Nelson Chan – Magellan GPS Navigation – Not A CEO Concerned With Branding- Branding Blunders
We established an ongoing list of brands we hate and love. You can see this total list here:?Brands We Love/Hate
But we?ll start with the brand we hate the most:?
???Magellan GPS Navigation?
Magellan is one of the original creators of automobile navigation so they should be the brand leader. But Magellan is one of the most poorly managed companies in the history of poor management. ? Magellan just named a new CEO, Nelson Chan, who apparently is not a branding expert. Let me tell you why, Nelson Chan you are?committing branding suicide.?
“Magellan has already made a significant mark on the GPS market as an early innovator and a reliable provider in segments ranging from auto navigation and outdoor recreation to land survey,” said Chan. “I’m looking forward to taking Magellan into a new era of market leadership based on product innovation and operational excellence that will excite customers and the market.”
Your products don?t work. That?s right; you have a serious quality control problem. Are you aware of this? I?ve made the mistake of buying 3 different GPS units from Magellan and ALL have failed to work for more than 1 year. What are you doing to solve the quality control issues??
If you go online and Google ?Magellan GPS?quality? you?ll see what I mean. The phrase itself can be either positive or negative but you?ll find the negatives severely outweigh the positives.??
But why? Well Nelson Chan let me tell you because you are obviously uncaring of your current brand image or just completely out of touch with your customers.?
Reasons why Magellan GPS brand is bad:?
- Poor Quality ? Ah, your stuff doesn’t work
- Poor Service ? Ah, you outsource to
India (thanks for that, Americans love to chat with people that barely speak English). - You scam us ? Sorry, the device doesn?t work. Buy a refurbished one for $299 or we?ll fix that one for $150 otherwise piss-off!
So let?s delve into why Magellan GPS Navigation has the worst service in the world.
Magellan GPS Navigation outsources their customer service to India. And folks they do that because they appreciate you Mr. Joe Customer so much. Outsourcing to India sends one message only: Magellan GPS doesn?t care about the customer.??
As customers we have a say. Start spreading the word to friends and family. Let them know that Magellan Navigation stinks and if you ever have a problem have fun talking to someone with a name like Jawaharlal but who calls himself ?Larry?. No kidding I?ve been through it. They barely speak English and follow-up is not in their vocabulary.??
Next you scam us. If it doesn?t work you bill us a fee of $150 or sell us another paperweight for going retail price. Huh? You really just don?t care about your branding at all.?
Nelson Chan you are a bad CEO. Because trust me when I say that there is nothing more important than your brand identity and brand image.?And if you don’t know that then you should resign as CEO of Magellan.
Hopefully this will become viral so that other would be purchasers of Magellan GPS units will avoid your company at all cost.??
Readers, help spread the word about Magellan GPS Navigation. Let your friends, associates, collegues and family know that they?should avoid buying their products.??
Let?s teach these big companies a lesson!?
This is the first piece of junk I bought from Magellan:
I mailed this to Magellan to be fixed and they actually lost it. It took me 6 months to get a replacement from them which they charged me $150 for. You’d think it would be a no cost “sorry we lost your unit” but nahhh, you still pay us even though we waited 6 months to replace it. Go Magellan!
About Magellan
Magellan is a leader in the consumer, survey, GIS and OEM GPS navigation and positioning markets. Recognized as an industry innovator, the company is the creator of the Magellan RoadMate series portable car navigation systems, the Magellan eXplorist outdoor handheld navigation devices, the Hertz NeverLost car navigation system and ProMark, the single frequency GPS survey product line on the market. The Company is privately held and headquartered in
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September 26th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
I bought a unit that worked for a week. It’s been in there NIGHTMARE support cycle for a month and I still don’t have it back. The outsourcing to India is a joke, sounds like you’re calling a barn when they pick up. every time i called them they were “using updated software and it’s not possible to check that right now”. I wouldn’t buy Magellan water if I was dying of thirst in the desert.
October 8th, 2007 at 8:43 am
I have had a similar problem. I have written the CEO of both magellan and West marine. Wish me luck
October 8th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Steve, they don’t care so luck will have nothing to do with it. But your efforts will. Make sure to tell 10 people about your expereince with Magellan. Believe it or not that will be a cancer to them soon enough!
