How to not support your customers
Last week I got it in my head to get new road maps for my Garmin GPSMap 296. It has been about 4 years since I did that, so I figured it was about time.
I started out by going to Garmin's website and going to the "update maps" page. I had to type in my device's serial number. I'm not sure which number that is because it is not labeled on the device, but I eventually figure it out. I enter it and am told "no updates available". Strike 1 - 5 minutes wasted.
I take a different route - this time I go to the product page for my GPS. There they have a link for City Navigator, but it is for Windows only. I am looking for the Mac version. Strike 2 - 7 minutes wasted
I go to the maps store and find City Navigator NT for the Mac. Apparently the non-NT version is not available for the Mac. I have no clue why there is an NT and non-NT version. The NT product page says it supports my GPS, but the GPS page was trying to get me to buy the non-NT version. I spent a while trying to determine which is right. Strike 3 - 15 minutes wasted
I settle on the NT Mac version, since it supports OS X and that's the OS I use now. I place the order and get an email receipt. The email links to an order status page, but the page doesn't show a "status" of any kind. However, it does confirm what I ordered. Strike 3.5 - 25 minutes used for a process that could have been 3 minutes
3 days later I get a package from Garmin. It has just a DVD in its case with no instructions of any kind. The outside of the DVD case says it is the Update disc and has a Windows logo on it. I assume this is what I ordered, so I open it to find that it is Windows only - Strike 4.
I read the return policy and it says I can't return an opened DVD (even though they have a crazy map unlock scheme). Strike 5
I scrounge up a Windows machine to install it on and run the setup. 30 minutes gone
I am told I have to unlock the maps. I look up the information they ask of me, which includes a "customer code". After it accepts my code and asks me to confirm my mailing address I hit "next" to complete the unlock process. It says "No customer code found". Strike 6 - another 10 minutes gone.
I consult the online support for a while to determine how to fix this missing code error. I find nothing. Strike 7 - 15 minutes wasted.
I call tech support and go through 4 automated menus. Eventually I am told they are closed and then hung up on. Strike 8 - 5 more minutes wasted.
I go back to the support site and fill out a longish form to send an email to customer support. When I hit submit nothing appears to happen. I hit submit a few more times in anger. No response and no confirmation email. Strike 9 - 15 minutes wasted.
At this point my wife sees steam coming out of my ears. I give up for the night and walk around cursing Garmin and vowing to never buy into an airplane with a G1000 in it. I think about writing a scathing letter to the CEO of Garmin, but run out of energy.
I wait 3 days and then call tech support during the middle of the day. I select the aviation portables department in the menu since that is what I have. They say I have to talk to another department. I wait 25 minutes to talk to someone. Strike 10 - 25 minutes wasted
The guy says not only do I have the DVD for the wrong OS, but it is an update DVD that won't work for me (I assume that is why I got the very descriptive "no customer code error"). He says he will send out the correct thing once I send back the wrong one. He expects me to pay shipping for their mistake. Strike 11.
I question this. He says he will upgrade the shipping for the correct DVD to overnight. I am not impressed. He volunteers to send me a pre-paid shipping label. I accept and he does so.
I package up the wrong DVD and use the UPS label to ship it back to them.
Two weeks later I receive a package from Garmin (not upgraded to overnight shipping, of course). I open it up to find a microSD card of the maps, not the Apple-compatible DVD of map data I requested. Strike 12
I wait 10 minutes on the phone (again) and was told that the microSD card should work with my GPSmap 296, but that I'd have to transfer to the Aviation department to learn how. They transferred me where I was on hold for 2 minutes. The aviation folks told me that would not work. Strike 13
So this time I finally realized they didn't want my business. I asked for a simple refund. Again they told me to ship it back at my own cost. Strike 14 - another 20 minutes wasted
I again asked for a pre-paid shipping label. After putting me on hold he said he couldn't do that, but that he would get his supervisor to email one to me. 10 minutes later he did.
