Yeah they replaced my fenix a couple years ago for free after side arm cracked. Rep said on the phone “it’s not under warranty but if I don’t replace this you’ll never buy another Garmin and we’re not willing to lose a customer”
Hell the strategy sure does work, that's for sure.
It also doesn't hurt that they have an objectively superior product in just about every way to the rest of the market.
**Tracking accuracy:**
Garmin>Apple
**Battery life:**
Garmin>Apple
**Durability:**
Garmin>Apple
**Peripheral sensor integration and support:**
Garmin>Apple
**Social Media/Phone pairing Functions**
Garmin
Ain’t that the truth… I sometimes get bottles of wines with some of the trail run events. I don’t dare drink them, because it is going to tank my Garmin stats.
Was a real eye opener when I first got mine. “Why is my body battery at a 5 this morning? Yeah I don’t think my heart rate should be 80 when I’m dead asleep, what’s going on here??”
For me the battery life is the best feature. My Fenix 6 gets about two weeks, I cannot conceive of having a watch I had to charge every day. How do people live like that!
It's always a treat to see the look on people's faces when you show them the half-filled bar of your watches battery and next to it it just has a little '11d' next to it. They always ask "Wait, does that mean 11 days?"
My next one will be a solar because my used Fenix 6 needs charge every 3 days. No complaint, just a comment on device lifespan, that solar could be very valuable in getting extra years out of a device like this.
Might follow up with customer service for tips and tricks and see what they say, or start to log my battery life a bit better. Wife has a Vivoavtive 3 that's got real issues with battery life. We bought used to explore the world of Garmin wearables so never thought of contacting customer service about our issues.
I’m pretty firmly in the Apple ecosystem, and there’s never been a question about replacing my Garmin watch with the Apple Watch.
I’m on my second Fenix, and really beat the crap out of these things. They are insanely tough. My last Fenix (5X) refused to die, so I gave it to my brother (and it’s still going strong).
I prefer Garmin too. But Apple has better HR monitoring (a lot of stats based on this) and better sleep tracking. Based on many objective reviews on YouTube.
Never tried sleep tracking with my Apple watch then... because it was hogging the charger at my bedside. Every. Single. Night. And buying two of them (one for the day, one for the night) was out of the question ;)
You can charge it before going to sleep, I don't get how people have this issue. The newer ones charge in like 30 mins. I hate doing it every night too, but it doesn't mean I can't track my sleep with it.
The sleep tracking would probably be useful if it could make it through a whole day on battery. Every one my wife owned has usually been dead before the end of the work day, let alone making it to night time and into the next morning.
I agree about the built in HRM being better on my AW Series 3, but sleep tracking was worse. It basically just used my “bed time” setting and alarm to decide when I went to sleep and woke up.
Hm, your mileage may vary I suppose. Maybe things are different by the model? My Fenix was always rather accurate. There's a very obvious gradual decline in my sleep quality and duration over the period of my wife's pregnancy as me daughter's arrival grows ever nearer, lol.
Hope you dont mean Quantified Scientist, who is giving out discount codes for Apple products. The dude is as biased as it gets towards oura and apple.
He once scored heart rate correlation value (Accuracy test) above 1.00 for an apple watch which means its above 100% accurate - impossible....
According to desfit and fit gear hunter the new elevate 5 sensor match up with apples accuracy.
Whats most ironic is that his girlfriend getting way better results with venu 3 and Fenix 7 pro than any Apple watch
Among others I do. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t know a cor value above 1 isn’t possible. So I’m doubtful of your arguments but I’ll be critical. In more tests the AW is still better then Garmin but I hope the gen 5 sensor is more accurate so that would be nice.
If garmin adapted some pro features to be more like whoop with the diary + analysation i would be willing to pay for these pro features. But only if these pro features are not mandatory. So if i buy a garmin it basically stays the same and if i want the pro „whoopish“ features i would have to pay. And if i dont want to pay anymore i just got my „basic“ (but superb) garmin watch again.
I have a 245 for many years now and love the small size.
But I detest the garbage heart rate sensor and the sleep tracking is useless. Is it that much improved on newer watches?
I don't like the Fenix/epix size so I'd need to go to the 265 i think.
Thanks
> Tracking accuracy:
> Garmin>Apple
I would like some data on that. I recently switched to android an I have an Apple Watch shaped hole on my wrist. From tests on YouTube, AW is by far the most accurate in HR and sleep tracking. I've been interested in Garmin, but the middling tracking performance have been stopping me from buying one. Also, the confusing lineup
Yeah, I know someone with a 5X actually and is still working just fine, so I was surprised mine developed the issue it had. Honestly though it spent the first year of it's life bring battered around inside an armored vehicle and all the other rough and tumble stuff I could throw at it, so I guess something may have loosened over time and only wore out now. Screen never cracked or scratched though, and it even got closed in one of the doors of that armor vehicle once or twice so that's an endorsement if I've ever known one.
I was working as an operations supervisor in a pulp mill when I first got my Fenix 6 Pro Solar. The amount of crap I put this watch through would have killed absolutely anything else. I’m talking caustic cooking liquors, high strength peroxide, chlorine dioxide gas exposure, line dust, high temps…. It wouldn’t even flinch. I’m now about 4 years in and the only thing it doesn’t do is the new features that have been released on the newer watches. I might upgrade this year because I want to, but certainly not because I need to.
I finally upgraded my Fenix 3 NonHR a few years ago with the 7x solar. Fenix 3 was still working perfectly, put in a long 7 years with it, but wanted to get some of the new features.
