iQueless once again.

[funbob]

Dropped it off at Fedex around noon for failure to acquire sats, nearly constant resets, and a broken power pin. I imagine I'll be getting a brand new one back but it still sucks to be without it for a week. :( :( :(

The Fedex lady remarked that this was the 4th package she had go to that address today and she was curious what it was, so I explained it to her and said Garmin must still have a few kinks left to work out. :D

[reinbeau]

Originally posted by funbob
Dropped it off at Fedex around noon for failure to acquire sats, nearly constant resets, and a broken power pin. I imagine I'll be getting a brand new one back but it still sucks to be without it for a week. :( :( :(

The Fedex lady remarked that this was the 4th package she had go to that address today and she was curious what it was, so I explained it to her and said Garmin must still have a few kinks left to work out. :D I feel your pain, Funbob, I sent mine back on Saturday. I'm curious, did Garmin pay your freight both ways? They have yet to do that with my RMA's, and reading about it here is a little unsettling. Why don't I get mine paid both ways :confused: Oh well, at least I know from the e-mail I received that I am getting a brandy-new one, takes a bit of the sting out! :)

[rwsmith123]

Do you ever ask them to pay for the shipping back? Sometimes they voluntier, sometimes you have to ask. But if you've RMA'ed more than once they should do it.

[funbob]

When I first contacted Garmin via email, the tech support lady refused to cover shipping and forgot to give me an RMA#.

Refusing to stand for this sort of treatment, I phoned Garmin a few days later and got someone who knew what he was doing. He was extremely nice and helpful and picked up the shipping without hesitation when I asked about it. It's pretty easy actually. They just give you an account number to write on the airbill then just go drop it off at any fedex location.

I had no problem paying for the shipping and insurance the first time but I absolutely will not pay for it subsequent times. There are people on this forum who have RMA'd their iQue's 5 and 6 times -that adds up to a lot in shipping costs!

[funbob]

Originally posted by rwsmith123
Do you ever ask them to pay for the shipping back? Sometimes they voluntier, sometimes you have to ask. But if you've RMA'ed more than once they should do it.

They always pay for the shipping back. It's only the shipping to them that you have to ask about.

[symtex]

Now I have been in the market for a iQue and after lurking here for a few days in starting to wonder if the iQue is worth the hassle. I am seeing alot of RMAing going on here. :(

[funbob]

Originally posted by symtex
Now I have been in the market for a iQue and after lurking here for a few days in starting to wonder if the iQue is worth the hassle. I am seeing alot of RMAing going on here. :(

In spite of all the frustration it causes me, I still like the damned thing.

[atszyman]

Now I have been in the market for a iQue and after lurking here for a few days in starting to wonder if the iQue is worth the hassle. I am seeing alot of RMAing going on here.

Yes there is a lot of RMA'ing in the forum, but for every RMA out there I would guess that there are at least 10 people who have never had a problem with theire iQue. I'm on 10 weeks of problem free use (and I'm even using a SanDisk Ultra II SD card). Problem free does not mean that I haven't had a soft reset or two, but I've never needed to perform a Hard reset (aside from the ones required by upgrades), I've never lost any important data (some high scores when upgrading to release 3), and I'm even prone to static shocks (I ground myselft with an audible "POP" on door frames 4-5 times a day at work). This forum is for people to get help and advice and will naturally tend to show a higher failure percentage than reality. People are more apt to complain when something breaks than they are to give praise when something works well.

[Pekkle]

Hi Ann,
I remembered you said you can't stand the dead pixle on the screen.. Aren't you affraid the new unit might have a dead pixle? I am so affraid about the dead pixle that I refuse to even send in my unit.. :D actually, I rather they fix the unit then replace it with a new one..

[id4chick]

I was out of town when my antenna quit working on saturday, by Sunday, it won't power on. does this usually happen after the antenna quits?

[funbob]

Originally posted by id4chick
I was out of town when my antenna quit working on saturday, by Sunday, it won't power on. does this usually happen after the antenna quits?

No, the 2 are unrelated. try resetting and see if that wakes it up from its coma. If it doesn't... well, you have to RMA it anyway for the antenna.

[rwsmith123]

Originally posted by funbob
They always pay for the shipping back. It's only the shipping to them that you have to ask about.

From my point of view, shipping back means shipping from me 'back' to them.

[funbob]

Originally posted by rwsmith123
From my point of view, shipping back means shipping from me 'back' to them.

