Frustration of a Consumer

As much as possible I try to keep negativity off the Internet, but this one takes the cake. Still I'll try to be as objective as possible.

Early this year (2010) I purchased a Garmin Zumo 660 Motorcycle GPS system from a local reseller TrendsMobile (www.trendsmobile.com) here in Singapore for the sole purpose of further improving our comfort during long distance touring. For those in the know, it was a considerable splurge (it retails for nearly a thousand bucks). So imagine the kind of saving one will have to go through, and the apprehension, and finally the expectation. Sadly the results one longs for has not been seen.

Since the purchase in early Feb '10 till date, I've already had 3 issues with the unit.

The first issue was that the unit suddenly refused to boot. This happened within a month. I went online, searched the forums and knowledge bases, tried various suggested solutions (short of boiling it in water), before I finally relented to the idea of bringing it back to the reseller (TrendsMobile) to have it fixed.

Now there I was at their "showroom" (a little shop unit) at Funan Centre, watching them try to "diagnose" the problem. That's when I realized, their knowledge of Garmin GPS systems is, at most, really basic! All they did were general resolution steps instructed in the user manual that perhaps most would already have tried on their own. I followed up with some questions that were given standard general answers that suggested cluelessness. Even some tip and tricks easily available in forums on the net had to be suggested. Not a standard expected of a technical service office as claimed on their website.

The TrendsMobile "technician" finally concluded that the unit had to be sent to their repair centre overseas and the turn around will be... wait for it... ... at least a month! Alarm bells rang! I've got a trip the following weekend which I'd need the GPS unit. Immediately I gently protested and relayed my situation. I couldn't afford to be without the GPS. I then asked about a 1-to-1 exchange or a loaner unit. The defective unit was purchased within a month, still under warranty, and in pristine condition. Well that was outrightly refused. "If they exchanged it or loaned it to me, they won't have that unit to sell!" they said. Wow... Definitely not customer oriented.

However I'm not about to allow a consumer of such a premium product receive such shoddy after sales service, and also jeopardize my trip. I had to pressure the people at TrendsMobile before they finally caved and did a 1-to-1 exchange for me. For that I was really appreciative. I understood the position they were in but I believe they have a duty to their customers. So I thought, well at least they did their best to try to keep me (and their bosses) happy.

The second issue came a few months later. The sound from the audio out jack was heavily distorted. It sounded like the audio was put through the overdrive on an electric guitar amp. I tried to live with it, but after 1 trip, I decided that it must be resolved. It was back to the Internet and forums again. They all point to a hardware defect that will need to go to a repair centre to have fixed. *shudder...* I chose a lull period where I had no upcoming trips to send the unit in. It was back to TrendsMobile, who again tried to amateurishly "diagnose" the issue, before concluding it had to take a "at least 1 month long" trip to Taiwan to get fixed. I was fine with that, had the time and didn't want to put the "good people" at TrendsMobile on the spot again. So off it went.

A month went by, no news or call from TrendsMobile. I waited another week before deciding to pick up the phone myself to find out the status of my Garmin Zumo 660. It's JUST arrived back in their store! (right... I thought). I went back, collected the unit, tested it on the spot and it all seemed well. The ordeal's finally over... or so I'd imagine.

I finally realized the third and current issue with the unit when I decided to use the bluetooth audio functionality on the Zumo. I paired a Sony Ericsson MW600 and got... surprise! Distorted audio over bluetooth. The normal wired Audio Out was fine, just bluetooth audio. Well, you can say its only a little, but cmon... its like buying a new car with a ding on the door! Unacceptable. I knew it wasn't suppose to sound like that as early when I bought the Zumo 660, I tested the possibility of bluetooth audio during trips using a friend's bluetooth earphone on the unit and there wasn't any issue. I felt disappointed at the lack of quality control at the repair centre. However I gave the unit the benefit of doubt, I decided to test it with the Sena SMH10 which I had on order, awaiting delivery.

To my dismay, the same slight distortion is apparent on the Sena. I then got the chance to try out a friend's Zumo 660 unit with the Sena. No distortion. That's it, the issue lies again with my Zumo 660 and it has got to go on a 1 month holiday again.

So I made my 3RD trip down to TrendsMobile. They were reluctant to agree that I was having an issue... yet again. But they took in my unit and sent it on its way to the overseas repair centre again.

Right, and Today, yes Today (17th Dec 2010) is finally the 1 month + 1 week since I've sent my Zumo 660 to TrendsMobile, and I've haven't receive an update on its status. Hoping that it could probably be the similar case of it "JUST coming back", I gave them a call. To my dismay, its not back yet. I then asked if they could give me an estimate of when it can be returned and I was told at least 1 month.

At least 1 month? From when~?!

"Oh, at least 1 month from the time you've sent it in."

I've sent it in more than a month ago! May I please know when it can be returned? At least an estimate?

"I'm sorry I don't know exactly when, I only know at least 1 month"

That's a really vague answer! It will be much better if you could at least get your repair centre contacts to give you an estimate as well. Late December, early January, etc. Something is better than nothing! And also it will be nice if TrendsMobile could take the initiative to at least give a courtesy call to provide a status update when the turnaround time is so long. Especially when there is going to be a delay, or even if its status quo. It's not nice to be left hanging like that for weeks.

This when the girl over the phone with a philippino accent (no offense to my foreign friends) started getting defensive and arguing that they are doing their best, they are not in control, its not their fault, etc. Basically trying to push the buck or suggest that I was being unreasonable.

First of all, min. 4 weeks turnaround for repairs. What~!? I expected better from Garmin/TrendsMobile/authorized distributor

Second, 3 hardware issues. 3! In less than a year of purchase and moderate usage. Garmin are you hearing this! I'm afraid to think of the next problem that comes up when my warranty is over (which is coming in a couple of month's time) for which I will probably be charged a $20 Inspection Fee, a $50 Service fee, and additional charges for parts and labour.

Third, no sense of remorse from a reseller for a customer that has so many issues with a highly priced product bought from them. Of the 10 months I've had the Zumo 660, it was out of service for more than 2 months. And there was no indication from the reseller that what I'm going through is bad, or even some effort ease the pain of my experience. I'm not even talking about compensation here! Heck they couldn't even take my feedback constructively!

Fourth, no proper update of status. Come on, when can a product sent in for repair be returned is one of the most basic piece of information to provide! "I don't know, at least 1 month" is a very poor answer. TrendsMobile can at least get that information from their repair centre, or if not, estimate based on their past experiences! They can always inform me of a delay if it doesn't happen. Saying that they don't know and there is nothing they can do just leaves me hanging. So what am I to do meanwhile? How am I going to plan for future trips? When can I go for a trip where I have to depend on a GPS? All these depend on that simple answer of when can my Zumo 660 be returned in fully functioning condition, free from defects.

In conclusion,

Garmin + TrendsMobile = Fail.