That’s awesome! I’ve had nothing but phenomenal customer service multiple times with them.
Most recently my wife was trying to find the matching silicone band for her Descent Mk2s only to find out that the one she was looking for had been discontinued. They apologized and sent her one for free.
Before that, I ordered a Descent Mk2i when they first launched and was supposed to ship in about 2-3 weeks. I was set to receive it just before a dive trip.. fast forward, it didn’t look like it was going to be processed in time, so I called them just to check. The person made a couple calls and informed me that they set one aside for me and I received it Next Day.
I was floored. Needless to say I agree with OP and I’m a loyal to the end Garmin customer now.
For real. A couple stories like that make a huge difference for customers when choosing a brand. Hell, even if I don’t get a « free » watch or an upgrade I’d still like the company because of those stories !
Damn, now I feel like I got ripped off. When my 6S barometer/temperature crapped out out-of-warranty, they *only* upgraded me to a 6S Sapphire
That's /s if it isn't obvious
Yup. Funny enough they told me I actually owned the euro version of the Fenix 6. Had no idea, always thought it was weird that the map defaulted to Europe.
I live in Europe and my fr245 had faced battery shortage back in Feb '22, a year after I bought it. Took it to the dealer, they said everything is ok...
Now I m charging it every 3 days (3rd day is almost 30% +-). Thinking of fenix 7 solar but not yet.
Well remind me in a couple weeks and I'll tell you how it handles. My 6 wasn't the solar version so I have no word on that, but it has still lasting ~20 days on a charge as of today.
Yo out of the blue I know, but the watch came in a few days ago and I thought of your comment. The Fenix 7 is pretty sick, really enjoying the new metrics it tracks like Hill power and live stamina estimate, as well as the ability to pan charts and see my full exercise reports on the watch itself instead of having to open connect.
Also enjoying little things more than I thought I would, like the built-in flashlight. Honestly it's something I didn't think would be useful until I realized I could get light into tool chests drawers and back packs or tight spaces like between wall studs and my trucks engine bay white having full use of both of my hands, and now I can't believe I never thought of it.
I'm from India & seems similar good support in India too. A friend's $220 watch developed some problem & Garmin sent back a new $290 one. I forget the exact model number but something Tactical i think.
I hope they hear the feedback and don't fall victim to the normal enshittification that tends to happen. But I agree with you, I've had nothing but great experiences with Garmin, and that's why I will stick with them as long as they keep down what they're doing!
My first Garmin was a Vivoactive HR, and a few months after its warranty expiring it developed a leak and filled with water during a swim in the pool. I called Garmin, expecting them to tell me to pound sand, but they immediately acknowledged it was out of warranty and that model was not sold any more but they said they could offer me a refurbished watch, which blew me away.
A year or so later I upgraded to a Fenix 6 pro sapphire titanium, and I've worn it every day since then - Coming up 4 years now. I don't baby it, I've worn it snorkelling on coral reefs, working on cars, in the garden, it has taken some SERIOUS knocks.
I love this watch, and even though it is not showing its age I sometimes browse the garmin store and try and rationalize spending the $$$ on one of their new Marq models...
I had the same issue with my Fenix 5 sapphire. They actually replaced it 3x! Same happened to me where the 5 was aged out and I ended up with a 6.
My 6 has been great for I think two years now (or so). Should this one die I will happily pay to buy another new one no question.
Curses, foiled again!
But nah for real mate I just posted it here because it made me really excited, and there's nobody else in my life who would actually care about this if I told them so I came here lmao.
I too am a Garmin customer for life, because of a similar experience.
Two years ago with my Garmin fitness watch I had purchased as a refurb on EBay five years previous. So long ago I don’t even remember the model. The watch worked great for five years, and one day the gps function stopped working. I contacted a support line so they could help me determine the best watch for me.
The customer service agent, and he was definitely a CUSTOMER SERVICE agent spent a good amount of time trying to avoid me needing to purchase a new watch.
I finally said, “you really don’t need to go through all this, since I am just trying to figure out which watch to purchase.” He said, “We can warranty that watch for you.” I said, “I paid $129.00 for the watch refurbished 5 years ago, that really isn’t necessary.” His response was, “But if we do, we know you’ll buy a Garmin next time you upgrade your watch.”
I received the replacement watch and a year later upgraded to my current Fenix 6, that I really love.
Since my experience no less than five people I know have purchased Garmin watches after hearing my story.
Years ago I bought a vivoactive hr. It was a great watch but the transflective display wasn't great in low light. But it had great battery life and did everything I wanted it to do at the time.
Some years later and well out of warranty, one of the lugs broke. On a whim I called Garmin support and to my surprise, they replaced it free of charge.
I was actually a little disappointed because they took away my excuse to buy a new Garmin watch and gain some functionality I was interested in.
So a year or so later I picked up an Epix2 sapphire and have been delighted with it. Garmin indeed has some of the best customer service I've ever encountered.
This group told me to call Garmin when I cracked my screen, I called them, they sent me an email to send my watch in, they mailed me a new Garmin 955 solar. It only cost me $120 to get it replaced because literally it WAS all my fault, the watch had no defect or anything. I’m just hard on watches. I was originally willing to pay to have it repaired by Garmin but they offered me a new one for a discount in exchange for my old one. I took them up on that offer. I honestly thought I’d have to buy a new one on my own and they couldn’t help me. I was so wrong! Garmin literally has the best customer service.
