Garmin nüvi 255W 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator
February 3, 2010- Refurbished
- 4.3-inch auto navigator with an anti theft feature
- HotFix calculates your position faster to get you there quicker
- Compatible with optional enhanced MSN Direct content
- JPEG picture viewer, world travel clock, currency converter, calculator and more
Amazon.com Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description This is a refurbished GPS. Refurbished generally means that the unit has been returned to the manufacturer, who brings the navigator back to like new conditions. Some GPS may contain cosmetic blemishes.
Garmin’s nüvi 255W improvesupon its 200-series predecessors by adding top-of-the-line features such as FM traffic updates or MSN Direct content to an entry-level line. But Garmin is also introducing some significa…
Garmin is latin for SCREW THE CUSTOMER — Here is how…
I purchased a Garmin GPS for my brother for Christmas last year. Unfortunately, the sticky suction cup does not work all that well and the unit repeatedly lost suction and fell. The power cord tugging on the power connector caused the connector inside the unit to fail. No problem I thought–it is under warranty for a year. I wrote Garmin an email since Garmin does not answer their customer support phone lines–I spent 30 minutes on hold and could not get through. Garmin’s response was as follows–this is a direct cut and paste of their actual words:
***********************************
Ok Conrad,
Thank you for replying with the information I needed. The out-of-warranty repair charge is $59.00, would you like to me to go ahead and create the RMA (Return Material Authorization) for you to send the unit in for exchange? Or you may want to consider simply purchasing another nuvi – either current or discontinued model – and simply by registering that new unit, you would automatically get a free 1-time map update, that would normally cost $69.99, if you get it registered within the initial 60 days of ownership.
This shows when your 1 year warranty on this unit began:
Registration Date: Dec 24, 2008 First Satellite Acquired: Dec 13, 2007
so even though I could push the warranty out to 18 months, we’re still well outside that timeframe.
With Best Regards,
Vivian A
Product Support Specialist
Automotive Team
Garmin International
913-397-8200
800-800-1020
913-440-8280 (fax) Att: Vivian A
http://www.garmin.com
*****************************
So while the unit is less than a year old, Garmin is maintaining that I purchased it a year earlier than that–more than 18 months ago–which is a lie! The plain and simple truth is Garmin has one plan–that is to screw their customer over any way possible.
Notice the misdirection on the map updates. I don’t give a hoot about map updates. But lets talk about that for a minute. The map updates, which I thought were good anytime, are only free in the first 60 days–after that they want almost as much as the cost of the unit to update the data–which costs them nothing–but costs you $70. This is another way that GARMIN screws you over.
Check the reviews on their higher end GPS’s and you will see that people who get the updates, find their GPS’s stop working and become unusable, or lock up, or something.
Finally, if you use the security code on your GPS and punch it in wrong one time, the unit is not usable until you drive home. Imagine being 200 miles from home when that happens. The bottom line is the security feature is worthless. I found several times I mis-punched my code and locked myself out. It is easy to do. There is no way around it. Thieves no this and steal Garmin’s often because they know that no one uses this useless feature.
All of these things serve to benefit Garmin, because they want you to buy a new one.
Don’t buy Garmin products.
Don’t pay their ridiculous fees for updates.
Avoid their products at all costs.
Call up Vivian and tell her what you think of her screwing me over.
My next stop is the Better Business Bureau, and after that I’m filing a lawsuit against these rotten people.
Rating: 1 / 5
For over few months it worked OK if not mention the signal loss while in tunnels and under bridges, – “recalculating”. One day out of the blue, route from nearest supermarket to the address I live in one state was given through other states over 18 hours drive that ‘usually’ takes about 30 minutes drive time without Garmin. Oops. I think my was refurbished as well.
Rating: 1 / 5
It takes 3 minutes or more to find signal.
If I leave it in the center of my compact car, or to the back seat, it will say “Lost Satellite Receptions”. No signal inside the house.
It spent 5 minutes to figure out I was driving in a street but not in a 50-100 yard away freeway as I was supposed to.
I’m happy with the Magellan 4350 after I returned the Garmin 255w, even though I lost 10 bucks for shipping.
Rating: 2 / 5
the garmin 255w is good but it isnt entirely accurate and the batterie life sucks
Rating: 3 / 5
My wife wanted a GPS so I purchased this one for her as a Christmas gift. I was a little tentative as she can be “distracted” enough while driving, thus I wanted something that would be very easy for her to understand. I would say that the ease of use is its biggest attribute. While this is refurbished, I cannot tell. It came in a new box, with instructions, chargers, mounting bracket, etc. It had not been registered either.
I find the voice to be of sound quality. Of course this is our first GPS so I have nothing to compare it to, but it sounds fine to us.
I ended up having to download an updated map (which took forever) to give me better POIs, but that was really no big deal.
With that, I have been VERY happy with this device, and the price was very much worth it.
Rating: 4 / 5