Dealing with Garmin South Africa...

[26er]

I would highly appreciate any guidance of a store which can replace a Garmin Edge 520 battery….

It doesn’t have to be an official store or carry a warranty…

Thanks!

[ChrisF]

 

Not sure any shops offer this service ... 

 

At least everything you need is on this thread.

 

@Zebra can assist on where you can source a battery for the 520

[26er]

Thanks @ChrisF

I got a lead from someone on here,

The guy charges R1k and replaces it in 3 days…happy days 😄

[capediver]

Dealing with Garmin SA...only good things experienced...

I lost the dust cap from my Edge 1040S, replacement nowhere to be found, even at main shop in Dubai, so I wrote Garmin SA to find out about stock, long delay later they responded, wanted to confirm it was the Edge 1040S, and then a week later for my address, today I got a package from them, 2 dust covers...lekka man lekka!

Thanks Alice and Lesego! Garmin SA...

[MintSauce]

I sent my old Edge 510 in via courier, which was delivered to Garmin on Monday 30 June. Received a purchase order for a new 530 this morning, at a cost of R4619.

I phoned and asked if it was possible to get a 540 instead, and the response was, you can have anything you want at 30% discount.

I stuck with the 540, the support rep said she'd update the purchase order, and I received it 2 minutes later. Paid, and hoping the shipping is as effective. Cost was R6159.

While I dislike Garmin's sweeping replace vs repair policy, in this instance getting the 30% discount to replace a 10-year-old device that is pretty much worthless, is not too bad. Doing same on e.g. a 1–2-year-old Fenix, is reprehensible on their part.

I would've loved to hang on for a 550, the launch of which is supposedly imminent, if you believe the interwebs. Even more so as I haven't needed/been using the Garmin for a few years since its issues started and I have a Galaxy Watch (a truly shite piece of kit, but that's another story).

However, I MUST have a device with proper navigation in a couple weeks' time and didn't want to risk delaying for too long. Bird in the hand and all that... 🤷‍♂️

[milky4130]

2 hours ago, MintSauce said:

I sent my old Edge 510 in via courier, which was delivered to Garmin on Monday 30 June. Received a purchase order for a new 530 this morning, at a cost of R4619.

I phoned and asked if it was possible to get a 540 instead, and the response was, you can have anything you want at 30% discount.

I stuck with the 540, the support rep said she'd update the purchase order, and I received it 2 minutes later. Paid, and hoping the shipping is as effective. Cost was R6159.

While I dislike Garmin's sweeping replace vs repair policy, in this instance getting the 30% discount to replace a 10-year-old device that is pretty much worthless, is not too bad. Doing same on e.g. a 1–2-year-old Fenix, is reprehensible on their part.

I would've loved to hang on for a 550, the launch of which is supposedly imminent, if you believe the interwebs. Even more so as I haven't needed/been using the Garmin for a few years since its issues started and I have a Galaxy Watch (a truly shite piece of kit, but that's another story).

However, I MUST have a device with proper navigation in a couple weeks' time and didn't want to risk delaying for too long. Bird in the hand and all that... 🤷‍♂️

More than I would’ve expected, unless you got the full bundle, HRM & sensors, mounts?

[Dogs]

Also a positive experience on my side.

Unit died (deep sleep) over the weekend,  Unsuccessfully tried all Google remedies without any luck.

Being in Pretoria, decided to do a quick lunchtime trip to Rosebank on Monday to drop of unit which was still under warranty (540 Solar less than 2 years old).

Received NIL invoice on Tuesday and when I came home on Wednesday afternoon the replacement unit had been delivered.

Can't fault that.

[IceCreamMan]

1 hour ago, Dogs said:

Also a positive experience on my side.

Unit died (deep sleep) over the weekend,  Unsuccessfully tried all Google remedies without any luck.

Being in Pretoria, decided to do a quick lunchtime trip to Rosebank on Monday to drop of unit which was still under warranty (540 Solar less than 2 years old).

Received NIL invoice on Tuesday and when I came home on Wednesday afternoon the replacement unit had been delivered.

Can't fault that.

The cost per unit on Garmin products is probably very low. It’s the intel and development costs that are the biggest expense I reckon. 
 

easier to offer replacements than haggle. Garmin know they have you for life. Most Garmin folks will not move to another brand as loyalty is fairly high. 
 

 

[MintSauce]

On 11/27/2025 at 4:44 PM, IceCreamMan said:

The cost per unit on Garmin products is probably very low. It’s the intel and development costs that are the biggest expense I reckon. 
 

easier to offer replacements than haggle. Garmin know they have you for life. Most Garmin folks will not move to another brand as loyalty is fairly high. 
 

 

Is it loyalty or a matter of having us by the you know what?

I'm in a situation now where I want to replace my Galaxy watch. For health tracking, I want it to be on the same platform as my cycling head unit. I don't like a watch on my arm when cycling, and I find mounting a watch on the bar is not a good solution, meaning the easiest solution is a watch and head unit from the same manufacturer. 

Now, throw in the not small issue of Discovery Vitality, and you understand why Garmin has me exactly where they want me. 

This is obviously a Discovery issue as much as it is a Garmin issue, but I have absolutely zero loyalty to either of them.