I've loved my Garmin Nuvi 200 up until about two weeks ago. In the midst of work, one day I went to plug my GPS unit in and it didn't recognize being plugged in. Then it went into data communication mode. I tried swapping the power cords and got the same symptoms. (It's been my experience that cords are often the weak link with electronics like this). After googling around a little bit, I found some forums where others had posted regarding a similar problem. The USB/power port on the back of the unit has come loose. And since the port is surface-mount soldered, it is not anything that I'm going to even attempt to repair myself. I need to send it back to Garmin, which is a $59 service according to the Garmin website. Too bad I'm about two months out of warranty.
As much as I loved the Garmin product, their customer service leaves a bit to be desired. In addition to what now seems to me to be a major design flaw (no strain relief for the USB/power port), I'm frustrated that I can't get ahold of Garmin to obtain an RMA number. Calling the support line gets me one of two messages: "current wait time of 30 to 35 minutes" or "current wait time of over 30 minutes". The message on the phone also encouraged me to use the website for a faster response. So I emailed support using the online contact form, and was redirected to a page that tells me that they respond to most messages within three business days. I guess that means I would have been on hold with them for more than three business days?
Hopefully this will turn out to be a better experience than it's started off to be. It'd be nice to have my GPS for our upcoming trip to New England!