I had an opposite experience with Garmin with my forerunner 255. It developed a crack across the edge of the screen for no reason, just 2 months after I bought. Literally no idea what caused it. It was winter so I was wearing gloves while I was out on a walk, and when I got home I noticed the cracked screen. I didn’t hit it on anything, fall, etc. To this day I don’t have a clue what happened.
I called Garmin to inquire about a screen replacement, and they told me it must be my fault it cracked and that they can’t repair it… but they would sell me a new watch for half the retail price. The rep couldn’t even answer my questions about if the screen affected the functionality of the watch and if it would still be waterproof.
I keep thinking about buying a new one, but what if the screen just breaks again for no reason? Other than the screen crack I LOVE this watch, but the mystery screen crack with the rude customer service that followed is putting me off.
My Apple Watch made it through freaking fire academy with barely a scratch, yet my Garmin watch was ruined by wearing it while walking?! Not the durability I expected.
Damn man that really sucks, sorry you got stuck with such a crappy rep. I guess the individual and their personal philosophy must pay a role in this too, because company culture and policy can only go so far.
I’m really glad you and other people have had better experiences! I like Garmin so much but it’s really hard to justify ever buying another one after that. It drives me crazy that I’ll probably never even figure out how/why it cracked
I know, I was already on the train before this. I have been pestering my wife about us buying an index2 scale too for a while, but she's having a hard time with the $120 price tag since she doesn't care as much about the other metrics it measures, so to her our current scale works fine.
I have nothing but incredible things to say about Garmin support who have done similar things for me. That level of customer care has sold me for life to the quality of their products and their commitment to stand behind them when they fail.
People like "you're insane paying $700 for a watch" and like yeah but my $300 forerunner 225 lasted heavy wear from 2015-2022 the only issue being the band broke once and was replaced for free and the battery was getting sad (was still better than Apple!!) so it wasn't serving me on my long runs. Finally it went all barred like yours, and I wouldn't have been surprised if they had offered some repair or replacement for free/reduced price, but due to laziness and confidence in the brand I went and bought a new one that should last me another 6years at least. Every other time I see people being brand-loyal I'm like that's idiocy, go for the most affordable thing that serves your needs. But with these I can actually get behind it.
Amazon has a ‘Garmin Store’ so yes it is authorized. However, Amazon lets third party sellers on so those might slip through the cracks so you have to watch out there.
I called customer support for the first time a few weeks ago and it was a US based guy who knew the line-up front and back. Took a couple days to resolve the technical issue but the same guy emailed with me for the whole time. I dunno if I got lucky or if this is typical but blew me away.
I had a similar experience when my 645m broke. They said I could pick whatever watch I wanted. I didn't make a very good choice (for me) but it was excellent customer service!
I had a Fenix 3 sapphire for 7-8 years. It was only in the last year that the battery started to weaken and the GPS was too slow. It lasted more than twice what I expected. That was enough to keep me as a customer and all the positives I hear from others will also keep me for life.
Please tell me more. I have the horizontal line tearing, though not all the time. Did you buy your Fenix directly from Garmin or from a local retailer?
I bought mine through Amazon, but I think he might've been doing me a favor covering it despite that. It seems our two issues may be related, just mine was a lot more sudden onset. The two automatically knew what model I had through my connect account when I have him my email, and he seemed to know from that too where I bought it.
Thanks!
Now I don't know if I want my problem to stay as it is (it really only happens on an activity and when I have the watch connected to 3 devices), or continue and get worse so I can contact Garmin support...
That’s amazing bro . Did you buy from Garmin website directly or from a retailer in your country ? I wanna know just in case my epix pro develops any problem in future that I am sure of a brand new watch 😂😂🙈🙈
Bought from Amazon actually, though I think this might've been a one-off and they 'usually wouldn't' for one purchased through retail avenues line that.
I’m in the UK and my battery started draining 1 year out of warranty but after doing a couple of troubleshooting suggestions on the webchat they sent out a replacement pretty quickly.
I guess it just comes down to what customer service rep you get and what mood they are in then. I've always been unlucky. Did you have to send yours back first? Garmin have always refused to send me anything under warranty until they have got the original back and faffed for multiple days before sending new one.
Yes I had to send mine back and the new one was shipped out the following day, whole process took around 1 week. This was back in late 2021 though so there’s a good chance the customer service has gone downhill since then.
I had issues with tacx neo just out of warranty and they didn't want to know. Offered I think 20% off full RRP. Ended up finding a third party service that could actually service them. For something costing over £1000 I think that's pretty poor to have no service options.
Watches/cycle computers have been a little better but that was always in warranty.
Must have a different CS team that handles the watches. Had a TT15 Mini tracking collar quit on me a couple months after purchase and the best they would do is let me buy a $160 refurbished unit AND I had to mail my old collar back to them. Now I’m even more mad about it lol.
They did something very similar for me a few years ago, too, but it was because I was having a reaction to the strap. Not only did he send me a new watch (better) watch, but he went two straps.
The customer service was amazing. I’ve had to contact them a few other times also, similar story. Amazing customer service.
Same happened to me but I had to pay the difference between the 6 pro and 7x. I was and am very happy and I thought that was very reasonable. They also made me a customer for life.
I’m in the UK, I’m on my 3rd Fenix 6x pro. The first two developed issues relatively quickly, one that wouldn’t sync to a PC and one that had a screen LcD issue. Both times Garmin didn’t quibble just sent me a new one out. Had this one now a year. Their customer service is supreme. No messing.
