Black wallnut 

If you need Garmin customer service hope you have a better experience than I have had. My 510 had problems after less than 2 years, standard warranty is 1 year. I sent it in for refurb for $80. They sent me a replacement device that had a rattle inside. IOW a defective refurb. Contacted them and after the second request that they not screw me around one of their CS people agreed to ship out the replacement as soon as they noticed movement on my return. That chap took an extra long weekend and no one else seems to be able to honor the agreement. So glad I sent my device in last Friday so that I could be without it for a whole week! I'm not likely to be buying any more Garmin products! /rant!

Black wallnut 

Now it gets worse. My replacement is backordered until at least 9-22. Once i get it back it will be going up for sale. I'm changing brands, not sure to what yet but I will be changing.

John_V 

If you don't need the GPS tracking and some of the bells and whistles, Sigma has some very nice units at reasonable prices. They also have a GPS based unit but I haven't read that much about it.

InTheRain

I haven't had good luck with Garmin, either. I've pretty much put away my Garmin. When the unit hasn't been able to "acquire satellites" before an hour ride is over, I consider the product useless.

John_V 

My friends have been trying, for months now, to get me to convert to a Garmin. I currently use my iPhone 5c with the Cyclemeter app and a Wahoo RFLKT+ paired to Garmin Ant+ heart rate and speed/cadence sensors. The sensors belonged to my wife when she was using her Garmin Forerunner watch a few years ago. However, I'm now replacing them with BlueTooth sensors since the Garmin sensors are starting to give me connection issues. My current setup has more features and gives me more information than any Garmin on the market. The two features that I don't have that a Garmin does have, I have never had the need to use and the Cyclemeter development team is currently working on adding both those features to one of their upcoming update releases. All the Garmin diehards keep shoving the battery life issue of the older cell phones at me. Since I charge me phone up every night, having enough battery power to last through any of my rides and still have enough left for emergency phone calls makes the battery life issue a moot point.

Phlorida

My Garmin CS experience this week with my 510 was better. I called them with a dead 510 and they offered me a refurb for $80 which I accepted. The refurb came and was essentially DOA. I called them and they refunded my money and offered a brand new 520 for $100 which I accepted.

InTheRain

How much will you have to pay for another Garmin product when the 520 dies within the first few days of use? How many opportunities do you give to a manufacturer of failed products?

Phlorida

The 520 will come with the OEM warranty but your point remains the same. My experience with Garmin Automotive and Garmin Marine has been so fantastic I keep hoping the this line of business will come around. If this unit dies in the next couple of years or if my usability experience is as bad as it was with the 510 I will move on.

I <3 Robots

Maybe it's hit or miss. I got a 510 right when it came out...and it's been good for about two years now. Have a 500 since 2011. My GF is using it now and still chugging along.

I just sent in my Tactix for bluetooth issues. It was out of warranty...but they offered me a refurb unit at no cost.

MattFoley

I think Garmin's hardware/software quality is definitely debatable, but I've had nothing but good experiences with their support. The pins bent on my Vector pedal pod and they immediately put in for a replacement (albeit backordered, since the pods seem to be in short supply everywhere), but they didn't ask questions or even make me return the pod with bent pins. Then my Virb had some lines through the video and they sent me a new-in-box unit as a replacement.

It's also kind of nice to call them and know you're talking to someone in Kansas and not some outsourced rep overseas who takes calls for a dozen different companies.

Seattle Forrest

Did they charge you for the pod? And was it a Vector or 2 pod?

InTheRain

I hope it works out for you. When you buy something, you just want it to work like you expected. My Garmin hasn't... but I have not pursued a solution with Garmin. Maybe it's worth the time and effort.

MattFoley

No charge. Vector 2 pod.

Seattle Forrest

Interesting. I broke a Vector 2 pod while I was riding this summer. Had a hell of a time getting a replacement. Not sure exactly how it broke but I have more than the 5 mm clearance between my crank and chain that they require, and it looks like the chain hit and ripped the flexible part of the pod that sticks out of the back of the crank arm. Was not able to get a no charge replacement.

MattFoley

Could've been the way I phrased it...very much "the pins bent and broke after I installed this properly, so the product appears defective." It probably also depends on the CSR and the mood they're in.

unterhausen

I've never had to use their service, but all the reports I've seen was that the CS itself was pretty good. Which is probably cheaper than actually shipping working products, which is where they fall down. Yeah, I can live with the shortcomings of the garmin stuff I own, but it doesn't mean it's ok for them to ship product that is so flaky.