Rebel Won’t Entertain a Faulty Garmin Watch after 14 Months

Hi, I purchased an $850 Garmin watch from rebel 14 months ago. It shat itself after an update. I tried all solutions on internet but no luck.

Store manager told me it is only one year warranty and the best he would offer is to contact Garmin on my behalf without even taking the watch. And that was offered as a last resort after he tried to brush me off to sort it out myself with Garmin.

Mentioning consumer law got me nowhere.

Should I make a complaint to fair trading or just contact Garmin? I would like the store manager to get educated is he was wrong thru a formal complaint.

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Comments

  • +23

    What sort of entertainment are you hoping they'll do for your watch?

    • +8

      To watch it….

      • +21

        Tick tock mother f****r

    • +11

      Haha I meant he wouldn’t entertain a warranty claim but you already knew that

      • +4

        That makes more sense than the card trick I thought you were initially expecting.

      • +42

        Why would he entertain a warranty claim? You posted that it only has a 1 year warranty.

        Perhaps you are referring to the Australian Consumer Guarantee under Australian Consumer Law?

        In which case, contact consumer affairs in your state and create a complaint. Take the reference info and create a formal demand (written) and send to Rebel Sports. If no response, or a negative response, take them to court for breach of consumer law. I'd expect them to fold before it reached court.

        Edit: Downvoted for telling you the steps to take. Am not sure what you want? If Rebel breach ACL no government entity will resolve it for you. That will be up to you to pursue. If you go down that path you will have to get your watch independently assessed to show that it's malfunctioning was not caused by anything you have done but by a manufacturing fault.

        • +6

          Yeah not sure why the downvotes, this is perfectly accurate.

        • +2

          Why would he entertain a warranty claim? You posted that it only has a 1 year warranty.

          I suspect this is the reason people are downvoting you. It's rather common for retailers to accept "just out of warranty claim" and to write him off for it is wrong.

          The rest of your comment is spot on though as a next steps to take

          • @Jackson: Correct, any half educated retailer knows an $850 watch needs to last a fair bit longer than 12 months so they're being aholes for being ignorant and stating the manufacturers terms rather than thinking about their retailer legal obligations.
            There is some case examples on the ACCC website, but I'd suggest just open the case with your state consumer affairs group.

            BTW why did you spend so much money on a watch and worse why from a sports shop?

        • +3

          Great advice. I did this with Supercheap Auto (security camera system purchased via their website). Security camera system developed a fault, months after the warranty period ended. Got onto their Live Chat and they wouldn't assist at all and also ignored my mentions of ACL. Got back onto Live Chat and asked for their address so I could personally serve them documents for a QCAT dispute. Got a call very quickly and they were more than happy to assist further.

      • +5

        Shouldn't you go through Garmin directly ? Or contact head office , rebel sports ?

        • +26

          ACL legislates the consumer has the right to go through either the retailer or manufacturer/distributor. However it recommends to go through the retailer.

        • +10

          No, ACL would cover a smartwatch worth $850, especially if it's only 14 months old. You're wrong.

        • +7

          Not great with marriage advice, not great with warranty advice. Find a new job that doesnt involve advice Dr Phil…

    • +41

      Even if it’s 12 months, he still has statutory rights.

      • +19

        correct if a watch only lasts 12 months its not fit for purpose

        • Depends on the cost

          • @TheFreaK: Huawei Band 9 is $79 right now at JBHiFI (and a beautiful smart watch from personal experience) with 1 year warranty so OPs watch is 10.7 times more expensive. So based on ACCC guidance we can infer the customer should expect a much longer usable life on the watch thats 10.7 times more costly.

            OP has a black and white case to make a claim based on my read especially at 14 months.

    • +15

      Yeah 12 months according to garmin. But if that is all the support they want to offer, then they can sell their watching somewhere else not in Australia.

      • +26

        Bingo. Australian consumers have rights under ACL. Yankee multinational corporations can FRO if they don't want to respect Australian laws.

