Garmin Australia backhole

[zzkazu]

My Garmin Edge failed 4 months after purchase, sent it in to Garmin and since getting an email that it was received there has been no contact. All phone calls end up in the Philippines and the Australian number 0288826100 is disconnected.

2 weeks in the black hole.. not sure how to contact the Australian side of the operation.

[Summernight]

I'm assuming you've also tried the contact number they list on their site:

1 800 235 822

http://www.garmin.com/au/support/warranty" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Maybe try contacting through these avenues:

http://www.garmin.com/au/company/contact_us/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good luck!

[zzkazu]

Yes thats the one that takes you to the philippines..

[im_no_pro]

Yes thats the one that takes you to the philippines..

And what did they say?

[zzkazu]

They will escalate within australia, but that was like a week ago...

[im_no_pro]

They will escalate within australia, but that was like a week ago...

Maybe get in touch with the retailer you brought it from and ask them to contact their rep?

[jacks1071]

Why didn't you let the place of purchase handle the warranty for you?

[zzkazu]

I thought that would be just another layer, as they would have to send it to Garmin to ascertain the issue...

[Baalzamon]

I had a problem with my Garmin Edge 705. The rubber knob had started to tear so it was no longer waterproof. Sent it back to Garmin Aus and after 2 weeks I rang them, they promised 1 week they would get back to me. 1 week later hadn't heard anything so I rang them again and they still hadn't looked at it... I then told them I needed it back urgently as I'm off on bike tour in 2 weeks time and lo and behold the following week I got a brand new unit.

[wombatK]

I thought that would be just another layer, as they would have to send it to Garmin to ascertain the issue...

You've discovered why consumer law makes the retailer responsible for your statutory warranty, and why you shouldn't let the retailer
fob you off to the manufacturer - much less to his local agents.

Your experience is a good reason to not put much value on local Garmin warranty - I found it just as useless wrt failures with an
Edge 705 I once owned.

FWIW, if you had proceeded via your retailer, you must allow them a reasonable time to effect repairs if they don't elect to replace
the failed item. Reasonable is hard to define, but consumer affairs staff once advised me that anything over 6 weeks might put the
retailer in a difficult to defend position. So your 2 weeks might be within the reasonable time frame.

Cheers

[zzkazu]

Something has greased the rails (this site?). Just been informed I'm getting a replacement.

[Summernight]

Something has greased the rails (this site?). Just been informed I'm getting a replacement.

Haha... Good to hear!

[trailgumby]

That's how they normally handle "repairs".

[im_no_pro]

That's how they normally handle "repairs".

possibly someone elses defective unit that has since been repaired.

[jcjordan]

Garmin do not do repairs in Australia.

All units are refurbished replacements.

Quite often the delay in getting your repair or warranty replacement is waiting on stock

Sent from my GT-I9305T using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[Xplora]

Depending on the gear, refurb replacement isn't necessarily a bad thing; you get a fully functioning unit a lot faster that way. But wombatK is right ; you spend extra in Australia for warranty support, not because you're a nice bloke. Garmin Oz is cutting their own throat because the gear is cheaper in the UK

[queequeg]

My Garmin 500 got bricked (out of warranty) by the 3.0 Firmware Upgrade. Garmin Australia swapped it for a refurb unit for $159, which was cheaper than a new unit.
My original Garmin was bought from the UK, but was a gift so either way I had no receipt.
I have left the refurb unit on the 2.x firmware. Not risking another bricking!

[RonK]

My Garmin 500 got bricked (out of warranty) by the 3.0 Firmware Upgrade. Garmin Australia swapped it for a refurb unit for $159, which was cheaper than a new unit.

They suggested that to me too when my Edge 305 started resetting on every decent bump.

Why should you have to pay for a problem caused by them? For me it was bye-bye Garmin. Forever.

[queequeg]

My Garmin 500 got bricked (out of warranty) by the 3.0 Firmware Upgrade. Garmin Australia swapped it for a refurb unit for $159, which was cheaper than a new unit.

They suggested that to me too when my Edge 305 started resetting on every decent bump.

Why should you have to pay for a problem caused by them? For me it was bye-bye Garmin. Forever.

True, but I was given no other option as they don't do repairs. It took them 4 weeks to swap it over. They were upset I had not purchased it locally. I asked whether that mattered given it was not in warranty anyway. They treat Australian purchased units the same way (as an inconvenience?).
Other than the firmware bricking the device is fine (except for the courses feature, which does not work!)

[Dr_Mutley]

I just returned my 510 for warranty which I purchased from wiggle and had no problems. Only problem I had is they took 6 weeks and were piss poor with their communication...

[Aushiker]

All units are refurbished replacements.

Does anyone know how this fits with Australian Consumer Law? I have a Garmin Oregon 600 which is going back (endless of problems) and it is less than a month old. I am not interested in receiving a refurbished replacement.

Andrew

[zzkazu]

Having received mine, it looks/smells/tastes all new; FMW 3.2.

[im_no_pro]

All units are refurbished replacements.

Does anyone know how this fits with Australian Consumer Law? I have a Garmin Oregon 600 which is going back (endless of problems) and it is less than a month old. I am not interested in receiving a refurbished replacement.

Andrew

Short answer: yes they are entitled to, although if your unit is less than a month old I would be going back through the retailer and looking for an exchange for a new one under DOA. There is no specific timeline for what is classed DOA (we operate on different timelines for different suppliers but most are ~14 days) but worth a shot.

[m@]

All units are refurbished replacements.

Does anyone know how this fits with Australian Consumer Law? I have a Garmin Oregon 600 which is going back (endless of problems) and it is less than a month old. I am not interested in receiving a refurbished replacement.

Andrew

IMO provided that the issues are "major" (defined at the page below), you're entitled to claim a refund from the retailer if it develops these issues within what you'd reasonably expect to be the lifetime of the product. This page provides a good summary of the ACL requirements for retailers.

It's pretty common for retailers to pressure customers to rely on the manufacturer's warranty - in which case it's up to the manufacturer what terms and conditions they offer. But they can't compel you to claim against this warranty or refuse to honour their obligations because of it.

[im_no_pro]

Good points from Matt, I was posting on the fly earlier so probably want overly clear. Garmin are entitled to replace with refurb, which has nothing to do with ACL. ACL covers relationship between the customer and the retailer, not the manufacturer. The retailer can also replace with refurbed units/parts but must advise you (my bold):

Under the Australian Consumer Law, businesses accepting goods for repair must provide consumers with repair notices when:
the goods being repaired are capable of retaining user-generated data, for example, mobile phones, computers, portable music players and other similar electronic goods
it is the repairer’s practice to supply refurbished goods rather than repair defective goods, or to use refurbished parts in the repair of defective goods.

The consumer must receive the repair notice in writing before the goods are accepted by the business for repair.