In December we reported that our Garmin GPS and radar unit was giving us some problems. At the time our frustration with having a broken part on board clouded our feelings for Garmin as all we could think of was how many more days it would be till we could get moving out of Manzanillo, Las Hadas and Santiago. Garmin continued to work with us throughout out journeys but what we did not know was how lucky we were to be working with them instead of one of the other companies that sell radar units to people that plan to leave the United States for shores abroad.
We took Garmins suggestions for replacing our mapping card and to our relief, Garmin was happy to pay for the shipping and the customs fees from the US to Mexico. The card was a free replacement but the shipping could have cost us over $200.00 as most overnight minimums are in the $50.00 range and the customs fees can to over $150.00. Garmin covered everything.
Although the card did not resolve the issues, Garmin was willing to replace the entire unit for us. There was no question about shipping to Mexico, they were willing and we felt certain they would pickup all the charges as well. In a stroke of luck Lisa was actually flying home so we picked up the unit there, again no cost.
When we purchased the unit we did not do so based on Garmins reputation as being a leader in the marine electronics industry, we did so based on our need to have a simple way to connect a remote monitor to the system and hands down it was Garmin that won. If we had had other choices we would have chosen Furuno or Simrad which both have terrific reputations for quality gear. What we didn’t know was that Simrad in particular does not supply the type of assistance to resolve issues with their electronics that Garmin does.
Our friends Mike and Marie on Dejala’ happened to be in the harbor next to us when we began to talk about boat issues. The Garmin was big on our minds and we let them know how long it was taking to get the Garmin replaced. Mike set us straight when he told us that he owned a Simrad unit with similar issues to our Garmin. Simrads technicians decided that the problem was with the cable that ran to the actual ray dome. Mike asked for them to please send the required replacement but the Simrad tech told him that he could only send the cable to the US. It would be Mikes issue to recover it from the address of his choice, in the USA. Following a $300 bus trip, Mike recovered part of the cable. When later asked why only half the cable was sent the Simrad tech told Mike they figured it was the lower half of the cable that was a problem so to save the company money, they only sent half. The cable was not the issue with the unit, or at least not the bottom half of the cable. Mike is still working with the company to get a repair.
All we can say is that Garmin, although maybe not as quick as we would have liked stood behind their product, kept moving the ball forward and never made us pay for anything that was directly related to getting a new unit to us. We are now happy to recognize Garmin as one of the Good Companies out there. Unfortunately Simrad in our opinion falls into the same category as ICOM which is another large marine manufacturer that will not accept repair work (in or out of warranty) from any country other than the USA.
OK, it’s baseball season so we are off to the Little League games here in Mazatlan. Enjoy your commute.