Garmin Suck!

Rasher

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After putting up with my Garmin regularly crashing, refusing to give voice directions when it could not be bothered, sending me around in circles etc. I decided to fully update it.

As I like the built in MP3 player and audio out lead missing on all newer units I spent £50 to update maps and all software / firmware, what a mistake :blast

Of course I cannot remember my username / password - unfortunately to reset it you need both username and E-Mail, as these days you need a username and password to have a piss I cannot remember every account I setup over the last 10 years...

Normally I save the registration E-mail, but can't find that either, so I setup a new account.. and discover why I cannot find my details as Garmin do not E-Mail you confirmation of setting up an account.

Anyway I now use my new account to buy the latest maps - no problem, it picks up my device and tells me what maps to buy...

Of course it does not work "Unable to build Maps" is all I get from the update, some blurb about clearing the temporary data area - but without actually telling you where they f***** store it.

A bit of googling later I have deleted all Garmin data from the PC, updated all my PC Garmin software and started again - same error.

I spend ages typing in the details on the support page only to find it refuses to take the message unless your logged in - although it only "recommends" you log on.

Now I am logged on and go about reporting my issue, other than it appears I do not have any Garmin products - it could sure see my device when they wanted to charge me £50 for a map update, but now I have an issue I don't have any registered devices.

What an utter sham of a company, I have requested a refund, which I am sure they will not provide, but I did have the sense to pay by credit card so will log a complaint with them and refuse to pay for the faulty update.

Anyone recommend any decent alternatives - I do however really want a built in MP3 player and audio out socket.
 
Never had a problem with 550, 660 or loading software/maps :nenau

The 660 does have a cable output for audio - its one of the cables in the loom from the mount and the unit itself has another output for a 3.5mm connector.
 
Call 'em: 0808 238 0000...they are usually very helpful (but you'll have to wait until Monday 8:30am). I won't defend Garmin as I have had some very frustrating times with updates but, sadly, I don't think there's anything better out there.
 
E. Buygum said:
Call 'em: 0808 238 0000...they are usually very helpful (but you'll have to wait until Monday 8:30am). I won't defend Garmin as I have had some very frustrating times with updates but, sadly, I don't think there's anything better out there.
Click to expand...


personally ive never had an issue with garmin or the update :thumb

but if your issue's are that bad get on the bloody phone and talk to a human being :green gri
 
+1. My Garmin's absolutely crap. Updates are a nightmare & some of the routes it suggests are absolutely bloody ridiculous.

For a forthcoming trip to Europe I had to manually add the hotels I'm staying at (Ibis/Campaniles so not exactly unknown/family run), then manually plot the most sensible routes & xfer them onto my NAVI III.

I also have 2 dogs. Fortunately they don't expect me to bark for them.
 
I'll guess you have a 550 or 660 in which case try having a look here:

http://www.zumoforums.com/index.php

The updates are typical developer induced troubles, get it working and stable, but then introduce a bug that means you have to stop supporting it, and introduce new software that hasn't been fully beta tested, and repeat, and repeat :mad:
 
I'm a bod that uses maps primarily, with gps as a backup enhancement

Don't be a slave to the gps & you'll be ok

They are not perfect
 
I have found my 660 excellent but I always use it alongside maps (and a good deal of common sense). I had the Quest 1 when it was first out so have been using Garmin for years and updating regularly without any problems...until 2013.41 which was a bloody awful experience...watch out, it can happen to anyone!

I have years of stored tracks, routes and points of interest all over Europe. One of the handiest features is "Where am I" to save your current location...a nice road, café or view or whatever...so you can easily go back to it another day. Wouldn't be without it but wouldn't rely on it, either.
 
To me Garmin appear to be a company which take little notice of owner/user feedback.

It appears to me they say ....."this is the way we do it, this is the way it is and if you don't like it then go elsewhere."

I queried with them not having big enough hard drives fitted to their units to allow for reasonable future upgrading of mapping. I was told "we don't do that with our units". I already knew that hence me complaining about it. :rolleyes:

On the other hand Fuji are completely different as a company as can be seen from their response to customer feedback and the development of their current X range of cameras.

Sadly though.........they are yet to make Satnav's! :blast
 
Their support folk sent me another Useless App :D

I am learning about these devices via trial and error - which seems easier than using their instructions :blast

It now tells me to put a card bigger than 1.8GB in, yet I have an empty 4GB card in the Garmin already.

I think it refuses to install maps anywhere other than the main units memory - but still tries to get you to buy a card that won't help.

Next up it offers a choice of maps, none of which are any good, I can have huge swathes of far flung Eastern European countries that must take up more space than what I need, but I cannot Choose UK / France / Germany / Switzerland / Austria.

The whole system is shite, I had much better software on my Nokia Navigator from Circa 2007, this allowed me to upload the sections of maps I wanted, rather than a few poorly chosen options of some bloke in an office somewhere in the US of A.

