My 2 year Garmin 110 is still ticking away but unfortunately, like a runner, while the "body" is still working, the "legs" have gotten injured. But unlike a runner who can walk into any hospital in Singapore, it is not possible for the watch to get "treatment" here.
First to go was the watch band. That wasn't so bad since worse case I can use a rubber band or a wire tire to secure the strap.
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| Spot the difference. 210 on the left and 110 on the right |
Then I discovered a small break in the strap itself. And another break between the watch body and the strap. Which means the watch certainly won't last another run.
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| The 2 breaks in the watch |
So I thought to get the watch strap replaced. And that was when I discovered being a Garmin watch owner has its disadvantages. Polar watch can be replaced here. So same with Casio. But Garmin?
The local distributor said they don't have the equipment to do the replacement and have to send it to Taiwan. And it will cost $95.00 for the replacement and another $60.00 for the service. And it will take 3 - 4 weeks. And the friendly guy on the phone has the cheek to tell me it is more worthwhile to get a new watch!
I think it is a shame that the local distributor does not see the need to invest in the equipment to service the local market considering that Garmin is the most popular running GPS watch here. They have taken us runners for granted.
Me. I took the guy advice and promptly went a buy a new GPS watch - but not a Garmin. A Timex!
PS: Updated: The watch strap disintegrate into several pieces eventually. It appears the strap is not suitable for our local weather and is too brittle.
Thanks for sharing. I first heard about this issue from sgrunners forum and thought it was most ridiculous. Guess I was fortunate to learn about this before spending my hard earned money.
ReplyDeleteHi Paul, unfortunately most of the different brand of GPS are designed with its own unique strap so I think the problem is going to be the same with all the dealers except maybe Polar
ReplyDeleteThe exact same thing happened to my Garmin 110- except that mine is much worse- the strap broke into a few parts (!) and there is no replacement.
ReplyDeleteMy next Garmin- the 610 has the same problem, the strap unhinges itself.
I think the problem is the humidity of Singapore's weather. Garmin's watches, as much as I love them, are not designed for a tropical country.
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