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Is Garmin always this unreliable or am I just unlucky?

SusanCrowe
over 9 years ago
I'ma newbie Garmin user after a running career with Polar devices.

I've had my forerunner 235 for 5 weeks and was thrilled to bits with it.

Now I'm experiencing the following problems:

  • Do not disturb getting "unset" and alerts waking me in the night.
  • Time display resetting to 12hr clock
  • Units resetting to imperial when I want metric
  • Delays in HR picking up when I start a run (several mins sometimes)
  • And now Segments are totally absent (a feature that I was loving)


Is this usual or have I just hit Garmin at a bad time with an ill tested release of their software?

I'm starting to consider asking for my money back ....
  • 0 over 9 years ago
    • Time display resetting to 12hr clock
    • Units resetting to imperial when I want metric
      These 2 issues are known and I "kinda" solved it by going to Garmin Connect and setting the parameters there. I didn't have trouble after that.
      I'm running the beta version.

    • Delays in HR picking up when I start a run (several mins sometimes)
      It never happened to me. But maybe because I don't leave my watch on during the night. I don't sleep with it so I turn it off (although there's no need to).

    • And now Segments are totally absent (a feature that I was loving)
      You can check the status here: https://connect.garmin.com/en-US/status
  • 0 over 9 years ago
    Understandable that you are disappointed with some of these issues although most of them I don't believe are due to the watch itself.

    Not sure what you mean about segments? 235 does not support Garmin or Strava segments and never has if that is what you mean.

    The 2nd & 3rd ones I understand are more issues with Garmin Connect than your watch as users of other devices are reporting similar.

    For the first one, have you set a sleep period? I think that might also be related to Garmin Connect issues.

    The HR one does seem a bit hit and miss. Sometimes I get a value straight away otherwise not. Of course best to ensure the watch is fairly tight and up the arm a bit and if you put on the watch before you start a run you can sort of "warm up" the HR...
  • 0 over 9 years ago
    Pleased for you

    • Time display resetting to 12hr clock
    • Units resetting to imperial when I want metric
      These 2 issues are known and I "kinda" solved it by going to Garmin Connect and setting the parameters there. I didn't have trouble after that.
      I'm running the beta version.

    • Delays in HR picking up when I start a run (several mins sometimes)
      It never happened to me. But maybe because I don't leave my watch on during the night. I don't sleep with it so I turn it off (although there's no need to).

    • And now Segments are totally absent (a feature that I was loving)
      You can check the status here: https://connect.garmin.com/en-US/status


    Thank Iluvgadgets, agree that several of the issues are known/have a vague status updates. I'm pleased for you you have found some workarounds. I'm not so lucky.

    My point was that there are so many buggy items and I wondered if this is the norm for Garmin?!

    The new user experience is terrible and I'm not seeing anything from Garmin with estimated resolution times or intention to back out the current release of firmware.
  • 0 over 9 years ago
    Understandable that you are disappointed with some of these issues although most of them I don't believe are due to the watch itself.

    Not sure what you mean about segments? 235 does not support Garmin or Strava segments and never has if that is what you mean.

    The 2nd & 3rd ones I understand are more issues with Garmin Connect than your watch as users of other devices are reporting similar.

    For the first one, have you set a sleep period? I think that might also be related to Garmin Connect issues.

    The HR one does seem a bit hit and miss. Sometimes I get a value straight away otherwise not. Of course best to ensure the watch is fairly tight and up the arm a bit and if you put on the watch before you start a run you can sort of "warm up" the HR...


    Doesn't support segments? Erm - it has for the last 5 weeks! I was using it! (when my run was uploaded to Garmin Connect to be fair)
    Sleep period - Yes - I set it and set the DND - the times seem to have been reset as well as the DND being switched off - may be connected with the Units and 12hr clock issues?
  • 0 over 9 years ago
    I meant seeing segments on the watch like you can on some Edge cycling devices.

    So another Garmin Connect issue then.
  • 0 over 9 years ago
    Yup agreed - It's a Connect issue - as a newbie it's all part of the ecosystem I bought into!
  • 0 over 9 years ago
    I've had Garmin products for years and never once experienced a lasting or severe issue. I think I'm on my 5th or 6th running watch (can't keep track anymore). I remember when they rolled out the new Garmin Connect, it was down constantly and never worked right. It was incredibly frustrating. It took a couple of weeks to work out the kinks, but they eventually got there.

    That being said, they've had their share of issues lately and I've had ample problems with my 235. I think they're trying to be too aggressive in the market and do too much at once. The more features they attempt to pack into these things and the faster they push them to market, the more likely they are to suffer issues. Kind of frustrating for the end user like us. Hopefully they can resolve them soon, and hopefully the HRM issues are just firmware related and not all hardware. I'm having the issue where it takes a while for the HRM to get a lock before an activity, but it has gotten much better (for me) with the beta version. I'm hoping they're on the right track.

    If you're genuinely unhappy with your 235 and can get a refund, I would probably do it. There's no point in spending hard earned money on something you don't like. Otherwise, try to sit tight and wait for them to fix the issues. Everything you mentioned seem like software glitches and inconsistencies, which they're usually pretty good at resolving. The only major unknown right now in my opinion is the HRM and if the hardware is fit for purpose.
  • 0 over 9 years ago
    My point was that there are so many buggy items and I wondered if this is the norm for Garmin?!

    The new user experience is terrible and I'm not seeing anything from Garmin with estimated resolution times or intention to back out the current release of firmware.


    Yes. This has happened with every garmin device I've gotten and the garmin connect app and site were way worse than they are today. IMO they rush devices/features to market and let the users bugtest for them. It's maddening and frustrating. The calorie counts bug is most infuriating to me. According to the 235 I run the equivalent of a half marathon or more in calorie burn for 5000 steps and all I did that day was sit on my ass. Support is useless too. They just claim it's normal or recommend you do a factory reset. I'm no longer recommending garmin devices to new users and I was a long time fan.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 9 years ago
    In similar situation... jumped from Polar after many years..

    Twice the issues as i bought the FR235(myself) and the Vivosmart HR+(for the missus).

    Both are giving me issues from GPS/blinking or nonworking backlight (HR+) to Bluetooth/Livetrack(235) ...

    Spent more time troubleshooting than actual usage. . But unlike some of you, there's no return policy from where i bought it..

    It's either selling it off cheap or sitting tight and wait for support to resolve.

    Had also swapped the HR+ once for a new one.. but problem remains.. so it's not like i bought a one-off lemon.


    I'ma newbie Garmin user after a running career with Polar devices.

    I've had my forerunner 235 for 5 weeks and was thrilled to bits with it.

    Now I'm experiencing the following problems:

    • Do not disturb getting "unset" and alerts waking me in the night.
    • Time display resetting to 12hr clock
    • Units resetting to imperial when I want metric
    • Delays in HR picking up when I start a run (several mins sometimes)
    • And now Segments are totally absent (a feature that I was loving)


    Is this usual or have I just hit Garmin at a bad time with an ill tested release of their software?

    I'm starting to consider asking for my money back ....