Garmin makes it right

My Garmin stopped working properly in late August. The GPS worked fine, but I had to do a soft reset (press and hold lap/reset and mode button) twice every time I wanted the silly thing to turn on. It would charge but wouldn't transfer my workout data to my computer or Garmin Connect.

I got in touch with Garmin support. As suggested, I cleaned the contacts on the watch and charging cradle with alcohol. Still didn't working. I updated the Web Uploader and reinstalled the unit software and USB drivers. Nope, still didn't work. After a few email exchanges, I got the info to send it back for repair/replacement. It was still in warranty (1 year from date of purchase), so all I had to pay for was shipping to Garmin.

Garmin sent me back a brand new GPS. Thank you, Garmin, for your 1-year warranty. Turnaround time from first email contact to replacement GPS in my hands was 11 days. A company with good customer service who stands behind their warranty and makes it right? I'll take it.

I purposely waited for my running hiatus so that I would be without a Garmin at a time when I didn't need one. The only downside is that I "lost" all of my data from late August to mid-October. No Chicago Marathon data. No Amica Half data. I manually entered data into Garmin Connect during that period, but it isn't the same. Oh well. I guess it's better than no data, and it's still massively better than Nike+. I created an Excel file with my times, paces, and mile splits for all of those runs. Some data is better than no data. I needed the mostly functioning Garmin for the Chicago Marathon. I would have had a much different race without a Garmin.

I need a new name for my second Garmin. Goodbye, Rhody G. Hello ... what now?