Viewing 28 posts - 1 through 28 (of 28 total)
  • Dodgy Garmin Marketing….
  • rickon
    Free Member

    Hi Chaps,

    I was posting last week about buying a GPS to aid navigation, more a double check for when I really don’t want to keep getting the map out to make sure every turn is right.

    I ended up buying an Etrex 20. Went into the shop, on the display it says ‘Comes with free 1:25k Explorer for the whole of GB’. Or wording to very much that context. On the box it says ‘1:25k Explorer GB map voucher inside this box’ – OS stickers are on it, so all looks pretty good as a deal.

    I ask at the counter – “Are the GB maps included in the box?”, “yes they are, there’s a voucher in the box – assistant opens the box, shows me voucher – great I think.

    Get home, enter the voucher details into the Garmin site – turns out it’s for ‘600 sq km’… that’s enough for one or two ride areas! And the vouchers are £25 a pop.

    Completely misleading marketing, and shocked that the staff obviously didn’t know what the deal was with the unit.

    No where on the box does it say you get 600 sq km of mapping only.

    I’ve downloaded the Tastytoaster maps, which are OK, but I wanted the Garmin to replace getting the OS map out every 10 minutes.

    Anyone else fallen foul of this one?

    Cheers

    Ricks

    nealglover
    Free Member

    I would take it back and get a refund if it was me, and it was misleading advertising.

    alfabus
    Free Member

    I bought the edge 800 with 1:50k for the (actually) whole UK.

    1:25k seems like a ‘nice to have’, but isn’t really necessary for biking, since you cross the map so quickly.

    Dave

    rickon
    Free Member

    Very tempted to take it back, the only issue is that the voucher card has been used – but I only knew after using the card what the terms were – i.e. only 600 km of mapping.

    Incredibly annoyed that it’s not at all clear on the box, or in the shop.

    Anyone know the sale of goods act well enough to back up my case when I go back into the shop? The unit is totally unused, I’ve only used the card.

    stufive
    Free Member

    i bought the edge too great bit of kit and mapping is fine

    geoffj
    Full Member

    I’d be very surprised if it doesn’t have the limitations in the small print on the box somewhere.

    jota180
    Free Member

    I got one from Go Outdoors and it was fairly clear that you got 600 sq km via an included voucher, I don’t have the box any more though and can’t remember the detail on it

    druidh
    Free Member

    Sorry – but I think you’ve completely misunderstood the wording of the offer. FWIW, you couldn’t fit the whole of the UK at 1:25K on something like an Etrex 20.

    Here’s the same offer online –
    click

    Pretty clear here.

    I’d take a good look at what it actually says on the Garmin box and if the shop had their own display which led to astray, then take it up with them.

    reluctantwrinkly
    Free Member

    Same here-I bought an E.trex 30 last year with the same sort of deal but I did realise it was only for a limited area. Activated the voucher and assumed I had a year to download the full amount like the voucher you purchase. Turns out it only lasts 3 months. kicked up a fuss & eventually got it extended. Wish I Hadn’t bothered. Basemap is so user unfriendly & buggy it beggars belief & the maps on the unit or on basecamp can only zoom within very tight limits. Have been using Tracklogs up until then which was superb.I certainly won’t be buying any more 1:25k vouchers. Wish I had got the 1:50 maps but use talkytoaster which is ok but not as good as OS mapping

    stufive
    Free Member

    I think it is a little misleading..it says 600sqm of Extra mapping..I would proberbly have done the same thing to be fair..im sure if you went back and said sorry ive made a mistake they would prob refund you as long as its all in a resaleable condition

    PiknMix
    Free Member

    I must say both my Garmin units (GPS map62st and Edge 800) both came with the whole UK 1.50000 and they are brilliant.

    rickon
    Free Member

    Sorry – but I think you’ve completely misunderstood the wording of the offer

    I didn’t buy it online, and not from Go Outdoors.

    The wording in the shop was not the same as on Go Outdoors.

    The box is ambigious, I’ll dig it out at lunch and post up the actual wording.

    That shouldn’t even matter, as we asked for clarification from the shop – who said the maps for GB were included.

    druidh
    Free Member

    That’s my point. From what I can see, it’s not Garmin at fault – it’s whoever you bought it from. Ergo – the title of this thread is likely incorrect.

    rickon
    Free Member

    ah, but the sticker – you see… The sticker is ambigious enough that it could allude to whatever you wanted it to – a few map, a set of free maps, all the GB maps….

    It shouldn’t be ambiguous, it should be plain and obvious.

    nealglover
    Free Member

    I shall await the actual wording on the box before I make my Judgmental STW style decision 😉

    nickjb
    Free Member

    1:25k is very expensive. As above 1:50k is fine for biking and usually much, much cheaper, eg all of Wales for £7.50 on Viewranger last month.

    druidh
    Free Member

    +1

    twojumpers
    Full Member

    Have you tried the ‘OS Style’ maps from talkytoaster? I find they are really good on my Dakota 20. I couldn’t justify paying an extra £150 for the offical OS 1:50k ones.

    rickon
    Free Member

    The only information about what’s included in the box is here, with regards to mapping:

    and

    To me, that’s ambiguous, and when you ask the question of whether the GB maps for 1:25 are included, what conclusion would you draw?

    glupton1976
    Free Member

    To me that says you get a voucher for some 1:25k mapping inside the box. I wouldnt have taken that as being for the whole of the UK.

    druidh
    Free Member

    +1
    What does it say on the Voucher?

    jeffcapeshop
    Free Member

    i would guess that it was a discount or something like that.

    rickon
    Free Member

    i would guess

    That’s the problem, it’s not clear. On the Garmin stand in the shop there were displays saying that there were whole GB maps included – spoken to the shop, and it turns out that was for the Etrex 30, and the other devices on display – but not the 20.

    The card says nothing apparently useful either:

    The manager has been incredibly amicable, and agreed it’s confusing as there isn’t any obvious specific about what is actually included – until you’ve used the card. He’s offered a refund or some vouchers….

    But seeing as the 30 comes with full GB mapping, it may be better to have that….

    MSP
    Full Member

    I would have guessed it wasn’t for a full set of maps, but only because I know how much Garmin like to screw out of their customers for mapping. For someone not already knowing that, I would agree that it is rather ambigous and misleading.

    druidh
    Free Member

    You do realise that’ll be 1:50K mapping?

    TurnerGuy
    Free Member

    Full GB 1:25K is several thousand pounds, so that would have been a very good bundle!

    rickon
    Free Member

    I think the issue is the number of specific occurances which happened in sequence….

    The shop display having only Garmin GPS models with full free GB mapping on display

    The box having the ambiguous sticker, and wording

    The assistant possibly thinking we meant either something different, or that they were thinking of the Etrex 30, which has the free mapping

    The card which has no discernible specifics about the service it provides

    The Garmin website, that you register the card on not having any information either

    The poorly designed, and written Garmin Basemaps software, which left me bemused for a good half an hour.

    If I’d had bought it online I would have been in no doubt, and maybe that’s the issue – the marketing is around online selling, rather than in-store where you would have staff assistance.

    Either way, if it were my product I would have specifics on the box, the card and the site when you register the card.

    rickon
    Free Member

    Regardless, the shop is very decent – the manager spoke to me and stated that he wanted to ensure that I got the right GPS for the job that it was intended and would pretty much bend over backwards to sort me out.

    So thumbs up for the customer service there.

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