I tried my hardest to give Garmin my $100 but they tried even harder to screw it up. Maybe a different GPS maker wants my money. :)
I started out by going to Garmin's website and going to the "update maps" page. I had to type in my device's serial number. I'm not sure which number that is because it is not labeled on the device, but I eventually figure it out. I enter it and am told "no updates available". Strike 1 - 5 minutes wasted.
I take a different route - this time I go to the product page for my GPS. There they have a link for City Navigator, but it is for Windows only. I am looking for the Mac version. Strike 2 - 7 minutes wasted
I go to the maps store and find City Navigator NT for the Mac. Apparently the non-NT version is not available for the Mac. I have no clue why there is an NT and non-NT version. The NT product page says it supports my GPS, but the GPS page was trying to get me to buy the non-NT version. I spent a while trying to determine which is right. Strike 3 - 15 minutes wasted
I settle on the NT Mac version, since it supports OS X and that's the OS I use now. I place the order and get an email receipt. The email links to an order status page, but the page doesn't show a "status" of any kind. However, it does confirm what I ordered. Strike 3.5 - 25 minutes used for a process that could have been 3 minutes
3 days later I get a package from Garmin. It has just a DVD in its case with no instructions of any kind. The outside of the DVD case says it is the Update disc and has a Windows logo on it. I assume this is what I ordered, so I open it to find that it is Windows only - Strike 4.
I read the return policy and it says I can't return an opened DVD (even though they have a crazy map unlock scheme). Strike 5
I scrounge up a Windows machine to install it on and run the setup. 30 minutes gone
I am told I have to unlock the maps. I look up the information they ask of me, which includes a "customer code". After it accepts my code and asks me to confirm my mailing address I hit "next" to complete the unlock process. It says "No customer code found". Strike 6 - another 10 minutes gone.
I consult the online support for a while to determine how to fix this missing code error. I find nothing. Strike 7 - 15 minutes wasted.
I call tech support and go through 4 automated menus. Eventually I am told they are closed and then hung up on. Strike 8 - 5 more minutes wasted.
I go back to the support site and fill out a longish form to send an email to customer support. When I hit submit nothing appears to happen. I hit submit a few more times in anger. No response and no confirmation email. Strike 9 - 15 minutes wasted.
At this point my wife sees steam coming out of my ears. I give up for the night and walk around cursing Garmin and vowing to never buy into an airplane with a G1000 in it. I think about writing a scathing letter to the CEO of Garmin, but run out of energy.
I wait 3 days and then call tech support during the middle of the day. I select the aviation portables department in the menu since that is what I have. They say I have to talk to another department. I wait 25 minutes to talk to someone. Strike 10 - 25 minutes wasted
The guy says not only do I have the DVD for the wrong OS, but it is an update DVD that won't work for me (I assume that is why I got the very descriptive "no customer code error"). He says he will send out the correct thing once I send back the wrong one. He expects me to pay shipping for their mistake. Strike 11.
I question this. He says he will upgrade the shipping for the correct DVD to overnight. I am not impressed. He volunteers to send me a pre-paid shipping label. I accept and he does so.
I package up the wrong DVD and use the UPS label to ship it back to them.
Two weeks later I receive a package from Garmin (not upgraded to overnight shipping, of course). I open it up to find a microSD card of the maps, not the Apple-compatible DVD of map data I requested. Strike 12
I wait 10 minutes on the phone (again) and was told that the microSD card should work with my GPSmap 296, but that I'd have to transfer to the Aviation department to learn how. They transferred me where I was on hold for 2 minutes. The aviation folks told me that would not work. Strike 13
So this time I finally realized they didn't want my business. I asked for a simple refund. Again they told me to ship it back at my own cost. Strike 14 - another 20 minutes wasted
I again asked for a pre-paid shipping label. After putting me on hold he said he couldn't do that, but that he would get his supervisor to email one to me. 10 minutes later he did.
I tried my hardest to give Garmin my $100 but they tried even harder to screw it up. Maybe a different GPS maker wants my money. :)
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