03-31-2026, 03:00 AM
As some of you know, I paid $80 for a certified Garmin Instinct through Garmin’s battery replacement program after the battey on my first watch died. That's about 50% of a new Instinct (NOT the newer or costlier variants).
Unfortunately, this replacement failed within eight months.
When I contacted Garmin, they gave me two options: a free replacement or pay another $100 for a certified Garmin Instinct 2 (the newer model). I declined the paid option—I’d already spent enough on an unreliable product and didn’t intend to spend more.
Then the support agent said, “As a one-time courtesy, we’ll upgrade you.” I understood that to mean an "upgrade".
However, when it came time to complete the order—send back the defective unit and receive the replacement—they asked me to pay an extra $100. So I had to go through the usual back-and-forth to understand what they meant by a “one-time courtesy offer.”
All this happened while I was training for my ultras.
That’s when I felt oddly grateful not to be addicted to my 'smart watch". For a while, I used my phone, but eventually I stopped tracking altogether and just enjoyed the training process.
Most of my long distance riding (bikepacking, touring) friends aren't tracking their journies, so I knew it was possible. Still, the athlete in me resists—I track when I can to post on Strava.
Maybe I’ll reach true nirvana when I can enjoy the effort without posting it.
So my question (until I attain Nirvana): would you pay $100 for a certified product with only a three-month warranty? That’s roughly 50% of the cost of a new unit. By the way, now I have been told that these “certified” replacements come with just a three-month warranty.
Wouldn’t I be better off buying from Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, which might come with a similar (or no) “warranty”? At least expectations are lower or none..
Unfortunately, this replacement failed within eight months.
When I contacted Garmin, they gave me two options: a free replacement or pay another $100 for a certified Garmin Instinct 2 (the newer model). I declined the paid option—I’d already spent enough on an unreliable product and didn’t intend to spend more.
Then the support agent said, “As a one-time courtesy, we’ll upgrade you.” I understood that to mean an "upgrade".
However, when it came time to complete the order—send back the defective unit and receive the replacement—they asked me to pay an extra $100. So I had to go through the usual back-and-forth to understand what they meant by a “one-time courtesy offer.”
All this happened while I was training for my ultras.
That’s when I felt oddly grateful not to be addicted to my 'smart watch". For a while, I used my phone, but eventually I stopped tracking altogether and just enjoyed the training process.
Most of my long distance riding (bikepacking, touring) friends aren't tracking their journies, so I knew it was possible. Still, the athlete in me resists—I track when I can to post on Strava.
Maybe I’ll reach true nirvana when I can enjoy the effort without posting it.
So my question (until I attain Nirvana): would you pay $100 for a certified product with only a three-month warranty? That’s roughly 50% of the cost of a new unit. By the way, now I have been told that these “certified” replacements come with just a three-month warranty.
Wouldn’t I be better off buying from Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, which might come with a similar (or no) “warranty”? At least expectations are lower or none..
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