    • +3

      This is incorrect. You can go to your state's relevant consumer fair trading website and launch a complaint. It takes around 5 minutes. They will contact the store on your behalf. 14 months is well within a reasonable timeframe that the watch should last. You do not have to take it back to Garmin - your contract is with Rebel and that is who you paid. Rebel will need to confirm the watch is faulty. You could speed up the process by calling Garmin to get a faulty RMA number - and provide that in your complaint to prove that the watch is in fact faulty with a reference number.

      You also need to decide what you want. Refund ? Replacement ? Repair ? - The store has a right to have the watch assessed and repaired. Be ready to be without a watch for many weeks.

  • +82

    ACL

    An $850 watch can reasonably be expected to last more than 12 months.

    • +2

      /thread

    • +10

      THIS.

      Absurd that they think it’s okay for an $850 dollar watch.

      Reasonable consumer buy an $850 smart watch that would die in 14 months?

      No, they wouldn’t

      Claim ACL and take them for it. Not sure if a card chargeback is appropriate but they’re definitely in the wrong.

  • +14

    The manager said that they would contact Garmin on your behalf . This is what is reasonable to expect. They will contact Garmin on your behalf to work out a solution.

    If you don't hear back from them, then you have a right to start complaining. In this case, I would put something in writing (postal or email) about the ACL and that a watch should last a reasonable time and I think you would likely get a response. If that response was unsatisfactory, then you could consider making a complaint to fair trading.

    PS. Whilst the retailer is responsible, it is often easier to go direct to the manufacturer for cases like this as they are used to such situations and have procedures and policies in place.

    • +5

      The manager at first wanted me to go away and contact Garmin myself. Stating they can’t help me outside of warranty.
      When I wasn’t happy with that answer and mentioned ACL, he offered to send garmin an email “on my behalf” then call me to tell me what they say. He refused to take to broken watch and demand garmin to repair or replace it for example. So that solution was just worse than me contacting garmin myself.

      My issue is rebel refusing to take responsibility for the products they sell under ACL.

      Garmin phone support only open during business hours so I thought I’d ask here while waiting to call them on Monday. I’ll make a complaint to fair trading if the majority here think I should do so. It is raining all weekend and I have some free time on my hands anyway.

      • +8

        I would have the manager contact Garmin for you. I would also contact Garmin directly and make it clear that you've gone to the place of purchase and they've recommended contacting Garmin.

        If you get no dice from either of those, then you contact he office of fair trading in your state.

          • -1

            @Save 50 Cent: Well it would be on your behalf. It's outside of the official warranty, do now you, personally, would be making a claim based on ACL. While the retailer may be able to assist you with that, as the manager is offering, it's really between you and the manufacturer at this point.

            • +9

              @wombat81: According to ACL, i am entitled to choose between retailer or manufacturer to deal with faulty products.

              • +3

                @Save 50 Cent: I'm not actually sure what you want with this. You've gone to the retailer and you're not happy with their response. So your options are to contact the manufacturer or to contact for trading in your state. That's it. Complaining on this thread that the retailer isn't doing more for you isn't going to change anything.

      • my suggestion is to reach out to Garmin about ACL as it is past warranty.

        he offered to send garmin an email “on my behalf” then call me to tell me what they say.

        its best to do it yourself instead of getting Rebel to do it

      • this is the same crap I got from appliances online and why I won't deal with them again.

        You have a choice to go either to retailer or the manufacturer (its not their decision to fob you off to the other party). As rebel sold you the watch and they hold the obligation for statutory warranty which clearly is going to be a lot longer than "manufacturer" warranty plus they are in the position of offering additional options such as refund, replacement where as manufacturer will struggle to offer a refund as they didn't sell it to you so they will only offer replacement/repair.

        Anyway really sounds like Rebel don't understand the ACLs.

  • +4

    I’ve gotten replacement straps off Garmin years after purchase on two occasions. Just email them ffs

    • +4

      A strap is a way simpler fix than an electronically broken smart watch. These claims are always tedious and time consuming. The law says it’s the stores responsibility to deal with it and OP shouldn’t have to waste their time doing it.

  • +14

    Personally, I'd go straight to Garmin. Their support has always been great for me - quick to resolve issues, or replace if they can't. Sometimes well outside of warranty. Good luck :)

    • +11

      I’ll give garmin a call on monday, but the manager was just a bit arrogant and I want him to know he was wrong.

