Garmin's Repair Model and Pricing: Because: Screw you, Mr. Customer... we can

[exM20K]

Zoom knob on G1000 MFD went inop.

Garmin says no field repair - overhaul/exchange or flat rate repair only.

$2800 plus 8 hours to load new software. for a zoom knob.

I get better treatment from union contractors in Chicago.

Aren't monopolies great?

-dan

[Ragsf15e]

That definitely sucks.  Sorry to hear.

On the other hand, I recently had a Bose A20 start going intermittently on the microphone.  Free shipping, free repair, free return within one week.  No questions asked.  The A20 was purchased in 2015 by a different person.

[ArtVandelay]

That’s true of Stec too. I think this is business as usual in today’s world.

[Will.iam]

20 minutes ago, Ragsf15e said:

That definitely sucks.  Sorry to hear.

On the other hand, I recently had a Bose A20 start going intermittently on the microphone.  Free shipping, free repair, free return within one week.  No questions asked.  The A20 was purchased in 2015 by a different person.

I too got a boom mike replacement no charge but the ear foam pieces for A20 i guess are considered consumables as they charged me to get another set when mine split open at the seam.  

Edited April 13, 2021 by Will.iam
Misspelled word

[exM20K]

Bose has been awesome for me, too.

Good company that has to compete for your business, i guess...

[A64Pilot]

That’s standard Garmin, if they do like they do for boat electronics, next time you call they will tell you its no longer supported. you have to shell out big money for the new Garmin xxx.

‘Will they fix a 430 still? Seems honestly just like yesterday when it was the new greatest thing. I expect they may have stopped with it.

‘However it’s what I love about the old King stuff, even decades old, you can still get it fixed

[larryb]

I had a Bose X with broken Y-arm. They would not sell me the part, only option was flat rate overhaul for something like $200. It did come back looking new, but no free Bose repairs for me... I was annoyed they would not sell me the part and let me do it myself. Excuse was "It is a certified aviation headset" whatever that means.

[GeeBee]

I have to say I paid 2600 for an exchange GIA63W. I also paid 3500 to upgrade a 430 to a 430W. On the other hand, I have had nothing but good results with Garmin repair, not having to send things back for rework.

 

[201Steve]

I spoke to them today. The batteries in my G5 keep dying. They said essentially, buy the new battery, which they admitted the original ones being junk, and then if that doesn’t work, send it in for flat rate repair if the system isn’t charging the battery. 

[rbridges]

Obviously, they are doing something right since they're king of the hill at the moment, but it does kinda rub you the wrong way.  I've had good customer support from Bose from aviation and non-aviation issues.  Same with Electronics International.  Some companies seem like they really try to make you happy.  Others, not so much.

[Mark89114]

I run a small company and i say maybe jokingly/serious that i want to get so big I don't have to give a rats a$$ about my customers.....guess it will stay a dream

[Hank]

How is this a surprise? Big G has had this attitude since before I got my license in 2007 . . . . So said the guy I bought the Mooney from a month later.

[Ragsf15e]

2 hours ago, 201Steve said:

I spoke to them today. The batteries in my G5 keep dying. They said essentially, buy the new battery, which they admitted the original ones being junk, and then if that doesn’t work, send it in for flat rate repair if the system isn’t charging the battery. 

Curious, how did you know the battery was going bad?  Was it not charging or did you let it run down and see how long it took?  That’s one thing that gives me pause because it’s always charging, so it generally says 100%, but how long it actually would last without ships power is a guess...

[PT20J]

31 minutes ago, Ragsf15e said:

Curious, how did you know the battery was going bad?  Was it not charging or did you let it run down and see how long it took?  That’s one thing that gives me pause because it’s always charging, so it generally says 100%, but how long it actually would last without ships power is a guess...

[Ragsf15e]

29 minutes ago, PT20J said:

Thanks, I’ll do that next time out!  Now maybe it should be in the pilot’s guide?  Or possibly I missed it there...

[PT20J]

20 minutes ago, Ragsf15e said:

Thanks, I’ll do that next time out!  Now maybe it should be in the pilot’s guide?  Or possibly I missed it there...

Garmin has the worst documentation ever. Everything is in some manual somewhere, but not where you might first look. It’s like a treasure hunt. I think Garmin tech writers spent too much time playing adventure games in college. But, at least there are manuals. Microsoft quit supplying them when Bill Gates said they weren’t necessary because all features were “discoverable.”

