Hello everyone,
I'm writing to share a deeply concerning and disappointing experience I've had with my Forerunner 255 and the subsequent response from Garmin's support team.
My watch, which is only three years old, has recently started to severely overheat and then shut down randomly. This isn't happening during a strenuous activity, but simply while I'm wearing it normally throughout the day or while I'm sleeping. The watch gets so hot that it actually burns my wrist. It's become a genuine safety hazard.
To give you an idea of the severity, I measured the temperature on the back of the watch, and it reached a shocking 45°C (113°F). I am seriously concerned that the battery is failing and could potentially leak or even explode while I'm wearing it.
Naturally, I opened a support ticket, expecting a solution for what is clearly a dangerously defective product. To my complete disbelief, the official response was that the watch is "unrepairable." The only "solution" they offered was for me to purchase a brand-new Forerunner 265 for €350, which is just its standard retail price.
I find this situation completely unjustifiable. I paid €350 for this watch, and I expect a premium product to last longer than three years. More importantly, I certainly don't expect it to fail in a way that makes it dangerous to wear. To be told that a high-end device is unfixable after such a short time, and then be asked to pay full price for a new one, is frankly insulting.
Is this the standard of quality and customer care we should now expect from Garmin? A three-year lifespan before a product becomes a potential fire hazard?
I am attaching three images to this post for full transparency:
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A photo showing the watch's temperature reading of 45°C.
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A screenshot of the email from customer support stating the watch cannot be repaired.
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A screenshot of the checkout page for the full-price "replacement" they offered.
I am beyond disappointed with both the product's failure and the lack of a responsible solution from Garmin. I hope that by sharing this, I can get a more appropriate response. A company like Garmin should take a serious safety issue like this much more seriously.