      From ACCC:

      Who is responsible?

      Businesses are responsible for resolving problems with products they sell to consumers.

      Businesses must not tell consumers to go to the manufacturer for a remedy.

      • +5

        He knew, he just didn’t want to.

      • -3

        " I would like the store manager to get educated is he was wrong thru a formal complaint."

        Followed up with

        "I want him to know he was wrong"

        The only arrogant one here sounds like you, having done my share of retail the job sucks mostly when people you you enter a store.
        OOW claims usually incur a fee for assessment then the cost of freight, neither of which most customers are willing to accept, usually that just puts people off side even further and makes them angrier, it's another fight many in retail know isn't worth it when you just work there and don't control processes.

        You sound like a problem and he was right to send you in the direction of the manufacturer so you can have it out with them, however I expect you might be slightly nicer to Garmin directly than you were to the retail employee, or do you want them to know they are wrong too?.

        I don't know why people have such an issue with OOW claims going to the manufacturer, if it was IN WARRANTY then that's another story if they brushed you off, however even in warranty claims can often be resolves faster by dealing direct rather than via the store on things, that easily adds days if not more to the process.

        • Something about statutory rights perhaps?

          • -2

            @OzzyOzbourne: No just boomer like entitlement and the need to tell other people they're doing their jobs wrong from OP.

            • @91rs: You cant just ignore that the seller is responsible for the products they sell. How long the manufacturer claims the warranty is is basically irrelevant. You would expect $800+ watch to last longer than 14 months. The retailer is responsible for handling that. Its like the absolute basics and you should know that if you were working in retail.

              Warranties are extra promises that a business makes about the quality of a product or how it will fix any problems with a product or service.

              Warranties apply in addition to consumer rights to a repair, replacement, refund or cancellation when there's a problem with a product or service.

        • re-read ACL, should explain this as you've stated it backwards, OOW = retailer as its "statutory warranty" where as "in warranty" usually to retailer but sometimes to manufacturer if and only if the manufacturer has a good direct to customer warranty process.

          Not a lot of manufacturers really setup for a good warranty experience so usually a consumer is going to preference dealing with the devil they know.. which is the place they bought it from.

      • +1

        If you have a JB Hi-Fi or Apple Store near you, pop in and ask for one of their ACL brochures. They'll have it on hand and they do a very solid job of outlining the responsibilites of the retailer. You could bring that with you if you wanted to ever go back in.

        The brochure may have co-branding but the obligations are still the same.

        • great idea!. I wish the ACCC would post these out on demand, could ask them to send out a mailout to all rebel store managers.

    • Same

    • Yeah I don't really get why people want to go through the retailer, adds a middle layer with little benefit imo

      • +3

        Because the retailer is usually in Australia and bound by ACL, meaning you have leverage… while the manufacturer is usually not in Australia, and can fob you off indefinitely until you give up, as you don't have leverage, when outside the manufacturers warranty period.

  • Did you buy it with a credit card that has extended warranty?

    • +7

      No.. gift card in order to save 5% the ozbargain way 😅

      • -4

        ADAGCHS

        • +5

          Not really.

      • Did you buy something nice with that $45 you saved?

  • +5

    All good mate, after all its $850 watch and should last more than 14months under any circumstances.

  • +7

    Different device, I know - I have a Garmin satnav, with lifetime maps and traffic.

    It wasn't updating, so I rang Garmin. Turns out it only updates with 'their' cable, which I couldn't find.

    So they posted me another one. For free. The device was seven years old.

    Give them a call, they are pretty good. And make sure you tell them what to store told you.

    • +4

      I think it's commonsense to deal direct with the manufacturer in this case being 2 months out of warranty and 6 years out of warranty. The retailer should never be accountable for anything to do with software or firmware issues on electronic goods.

      That is all within manufacturer's domain.

      Consumers need to understand that going forward and expect to be told this each time, no matter if it's from JB, David Jones or Kogan. All decent brands like Garmin will react the same way, provide excellent post sales support to insure repeat custom.

  • Try your local State Consumer Affairs/Fair Trading.