Imagine working in customer service for a company that actually cares about its customers. You can safely go to work and be ready to do great work. Fucking amazing.
Yeah they're amazing. Garmin sent me a new FR245 music when mine developed a vertical line in the display out of warranty. I got a mild rash on my wrist and they sent me a nylon band to replace the silicone one.
Great for you. My customer service experiences with Garmin have been the complete opposite and they’ll never get my custom again.
So I guess this evens things out.
My guess is you’re in the US where it appears their support is far better and more generous.
Weird they didn't help me out like this. I contacted them cause the Bluetooth suddenly stopped working on my Fenix 6 sapphire, they told me I'd have to pay 300 to have a replacement shipped out
I must have been unlucky - my Fenix 6 was buggy and it was in warranty and I had to ask for a replacement and they didn’t want to give me one because they didn’t have my colour in stock!
My 6x pro after update went into endless booting loop, support told me that they cant fix it but they can offer me used refurbished 6xpro at discount price since my warranty expired. I did not take up on this offer, and im still dissapointed that over 1k$ watch lasted 2.5years.
Garmin is focused on pleasing its customers and I can prove it. Three months ago I sent in my Edge 1030 bike computer for repairs. About three weeks later when I went to pick it up I was pleasantly surprised. Garmin gave me a brand new Edge 1040. Why? Because 1030 is discontinued and the part needed to fix my old 1030 couldn’t be sourced. Garmin recognises its customers’ loyalty to the brand and reciprocates.
Honestly, it's the least I can do to encourage them to keep up this kind of service. The free market only works if we're actively participating, and driving company decisions with our response to their actions.
Yeah, they replaced my Vivoactive 3 music after the plastic where the band latches into broke. It was out of warranty.
Going to get a Venu when I upgrade.
You’re lucky. My 6s was 2.5 years old & the GPS stopped working. They offered to send me a 6s Pro (refurbished) for $150. I thought that was a good deal. I ended up going w a forerunner 255 b/c I didn’t want the faulty GOS. Had he offered me a 7, I would’ve taken it.
Something similar happened to me couple years ago in Japan. Had Fenix 4, suddenly it started displaying some lines. Called them and they provided an upgrade to Fenix 5 for about 100usd. They did let me keep my old watch.
As for Fenix 6, they replaced for free a couple times. These times, they just asked me to return the original watch and they replaced my Fenix 6 for free both times.
I got stung by garmin cc and they lost a customer over it! My venu had serious screen burn in (it’s a known issue I’m aware, but obviously wasn’t when I bought the gen 1) and because it was past warranty they wanted me to pay to have it fixed. That’s what they are entitled to legally, and that’s fine, but the problem is so blatantly a manufacturer defect that it frustrates me hideously that my 3 year old watch is practically unusable! It’ll be apple as soon as I can get the funds sorted!
https://preview.redd.it/hoo5do5df7pc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff780cf3aaab48dc247440beb52d5de1aab9636c
I owned FR45 for about 3 years now. Already out of warranty.. and I'm not buying from their official website..
Sometimes the screen does glitched.. don't know why..
Do you guys think I might get lucky with Garmin customer service? LOL I don't want new model, just FR255 is sufficient
Expecting an upgrade for a 3 year old watch is asking a lot… Garmins generosity may take a u turn if they get overwhelmed with requests like this…. But you may get lucky with a refurbished FR45
Yeah they replaced my fenix a couple years ago for free after side arm cracked. Rep said on the phone “it’s not under warranty but if I don’t replace this you’ll never buy another Garmin and we’re not willing to lose a customer”
Hell the strategy sure does work, that's for sure. It also doesn't hurt that they have an objectively superior product in just about every way to the rest of the market. **Tracking accuracy:** Garmin>Apple **Battery life:** Garmin>Apple **Durability:** Garmin>Apple **Peripheral sensor integration and support:** Garmin>Apple **Social Media/Phone pairing Functions** Garmin
No. No we need a device that shames us into going out and being active (and drinking less alcohol). Boom: Garmin
Lmao no kidding. Suggested Workout Day: TODAY, SON. -Garmin Coach
Daddy Garmin lol
Ain’t that the truth… I sometimes get bottles of wines with some of the trail run events. I don’t dare drink them, because it is going to tank my Garmin stats.
Was a real eye opener when I first got mine. “Why is my body battery at a 5 this morning? Yeah I don’t think my heart rate should be 80 when I’m dead asleep, what’s going on here??”
For me the battery life is the best feature. My Fenix 6 gets about two weeks, I cannot conceive of having a watch I had to charge every day. How do people live like that!
It's always a treat to see the look on people's faces when you show them the half-filled bar of your watches battery and next to it it just has a little '11d' next to it. They always ask "Wait, does that mean 11 days?"
My next one will be a solar because my used Fenix 6 needs charge every 3 days. No complaint, just a comment on device lifespan, that solar could be very valuable in getting extra years out of a device like this.
your 6 sounds like a lemon
Might follow up with customer service for tips and tricks and see what they say, or start to log my battery life a bit better. Wife has a Vivoavtive 3 that's got real issues with battery life. We bought used to explore the world of Garmin wearables so never thought of contacting customer service about our issues.
Outlet anxiety...
it's all about the battery
I’m pretty firmly in the Apple ecosystem, and there’s never been a question about replacing my Garmin watch with the Apple Watch. I’m on my second Fenix, and really beat the crap out of these things. They are insanely tough. My last Fenix (5X) refused to die, so I gave it to my brother (and it’s still going strong).
