Only preset messages are being delivered.

FIrst off, check the Inbox on your account at explore.garmin.com. If the messages appear there, they are making it off the device and through the Iridium network. If not, then they are not making it out.

Second, for the email, did you check your spam folder?

Third, how did you address the quick text messages? Did you "type" the address manually on the device (or in the Earthmate app) or did you select from available "contacts" (real iR Mini contacts,not contacts from your phone's address book in the Earthmate app). If you typed the address, make sure you got it right. If you selected from available iR contacts, have you successfully sync-d the device since you made the most recent changes to the contact list? Since you made ANY change,not just a change that affected the contacts you .tried to use.

There's a reason for all those questions. Preset messages have a fixed recipient list, which you set up with the preset message on the web site. The Mini has nothing whatever to do with the addressing of the message. It sends a short "code" which says "send preset 1/2/3" - and Garmin servers handle the rest, including the addressing.

If you type the recipient address manually, the Mini sends the address on to the servers just as you type it. The servers then try to deliver it just as addressed. SMS phone numbers must include the country code (1 for North America). 

If you chose from among the available iR contacts, things get complicated. Each contact has a "short code". When the Mini sends the message, the address it sends is the short code. The servers convert that to a real address, and send the message accordingly. If the Mini and the servers do not agree on the meaning of each short code, then the message may be delivered to the wrong recipient or not delivered at all. A sync is supposed to put both ends in agreement on the meaning of the short codes - which is why a sync is so important.

Thanks for the reply.  I was only sending the test messages to me and my wife.  Cell numbers I always send messages to.  I even typed the numbers out with the 1 at the beginning and still nothing.  Also with the email, I checked the junk draw and nothing.

I did sync.  I was planning a hiking trip and was adding waypoints to my maps so I was syncing often.

And of the problem has to do with me sending from my phone using the app, doesn't explain why it didn't work when I was trying to send a quick message straight from the Mini.

And I just checked my inbox of my garmin acct.  And looks like the messages went to other people.  My son and my brother.  That's weird because it shows that they were sent about 15 minutes ago.  It is 11:43PM Wednesday night. So something definitely wrong.  

Standard Operating Behavior for the Mini.

I had messages that took several months to be delivered to the recipients. Good thing it wasn't a real emergency or important.

I spent hours on the phone with Tech Support over several days, and they could see the messages took months between the Tx and Rx, but never could figure out why... They don't even know how the thing works....

I have zero faith in my MINI. It is just an expensive paper weight now.

Spoke to tech support.  Person I spoke to was puzzled by my issue.  She had me sync my Mini using my laptop.  After that was done, one of the messages I sent to myself a couple days before made its way to the mini.  That was promising I guess.  Also, I was asked to send the tech info about the messages I sent that didn't get delivered to me....date I sent them, time I sent them, sent using earthmate or mini, etc. Tech would send that info to engineers.  I am going to hold off on doing it.  Have a feeling it will work properly after the hard synch. 

Even though your issue may have been addressed, please provide the requested information to tech support. The offer to kick it over to engineering in somewhat unusual. It's an opportunity to help pin down software problems that may affect others as well as yourself.