    • +6

      Go straight to the PM

      • +6

        OI, MR PRIME MINISTER

  • +1

    Complaints to head office usually got things moving in my old retail job. I have no idea what the penalties are for dismissing complaints from head office, but it usually resolved things promptly for the customer.

    I would complain to both Rebel head office and Garmin.

    • But also… I’m glad I don’t work in retail anymore. Management / goods manufacturers provide little to no little support for ACL.

      The second things are out of warranty, getting it fixed is a non starter. As a customer, be ready to argue.

    • lookup their CEO or the executive team on linkedin and send a direct email there. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-williams-b189b535

      I think their CEO is Gary Williams so send to [email protected] as thats most likely his email.

      Many CEO's will take a direct contact very seriously and follow up, so you could fix the problem not just for yourself but future consumers. :)

  • +3

    If you include Rebel in this you will have two levels of management to deal with. Save yourself the headache and go straight to Garmin. The trouble with ACL is the wording is incredibly vague. I do agree that a watch like this should last longer than a 12 month warranty but you will need to satisfy the manufacturer that you didn’t cause the problem through use. Contact Garmin, see if they have a local authorised warranty repairer and be respectful in the communications. You should be wanting the watch issue remedied not making a point.

  • +5

    My daughters Garmin has been replaced 3 times in less than 5 years which you'd normally describe as unacceptable but there is never an issue getting a replacement and they arrive quickly so you put up with the unreliability.

    When my Garmin pooped the bed after 3 years the replacement process was really easy. It's like they knew there was an issue with that model.

    Contact Garmin direct.

  • +4

    I don’t know why people go back to the retailer. It’s such a waste of time unless of course it’s Amazon who have an amazing returns process. Go direct to the manufacturer. It should be a much more pleasant experience 9 times out of 10.

    • +2

      If you deal with the manufacturer you have less consumer rights than dealing with the retailer.

    • -3

      Because most who do like to yell, berate, intimidate, accuse, threaten their jobs and are just enjoying the chance to take things out on a retail worker.
      You can't do that as easily with a manufacturer if its all email, tickets and post.

    • +1

      You're supposed to go via the retailer in Australia. They just unfortunately have their own business model built around rejecting anything though, even when they legally should be the ones sorting it.

  • On the one occasion I had to deal with a Garmin repair issue on my watch they were quick and easy to deal directly with. Very efficient and I live in a very rural area. I think you've complicated things by involving Rebel.

  • +2

    I think it is fair op contacted retailer first since he is only two months out of warranty. Some store managers might be nice enough to swap it for you.

  • +3

    I used to have the Garmin Vivofit. I had several because they would all last just until out of warranty and then poop themselves. I am an old lady so they were not put through anything rigourous at all I mainly had it for the pedometer. Everytime they failed outside of warranty I would ring Garmin direct and they would replace and were great to deal with but in the end I got sick of the drama and bought a Xiaomi Mi. The first one lasted years and only carked it when the battery was losing a bit of charge so the kids bought me a new one for Christmas. The old one was still going strong and instead of lasting over two weeks it would only last a week between charges so it was still fine really.

    TL/DR ring Garmin directly they are pretty good (or used to be) but there are other brands out there that are better

  • Hey OP,
    In the past I’ve purchased extended warranty when buying Garmin watches from JB. I’m aware that JB don’t sell all models of Garmin.
    Garmin & Rebel won’t sell extended warranty so seriously considering to switch Garmin ecosystem.

    • An 'Extended Warranty' isn't actually legal in Australia anymore due to the Consumer Law legislation.

      Most programs that look like extended warranties typically include express replacement or reduced repair costs to get their way around it.

      Regardless, extended warranties mean diddly squat with Consumer Law which doesn't set a timeframe for how long a manufacturer should warrant a product. It takes other key factors such as price paid, implied quality and expected life of a product into account.

      • "An 'Extended Warranty' isn't actually legal in Australia anymore due to the Consumer Law legislation."

        That doesn't sound correct.

        Even the ACCC doesnt claim that:


        1. Extended warranties

        An extended warranty or care package extends the length of a manufacturer’s warranty.