October 15th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Those idiots have had my unit for 10 weeks for warranty repair. Every time I call they say there is a problem with their shipping software. I am literally going crazy talking to these people. No one can call anyone they can only email departments. The one consitent response is “Thank you for your patience, we will make you first priority, a manager will call you within 24 hours, and we will ship ASAP.” For 10 weeks the answer is the same. I ask to speak to “the supervisor” and I was told that was impossible. However, his name is “Rock” and I could call back later.
Does anyone have the email address of the chairman and the board members. I am also going to contact Radio Shack and complain to them.
October 24th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Oh no! I just bought a crossover, and it doesn’t work. I had my first experience with their tech support today and it was terrible! I’d like the email address for the chairman and board memebers too. I’m very upset at the prospect of the nightmare that’s in store for me. I’m inclined to send it back and deny the charges on my credit card.
October 31st, 2007 at 11:48 am
I bought a Roadmate 2000 and have had similar experiences. I sent the unit in for repairs in Sept 2007. Still don’t have the unit and nobody can tell me the status of it.
November 1st, 2007 at 7:26 am
It’s been a nightmare. I’ve been talking to India for the past 2 months. I believe they have a standard script that they work from. I’ve been priority for quite a while but have not received my unit. I’m tired of listening to the music while on hold and getting the standard “you should receive your unit in 5 business days”. This is a big scam!
November 9th, 2007 at 3:29 am
[...] Aust had some great ideas on this topic.You can read a snippet of the post here.I?ve made the mistake of buying 3 different GPS units from Magellan and ALL have failed to work for more than 1 year. What are you doing to solve the quality control issues? If you go online and Google ?Magellan GPS quality? you?ll see … [...]
November 11th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
[...] Nelson Chan CEO Magellan [...]
November 12th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
I sent my unit back in July…called consistently…still no unit. Have recieved the same responses as everyone else. I will have my unit in a week. It was actually fixed and shipped in August (to the wrong address, I had to track and tell them it was wrong, info I emailed to them was correct – they had the wrong zip code). Made it back to the repair center in Dallas in September, but no one can seem to get it out of there again. Just keep getting the same line about “you will have your unit in a week”. Well, I have told everyone and anyone not to buy a Magellan. Seems to me that they don’t understand how fast and far a bad experience can travel.
November 12th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Amen. Tell them to tell others not to buy a Magellan. A brand can have evangelists or killers. We’re on the killing side.
November 13th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Attached is the e-mail stream with Amanda Higgins, Magellan’s Sr. Director Corporate Communications. The “corporate speak” is almost laughable.
Dear Ms. Higgins,
I have been reading about the software update problems users of the RM800 have been experiencing. There seems to be a disconnect between the establishment of the scalable systems Magellan is implementing and the degree to which they are alleviating end-user problem resolution and customer service responsiveness. But, maybe all GPS vendors are cut from the same cloth? So, I thought I?d check out that possibility. It?s not true. I called Garmin?s customer service 800#, and found it refreshing to not only reach a switchboard in the USA, but to be connected to a knowledgeable tech service representative after a minimal wait. Why can?t it be that simple at Magellan?
Why am I following up my previous correspondence with Magellan, when it seems, when all is said and done, that customer feedback seems to be sucked into oblivion into an off-shore black hole? Why bother? Good question! Because, I am trying my darndest to be a loyal Magellan customer. But, the company just seems to be taking its time perfecting those scalable systems you tout.
I have evaluated every Garmin Nuvi 600 & 700 series GPS?s but still give the technological nod to my two year old RM 760. Magellan makes good products. Others say your products don?t work. I am not convinced that that is true at this time. It?s just the thought of eventually having to deal with the company that?s the problem. I?ve said it before, perish the thought that I ever have a problem with my beloved 760. Really!!!
I am more than ready for a map update for my RM760, but my sense is that a functional product won?t be available any time soon. Nor that your service culture is on the brink of a turn-about in the immediate future. So, with a heavy heart, I made the break to Garmin. I just purchased a Garmin Nuvi 660 for my wife, because I refuse to place her in position of having to contend with the customer service department located in an off-shore black hole. I paid $1000 for my RM760, and I am just short of investing $600 into another Nuvi 660 just to have current map and POI databases.