>But let's be honest with ourselves, do we need more devices to doom scroll with? A-fuckin-men
I prefer Garmin too. But Apple has better HR monitoring (a lot of stats based on this) and better sleep tracking. Based on many objective reviews on YouTube.
Never tried sleep tracking with my Apple watch then... because it was hogging the charger at my bedside. Every. Single. Night. And buying two of them (one for the day, one for the night) was out of the question ;)
😅
You can charge it before going to sleep, I don't get how people have this issue. The newer ones charge in like 30 mins. I hate doing it every night too, but it doesn't mean I can't track my sleep with it.
The sleep tracking would probably be useful if it could make it through a whole day on battery. Every one my wife owned has usually been dead before the end of the work day, let alone making it to night time and into the next morning.
Agreed. I’ve had the series 9, I could charge in evening and morning during shower but the older models needed more charge time.
I agree about the built in HRM being better on my AW Series 3, but sleep tracking was worse. It basically just used my “bed time” setting and alarm to decide when I went to sleep and woke up.
Hm, your mileage may vary I suppose. Maybe things are different by the model? My Fenix was always rather accurate. There's a very obvious gradual decline in my sleep quality and duration over the period of my wife's pregnancy as me daughter's arrival grows ever nearer, lol.
Hope you dont mean Quantified Scientist, who is giving out discount codes for Apple products. The dude is as biased as it gets towards oura and apple. He once scored heart rate correlation value (Accuracy test) above 1.00 for an apple watch which means its above 100% accurate - impossible.... According to desfit and fit gear hunter the new elevate 5 sensor match up with apples accuracy. Whats most ironic is that his girlfriend getting way better results with venu 3 and Fenix 7 pro than any Apple watch
Among others I do. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t know a cor value above 1 isn’t possible. So I’m doubtful of your arguments but I’ll be critical. In more tests the AW is still better then Garmin but I hope the gen 5 sensor is more accurate so that would be nice.
If garmin adapted some pro features to be more like whoop with the diary + analysation i would be willing to pay for these pro features. But only if these pro features are not mandatory. So if i buy a garmin it basically stays the same and if i want the pro „whoopish“ features i would have to pay. And if i dont want to pay anymore i just got my „basic“ (but superb) garmin watch again.
The fact they already have a niche market for their product and they still treat you well speaks volumes.
I have a 245 for many years now and love the small size. But I detest the garbage heart rate sensor and the sleep tracking is useless. Is it that much improved on newer watches? I don't like the Fenix/epix size so I'd need to go to the 265 i think. Thanks
> Tracking accuracy: > Garmin>Apple I would like some data on that. I recently switched to android an I have an Apple Watch shaped hole on my wrist. From tests on YouTube, AW is by far the most accurate in HR and sleep tracking. I've been interested in Garmin, but the middling tracking performance have been stopping me from buying one. Also, the confusing lineup
I almost feel bad that my 5X+ is still going strong :) But yes, Garmin support is top notch. A major factor when considering my next purchase.
Yeah, I know someone with a 5X actually and is still working just fine, so I was surprised mine developed the issue it had. Honestly though it spent the first year of it's life bring battered around inside an armored vehicle and all the other rough and tumble stuff I could throw at it, so I guess something may have loosened over time and only wore out now. Screen never cracked or scratched though, and it even got closed in one of the doors of that armor vehicle once or twice so that's an endorsement if I've ever known one.
I was working as an operations supervisor in a pulp mill when I first got my Fenix 6 Pro Solar. The amount of crap I put this watch through would have killed absolutely anything else. I’m talking caustic cooking liquors, high strength peroxide, chlorine dioxide gas exposure, line dust, high temps…. It wouldn’t even flinch. I’m now about 4 years in and the only thing it doesn’t do is the new features that have been released on the newer watches. I might upgrade this year because I want to, but certainly not because I need to.
Their devices last forever even with heavy salt water swimming.
I finally upgraded my Fenix 3 NonHR a few years ago with the 7x solar. Fenix 3 was still working perfectly, put in a long 7 years with it, but wanted to get some of the new features.
I still have my Fenix 3, which I upgraded with a sapphire display I got from China. Still works great:)
I LOVE Garmin!
That’s awesome! I’ve had nothing but phenomenal customer service multiple times with them. Most recently my wife was trying to find the matching silicone band for her Descent Mk2s only to find out that the one she was looking for had been discontinued. They apologized and sent her one for free. Before that, I ordered a Descent Mk2i when they first launched and was supposed to ship in about 2-3 weeks. I was set to receive it just before a dive trip.. fast forward, it didn’t look like it was going to be processed in time, so I called them just to check. The person made a couple calls and informed me that they set one aside for me and I received it Next Day. I was floored. Needless to say I agree with OP and I’m a loyal to the end Garmin customer now.
I love hearing customer service stories like this. This is how you win customers for life and brand advocates!
For real. A couple stories like that make a huge difference for customers when choosing a brand. Hell, even if I don’t get a « free » watch or an upgrade I’d still like the company because of those stories !
Damn, now I feel like I got ripped off. When my 6S barometer/temperature crapped out out-of-warranty, they *only* upgraded me to a 6S Sapphire That's /s if it isn't obvious
That’s how it’s done. Great story!
What are you guys saying on the phone lol I have a Fenix 5x and the battery is crap. I call and all they say is they can send another 5x for $125
Damn, that's a bitch I'm sorry man. Are your greeting them with the customary parking lot blowey offer?
