Did you know that if you buy your Garmin in one country or region, they won't honor the warranty in other countries or regions?

I understand your feelings, but.. never buy anything outside your country, due to that. Here in europe is the same, with many brands and equipments. They are under law. If you bought it on US, go to US, or send it to US, to have it repaired. 

Caveat emptor

Not providing warranty coverage outside the geographic area where a device was purchased is very common with consumer electronics. It's due to different regions being run as separate subsidiaries with their own budgets, and it wouldn't be fair to book the income from the sale of a device in region #1 and have region #2 be responsible for support and service.

It's a huge problem with things like cameras, which can be bought from gray market importers for significantly less than authorized resellers who buy from legitimate domestic distributors. The gray market will not be covered by any warranty (at least not where the buyer lives), and while some buyers know this and are willing to take the risk, others only find out when something goes wrong and they try to get the item repaired or replaced.

Well, I purchased this directly from Garmin.  In fact, I pre-ordered it off their website.  So, they know 100% that this is their watch, that they were the only ones to handle it.  It has all the identifying information, obviously, to confirm this.

And considering it was "purchased" in the US, while I was in the Middle East, do you think it costs more for labor here in Colombia?  I went to the official Garmin page here in Colombia and it is the exact same cost as in the US.  So, it would be cheaper for Garmin to fix it here or it would cost the same to replace it here.  Instead, they want me to pay up to $200 to send my defective watch back to them, rather than just authorize Garmin in Colombia to take care of it instead of Garmin in the US.  I am not paying them money for selling me $1,000 watch that powered off for no reason after 4 - 5 months of light/normal usage, which doesn't have a single scratch on it.

International brand which makes a product specifically designed for international use should make it so you can fix or replace it no matter where you are if it is defective.  I was working in the Middle East when I bought it and thought it would be a nice "welcome home" gift for myself after I got back.  I live in Colombia.  If I had bought it in the Middle East and moved back to the US or to South America, I would be equally screwed right now.  I bought it BECAUSE I travel a ton and live all over the place.  I now have a paperweight that costs me $1,000 that I would have to spend another $200 if I want it to work again... despite the fact that I didn't break it, it is defective.

Thank you for making this thread. I am now aware. Just take a few days and calm down. The only way i see is to just pay so you can get a new watch. It is what it is. Or if you have an upcoming trip back to usa within the warranty period then problem solved.

Did you read the consumer warranty for both countries? In which Country did you register your watch? 

In my opinion, If I travel abroad and buy an electronic product to an official seller, I should be able to register that product in my country and it should be covered under normal warranty. 

I would insist a little bit more if in the warranty doesn't say anything at all about geographic limitations and you bought the watch through the website. Do a research to see if you can come up with something that helps you.

No one reads the full warranty information, and half the time, you need to be a lawyer to actually understand it.  I literally went to the "Garmin International" site and ordered it there.  I was unaware of the fact that they have geographically separate regions and that the warranty was tied to whatever region it was purchased in.  I assumed that since I went to "Garmin International", Garmin would fix it anywhere in the world.  That turns out to be incorrect.  So, hopefully this helps other people, so they understand that the warranty will only be honored if they are in the region they originally purchased their Garmin product(s).  

Let's say you are overlanding in Europe so you purchase a Garmin in the US, for use in Europe and then it breaks.  Until you get back to the US, Garmin won't fix it.  This is important to know.  Maybe you are a mountain climber and decide to buy a Garmin in Africa for Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you are never going to back Africa after that, you are going to be absolutely screwed if that Garmin device breaks, because Garmin won't fix it unless you are in Africa.

michael_galt_1984 said:

I literally went to the "Garmin International" site and ordered it there.

There does not appear to be a "Garmin International" site. There are only sites for the locations of the individual countries.
www.garmin.com/.../

And since each country has its own national legal system, it's not possible to provide international service.

If you send the watch to Garmin US and receive a new watch, you may have to pay the national tax for importing a good in the country where you live.

michael_galt_1984 said:

Let's say you are overlanding in Europe so you purchase a Garmin in the US, for use in Europe and then it breaks.  Until you get back to the US, Garmin won't fix it.  This is important to know.

Yes, this is your risk to take.

Can you name a company that provides international service as you imagine?