Sincerely,
Clint Baker
——————————————————————————–
From: Amanda Higgins [mailto:AHiggins@MagellanGPS.COM]
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 6:10 PM
To: Clint
Subject: RE: Concerned Customer
Dear Mr. Baker,
Thank you for inquiry. I?m very sorry to hear that your recent experience with Magellan has been so poor. You ask if Magellan is going out of business and it is exactly the opposite. Our growth has been so explosive that it has presented a challenge in bringing our customer service and infrastructure systems ? such as those on which updates on our website are dependent on ? to the point of being able to handle the volume.
However, I want to assure you that we are taking dramatic steps to establish scalable systems which are much better able to handle the growth and volume of customer interaction. This includes transitions to world-class logistics centers, industry-leading customer relationship management systems and ERP systems, and a variety of other organizational upgrades.
Magellan is the fastest growing GPS brand in the world by a factor of 3 above its nearest competitor, and we have established our position as a Top 2 provider in the U.S. and Top 4 provider worldwide. I say this only to assure you of our standing in the industry, but we recognize more than anyone that creating customer satisfaction and providing best-in-class support is critical, which is why we are implementing the changes I mentioned above.
I understand your frustration, but I hope you will give us a chance in the future to show you how much we value our customers, and how we came to be a leader in innovation and a leader in the industry.
Best regards,
Amanda Higgins
Sr. Director Corporate Communications
Magellan
——————————————————————————–
From: Clint [mailto:cbaker@stratcomm-inc.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2007 2:57 PM
To: Amanda Higgins
Subject: Concerned Customer
Dear A Higgins,
I have owned a Roadmate 760 for over two years now, and I absolutely LOVE it, especially the Text-to-Speech feature. I have never experienced any ?permanent? technical problems. The unit froze up twice, but I clicked it off and on, and it worked fine. A couple of times the address book acted quirky, but again, rebooting solved the problem. From the feedback I am seeing on-line, I?m thinking, ?thank heavens I haven?t experienced any real problems?. The user feedback I have seen has been predominately negative. I must admit the feedback is not is not so much negative regarding the 760, but more on the company?s responsiveness to customer concerns and complaints. First and foremost, is dealing with technical and service personnel in India. Get a life. No one wants to resolve problems with service contacts half way around the world (no one, that is, except your shareholders). Not only are they difficult to understand, but if one is intent on reaching a corporate contact, they put you on a loop that invariably places you back in India, And, this time, almost as if by a wry sense of retribution to get back at you for asking for a non-Indian contact, the contact this time seems to be even harder to understand than the first one. How many dialects is it they have in India?
I?m wondering if Magellan is in the process of going out of business? I purchased my 760 at GPS City. You can no longer find Magellan units on their Web site. Nor on Amazon.com?s, nor on Tiger?s. Go to BJ?s; you won?t find Magellan on their shelves. Nor on Best Buy?s nor Circuit City?s, etc. Further, on the Magellan Web site, a software update for the 760 was supposed to be available in July 2007. That was changed to September 2007. It is now October, and your site still indicates September. I get it. It?s September of 2008.
To me, it is totally incomprehensible how Magellan has been allowed to slide from the premier GPS company it once was to where it sits at the present time. My wife wants a GPS for her birthday. I?m sorry to say, she?ll be receiving something other than a Magellan.
Clint Baker
Clint Baker
37 Clement Court
Haverhill, MA 01832
Ph: (978) 372-3951
November 14th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Have had similar trouble with my roadmate 800, trying to get a map update #2. Can anyone get the address of the Magellan V.P. of Customer Service, if they have one. They won’t give you any numbers of their main office in CA.
November 14th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
It’s listed on the website. Spoke with Robert Davis, rdavis@magellangps.com
November 16th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
ok…it is obvious that Nelson Chan is NOT the right CEO for Magellan…his idea of customer service sucks! It is my opinion that Chan is trying to distroy what at one time was the best GPS unit money could buy. He was fired, as I understand it, from his last job (SanDisk) becasue of company chaos, lack of communications and no integrity. SHAH must have had their head burried when they hired Chan! My complaint is simular to the others…sent my unit in and they lost it…now trying to get something back I had to pay for it. Now after paying for it they can’t get it shipped to me. What a joke! I have requested someone to call several times and have been promised that someone would call but to date no one has called…the India’s forte is to tell anyone what they want to here and buy more time…maybe they won’t call back! Well, I am not giving up! Chan needs to join the unemployment line, he is doing the same thing to Magellan that he tried to do with SanDisk–distroy it!
