NEVER BUYING GARMIN AGAIN

tdomenico said:

I liked the watch so much I purchased two in 2019 and have one still sealed in the box

I wonder why a watch with a LiIon battery has been kept in a sealed box since 2019 ? But do you know that the battery discharges itself over time? Most likely it is now deeply discharged. If so, the battery is dead. Then the watch is unusable. Without ever having used it. Why would you do that?

that watch still isn’t opened.  I’m talking about the one I’ve been using since it was repaired in late 21.  When I purchased them I assumed that the battery was a user replaceable component and not soldered into the watch. I’m just going to throw the brand new one on eBay and unload it.  In reality, Garmin should replace the batter for free because I “technically” could have purchased it new this week for all they know.  If that’s you’re take away you’re missing my point.  $700 watch only works for 18 months tops and then they want to charge you $160 to swap it for a different repaired one with no guarantee how many cycles the battery in that watch has on it.  Great business model if you want to go out of business….

my 6 pro is 3 years old and i get close to 2 weeks battery. garmin watches have a pretty good Battey life compared to polar. it seems like polar watches after 2 years die but i could be wrong. it is not really garmin's fault about battery life. All other wearables have the same problem. it is true that if you do not use it, the battery will degrade. garmin has a 2-year warranty. that is pretty decent. $160 to get a new watch after that is not a bad deal. my 0.02

tdomenico said:

that watch still isn’t opened.

• I have to ask again. Which watch do you want to sell? The watch that has been unused in a sealed box since 2019 ? If you have never taken this watch out of the box to charge it in between, it will certainly no longer be usable by now. The battery will be irreparably damaged by now.

Ok, I’ll try to type this slow so your smooth brain can maybe get it on the third trip around.  The watch in question was purchased in December 2019. I liked it very much and purchased another one in Spring 2020 (that one is the one that has not been opened).  The original failed inexplicably in late 2021 (less than 24 months from purchase).  Garmin hurriedly replaced that watch after less than 15 minutes of troubleshooting citing some “known issue.”  The replacement (received in early 2022) worked without issue until four days ago (oddly just about 24 months later) with the exact same symptom.  The fact that an $800 watch doesn’t last 24 months is unacceptable by any measure.  Apple still supports and provides updates for phones released 6+ years ago.  Also, when the iOS app indicates that updates are occurring on a regular basis without any mention of needing to be connected to a PC for “some” of them is also unacceptable. So if I purchase a 6X, which I can do today for $600 online and it arrives and doesn’t work because they don’t employ any control over the battery when it’s packed is unacceptable.  I’ve purchased $9 LED light strips that require me to pull a tab to activate the battery connection but Garmin does not? The fact that there isn’t a way for the user to purchase or obtain a battery replacement is unacceptable.  The battery is soldered to the circuit board, there is no good reason users aren’t allowed to remove the nine screws to access it and simply order an OEM battery and replace it.  This is intentional obsolescence.  I will be filing a complaint with out state consumer protection board and our attorney general. As far as the $160 is concerned…why would I spend $160 to obtain a used watch knowing that it is four year old technology, has a battery that won’t last 24 months and when it inevitably fails I cannot replace it? It’s pretty clear why Garmin’s market share hasn’t grown as fast as their competitors in this space.  It’s primitive technology backed by abysmal customer service.  If you want to buy the sealed 6X Sapphire LMK and $250 takes it.  

tdomenico

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tdomenico said:

I’ve purchased $9 LED light strips that require me to pull a tab to activate the battery connection but Garmin does not?

I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're trying to say with all this. Even Apple doesn't have a tab to activate the battery on its latest iphone. Tesla doesn't have a tab to activate the e-car either ;) To compare an LED strip with an ordinary battery to an electronic product with a LiIon battery is a bit strange from my point of view. Incidentally, Apple also says "Battery life depends on how you use your device and what settings you choose.".
That's how it is with LiIon batteries. The service life is mainly determined by how the product is handled. How long you leave the device on the charger, at what temperature is it charged and used, do you always charge up to 100% and let the battery run down. The user is mainly responsible for how long a LiIon battery lasts.

tdomenico said:

In reality, Garmin should replace the batter for free because I “technically” could have purchased it new this week for all they know.

tdomenico said:

I will be filing a complaint with out state consumer protection board and our attorney general.

Please do let us know how you get on.

I’ve had a few Fenix and Forerunners replaced for free. I’m in Australia. 

Whenever the subject of me paying for a replacement for a faulty item is raised by Garmin, I quote our consumer law and ask to speak to a supervisor if the consultant feels they are unable to provide a free replacement. 

I’ve always received either a full refund or free replacement.

There’s a ‘consumer guarantee’ in our consumer law and Garmin has always provided me excellent service beyond warranty.

Does not matter if you would have battery activation tab or not. LOL its the lithium chemistry that goes bad. Imagine it as a roll of paper and two magnets are wrapped on each side in the roll. the two differently charged magnets are attracting each other. In the batteries the chemichals will brake down and creating so called dendrites. They will grow towards, until they are touching just like the droplets in the caves. There you have a shorted circuit, they usually make a hole around themselves and the battery loses capacity as they are more and more of them. I have my fenix 6 pro solar since 2020 and still have a good 22days. Using it in the gym on run,for navigation, i am on beta software hence, some issues are present.