YetiFan Posted April 20, 2012 Posted April 20, 2012 I have nothing but praise for Garmin SA's service, after changing from Polar many years back (due to the fact that every time you have to change the battery on a polar you had to wait for weeks to get the unit back!) I had a Garmin FR 405 that had a fault with the touch bezel. Took it into Garmin SA who replaced it free of charge with a brand new unit, sealed box with HR strap, Ant stick and charger - shipped to me at their expense. Not sure exactly how old it was, but think it was over 12 months. One of the best customer experiences I've had in SA :-) About the non-removable battery - same goes these days for most high-end cell-phones (iPhone, Nokia N8, etc.). Can be frustrating if the battery goes, but as far as I'm aware, this is not a common issue I fully understand your frustration at being put on hold for 10 minutes - although friday afternoon is never a good time to try to get through to call centres in SA...
Agteros Posted April 20, 2012 Posted April 20, 2012 (edited) Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the 405 cx rechargeable? That would mean that replacing the battery would be an incredibly labour intensive job, not as simple as changing a cellphone battery. But yeah, at R 900 it is a bit steep....Yes, 405 and 405CX has a rechargeable battery. Mine's (bought second hand a few years ago) battery is starting to act up. R900 might not be steep for a whole new watch My parent's GPS battery died. They took it to Garmin who then replaced it with a bigger unit with more features, including new maps, for just over R1000. Good/bad service? I'd say GOOD! Edited April 20, 2012 by heman
FanieFiets Posted April 20, 2012 Author Posted April 20, 2012 Will send it in and see what they say. Like I said, we received different answers phoning in. Will give a update. otherwise there is always this option: :devil:
FanieFiets Posted April 20, 2012 Author Posted April 20, 2012 oh, where is the topic on how to change a heading so that I can make it sound less aggressive? Some of the replies are a bit protective and it wasn't my intention to illicit defensive posts.
Agteros Posted April 20, 2012 Posted April 20, 2012 oh, where is the topic on how to change a heading so that I can make it sound less aggressive? Some of the replies are a bit protective and it wasn't my intention to illicit defensive posts.Edit your first post, click "full editor" and change topic
George Nel Posted April 20, 2012 Posted April 20, 2012 I HAVE owned 2 Polars and still owns 2 Garmins!Garmin all the way
Tankman Posted April 20, 2012 Posted April 20, 2012 Yup Garmin all the way! I have had my fair share of issues with Garmin (do a search and you'll see), mainly design flaws in earlier models. But that has been sorted and every time I walked away with a new unit, sealed in box! Sorry Fanie I know you don't want this to be a Polar vs Garmin war but Polar with their old Sonar/Infra red outdated technology is reason enough for me to stay well clear of their send-it-in-to-have-your-battery-replaced units
Agteros Posted April 20, 2012 Posted April 20, 2012 I HAVE owned 2 Polars and still owns 2 Garmins!Garmin all the wayyup, I owned a Polar and now owns 2 Garmins. Waiting for battery changes were really the pits. I understand that with some newer Polar units the owner can change the battery self. However, I won't go back, the Garmins are just so much more configurable than the S720i I had.
Tankman Posted April 20, 2012 Posted April 20, 2012 Yup Garmin all the way! I have had my fair share of issues with Garmin (do a search and you'll see), mainly design flaws in earlier models. But that has been sorted and every time I walked away with a new unit, sealed in box! Sorry Fanie I know you don't want this to be a Polar vs Garmin war but Polar with their old Sonar/Infra red outdated technology is reason enough for me to stay well clear of their send-it-in-to-have-your-battery-replaced units
TCRCARBON Posted April 20, 2012 Posted April 20, 2012 Garmin all the way. Sent my mom's polar for a battery change in the last week of feb and after blowing my fuse got it back on 11th April! They blamed it on their "busy" season. I was told that training staff would take up the time of the rest of the workers who were under pressure. Then I was told i can change the battery myself. When I asked about the warranty I was told it would not necessarily void it but it might depending on how I change it. Have since bought a Garmin Edge 800 and won a Forerunner 210. Garmin call centre helped me greatly to get base maps sorted on the 800. I was phoned back by the call centre tech guy - Gift on several occasions. The unit works a treat! I have been really happy with both the product and the service I have had from Garmin.
awesme Posted April 20, 2012 Posted April 20, 2012 GARMIN I've had my E500 for just under a year now, awesome! Their tech support is also very friend and prompt on returns, remember this is a world wide mail box. I've just of of little problems from others about other problems, I'm yet to hear about anything regarding a Garmin. (also have a unit in the care, same experience, it just works) G
scotty Posted April 20, 2012 Posted April 20, 2012 Mixed experience from Garmin, bad started with my Edge 305 where i was given conflicting reasons for the unit cutting out. They claimed not to be aware of the problem despite many forums including the Garmin forum discussing it, then i was told a SW upgrade will sort it out, which it did not. By the time i eventually got them to acknowledge there was a problem the unit was out of warranty and they offered me a discount on either another 305 or upgrade to 705 which i opted for. The good was my Nuvi car unit which occasionally froze, they swapped it with a more expensive model at no cost.
GhostRider2 Posted April 20, 2012 Posted April 20, 2012 I have a Polar only because of Discovery. I hate it. Today the HRM isn't picking up, tomorrow it's the cadence. I sold Garmins for a few years and found their service first class. Surprised okes battle with service. They were certainly a very arrogent company to deal with, but they did deliver.
FanieFiets Posted April 20, 2012 Author Posted April 20, 2012 Back on the battery issue. I change my the battery on my polar myself. R 20-00 and 5 minutes. Only tool needed a 5c. I do have a Nokia N8 and its battery cant be changed. I however do not intend to use it for longer than 2 years. To get back to the issue, and i'm not attacking Garmin so stop defending it so vigorously, who of you knew that the battery cant be replaced?
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