November 17th, 2007 at 9:09 am
I also have had nothing but problems with Magellan service…I had, note HAD a Magellan 3100 I sent in for repair last June or July. I delt with the folks in India to get an RMA number after hours of being on hold and then going through the process of spelling my name address several times because they could not understand it. They told me it would be a week to 10 days after they recieved the unit in Fort Worth, TX. After 30 days or so I called only to get the message from Richard (I think that was his name-told me he was the supervisor) it would be another week to 10 days. Two weeks later I called back and after being placed on hold several times I just gave up because it took too much of my time. My suggestion is if you have a repair on a Magellan product you call Nelson C. Chan CEO direct (402-615-5100-then go to the employee area in the voice jail and spell his name. It won’t give you his extension but it will ring his voice mail…but don’t get too excited, I left 3 messages, 3 different days and NEVER got a return call…guess as a customer I don’t merit his Hollyness. I agree with the previous message about integrity–Magellan has NONE! Magellan has had some of the best products on the market as far as I can tell but a bad CEO (Chan) can and will drive Magellan to the bottom of the pile if their not there now. There are other great GPS products out there other than Magellan…if you must have a Magellan BE CAREFUL and if it fails just through it away because the time and effort you spend on getting it repaired will be far less than dealing with Nelson and crew!
Jay Allen–Houston, TX
November 18th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
I purchase a TomTom and it is great! Don’t know about their repair service yet and hope not too but I had a Magellan before my TomTom and it went in for repair only to find that Magellan, even with a Return Material number, lost mine also. After dealing with the people in India, I did what they probably wanted me to do and that is to say it wasn’t worth the effort, so I gave up chasing it and bought a TomTom. I sent my unit to them in September and when I called back they said they didn’t get it and I needed to email or fax a copy of the UPS tracking…that was sent to Kevin Peterson. After giving them the tracking information he had the audacity to charge me $49.95 for the service. I got the unit last Christmas but he said it only had a 90 day warranty. I called the main office and got nothing but voice mails until I finally got Chan’s secretary and she said he wouldn’t be calling but someone would call me back, yep, no one ever did! After that I said ‘forget it’, I purchase a TomTom.
November 28th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
Well another customer gets sucked into the black hole of Magellan customer service.
I sent my crossover in for a warranty repair on Oct 2 2007. After 3 weeks I called technical service and was told the unit was in repair and would be shipped “soon”.
A week later I called and was told my unit was shipped and I would be receiving it in 7 or 8 days.
At least 10 days later I called and while I was not told specifically that they lost my unit I was told that for my trouble they would send me a brand new unit and that it would arrive within 7 or 8 days.
After another 10 or so days had passed and yet again, I had not received the promised unit I called Customer NON Service again and was told that it was not shipped out but for my trouble they would send me a brand new unit which would arrive in 7 or 8 days.
Approximately 12 days later I called Customer Shuck and Jive Service and was told that it had not yet shipped, but for my trouble they would send me a new unit and that they would send a priority message to shipping to make sure it got taken care of.
Ms. Higgins was correct in her statement:
“This includes transitions to world-class logistics centers, industry-leading customer relationship management systems and ERP systems, and a variety of other organizational upgrades.”
I have been able to understand every word the 10 or 12 people I talked to, said even through the Indian accent. Also it seems they have updated their script from trying to determine what the problem is and how to fix it to “for your trouble we will send you a brand new unit” and not asking for a payment. Maybe it is because I bought the unit from Costco Online and it has a one year warranty?
In any case if I do not receive my unit by December 10 I will start leaving daily messages on Mr. Chan’s (thank you Jay for the phone number) and Amanda Higgins phone inquiring into the whereabouts of my Crossover GPS until such time as it is received.
November 30th, 2007 at 12:43 am
SanDisk states that it will take 5 years to recover from Chan’s leadership or lack of. It would do Magellan good to investigate Chan a bit closer, before it is too late, and they might find out the secrets in his closet. Knowing him like I do, you really have a snake in the back yard! Good luck Magellan…Chan is your problem not your product. Steve A(anonymous)
November 30th, 2007 at 4:27 am
I thought that I was the only one that was having this trouble. I sure wish that I had done a little more research first. But… that was 8 months ago and my unit has been in for repair twice now. The first time, I got it back in 3 weeks. This time… it has been over two months and I keep getting the same story that you all have been getting. They had no clue where the unit was, they were sorry, we’ll upgrade you to a better unit, We’re sorry, It will be there in 7 days, We’re Sorry, It will be there in 7 days… we’re sorry… it will be there…
I have been to every blog and forum I could find today and am telling the story.