Ahh, misunderstood what you were saying. I'll always make sure I ask them to cover shipping from now on. Actually, I probably don't even need to do that, unless their Fedex account # changes :)

[stevevo]

Originally posted by id4chick
I was out of town when my antenna quit working on saturday, by Sunday, it won't power on. does this usually happen after the antenna quits?
No You can use an external antenna and it will work better but you have to have an antenna plugged into the unit which doesn't make it very portable.

[stevevo]

Originally posted by funbob
Ahh, misunderstood what you were saying. I'll always make sure I ask them to cover shipping from now on. Actually, I probably don't even need to do that, unless their Fedex account # changes :)

That is right about the FedEx number as I have been sending mine in with their UPS # and it hasn't changed in the 7 RMA's I have had. I did pay for the first trip but they have covered eveyone since.

[reinbeau]

Originally posted by Pekkle
Hi Ann,
I remembered you said you can't stand the dead pixle on the screen.. Aren't you affraid the new unit might have a dead pixle? I am so affraid about the dead pixle that I refuse to even send in my unit.. :D actually, I rather they fix the unit then replace it with a new one.. I had said I couldn't stand the thought of a dead pixel, but I don't have one. And if I did get one, I'd get it replaced. That screen is too small to put up with a bright white dot, and as far as I'm concerned, there's no reason to accept it.

[rwsmith123]

Damn, I wanted to compare how something worked on R2 versus R3, so I flashed back to R2, the LED went off after a few minutes a expected, then after a reset all I get is "MemoryMgr.c, Line:3725, Nil Ptr" at the palm logo screen then it locks up. Looks like yet another RMA.

[Bobby Soprano]

Originally posted by stevevo
7 RMA's I have had.

7 RMA's??? I'm counting my blessings!

[rwsmith123]

I'll be doing #7 tomorrow, guess me and stevevo are going to be tied. Anyone here with more than 7?

[symtex]

Well my buddy and his dad have one and they love it. They have not done any updates as of yet. I get ready to buy then I change my mind. I keep checking on Ebay.

Im a computer tester/debugger for AMD and being from a debugger background, I hate the idea that they shipped a product with such a high failure rate. But the iQue does everything I want it to when it works. Im sure I will break down and buy one soon though....:rolleyes:

[dirkus]

They had me RMA my unit after it stopped working after installing R3. I specifically asked for them to pay for the shipping to them and they would not.

[kefer]

Originally posted by dirkus
They had me RMA my unit after it stopped working after installing R3. I specifically asked for them to pay for the shipping to them and they would not.

That's not right - they have paid return shipping for many others (myself included...today). It sounds like you got an uninformed tech support person. I would call back and ask why, and I'll bet they cover the return shipping for you.

[dirkus]

The cost of shipping isn't worth the time it would take to get someone on the phone. I am impressed with their support but I wish they would get more people to answer the phones. (I also wish they would take down the big sign in the support center that says "Don't pay for Dirkus' shipping!" -- this is the second RMA and they wouldn't pay for either.):rolleyes:

[funbob]

Originally posted by dirkus
They had me RMA my unit after it stopped working after installing R3. I specifically asked for them to pay for the shipping to them and they would not.

That's not right at all. I'd demand a supervisor if they refused to pick up the shipping and I'd get downright nasty if it wasn't the first RMA. On the other hand, you do have a point about it not really being worth spending hours on hold. At some point your time becomes more valuable than saving the 10 bucks for shipping and insurance.

[funbob]

Gotta love modern shipping. I may be missing my iQue, but at least I can track its every move :D

8:23 pm Left FedEx Ramp ALBUQUERQUE NM
7:58 pm Arrived at FedEx Ramp ALBUQUERQUE NM
7:23 pm Left FedEx Origin Location ALBUQUERQUE NM
12:27 pm Picked up by FedEx ALBUQUERQUE NM

[rarora]

I hate to rant, but i sent my ique in on Feb 11, by priority mail. Garmin said they sent out a unit on Feb 17 by two night mail. I never rec'd it. So I called Garmin, they said it was lost in transit and immediatly said they would sent out another unit by overnight. Still nothing. So far, I have been without my Que for 20+ days. I'm not sure to blame Garmin or DHL but this is getting frustrating.

[N2racin88]

Originally posted by rarora
I hate to rant, but i sent my ique in on Feb 11, by priority mail. Garmin said they sent out a unit on Feb 17 by two night mail. I never rec'd it. So I called Garmin, they said it was lost in transit and immediatly said they would sent out another unit by overnight. Still nothing. So far, I have been without my Que for 20+ days. I'm not sure to blame Garmin or DHL but this is getting frustrating.


