Fēnix 5S/5 – 3.42 Beta Release

Otherwise...? Otherwise clients will keep clear of Fenix 5 and they do not want that...

This may be controversial, but I (unfortunately) don't think this will happen. Garmin have the top end of the fitness device market all to themselves at the moment. They are like Apple with the iPhone in 2007. The low & mid ranges in the fitness/wearables market have a lot of competition but there's just nothing on the market at the moment that even comes close to the F5 or the F5X in terms of features.

Yes the F5 series has bugs, yes certain models have crap GPS tracks/accuracy, yes there's lots of issues but if you need (or think you need) the feature set of the F5 series, there are no other options. It is unfortunate but true.

I actually really wish that Garmin had a serious competitor for the F5 - I think competition is good and would drive them to produce better quality product, faster & cheaper. But at the moment that competition just doesn't exist.

I totally don't agree with any of this. If you're using the BETA firmware then log your bugs through the beta email. They've always responded to me and been quite frank about the challenges they're facing. They're a lot more open in their communication through there as they don't have to worry about feeding the trolls like they do in the forums.

But as was pointed out to me - when logging your bugs it's important to be specific with your reports.
For example - I initially flagged that I was seeing more drop-outs than I ever did with my F3 but that frankly told them nothing useful.
I have since gone back with specifics about where I saw the dropouts in my workouts, what I was most likely doing at the time (they're from cross-fit workouts) and information about my height (because personally I think it's a distance related issue and so my height/wingspan is a relevant piece of information). This will hopefully help them replicate the issue and therefore help them work out a solution.

So what I'm trying to say in all of this is - if you're going to be part of the beta programme then be a part of it - don't come into here just to rant and rave. Log your specific bug issues through the beta email and help them fix the issues. That's the whole point of the beta programme after all.
If you just want to vent about bug A or bug B then there's plenty of bug posts already where you can do that.
If you doubt Garmin will ever fix whichever bug is frustrating you the most then return the watch. Most countries have pretty good consumer protections and you shouldn't have a problem arguing that the watch isn't fit for purpose. Or sell it on Ebay etc. I doubt you'll struggle to sell it.

I regularly send my reports via email. The response has not been that good. Sometimes they respond and when they do they offer no information on whether they think it's an actual problem and if they are working on it. They also tend to ask questions that I already included the answer to in the initial email which doesn't inspire me with confidence.

What is this thread even for then? If everything should be sent via email why allow replies? My general way of dealing with customer service etc is give them a chance to show me they want to help and sort my problem out and then if that doesn't happen I take a more public approach which encourages them to sort a problem out they were disinclined to correct due to more eyes and ears being aware. That is why I have also posted here.

- if you're going to be part of the beta programme then be a part of it - don't come into here just to rant and rave.

I couldn't agree more...let's keep the feedback constructive!

I couldn't agree more...let's keep the feedback constructive!

It is constructive. Myself and other are saying what needs to be fixed. Not many people have the problems mentioned (one or two have commented about them which is good, they have experienced an improvement in their case) Myself and others are saying what needs to be worked on, what we expect from the beta programme and how Garmin should be handling their customer service responsibilities.

After another run, my watch is still disconnecting from my phone multiple times. Sorry I can't blow any smoke...... but I have installed every beta and have not experienced any real improvement since I bought the watch. I find this to be unacceptable. Unless people say, what reason is there to improve? Give me an improvement and I will gladly wax poetic about it.

Few years ago I had FR410. It had weird pace peaks each lap. It was repaired twice with no result. I wrote to garmin, that I believe the whole family of 410 is faulty, so I would like to exchange it for 610 even if I need to pay the price difference. What Garmin did, was sending me a 610 at no additional costs.
So, whatever you say about Garmin quality, their support is perfect.
btw. 920XT had the same problems with instant pace as F5 has, almost a year long. And it was impossible to use footpod as speed source. But Garmin fixed it finally. I want to believe, that if you buy a new watch, car or whatever - it may happen it has so called "childhood diseases". But I hope Garmin will fix it. Sooner or later. In my personal case, there are few annoying drawbacks, but nothing so serious, that I will return to use my 920 XT, despite I haven´t sold it yet.
The only annoying thing is that I paid 100$ extra for saphire glass to avoid scratches, but still after a month use I have silver scratches on a black bezel. But there is dedicated thread for it.