I also plan to write and call Wal-Mart (they must be a huge supplier of Magellans) and let them know what it happening, not just to me. I think that we all should write to them. I think that if enough people complained to one of their retail outlets… things might start to change.
I always laugh too, when I hear Mohammad cal himself “Jimmy” or something similar.
Use your real name, talk to me in broken english… but start telling me the truth!!!
This will be my last Magellan. I will never be a customer of theirs again!
December 3rd, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Last Thursday night and Friday morning I wrote about the experience I was having with Magellan. I was sick and tired of the run around I was getting and I thought that nobody cared.
Well, I had also written to Raphel Finelli at Magellan and he took care of things before I even realized what had happened. I wrote late Thursday and he answered me that night. By Friday morning when I got around to turning on the cell phone and Blackberry… I had two emails from him and a voice mail.
I wrote him back and explained my problem to him and he made no excuses and he DIDN’T tell me that it would be 7 MORE DAYS! No, he did a little research and about an hour or two later sent me an email telling me that I would have my new GPS on Monday. He was pretty mad about the service, or lack of it, that I was receiving too. Well, I waited until today (Monday) to post this reply because I wanted to either have the GPS in my hand or not. Well… I finally have it in my hands and I am a customer of theirs again.
I have always loved my Magellan and have had to use others while I have waited for my other one to be repaired and I have missed my Magellan. I think that these past few months may have been an exception to what happens at Magellan… because I sent a GPS in earlier in the year and it was back in no time.
Anyway… Raphel is willing to help and even told me that I could put his contact info. in my posting. HE is very nice and gets things done.
His contact info is as follows:
Raphel Finelli
Senior Public Relations Manager
Magellan GPS
rfinelli@magellangps.com
Maybe they really do care over there. Maybe things did get out of hand. I, for one, am going to give them another chance… mainly because I love the Magellan GPS.
December 4th, 2007 at 7:04 am
You are lucky I think. If they really cared they’d stop outsourcing their customer service to India. Until then they stay on the brands we hate the most. Companies like Magellan need to do not say.
By the way, I love your work!
December 4th, 2007 at 11:31 am
I’ve called 12-15 times attemting to send my unit in for repair, but no one could understand so much as my e-mail. After speaking with them that many times every time they assured me it would be taken care of and I sould recieve an e-mail with a shipping lable to send it in. I just recieved a return call and he asked what kind of problems I was having with my GPS——————HE HAD NO RECORD OF MY PREVOUSE 15 CALLS!!!!!!!
I HUNG UP THE PHONE AFTER YELLING AT HIM!
MATT
December 9th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
I have a 3250 and love it. Had a small problem with it, and, thanks to Jeff’s post, contacted Raphel. He got back to me in less than a day with a fix to my problem. Many companies outsource their customer support offshore. Some offshore CS organizations are great, others are terrible; hopefully Magellan will change vendors soon, given all of this. But I know from experience that changing vendors can take a while. In the meantime, the fact that a company employee was willing to give out his contact info, however, says to me that the company does care and there is hope.
December 10th, 2007 at 10:58 am
What about all the people that don’t get to talk to Raphel? One employee can only do so much. Magellan should take a look at what JetBlue did when they had problems. They admitted it, put together a plan for future correction and went out to the public and presto….
Magellan just doesn’t care. That’s the problem.
December 21st, 2007 at 4:00 pm
I got a 3100 for my birthday and it isn’t working … I called India and they couldn’t understand me either…must be my American accent! I call the CEO Chan 4 different times leaving messages never heard a thing…guess he doesn’t like to know what the complants are that people are experiencing. I will have to agree the Magellan just doesn’t care. Think they made their money with Hertz Rental Cars and forgot the rest of us. My opinion is Chan! When a CEO is too busy playing golf or what ever he does instead of taking care of business Megellan isn’t far from going out of business.
