IAM dump Garmin as a sat nav partner

[Lord Snooty]

As a member of the IAM you get access to benefits such as discounts with various suppliers. One of these suppliers was Garmin who offered a very tasty discount on Zumo 660s of about £120.

I decided to think about upgrading my ancient SPIII so checked out the IAM website yesterday to find no mention of Garmin. I popped off an email and had this reply from the membership development manager.

Thank you for contacting us regarding the Garmin offer. Unfortunately due to poor quality of offer and customer service from Garmin we have recently ended this relationship. Apologies for the inconvenience. We do hope to have a new sat nav partner in the near future.

In the past I have always had excellent customer service from Garmin but have not had to use them for two or three years; have things changed? Has their service deteriorated?

I have only ever had Garmin satnavs and would prefer to stay with them as I like the Mapsource facility but I will hold on a bit longer and wait to see who the new IAM partner will be. I guess Tom Tom are the obvious contender but are there any others likely to be in the reckoning?

 

[Bumpkin]

Thank you for contacting us regarding the Garmin offer. Unfortunately due to poor quality of offer and customer service from Garmin we have recently ended this relationship. Apologies for the inconvenience. We do hope to have a new sat nav partner in the near future.

Sounds like sour grapes to me. Generally Garmin maintain a decent, and IHMO deserved, reputation for good customer service.

 

[Taff]

Quite possibly the key words are "due to poor quality of offer".

Sounds to me like the IAM wanted a discount .... and Garmin told them to FRO.

 

[Lord Snooty]

Quite possibly the key words are "due to poor quality of offer".

Sounds to me like the IAM wanted a discount .... and Garmin told them to FRO.

Well the only motorbike satnav in the offer was the Zumo 660; maybe the IAM asked Garmin to include other models in the offer to give a greater choice and Garmin were reluctant....who knows.

 

[Taff]

.... I have only ever had Garmin satnavs and would prefer to stay with them as I like the Mapsource facility ...

Same here. I've only ever bought 2 satnavs; both have been Garmin and both have been brilliant and like you I like Mapsource. I would have to be very seriously impressed with a competitor to tempt me away from another Garmin if / when I need to replace my current 2610.

 

[Tomcat]

how about a Zumo 220?

If you're replacing an SPIII, take a look at the Zumo 220 which is a no-frills m/c satnav. No MP3 player, or phone link, but it comes with Mapsource. The audio output is only via Bluetooth though, and it doesn't come with a Bluetooth headset. I don't use the audio so this hasn't bothered me. Don't be concerned by the fact that it only stores 10 routes in internal memory - the Z220 takes a micro SD card and you can store '00s on that.

Hunt around on Google, and you should find some good prices. I think I paid about £260 earlier this year.

 

[ghiribizzo]

I've always used Garmin, in car and on bike. Currently have a Zumo 660 and a Nuvi765T in the car.
Try Pentagon GPS. They were best at the time i got the Zumo. Could also try a bit google around Harley dealers as there is a HD branded version of the 660. I got a 'white-box' Garmin refurb 660 which was a little less than the new HD clone.

 

[David Nimrod]

I've always had really excellent service and advise from Garmin

Sounds to me like the IAM are pissed off about the lack of some kickback, who knows

 

[Sleepy]

What on earth would the IAM know about Custormer Service? I was a member for years before they thought they could charge more for less.. (sending me a fecking crap car mag every two months.)

I'm pleased with the dealings I've had from Garmin...

 

[Lord Snooty]

Tomcat - thanks for that, I'll take a look at the 220.

Sleepy - This is about sat navs and I don't want this thread to become a debate on the merits or otherwise of the IAM so if anybody wants to vent their spleen on that topic then please start another thread elsewhere.

Thanking you

 

[slimbo]

snoots if you find a whitebox 660 or factory refurb then go for that they have the same warranty as a new unit for less money , mind you the box aint pretty as its white???
\

 

[Lord Snooty]

snoots if you find a whitebox 660 or factory refurb then go for that they have the same warranty as a new unit for less money , mind you the box aint pretty as its white???
\

I can live with that mate - I'm still looking around.

 

[6821snape]

When i was looking earlier this year you could get the 660 cheaper at Handtec than you could with the IAM discount not sure any of the so called discounts are upto much but there again i did use them for the insurance though Bennetts where originally cheaper the IAM eventually beat it by around 10%.
Ended up with the zumo 220 so far no probs and well happy think it was around £250 .