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Documentation - a helpful suggestion to Garmin

7330723
over 1 year ago

Forgive me if this rant has been previously ranted.  Please let me know if there's a better place for this.

Garmin, you need to get your documentation act together.  Case in point: I am planning a trip next week, so naturally I needed an updated map for Europe.  But after a careful search of the user's manual there was ZERO mention about downloading and installing new maps.

Not even a useful mention of how to ascertain what maps are currently installed on my device.  After a bit of hunting and pecking I did find a "maps information page", but one would have thought that such a thing would have been mentioned in the "User's Guide".

After a careful Google search, which likewise turned up very little official documentation on the subject from Garmin, I eventually surmised that I would require Garmin Express to download a new map.  Back to the User's manual and a search for "express".  Again, effectively NO useful guidance in the User's Manual. 

So I tried to install a Garmin Express App on my iPhone - eventually I discovered that the app is supported ONLY on a laptop, either a MAC or a PC.

Having now installed Garmin Express on a PC, I am now in the process of downloading a new map - TWO HOURS??  Frankly, that's insane.

Granted, I am spleen venting to some extent, but this is far, far from the first time I have felt completely abandoned by Garmin's "User's Guide".  There are lots and lots of other examples just like this.

I have two requests:

1. Are there other folks who feel similarly frustrated and annoyed by Garmin's "documentation"?

2. Is there a better place to take my complaint?

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    There is information about this outside of Garmin documentation. 

    You can see what maps are installed on the device by looking at the map link in settings on the device. 

    JaVaWa has a Windows program that will also list them.

    Garmin Express should show it also.

    I’ve never seen it take 2h on my units. People aren’t downloading maps too often. It doesn’t seem to much trouble to schedule the download when you can do something else.

    For maps for trips, I use https://extract.bbbike.org/. These are free (unlike the non default maps Garmin provides). This lets you download maps for a custom region (much smaller/faster than a whole continent). Be sure to use a “Latin” map. This is something that is fairly easy after the first time.

    Installing just entails copying the *.img file to \Garmin on the attached device. If you have two maps covering the same region, be sure to disable one of them.

    People have considered Garmin’s documentation as sparse for many years. It probably doesn’t make sense to expect that to ever change. 

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to dpawlyk

    Thanks for your thoughts and pointers to other resources.

    Respectfully, you appear to have missed my point (except your last two sentences).

    I know it can be done by relying on outsides references, the community, and others’ experiences.  In fact I rarely bother to refer to Garmin’s documention anymore.

    The issue is that Garmin doesn’t take the time to document, for the benefit of its customers, how to use their hardware and software systems.

    The result of their decision, whether willful or by omission, is to create a high degree of frustration and animosity among its users toward the company and its products.  These devices are not inexpensive, and given the number of units sold, is entirely unacceptable to me.

    Garmin is undoubtedly going to make its own decisions about how it spends its development dollars.  And of course I have the option to select a different vendor.

    Nevertheless, I think this is outrageous behavior on Garmin’s part.

    ps - I am not new to Garmin, or this particular failing.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 7330723
    7330723 said:
    Respectfully, you appear to have missed my point (except your last two sentences).

    I didn't miss your point.

    The issue is that what you think is broken isn't likely to ever be fixed.

    So, there's no practical purpose in pursing it. It's a waste of time.

    7330723 said:
    Nevertheless, I think this is outrageous behavior on Garmin’s part.

    Enjoy being outraged, I guess, because Garmin isn't likely to do any of what you are asking.

  • 0 over 1 year ago

    We have further information on support.garmin.com. Please see this FAQ: What Preloaded Maps Come Installed on an Edge Device?

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to Garmin-Maeve

    That's good to know.

    Now, why isn't this documented in the user's manual?

    How is a user supposed to know to go look at your support site?

    How many other places should I know to look?

    It surely seems to me that maps on a GPS device are central to the device and its uses.

    As I noted in my original post, I did eventually figure it out, but with no thanks to Garmin's awful documentation.  There's no excuse for it.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to dpawlyk

    That's just about the silliest answer I can imagine.  I can't imagine why anybody would put up with this from any company, much less your attitude which seems to be, "oh well, it is what it is."

    What a ridiculous attitude.

  • 0 over 1 year ago in reply to 7330723

    No, it’s much, much sillier to be “outraged” about an old problem that isn’t going to be changed.

    You are reporting about an issue that has has existed for years and many people have known about for years. You aren’t providing a new insight.

    Given that the ancient problem still exists, it should be very obvious that solution is unlikely to ever come about. 

    You can either let it go and find alternatives that exist (the red pill) OR you can stay being ineffectually/pointlessly “outraged” (the blue pill).

    Take the red pill.