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:01 am
Magellan support is a nightmare. My unit went belly up after I applied a routine software update that I downloaded from the magellan website and installed to the letter according to the instructions. I have worked in technology for years and understand the phrase RTFM. I have called Magellan support about the unit multiple times. No one at the magellan support center can follow my RA number. They would ask me for my UPS tracking number and then look up the tracking information on the UPS website before telling me that the unit had actually made it to the repair shop. I have followed up with support for over a month and nearly every call ends with me being frustrated. This product works great when it works but my experience is that a customer shouldn’t try and upgrade the map or os software if the unit is working as problems may develop and even if the unit is under warranty don’t expect Magellan support to fix the unit. I wouldn’t buy another unit from Magellan unless the unit comes with an in store, i.e. bestbuy, replacement warranty that would kick in and let me return to the retail center that I purchased the unit from.
January 9th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
needs to have updated maps but they dont make them for my model they sugested i spend 100s of
$ for another magellan get real
January 15th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I have a Magellan roadmate 760 and will be going to Portugal. My unit has all the maps of Europe already in it, but you have to purchase a code number to unlock the maps. I tied their web site, and put all the information in 3 times, but it would not accept the proper information. I then attempted to use the phone and talked to 4 different people (norman, eva, shawn, sarah) to ask what the price was to get the code ( if it is going to cost $100 or more, I thought I would by another GPS unit), but no one can tell me the cost. They gave me another number to call, so I just gave up. How can such an incompetent company stay in business.
January 15th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Good question. Tell 10 friends about your experience.
January 30th, 2008 at 2:09 am
I have a Magellan Roadmate 700 and it has performed well for about 2 and a half years. When I bought it, the 700 was cutting edge and $850 was a steal of a price. I did purchase a software upgrade about 6 months ago for $100 but have not installed it yet. Recently the volume on the turn by turn commands has gone out. When I go into the menu function, the speaker works fine, but as for the turn by turn commands I still get nothing. I have cleaned the mounting contacts and used compressed air on the volume knob but to no avail. Have even switched between male and female voices but either work. Any ideas? Thanks! david
January 30th, 2008 at 2:24 am
That’s the problem I had. Here are my suggestions:
1. Send it in to them, pay $150 and suffer or…
2. Buy a Garmin Nuvi for $200-$300 with more features
January 30th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Thanks, Admin. Yes, simply replacing it is a foregone conclusion at this point. After everything posted here, I’d never waste my time or money sending the unit in for repair, I’d just buy a new one. Oh those disposable $850 electronic gadgets, gotta love ‘em.
This board has been very helpful, otherwise I’d be stuck in the same rut as most everbody else here, paying and waiting, and waiting.
I am actually about to buy a new car with integrated GPS, the Roadmate 700 was nice for a while but I guess it’s lived it’s pre-determined lifespan and Magellan thinks it’s time for me to buy a new one. I’ve got some unfortunate news for them.
Thanks again Admin for the response.
February 15th, 2008 at 2:24 am
I urge everyone to call cbs 2 ny in NYC. CBS is working on doing a story about magellan since they are starting to recieve hundreds of complaints about Magellan.
I urge everyone to call 1800 ch 2 news and ask them to transfer you to the person that is doing the story on magellan. It is time for Americans to end this garbage.
I also urge everyone to call their local state Attorney generals office which looks in to these type of scam companies. Something can and will be done but we need YOUR help and the more people that complain to the authorities and news outlets, something will change.
Good luck to all of us.
May 16th, 2008 at 9:31 am
I made the big mistake – I bought a Magellan 6000T Roadmate without first reading all these blogs about the non-customer service at Magellan. The unit was fairly expensive compared to Garmin, but that was my first problem. After waiting several months for the promised updated maps and firmware upgrade, they were finally released in early 2008. However, attempts to update to the latest firmware were unsuccessful, and I tried “Customer Service!!!” After repeated e-mail communications that received nothing more than a message indicating my email had been received, I tried their 800 number. Naturally, it was to someone in India, who was not only difficult to understand, but offered a couple of suggestions that did not work. A follow-up call resulted in a long wait on hold, then a disconnect. I then tried a letter to the CEO – Nelson Chan. Same results – being ignored; no response after 60 days. Garmin has taken the oxymoron “Customer Service” to a new low – totally ignore the customer, and little service is required.
After reading many of these blogs, the last thing I would ever do is return the unit to Garmin for a fix. I’ll wait until it dies, or the maps become so outdated a replacement unit is required. Rest assured its replacement will never be another Magellan, and I have relayed this to as many friends as possible to ensure they too do not fall into the same Magellan trap.