DHL. They are freaking horrible. Beyond horrible.

[rarora]

ironic as it is, my roommate is a sales rep for dhl.

[Curious Cat]

Originally posted by rarora
ironic as it is, my roommate is a sales rep for dhl.

Look under his bed, I think he stole your iQue. :D

[rarora]

i just got off the phone with Garmin(again), apparently they never sent it out the second time by overnight. They have all these complicated procedures to go thru with DHL and have to wait for DHL to trace the lost package which takes eight days! The guy said he worked around that and sent me out another unit overnight. This time he gave me an order number, phew!

[Quinte]

Originally posted by symtex
Now I have been in the market for a iQue and after lurking here for a few days in starting to wonder if the iQue is worth the hassle. I am seeing alot of RMAing going on here. :(


I am certain there are many people out there incuding me where no RMA has ever been required. I purchased my iQue in early January 2004 and it works fine and has been through several software upgrades (R2 and R3). There is no doubt that some people have had problems but it seems to be me that the benefits have outweighed the RMA hassles.

I think the iQue is a great product and Garmin seems to be committed to making it better.

I guess I am saying that: 'The water is fine. Take the plunge...'

[rarora]

Agreed, i take driving to new places with my Que for granted. Over this past weekend I attempted to mapquest my directions and then take them on the road with me. Wow! It was so primitive compared to GPS technology. I've really been spoiled, I cant wait to get my Seidio vent mount to get rid of the ugly looking bean bag mount.

[doodah]

There is no doubt that some people have had problems but it seems to be me that the benefits have outweighed the RMA hassles. You know, I've been wondering why that is. I've participated in several product forums where they've crucified the product for FAR less problems. Perhaps a large part of it is the outstanding support and cooperation demonstrated by Garmin. But, I've wondered how much is just the "gee wiz" factor associated with an auto-routing GPS device. I wonder how many people would say it's worth the hassle if they had access to say a GPSMAP 60C or StreetPilot 2610 to compare the iQue to. Everyone has their own reasons for choosing one unit over another and their own expectations of the iQue. Being a longtime and happy owner of a GPS V, my expectations for the iQue, I'm afraid, were a little higher. I'm not unhappy with my choice, only a little disappointed that Garmin wasn't able to deliver the same quality as most of their other units.

[reinbeau]

Originally posted by doodah
You know, I've been wondering why that is. I've participated in several product forums where they've crucified the product for FAR less problems. Perhaps a large part of it is the outstanding support and cooperation demonstrated by Garmin. But, I've wondered how much is just the "gee wiz" factor associated with an auto-routing GPS device. I wonder how many people would say it's worth the hassle if they had access to say a GPSMAP 60C or StreetPilot 2610 to compare the iQue to. Everyone has their own reasons for choosing one unit over another and their own expectations of the iQue. Being a longtime and happy owner of a GPS V, my expectations for the iQue, I'm afraid, were a little higher. I'm not unhappy with my choice, only a little disappointed that Garmin wasn't able to deliver the same quality as most of their other units. For me it's the New Toy factor. I needed to upgrade my PDA, and to get one with such a useful feature (GPS) was the selling point to me. I have no previous GPS experience, and was well aware I was buying a brand new concept product, my expectations have been met adequately. The fact that Garmin is so willing to work out the kinks and so accomodating WRT fixing the problems makes it kinda hard to bitch and moan too much. There have been a few screams about us being beta testers, but I knew that going in. That big beautiful screen and all the memory helps quite a bit, too!

[Sup]

After a day my brother's iQue was sent in for repair (Antenna failure), I had to send my in for the same issue - Antenna failure.

Just got a refurb one back from Garmin and it too can't aquire any satellites (left it on for 30 minutes to the clear sky after manually setting the location).

Back to another RMA... how annoying. Though, besides from the telephone wait, the company will attempt to send a replacement that works.

[RhinoDoc]

Originally posted by doodah I wonder how many people would say it's worth the hassle if they had access to say a GPSMAP 60C or StreetPilot 2610 to compare the iQue to. [/B]

I gave my original StreetPilot to my little brother (no routing, no guidance), I have a GPS V that resides on my boat for lake use, and now my StreetPilot III sits unused in my glove box ever since I got the iQue. I have had one RMA after about 4 months of use, and that went well. I have no regrets on my purchase.