Never buy Magellan again

[whalepirot]

Been using a 7" Magellan with "lifetime maps" for some time and never being able to update. My use has not required the latest/greatest maps.

Their support sucks. Despite registering the product, I can neither sign in nor contact them; sign-in req'd, nor can I re-register or change my password.

BTW, lifetime means 3 years.

Time for a new Garmin, like in 4 other vehicles.!

[NoImMad]

On a trip a few years ago I was actually in Magellan headquarters. They had a huge globe outside that attracted our attention as tourists.
A VERY SAD experience. Magellan was way back then in their death throes having been gobbled up by Garmin. The few employees in the building were on the verge of tears as they explained the situation. Magellan was way ahead of Garmin and they got bought out and discarded. A true shame, they were good people, only the hierarchy and veteran employees were in the building and we stayed several hours talking with them, sad to see them gone

[Alpine36]

Yet another reason to be very skeptical of "lifetime" anything advertised as such. Most electronics today seem to last about five years before they are obsolete, or no longer supported. I'll use my five year old Samsung 1080i 55" smart tv as a perfect example. It hasn't had an available update since 2019. It no longer supports UTube, barely loads Pandora and no longer supports casting video from my Samsung Galaxy android phone. Samsung says buy a new TV. You bet I will eventually, but not their brand.
A Roku solved these problems btw...
Now off to the shop to listen to my 1975 Marantz 2230 receiver, still going strong after 46 years. They sure don't build things like they used to.

[NoImMad]

best one I EVER SAW was the SCUBA diving regulator I had that proudly boasts a life time warranty.
WELL if the regulator goes kaput at 30 feet underwater, I guess your LIFE is over anyway, so end of warranty !

[whalepirot]

Originally Posted by NoImMad

Magellan was way back then in their death throes having been gobbled up by Garmin. ........ was way ahead of Garmin and they got bought out and discarded.

Indeed, and hardly a rare series of events in American companies, prior to greenmail days.

Being PTers in the RV, we're connection challenged, plus I prefer staying as invisible as possible. Hence, I ordered the RV version of Garmin's 785 from Crutchfield who has demonstrated solid CS over the years, while their pricing is the same (-$100) as all other sources.

I recall an ex-ATT CEO statement that domestic Chapter 11 and undercutting foreign companies make it impossible to compete unless quality, service, etc. are slashed. Japan, China, and more actually have industrial policies to effect the effort. Decades of stories flowed to my ears from American execs who were alone against these 'wolves', including fellow Americans.