June 17th, 2008 at 1:58 am
I understand the flustration everybody feels with Magellan USA. I live in Australia and can only say that the guys from the Australian service and support, who are also the importers and distributors for Magellan, do a fantastic job. Warranty repairs are done in 2 or 3 day and the only time there is a delay is when they are waiting on the USA for something.
If the Americans performed like the Australians, they would certainly be #1.
June 17th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
I would like to know if anyone has ordered and received the new map update for the Roadmate 2000, and if so did it work okay without any of the problems mentioned in all the other messages. I would like to know before I order it? Thanks
June 25th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
People, DO NOT BUY A MAGELLAN.
I dropped $1400 on a unit and update. The audio quit working. “Tiffany” told me that they do not have parts for the original 700 but could offer me a Maestro for $128. if I send my old unit back. Excuse me? They don’t have replacement parts? Aren’t you the manufacturer? After staying on the line, she said they will fix it free of charge (within 21 days). We’ll see. So where did the parts come from all of a sudden?
I will never buy a Magellan product again and have told anyone who will listen!
Scam artists extraordinaire.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Hi….this bad about Magellan GPS products. They have to make a way how to improve better quality products.
cheers
Car Gps Navigation Systems
August 25th, 2008 at 9:37 am
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December 10th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
I purchased a magellan maestro gps unit in July 2008. The map was over a year out of date but upon checking their website, there was no new map available. In Early December I checked again and found that a new map was released in August so I called to activate my supposed 30 day map warantee , as I purchased it in July. So far, after spending over 9 hours on the phone both to the phillapenes, and their resolution center supposedlly in the USA, and 11 emails, I have been refused the map update. Even though it is very clear on their web site, that I should have gotten the new map, they refuse to give it to me and also refuse to show me their policy even though they keep citing this so called policy that they say I had to contact them within the 30 days to get this new map. This is by far the worst company I have ever dealt with and will never be spending another penny on their junk.
February 14th, 2009 at 4:27 am
Hey Jimbob: GIve it up and dont break down and buy the Miestro upgrade like I did. The new map has bugs so that it won’ t show any POIs in certain catagories like “shopping” and “Public buildings”. They dont work in central Wisconsin so I bet there are other places and other bugs that won’t work and have you wasting even more time arguing with with the brick wall at Magellan. Cut your losses now and get a Garmin!!!
June 19th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Well I have been a Magellan customer since WAY before these 3D and portable talking GPS PoS had been around. I use my GPS when I go on extended hikes and hunts. My life very well may depend on my GPS functioning correctly and being accurate and up to date.
I still own a Meridian. One of the finest GPS unit ever made. It doesnt talk to me, give me directions in 3D, show me where to buy a latte or give me the latest hollywood gossip or any such nonsense like that, but its kept my ass alive, just as a GPS was inteded to do.
But now, with a unit and software less than 10 years old Magellan tells me that there are no more updates for the software Mapsend Topo USA (not 3D) and the update that WAS available no longer is. Which means I have to kick down a buttload of money for a GPS full of nonsensicle BS I really dont need or want. I guaren-damn-tee it wont be a magellan.
When did a company stop supporting its products after only a year or so?
Sounds to me like Magellan has lost its way. Pun intended
August 13th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
My Maestro 4350 refurbished unit failed after 4 months. I received absolute terrible customer service, with no sympathy for a defective GPS. Their idea of customer service is to force me to pay $200 for a new unit! I have no faith in their product anymore. Time to switch to Garmin or TomTom.
It’s amazing they can stay in business with this attitude!!
PS> Magellan only offer a 90 day warranty on refurb units, while Garmin and TomTom offer one year! This shows you the faith they have in their own products!!!
November 8th, 2010 at 9:21 pm
This seems a little harsh. I’ve had great luck with Magellan products.
September 28th, 2011 at 7:25 pm
Magellan are terrible. I have a cross over that the australian distributer are refusing to support. Calling the US and they say they won’t repair these units. SO after spending over $800 on a unit that failed misserably and Magellan refuse to support it, they suggest I spend some more money with them to buy another unit as part of their customer loyalty program. Are they for real……..
DONT BUY MAGELLAN. They are shonky units that have minimal support. Go GARMIN instead.
Chris