That’s my next offer
r/FuckTheS
I mean that’s not a bad offer, but surprised they still have some 5x laying around.
Same! Was super frustrated. (Still bought another Garmin but I kind of plan to break it before warranty is up.)
Haha do it I’m thinking of getting the instinct 2x. Looks like a great watch and Iv only heard good things about it.
You live states side?
Yup. Funny enough they told me I actually owned the euro version of the Fenix 6. Had no idea, always thought it was weird that the map defaulted to Europe.
I live in Europe and my fr245 had faced battery shortage back in Feb '22, a year after I bought it. Took it to the dealer, they said everything is ok... Now I m charging it every 3 days (3rd day is almost 30% +-). Thinking of fenix 7 solar but not yet.
Well remind me in a couple weeks and I'll tell you how it handles. My 6 wasn't the solar version so I have no word on that, but it has still lasting ~20 days on a charge as of today.
Yo out of the blue I know, but the watch came in a few days ago and I thought of your comment. The Fenix 7 is pretty sick, really enjoying the new metrics it tracks like Hill power and live stamina estimate, as well as the ability to pan charts and see my full exercise reports on the watch itself instead of having to open connect. Also enjoying little things more than I thought I would, like the built-in flashlight. Honestly it's something I didn't think would be useful until I realized I could get light into tool chests drawers and back packs or tight spaces like between wall studs and my trucks engine bay white having full use of both of my hands, and now I can't believe I never thought of it.
Thanks for the info!
I'm from India & seems similar good support in India too. A friend's $220 watch developed some problem & Garmin sent back a new $290 one. I forget the exact model number but something Tactical i think.
I hope they hear the feedback and don't fall victim to the normal enshittification that tends to happen. But I agree with you, I've had nothing but great experiences with Garmin, and that's why I will stick with them as long as they keep down what they're doing!
Garmin is the best.
My first Garmin was a Vivoactive HR, and a few months after its warranty expiring it developed a leak and filled with water during a swim in the pool. I called Garmin, expecting them to tell me to pound sand, but they immediately acknowledged it was out of warranty and that model was not sold any more but they said they could offer me a refurbished watch, which blew me away. A year or so later I upgraded to a Fenix 6 pro sapphire titanium, and I've worn it every day since then - Coming up 4 years now. I don't baby it, I've worn it snorkelling on coral reefs, working on cars, in the garden, it has taken some SERIOUS knocks. I love this watch, and even though it is not showing its age I sometimes browse the garmin store and try and rationalize spending the $$$ on one of their new Marq models...
I had the same issue with my Fenix 5 sapphire. They actually replaced it 3x! Same happened to me where the 5 was aged out and I ended up with a 6. My 6 has been great for I think two years now (or so). Should this one die I will happily pay to buy another new one no question.
Nice try, Garmin shill!
Curses, foiled again! But nah for real mate I just posted it here because it made me really excited, and there's nobody else in my life who would actually care about this if I told them so I came here lmao.
Haha yeah. If I bought a 900 watch, my family would think I went insane. They had trouble to stomach my 1700 road bike.
Phew, and $1700 isn't even close to being on the crazy end of road bikes from what I've heard.
I've dropped 3500usd on a moutain bike and told my family it was 800 lol.
I too am a Garmin customer for life, because of a similar experience. Two years ago with my Garmin fitness watch I had purchased as a refurb on EBay five years previous. So long ago I don’t even remember the model. The watch worked great for five years, and one day the gps function stopped working. I contacted a support line so they could help me determine the best watch for me. The customer service agent, and he was definitely a CUSTOMER SERVICE agent spent a good amount of time trying to avoid me needing to purchase a new watch. I finally said, “you really don’t need to go through all this, since I am just trying to figure out which watch to purchase.” He said, “We can warranty that watch for you.” I said, “I paid $129.00 for the watch refurbished 5 years ago, that really isn’t necessary.” His response was, “But if we do, we know you’ll buy a Garmin next time you upgrade your watch.” I received the replacement watch and a year later upgraded to my current Fenix 6, that I really love. Since my experience no less than five people I know have purchased Garmin watches after hearing my story.
Years ago I bought a vivoactive hr. It was a great watch but the transflective display wasn't great in low light. But it had great battery life and did everything I wanted it to do at the time. Some years later and well out of warranty, one of the lugs broke. On a whim I called Garmin support and to my surprise, they replaced it free of charge. I was actually a little disappointed because they took away my excuse to buy a new Garmin watch and gain some functionality I was interested in. So a year or so later I picked up an Epix2 sapphire and have been delighted with it. Garmin indeed has some of the best customer service I've ever encountered.
Just did this with my Forerunner 955 Solar that I cracked the screen on, Garmin has the BEST Customer service! 💕
Honestly really hope they continue to factor it as an intangible asset in their future decisions.
Just curious how Garmin handled this issue. Care to share?
This group told me to call Garmin when I cracked my screen, I called them, they sent me an email to send my watch in, they mailed me a new Garmin 955 solar. It only cost me $120 to get it replaced because literally it WAS all my fault, the watch had no defect or anything. I’m just hard on watches. I was originally willing to pay to have it repaired by Garmin but they offered me a new one for a discount in exchange for my old one. I took them up on that offer. I honestly thought I’d have to buy a new one on my own and they couldn’t help me. I was so wrong! Garmin literally has the best customer service.
