Garmin

PeggyGPeggyG ✭✭✭
Just wondering what everyone's experience is with Garmin? They seem to be the go-to running watch brand so I assume they're generally ok BUT.... I've had mine just 2 years, if even that. They've already replaced it once as the gps was all over the place. Now it is completely dead. It will charge to 100% but when I try to use it then it won't switch on. I've contacted their customer services who fair play came back straight away but they're offering a replacement for £77 which will take up to 10 days to arrive. They don't even make that model any more. It strikes me that I'd be better off paying a bit extra for a brand new watch but given that this was my first experience with Garmin I'm not feeling inspired to go with them again....
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Comments

  • SHADESSHADES ✭✭✭✭
    Peggy - maybe you've just been unlucky with your watch.   I've been using Garmins for years and never had a problem at all, I've heard their customer services are very good and efficient.  Just about all my running friends use Garmin too.

    My car satnav is from TomTom and I had reason to contact their customer services and that incident has ensured I will never buy another TomTom product.
  • PeggyG, I have a Forerunner 235 and is by far the best GPS watch I've brought, I did have a charging problem at one point but I did a reset and all was working fine after. Sorry to hear you are having problems, just bad luck I guess.
  • GipfelGipfel ✭✭✭
    Peggy, although I've had mixed experiences myself, I'd still recommend Garmin. My first two watches had known bugs (charging problem and reboot loop when starting activity, respectively) - both worked brilliantly when they weren't playing up, and I eventually fixed the reboot loop (didn't have so much luck with the charging problem, which kept returning intermittently). It definitely did cause some frustration. I eventually splashed out on the Forerunner 935, which I've had for >18 months without even the tiniest issue (GPS is absolutely excellent - always quick to lock on and accurate), and I love it. I've also heard very good things about the 235 mentioned above. I wonder if the newer models suffer less from weird bugs, as I've only seen positive comments about the 235, 935, etc... 
  • Peggy - I had the same problem with my Forerunner 920 - turned out to be a damaged charging unit. Bought a new charger off Amazon for 20 quid - been fine since.
  • Hi, does anyone happen to know anywhere around coventry that I can go and see some garmin watches before I buy one? I have been looking at the 735xt as i am doing my first marathon at the end of the this year. Any help would be great
  • YnnecYnnec ✭✭✭
    Hi, does anyone happen to know anywhere around coventry that I can go and see some garmin watches before I buy one? I have been looking at the 735xt as i am doing my first marathon at the end of the this year. Any help would be great
    https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/dealerlocator

    Suggests Maplins, but that's been gone for a while.

    Are you concerned with functionality or aesthetics? If it's the former, DC Rainmaker is the way forward:

    https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-reviews/garmin

    Good luck.


  • I recently visited a specialist outdoor sport shop, which sold various brands and incarnations of GPS devices. When I asked about which GPS watch to buy, it was pointed out to me that literally every employee working in the shop had a Garmin Fenix. Arguably this is a high end watch, however it was reassuring to hear that Garmin were being used and abused without a problem. I bought a Vivoactive and am very happy with it, with no problems so far.
  • I've got the Fenix (I treated myself a couple of years ago) and I am very pleased with it. It's easy to use and the display is clear, an absolute must when running and not having 20/20 vision. The ability to set up workouts is a real bonus. And it locks on to GPS a lot quicker than my previous Garmin. I now no longer have to hold my arm out as if waiting for a falcon to land.

    The only minor issue is the recent bug that meant it was doing a software update daily. But as this only takes a minute it's not too onerous.
  • ^^^ what Guarddog said.
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