I would also have the problem of if I were to find a region for this years holiday (France / Germany / Austria) then decide to go to Spain next year I would have to pay for another download, despite having paid for all of Europe this time.

I have once again requested a refund from Garmin, of course they will try to fob me off with more hoops to jump through, but I will just pass the issue across to my credit card company and not pay for this rubbish.

Thinking of a Nav-Man, no concerns over upgrading maps as they are so cheap you can just throw the unit away and buy a new one - much as I hate this sort of waste it seems to me both Tom-Tom and Garmin have a terrible attitude to customers and neither deserve my hard earned dosh both being expensive, arrogant organisations who seem to think the customer is always wrong and will always pay whatever they ask for whatever they decide to provide.

I look forward to seeing them both bankrupt some time soon.
 
Rasher said:
It now tells me to put a card bigger than 1.8GB in, yet I have an empty 4GB card in the Garmin already.
Click to expand...

That might be the trouble. It requires a directory called "Garmin" on it to put the map .img into.
 
Schtum said:
User error. :blast
Click to expand...

Whilst Schtum's reply may seem uncharitable I can't help but agree.

Admittedly getting to grips with the way that Garmin provide mapping updates isn't plain sailing which isn't helped by their instance on changing the way you're supposed to do it at least once a year. However, there is a wealth of knowledge on this site that should get you sorted. You need to approach the task in a calm and rational way. Your opening post is something of a rant and as such likely to dissuade some from offering to help you out.

The best approach would be to use the older map updater rather than the rather fickle new kid on the block, AKA Garmin Express. The link is to the PC version.

Slowly go though the initial screens of the install, about the forth one in there will a an 'install options' button at bottom left. Clicking that will provide the choice of updating just the GPS, the GPS and PC or just the PC. It should recognise the fact that you have an SD card in your GPS and offer to install mapping there.

If all else fails just install to your PC and then use MapInstall to put mapping onto your SD card, or the selected tiles that you need onto the Zumo's internal memory.

Water under the bridge but might help others reading this thread; Did you buy a lifetime update or just a one off? The lifetime update can be had from Handtec for £50 which is what you pay Garmin directly for the one off update.
 
Bumpkin said:
Whilst Schtum's reply may seem uncharitable I can't help but agree.
Click to expand...

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for life.

My generosity knows no bounds.........:thumb
 
Bumpkin said:
Whilst Schtum's reply may seem uncharitable I can't help but agree.


The best approach would be to use the older map updater rather than the rather fickle new kid on the block, AKA Garmin Express. The link is to the PC version.

Slowly go though the initial screens of the install, about the forth one in there will a an 'install options' button at bottom left. Clicking that will provide the choice of updating just the GPS, the GPS and PC or just the PC. It should recognise the fact that you have an SD card in your GPS and offer to install mapping there.

If all else fails just install to your PC and then use MapInstall to put mapping onto your SD card, or the selected tiles that you need onto the Zumo's internal memory.

Water under the bridge but might help others reading this thread; Did you buy a lifetime update or just a one off? The lifetime update can be had from Handtec for £50 which is what you pay Garmin directly for the one off update.
Click to expand...

doesnt work im afraid, you end up with garmin express after a warning that this gps is not eligable for update as a previous version was not installed:nenau
 
Not quite user error - it will work, but the instructions are useless and the application poorly written.

It implied there is no room and offers a selection of smaller (but for me ultimately useless maps)

I did wonder if I could squeeze on a slightly smaller map if I could just get rid of a few odd files from the units memory (other voices / instruction or help files etc) however when you select any map shown in red (i.e. you do not have space) you cannot see the coverage as abig warning pops up about insufficient space, but I wanted to see it so continued past the warning and Bingo....

Not only could I now see the coverage area, I had the option of installing onto my memory card.

I do not see why the application could not:-

* Scan the unit and ask if you want to install in main memory or on the card
* Default to main memory, but offer the card if there is not enough room on main memory

Instead it just implies you do not have room despite there being a blank card, the instructions could also include details on forcing the software to use the card - but why not just make the app work properly.

This is what I find so annoying with Garmin, the software is just poorly written and obviously not properly tested, I bet their UAT programme is just the bloke who wrote the software declaring it OK

I also do not think they take onboard any customer feedback or they would have automated the memory checking for the map software after the first punter had this issue - as ten years on this is still not done I think they take no notice of customer feedback.

Mapsource is equally dogshit IMO, the database content is good (Hotels / Fuel Stations / Food etc) but you cannot do simple things such as just drag a route around ala Google maps.

I do all my route programming in Tyre these days, and will upload into Mapsource just to find Hotels etc.

Oh well, it is now sorted - or at least I think so, still not tried to navigate anywhere yet, but hopefully will not need to sample their software ever again!
 
You can drag a route around in Mapsource easily...

No disrespect here, but you really need to learn how to use Mapsource before slagging it off.

I've used it for years, and think it's a very good mapping program....
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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