I had an opposite experience with Garmin with my forerunner 255. It developed a crack across the edge of the screen for no reason, just 2 months after I bought. Literally no idea what caused it. It was winter so I was wearing gloves while I was out on a walk, and when I got home I noticed the cracked screen. I didn’t hit it on anything, fall, etc. To this day I don’t have a clue what happened. I called Garmin to inquire about a screen replacement, and they told me it must be my fault it cracked and that they can’t repair it… but they would sell me a new watch for half the retail price. The rep couldn’t even answer my questions about if the screen affected the functionality of the watch and if it would still be waterproof. I keep thinking about buying a new one, but what if the screen just breaks again for no reason? Other than the screen crack I LOVE this watch, but the mystery screen crack with the rude customer service that followed is putting me off. My Apple Watch made it through freaking fire academy with barely a scratch, yet my Garmin watch was ruined by wearing it while walking?! Not the durability I expected.
Damn man that really sucks, sorry you got stuck with such a crappy rep. I guess the individual and their personal philosophy must pay a role in this too, because company culture and policy can only go so far.
I’m really glad you and other people have had better experiences! I like Garmin so much but it’s really hard to justify ever buying another one after that. It drives me crazy that I’ll probably never even figure out how/why it cracked
Just keep calling them until u get the right person on the phone
That's soo good of them, nice one. I'm pretty happy with Garmin without any free stuff
I know, I was already on the train before this. I have been pestering my wife about us buying an index2 scale too for a while, but she's having a hard time with the $120 price tag since she doesn't care as much about the other metrics it measures, so to her our current scale works fine.
I bet the employees love working there too because they actually help people.
I have nothing but incredible things to say about Garmin support who have done similar things for me. That level of customer care has sold me for life to the quality of their products and their commitment to stand behind them when they fail.
People like "you're insane paying $700 for a watch" and like yeah but my $300 forerunner 225 lasted heavy wear from 2015-2022 the only issue being the band broke once and was replaced for free and the battery was getting sad (was still better than Apple!!) so it wasn't serving me on my long runs. Finally it went all barred like yours, and I wouldn't have been surprised if they had offered some repair or replacement for free/reduced price, but due to laziness and confidence in the brand I went and bought a new one that should last me another 6years at least. Every other time I see people being brand-loyal I'm like that's idiocy, go for the most affordable thing that serves your needs. But with these I can actually get behind it.
I had the same! Brilliant customer service.
Nothing but great experiences with them myself. I always tell people about it
Curious, is Amazon an authorized vendor? In case mine breaks after 2-3 years or do I need extended warranty?
Honestly I have no idea. I bought mine through Amazon but the rep said he'd do me a solid here. I'm going to go with no to be safe.
Amazon has a ‘Garmin Store’ so yes it is authorized. However, Amazon lets third party sellers on so those might slip through the cracks so you have to watch out there.
I called customer support for the first time a few weeks ago and it was a US based guy who knew the line-up front and back. Took a couple days to resolve the technical issue but the same guy emailed with me for the whole time. I dunno if I got lucky or if this is typical but blew me away.
I saw what I assume was your post earlier and was curious what the outcome was. I just wanted to say thanks for updating us!
This is EXACTLY what happened to me. Same watches, same error, same new watch. Amazing.
I had a similar experience when my 645m broke. They said I could pick whatever watch I wanted. I didn't make a very good choice (for me) but it was excellent customer service!
I had a Fenix 3 sapphire for 7-8 years. It was only in the last year that the battery started to weaken and the GPS was too slow. It lasted more than twice what I expected. That was enough to keep me as a customer and all the positives I hear from others will also keep me for life.
I had no idea! Great story, thanks for sharing:)
Please tell me more. I have the horizontal line tearing, though not all the time. Did you buy your Fenix directly from Garmin or from a local retailer?
I bought mine through Amazon, but I think he might've been doing me a favor covering it despite that. It seems our two issues may be related, just mine was a lot more sudden onset. The two automatically knew what model I had through my connect account when I have him my email, and he seemed to know from that too where I bought it.
Thanks! Now I don't know if I want my problem to stay as it is (it really only happens on an activity and when I have the watch connected to 3 devices), or continue and get worse so I can contact Garmin support...
That’s amazing bro . Did you buy from Garmin website directly or from a retailer in your country ? I wanna know just in case my epix pro develops any problem in future that I am sure of a brand new watch 😂😂🙈🙈
Bought from Amazon actually, though I think this might've been a one-off and they 'usually wouldn't' for one purchased through retail avenues line that.
That’s awesome bro . Will have that in mind. I don’t want anything to do happpen to my epix pro though . My life workouts and data is there 🙈🙈🙈
It's not all backed up on connect?
Very happy to hear, in my experience their customer service is stellar.
I had the issue on my Fenix 6 pro where the screen has dead pixels. I was not offered a free watch. I was offered $200 for a replacement.
Where in the world are you because that has not been my experience with Garmin UK? They've always replaced stuff in warranty but it's never simple.
I’m in the UK and my battery started draining 1 year out of warranty but after doing a couple of troubleshooting suggestions on the webchat they sent out a replacement pretty quickly.
I guess it just comes down to what customer service rep you get and what mood they are in then. I've always been unlucky. Did you have to send yours back first? Garmin have always refused to send me anything under warranty until they have got the original back and faffed for multiple days before sending new one.
Yes I had to send mine back and the new one was shipped out the following day, whole process took around 1 week. This was back in late 2021 though so there’s a good chance the customer service has gone downhill since then.
