Bad experience with Fenix 5 Saphire edition - poor quality checking?

Yesterday evening I was deciding to purchase the Fenix 5 Saphire, instead of waiting for the FR 935.
I was somehow exited and inmediately configuring inside Garmin connect and installing my watch face and data fields.
The surprise comes when I realize the start button doesn't work!!
No way: coming back this morning to the shop and asking for a refund.
This is not my watch.

0 Tom Shane over 8 years ago

chemin boellmann

Happens. Not only at Garmin, but for every company and every product out there.

0 Lucian34 over 8 years ago

I had a very similar experience with the back button. It wasn't responding whatsoever, so I went ahead and contacted Garmin on a Monday. By friday I had a brand new Fenix 5 at my door!

0 OEAGLEO over 8 years ago

It's what happens after that counts

Every manufacturer has units that are defective. That's a given, and to believe that out of X-million devices, there can not be one that has a problem, of any part. That's not realistic. What actually counts, is "what does the manufacturer actually DO about the defective device"? Do they give you a run-around about the defect, or do they pretty much immediately say "Ship it back we'll replace it", or We'll E-mail you a prepaid return label to return it., etc.

Pretty devices wins customers, good support keeps them.

0 Santi_V over 8 years ago

Don't take me wrong, I'm a Garmin user since years. And always so happy with the devices.
Since a FR 610, 620, 630, 750XT (the best so far), now I was trying to jump to the Fenix line and probably I was feeling so frustrating when this happened.
Now I'l wait a few days for the 935.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

Every manufacturer has units that are defective. That's a given, and to believe that out of X-million devices, there can not be one that has a problem, of any part. That's not realistic. What actually counts, is "what does the manufacturer actually DO about the defective device"? Do they give you a run-around about the defect, or do they pretty much immediately say "Ship it back we'll replace it", or We'll E-mail you a prepaid return label to return it., etc.

Pretty devices wins customers, good support keeps them.

I agree with that philosophy and Garmin is losing big time on that account. My 5 Sapphire was delivered 3/31 but without a charging cable. It ran out of battery a few days later. They said a charging cable would ship 4/7 and now it's been pushed back to 4/20. They claim they have no cables or replacement watches available. This is failure beyond words that you'd launch two new product families (Fenix + 935) and not have any stock for RMAs. While the Garmin support folks have been very nice, the fact that they can't do anything to solve this problem is one of the worst support experiences I've received.