 305 prices have gone crazy online.
Too right James. When I bought my 305 from Amazon in August 2011, the cost was £98. I know this after checking my purchase record on Amazon. I was flabbergasted to see that it had gone up by almost £200 in the space of 2 years. Mind you, if people are prepared to pay that kind of money for a 305................