Garmin says *!$# U to customers!

I spoke with Garmin today. In the past, you could buy topo maps and install them on your unit. When you upgraded, you removed your maps and installed them on your new unit. NO LONGER. Garmin has now locked all maps to one serial number. If you buy maps, they are permanently locked to one serial number and they are lost to you if you sell that unit to upgrade. When questioned, Garmin simply says:

Unfortuneatly, mapping products do not transfer to newer units. You would need to purchase new mapping for each unit you have.
Please let me know if you have any further questions.
With Best Regards,
Amy Ch.
Product Support Specialist
2nd Shift Outdoor/Fitness Team
Garmin International
913-397-8200
800-800-1020
913-440-8280 (fax) Att: Amy Ch., Associate #6013
www.garmin.com
Additional solutions may be found at http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/us/support/searchsupport


I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER GARMIN PRODUCT!!!

Have you tried calling and talking to them? I recently replaced a Zumo unit that I had purchased Life Time Maps for and Garmin transferred my subscription to the new unit. All it took was me asking the lady...

Garmin maps are cheaper than they've ever been, so I don't mind buying new ones when I upgrade my gps units, which is not very often...

Don't get angry....it is just Garmin's way of ensuring they they continue to keep share holders happy.......particularly facing growing technological competitors in cell phones and Google, Microsoft and Apple...............to quote TE Lawrence (one of my personal heros) "sometimes the easiest way across a square is with two steps".

While I am not advocating bypassing the system, I am simply stating there are ways to do it. Orwellian tactics by both governments and companies to try to control everything will be ultimately fail as people will find ways to move forward the way they want to ..........and not necessarily the way they are told.

Don't give up, Garmin has some good stuff.........just find a way around the "square" and maybe Garmin will find out that alienating loyal customers is just not a good way to do business if they want to keep loyal customers.

To an identical replacement unit, presumably... Or if it was a very recent lifetime map purchase.

I thought the topo map were not locked to a specific unit, only the road maps lick CityNav. Have you tried or just asked?

Bruce

I don't understand the beef??? You buy a map and install it on you machine. When you sell your old machine you also sell the map. You take the money and buy another machine and a new map. GH

I gave up on this company when sold me a $1000 system that was supposed to also play music over Bluetooth (the BMW-branded Navigator IV). Turns out they cheaped out on their Bluetooth hardware so all music sounds like hell. Their customer service rep informed me it really wasn't intended for that. I then asked why they put it as one of the main bullet points on the box? He went and checked the box to be sure, and then played tried to play logic games and make suggestions that I'd previously indicated did not or would not solve the problem.

I avoid all consumer products from Garmin whenever possible. Regrettably it really isn't possible for motorcycle navigation. Hence why they could give a rats arse about what you or I think of them.

There are so many better options for music on a bike that I'm not surprised Garmin didn't make the Zumo play music better. Most people couldn't give a rat's arse if their gps plays music as long as it's a good gps.

My iPhone and Scala G4 play music amazingly well together.

I ususally don't post in the "Garmin Sux" threads. There is usually one every couple months for a variety of reasons.

The mapping ones are usually the most interesting, though. Usually the same complaint "I bought a locked product, unlocked it to a unit, and now I can't use it on another".

The short of it is that when you bought the maps, the terms clearly said what you could and couldn't do with the data. The terms said the data was licensed to one unit. Garmin will usually allow moving a licensed map product to a unit they replace, but other than that, they stick to their license.

LOL, can you imagine if other manufacturers did the same thing. Sorry, but that $1200 copy of Adobe CS 5 is only good on the PC you originally installed it on, you want to install it on a newly bought upgraded PC, you're gonna have to shell out another $1200.

Garmin City Navigator doesn't cost $1200, it costs $75.

http://www.gpscity.com/garmin-city-navigator-north-america-and-mexico-nt-dvd-2013.html

What's the big deal?

Besides, isn't that how Adobe's licencing works? It's only to one computer unless you have a site license in my experience. Fortunately the college I sometimes work for has a site license.

The original copies of the map products were either open licensing (Roads & Rec, Topo) or allowed two units to be licensed (City Select) and cost a lot more than the current products.

So, the price has dropped, and the usage is more limited. Which would you rather have?

You do know that in a few years all this will not matter. Google, Apple and Microsoft are all battling to produce free products that will allow people to navigate when and where they want to http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/9744034.stm

Do you really think the current Garmin business model of charging and recharging the customer for every map and upgrade will last when you can get free off-line map and aerial and 3-D services from Google, Apple or Microsoft?

Don't get me wrong I like the Garmin stuff - I know how to use it and for the most part I can make it work, but I do not think their current business model will be able to withstand the pressure from the tech giants ..........................and customer loyalty (of a few on this forum anyways) will only go so far.

Perhaps you could look at an additional storage chip and save the data to that chip instead of using the on board storage

I think this will happen first, before Google, Apple and Microsoft comes out with acceptable, read rugged and waterproof, devices to match Garmin's hardware.

Hard core loyalist!

Making a piece of hardware waterproof and rugged is the easy part



it is the images, maps and mapping software where they will loose out............just ask Blackberry about trying to run a business on brand loyalty alone.

Sticks and stones... but I've already got a great gps with decent maps at reasonable prices so a pie in the sky (or a pig) doesn't make me salivate.

Don't get me wrong there nothing wrong with being a hard core loyalist ..........it just branding never worked for me and I am always open to new ideas and ways of doing things.

For example cars/motorcyles.....let's see I have owned Toyota (2), GMC, Isuzu (2), Subaru, Nissan, BMW, Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki..........................and I can tell you with first hand experience they all need repairs!

I have NO brand loyalty what so ever, .........although I do prefer coke, but I will drink pepsi too!......just like........... I like Garmin, but if something better comes along - I'm gone!

Oh......um I guess my one and only wonderful wife is the exception to my NO-Branding rule!

I can't disagree.