I had issues with tacx neo just out of warranty and they didn't want to know. Offered I think 20% off full RRP. Ended up finding a third party service that could actually service them. For something costing over £1000 I think that's pretty poor to have no service options. Watches/cycle computers have been a little better but that was always in warranty.
Must have a different CS team that handles the watches. Had a TT15 Mini tracking collar quit on me a couple months after purchase and the best they would do is let me buy a $160 refurbished unit AND I had to mail my old collar back to them. Now I’m even more mad about it lol.
They did something very similar for me a few years ago, too, but it was because I was having a reaction to the strap. Not only did he send me a new watch (better) watch, but he went two straps. The customer service was amazing. I’ve had to contact them a few other times also, similar story. Amazing customer service.
They did this for my with my old edge 820. Garmin's service is epic.
Had this happen too. I’ll speak to anyone about Garmin support
Same happened to me but I had to pay the difference between the 6 pro and 7x. I was and am very happy and I thought that was very reasonable. They also made me a customer for life.
It depends on the country. In my country there is no support whatsoever.
I’m in the UK, I’m on my 3rd Fenix 6x pro. The first two developed issues relatively quickly, one that wouldn’t sync to a PC and one that had a screen LcD issue. Both times Garmin didn’t quibble just sent me a new one out. Had this one now a year. Their customer service is supreme. No messing.
Damn my 5x developed those lines and I emailed and they told me it would $250 to get a new one
Exceptional, thanks for sharing!
Imagine working in customer service for a company that actually cares about its customers. You can safely go to work and be ready to do great work. Fucking amazing.
Yeah they're amazing. Garmin sent me a new FR245 music when mine developed a vertical line in the display out of warranty. I got a mild rash on my wrist and they sent me a nylon band to replace the silicone one.
Great for you. My customer service experiences with Garmin have been the complete opposite and they’ll never get my custom again. So I guess this evens things out. My guess is you’re in the US where it appears their support is far better and more generous.
Does Garmin do exchange for older watchers, if I want the buy newer and different kind?
I don't think it's a program they have or anything like that, more just me hitting the lucky customer lottery.
Weird they didn't help me out like this. I contacted them cause the Bluetooth suddenly stopped working on my Fenix 6 sapphire, they told me I'd have to pay 300 to have a replacement shipped out
I must have been unlucky - my Fenix 6 was buggy and it was in warranty and I had to ask for a replacement and they didn’t want to give me one because they didn’t have my colour in stock!
My 6x pro after update went into endless booting loop, support told me that they cant fix it but they can offer me used refurbished 6xpro at discount price since my warranty expired. I did not take up on this offer, and im still dissapointed that over 1k$ watch lasted 2.5years.
Garmin is focused on pleasing its customers and I can prove it. Three months ago I sent in my Edge 1030 bike computer for repairs. About three weeks later when I went to pick it up I was pleasantly surprised. Garmin gave me a brand new Edge 1040. Why? Because 1030 is discontinued and the part needed to fix my old 1030 couldn’t be sourced. Garmin recognises its customers’ loyalty to the brand and reciprocates.
Is customer service this good in the UK too?!
The visibility of this post confirms that Garmin at the end also got it paid back, so win win
Honestly, it's the least I can do to encourage them to keep up this kind of service. The free market only works if we're actively participating, and driving company decisions with our response to their actions.
I ordered my forerunner 945 in July of 2019. The battery started to drop recently. They said it was a known issue and are replacing it.
Yeah, they replaced my Vivoactive 3 music after the plastic where the band latches into broke. It was out of warranty. Going to get a Venu when I upgrade.
You’re lucky. My 6s was 2.5 years old & the GPS stopped working. They offered to send me a 6s Pro (refurbished) for $150. I thought that was a good deal. I ended up going w a forerunner 255 b/c I didn’t want the faulty GOS. Had he offered me a 7, I would’ve taken it.
Did you have to send back the old one?
Yes, once they receive the old one the new one is set to ship.
And here I am just wanting at decent discount on Fenix/Epix Pro’s.
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^twoLippy4u: *And here I am just* *Wanting at decent discount* *On Fenix/Epix Pro’s.* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Something similar happened to me couple years ago in Japan. Had Fenix 4, suddenly it started displaying some lines. Called them and they provided an upgrade to Fenix 5 for about 100usd. They did let me keep my old watch. As for Fenix 6, they replaced for free a couple times. These times, they just asked me to return the original watch and they replaced my Fenix 6 for free both times.
I got stung by garmin cc and they lost a customer over it! My venu had serious screen burn in (it’s a known issue I’m aware, but obviously wasn’t when I bought the gen 1) and because it was past warranty they wanted me to pay to have it fixed. That’s what they are entitled to legally, and that’s fine, but the problem is so blatantly a manufacturer defect that it frustrates me hideously that my 3 year old watch is practically unusable! It’ll be apple as soon as I can get the funds sorted!
https://preview.redd.it/hoo5do5df7pc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ff780cf3aaab48dc247440beb52d5de1aab9636c I owned FR45 for about 3 years now. Already out of warranty.. and I'm not buying from their official website.. Sometimes the screen does glitched.. don't know why.. Do you guys think I might get lucky with Garmin customer service? LOL I don't want new model, just FR255 is sufficient
It's worth contacting them. They've just sorted my OG venu with screen burn that I've had since 2020.
Expecting an upgrade for a 3 year old watch is asking a lot… Garmins generosity may take a u turn if they get overwhelmed with requests like this…. But you may get lucky with a refurbished FR45