Skip

[Raptor05121]

How much longer will new airplanes still be relevant 50 years later like our vintage birds when avionics are a driving force? A 2020 Acclaim Ultra in 2060 may have to be scrapped when the engine is past TBO and both screens are dead.

[buddy]

I sent my MFD into Garmin a couple of years ago for an auto back light problem and a think it was 1K less than there charging now. Garmin sent me an overhauled unit back so make sure everything works on the MFD, I had a problem with mine and they sent me another one. I think it takes a lot less then 8 hrs. to install the software as long as the avionics shop knows what there doing. Good luck

[201Steve]

On 4/13/2021 at 11:29 PM, Ragsf15e said:

Curious, how did you know the battery was going bad?  Was it not charging or did you let it run down and see how long it took?  That’s one thing that gives me pause because it’s always charging, so it generally says 100%, but how long it actually would last without ships power is a guess...

Well, I don’t know for sure. The batteries kill themselves after the charge drops below a certain percentage. Some internal switch that won’t allow it to recharge ever again. I replaced it once when it just started shutting off without a battery countdown after cutting the ships power. Then after I replaced the battery it was working as advertised at 100%, but now it’s back to shutting off immediately upon losing ship power. Garmin said either 2 defective batteries or the unit is malfunctioning to the extent that it’s not recharging the battery as it should. I never saw it below 100% so don’t even know if that makes sense either. 
 

Garmin recommended: changing battery again with new battery, if it dies again, pull out and send in. 

[Tony Starke]

On 4/13/2021 at 3:34 PM, exM20K said:

Zoom knob on G1000 MFD went inop.

Garmin says no field repair - overhaul/exchange or flat rate repair only.

$2800 plus 8 hours to load new software. for a zoom knob.

I get better treatment from union contractors in Chicago.

Aren't monopolies great?

-dan

I am in the planning stages of a major panel upgrade. Based on comments here in the past, I was shying away from big G. This confirms my decision.    

[PT20J]

1 hour ago, Tony Starke said:

I am in the planning stages of a major panel upgrade. Based on comments here in the past, I was shying away from big G. This confirms my decision.    

The problem is the autopilot. Because Garmin builds the autopilot logic into the attitude displays, you have to have a Garmin display (G5, G3X, Gi 275). At some point, if you want the GFC 500, it becomes easier to go with two G5s or a G3X and a single G5.

Skio

[Ragsf15e]

1 hour ago, Tony Starke said:

I am in the planning stages of a major panel upgrade. Based on comments here in the past, I was shying away from big G. This confirms my decision.    

If you do a major upgrade, what autopilot are you going to use?  Garmin has the only approved new technology autopilot out there and it requires their display to run.  In my opinion (which is worth it’s price), it’s not worth doing a full fledged upgrade without a full function autopilot.  Couple that with good integration of Garmin units... what other options are there in the same ballpark that are approved for our aircraft?

[Brent]

On 4/13/2021 at 12:34 PM, exM20K said:

Zoom knob on G1000 MFD went inop.

Garmin says no field repair - overhaul/exchange or flat rate repair only.

$2800 plus 8 hours to load new software. for a zoom knob.

I get better treatment from union contractors in Chicago.

Aren't monopolies great?

-dan

Just wait until Boeing buys Garmin...   

[carusoam]

Boeing announced that they had an electrical problem the other day...   is that what they meant?

-a-

[A64Pilot]

9 hours ago, Brent said:

Just wait until Boeing buys Garmin...   

It’s actually Garmin that’s built the company by acquisition, they got into aircraft avionics by buying Apollo, they bought Navionics to increase share in boating, and the Garmin inreach came about because they bought the Delorme product that name escapes me, they have acquired many companies, sometimes just to shut them down.

Active Captain was a crowd sourced app that boaters would report everything, navigation hazards, anchorages, marina reviews, boat yard reviews, everything. It was hugely helpful. Garmin bought it, so guess what? 

‘Garmin is buying uo the competition and one could argue they are better, but they have disturbing trends, the planned obsolescence is one, but for instance in boats all other chart plotters can use several different map sources, Explorer charts for instance are far away superior for the bahamas, but a Garmin chart plotter can only use Garmin maps. so you don’t have a choice if you buy a Garmin, it’s Garmin or nothing.

‘I’m sure you all know the Garmin story, who they used to work for, where the name came from etc. You can’t deny their tremendous, huge success, they killed giants, it’s sort of the American business dream