New Garmin Connect (modern) my thoughts

And what makes matters worse is that they don't seem to be doing anything to fix the problem. Customer service has been 00000000 help

Garmin customer service is non-existent. They have your money so why why should they care. I have three Garmin's 305, 500 and 910XT. They all work well and generally do what they claim that they do. My issue is not being able to upload data to either Strava or Ride with GPS. Garmin has decided to reinvent the wheel by providing a poorly managed web site called Garmin Connect. The only time that I did get through I was made to feel like they were superior and I should be glad they answered the phone. Garmin is a piece of work.

What prevents you from uploading to Strava or Ride with GPS? I don't know about the other two, but doesn't the 500 simply mount as a disk when plugged in? Don't Strava and Ride with GPS take .fit files?

If Garmin Connect is all that bothers you, don't use it. As you know, there are plenty of alternatives. No one is forcing you to use it, certainly not Garmin. (And besides, as far as I know it was around long before Strava. I started using Motion Based, the predecessor to Garmin Connect, in 2007 I think. Don't know how long Ride with GPS has been around.)

Really harsh reply to a member who is obviously frustrated with the connectivity of Garmin connect ,totally disagree with "then don't use it" as connect is promoted by Garmin as a integrated part of the product range for the Garmin devices .think the product should be as described a by Garmin and work as such otherwise don't claim to do what it cannot do and have some visibility and transparency around impending fixes .Not a helpful post

Look, anyone who expects Garmin to get software right the first time doesn't know Garmin. It doesn't surprise me that segments or leaderboards (which I personally have no interest in) don't work. Based on my experience with Garmin, it'll be months before they work. It took them years to get the weather info back that was there when they bought Motion Based. Sync works for me with an Edge 800 and a Fenix, so just saying "sync doesn't work" isn't even correct. It may not work with some devices, but others are fine. And manual upload is still there.

Aren't segments and leaderboards Strava's thing? Don't they work now? So isn't the answer simply to use Strava if you want segments and leaderboards? They must have lots more users doing that there than at Garmin Connect, since they've been doing it longer. I just checked, and Strava lists lots of Edges and Forerunners as compatible, including the 305, the 500, and the 910. And they say they take GPX, TCX, and FIT, which are the formats Garmin devices record in.

Not a helpful post

I disagree. Some people don't realize there are other options.

Really harsh reply to a member who is obviously frustrated with the connectivity of Garmin connect

Even us longtime forum members get frustrated too. Shouldn't we be allowed to vent too? Sure there needs to be some restraint, but we don't want a world or even this forum to be a politically correct nightmare where only "everything is good" type comments are made.

connect is promoted by Garmin as a integrated part of the product range for the Garmin devices

True it is promoted that way. But I'd rather Garmin just focus on building the hardware. They have in the past made some really good stuff and had been reasonably open about letting other developers use the data that these device produce so some really good software products could be developed independently.

Now it seems as if Garmin might be trying to move into areas that as they become a bigger, bloated corporate bureaucracy, they won't serve the individual very well. I'm afraid that they may well try to keep independent developers from using the data the new devices produce, and well be stuck with their "good intentions" for the masses.

have some visibility and transparency around impending fixes .Not a helpful post

most large companies are pretty closed mouth till they do it. Garmin has not ever shown exception to this.

think the product should be as described a by Garmin and work as such

Yes they should. But you always have to look through the 'salesman speak' which Garmin salesman do dance a fine line sometimes. Not to say this mess with Garmin Connect should be excused. I have to wonder if its an issue with contracted help. From my past experiences, a lot of Garmin's issues seem to be what happens when a company abandons its own IT people and goes to outsourcing. I've seen many large companies fail doing that.

Now it seems as if Garmin might be trying to move into areas that as they become a bigger, bloated corporate bureaucracy, they won't serve the individual very well. I'm afraid that they may well try to keep independent developers from using the data the new devices produce, and well be stuck with their "good intentions" for the masses.

There have been recent posts by DC Rainmaker about just that, Garmin closing off it's API and charging corporate "partners" to use them. Training Peaks is one of the first partners. Even more reason to be aware of the alternatives to Garmin Connect, although in the end, if all of the big sites partner up, it may work out well for many of us. (For example, if Withings and Garmin partner, the data from my scale and blood pressure cuff could be automatically available on GC.)