This discussion has been locked.

You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

It‘s time we make ourselves heard

The firmware for the FR 955/255 is in shambles. It has become clear that Garmin is either unable or unwilling to fix the situation. There‘s hardly any functionality that is not affected by a bug. Core functionalities like LTH detection have never worked correctly to begin with or are getting destroyed with the new software versions. The beta program a joke. Longstanding bugs are ignored, new bugs are introduced with each release even if they have been reported during the beta.

Perhaps worst of all, Garmin communication is abysmal. The moderators don‘t even pretend anymore that they care about the reported bugs. There‘s hardly any acknowledgement of bugs, there is no transparency regarding the progress and future plans on fixing bugs.

It has become clear that Garmin doesn‘t care. They have our money, and for most of us it will be difficult to return our watches.

What we can do though is warn others who are thinking about buying one of these watches. Please make yourself heard on the sites of big and small vendors. Leave a review with an appropriate rating describing the situation. Remember that on some shops, you can also change your initial review to reflect the ongoing experience.

Maybe write a comment about your experience when DC Rainmaker writes another glowing review of the next new and shiny Garmin watch.

Let‘s make ourselves heard in the only language that Garmin understands. They can‘t keep getting away with this.

Top Replies

All Replies

0 6438282 over 2 years ago

I strongly agree with this. Please read my experience with the Garmin Support. Garmin engineers are so incompetent.

forums.garmin.com/.../bring-back-the-rest-screen-s-functionality

0 8300582 over 2 years ago in reply to 6438282

I feel you! Garmin seems to have a thing for screwing up the strength workout fields. I remember on the FR 245 with one the later updates they introduced a lot of changes for the worse.

0 smashsmashsmash over 2 years ago

The problem is likely to persist all the while the likes of DC R are doing what are surface level impartial reviews of a pre release device that has product engineering going HAM on software changes done with control. I'd imagine his experience is entirely one where new stuff comes along and things get fixed rather than disappearing functionality and dwindling reliability. These reviews are upvoted and commented on by a bunch of people who may well have bought Garmins before but I doubt actually train with them at all or at best infrequently. I'd imagine if feedback were weighted in terms of annual mileage etc you'd see something very, very, different right now.

The 965 review has a bunch of people saying they are going for a *55 now as the price will drop and these comments are getting enthusiactically upvoted to push down anything at all critical from people that have been using 255/955 for almost a year. It's wild

0 ziopaper over 2 years ago

I just put mine up for sale

I have a forerunner 230 and I'll go back to that (I have a bunch of 310xt as well that do the job as well haha)

I don't use the maps for it's an added feature for the day that I will need them on a hike and the fact that they broke the "return to saved location" means I don't hve the added feature anymore

Lactate threshold not working anymore

Feels like they added filtering on the pace so it takes longer to update it when I change pace

Basically the only thing that 955 has now more than the 230 is the music. I will miss that but not worth the headache of checking this forum to see what else they now broke

The issue here is really big. Beside this watch, it means that they don't have any quality control and they don't have automated tests to verify that the new firmware didn't break anything else. This feels like a one enginneer is working on the bugs from his home and in the meantime he/she needs to divide the time with developing something else

Very sad. Not sure if I'll get a Suunto or just be happy with the 230

0 8300582 over 2 years ago in reply to smashsmashsmash

Right now, the case of "DC Rainmaker" (cringe) is almost more infuriating to me than even Garmin itself!

The guy has been made well aware of the massive problems with the 955/255 firmware and pointed to the forums.

And what does he do in his review for the 965? He is actively LYING to downplay the issues:

"And perhaps more importantly, over the last few years, the software quality has increased substantially, largely through open firmware beta programs that go on for months."

"And while the sibling Forerunner 955 has had some slight firmware bumps in the last month or so, those haven’t impacted my testing here (or even my existing Forerunner 955)."

His whole website is nothing more than a vaguely disguisted Garmin marketing operation. The guy makes a comfortable living by shilling new shiny toys to his gullible audience (including me!). An absolutely fake and untrustworthy individual.

0 smashsmashsmash over 2 years ago in reply to ziopaper

I've been suggesting for months that they look at activity data "sideways" en masse and look at it with respect to FW rollout . It'd be super odd if everyone who runs over 30mpw was now doing all that mileage at "Tempo" and keeping doing so for months. Not a peep back. They do have some people who I doubt train at all though unhelpfully telling them "everything is fine".

0 3927542 over 2 years ago in reply to pnmckenna

>> I've reported numerous bugs to garmin support

Why you stu...d people do work for free that would pay 100k-200k salary otherwise for tester specialist, on top of a device that you pay with hundreds of dollars.. and then complain? Are you charity? Then do your charity work for more noble cause than a corporation like Garmin.

955 is bogus device with bogus development team. Dont be taken for a ride!

0 smashsmashsmash over 2 years ago in reply to 3927542

Because we are making money otherwise and want to concentrate on our running or whatever. The end user is foundation of all product engineering. Things shouldn't be made for the sake of it.

As both an (older than god's dog)athlete and a former quality engineer with both product and process engineering management for HW and SW in a different market.... There aren't that many of us about. There are some. It could be argued that a non athlete product engineer with excellent requirement analysis might do a good job. It'd certainly save a lot of acclimation time for them to just be able to understand the user stories that the product will be used within if they were simply a regular park runner with an improvement mindset. I very much doubt that is the case at all. There is no excuse for it. I doubt the engineering team can even talk to most of us. If they were able I do not see how the last ten months might have happened. (edit a word)

0 3927542 over 2 years ago in reply to smashsmashsmash

Here is a reality check for you:

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/GRMN

Surely, Garmin can afford Q&A team and follow modern software / product design and development practices. Surely it is not that hard to ask for $98.25 per share price and 4.85% valuation increase in YoY?

Again, you people buy bogus product with bogus practices and bogus customer service like Garmin and then complain that are taken for a ride. Imagine you buy a top mobile phone that buggy as 955s... Seriously....