        Unlike manufacturer’s warranties, which are included in the sale of the product or service, extended warranties are usually sold separately for an extra cost.

        The business supplying the extended warranty may also be a different business to either the manufacturer or the business selling the product to the consumer.

        An extended warranty may or may not give a consumer any extra rights in addition to their automatic consumer guarantees rights under consumer law. Businesses should explain what an extended warranty provides over and above the consumer’s automatic rights.

        Extended warranties are optional.

        Businesses must not:

        pressure consumers to buy an extended warranty
        mislead consumers into paying for rights in an extended warranty that they already have automatically under the consumer guarantees.

  • +1

    Bad luck OP.

    I wasn't in a similar boat, but I had my Garmin Fenix 7 pro solar sapphire button shit the bed and i hesitated for a bit taking it back to JB HiFi but they were excellent in quickly checking the button was indeed broken and giving me an on the spot replacement.

    That kind of customer service makes me go back to JB every time (e.g. anything with a significant bit of coin).

    Mind you I was about 8 months into the product journey not 14 months. Not sure how they'd go if it was after 1 year but I think at least they'd send it back to the manufacturer for me.

  • +1

    It shat itself after an update.

    Have others reported the same issue?

    I don't care if a device is 50 years old. If the manufacturer tells you there is an update, you should feel confident that it won't brick your device, and if it does, then the manufacturer should wear it.

    We gave-up on Fitbit devices because of this issue. We had a number of devices brick themselves with an update. The most disgusting this was they used to roll these out in stages to the customer base, and even though many customers had their devices bricked, they just continued rolling out the updates. Despicable behaviour.

    • Yeah found plenty of complaints and ‘fixes’ online but none worked for me.

      • +1

        I think if it's happening to others, you'll have a good chance of getting it fixed.

        Retail outlets will almost always push you to the manufacturer, especially if the manufacturer has reasonable customer-facing warranty teams.

        It sucks they don't want to deal with you, but you may well be better served dealing with the manufacture for a software issue.

        Good luck. Again … sucks that you need luck …

        • Much appreciated :)

        • yeah, when i used to work at optus my manager would tell me to always say tell them to go to apple / samsung / google to get their devices fixed, i personally didn't mind taking the time to helping out people but it's always the managers that say "we only do sales we don't any assistance for service issues"

          my issue was that if we sell it we need to assist them, not push people away otherwise they won't come back to buy things again..

          • @cephh:

            my issue was that if we sell it we need to assist them, not push people away otherwise they won't come back to buy things again..

            I think as long as you make an effort, people understand.

            If a retail outlet just brickwalls you, they lose a customer.

            I've been told a couple of times a perfectly reasonable "We can have a look at it, but most likely we'll send it back to the manufacturer anyway. You will get better service going direct."

            In your line of work, often it can be something simple the customer can't figure out, and your experience can go a long way.

            • @photonbuddy: yeah absolute agree with making an effort, the amount of sales that came from a service were way more than just simple walk ins, whether it saving resolving an nbn issue and or helping out with billing options they were never immediate but i always got referrals from people to see me which was nice.

              "I've been told a couple of times a perfectly reasonable "We can have a look at it, but most likely we'll send it back to the manufacturer anyway. You will get better service going direct." in regards to optus, it never goes to apple, it goes to optus' technicians and then it may get sent to apple after assessment and it just isn't worth the hassle at that point, nor can we ever recommend apple care, but optus has a shitty phone replacement system imo

  • -1

    I won’t share it here but message me if you want more info how to get it fixed - involved being underhanded but.
    Cheers

    • Fix it myself and underhanded? Nah i already wasted a few hours trying to fix it and I already submitted a complaint to fair trading. Thank you though

      • Yep I didn’t mean get it fixed as in do work. I mean fix the issue of them not taking it back. There is a simple loop hole so simple but never mind.
        Good luck with it mate.
        Cheers

    • You don't even know what a write-off is.

      No, but they do. And they're the ones writing it off.

  • +1

    Depends on what the issue is. But definitely contact Garmin directly. I've had a few issues with Garmin watches - twice the screen ghosted after swimming in a pool, and once the vibration motor died. In all 3 cases, they replaced the watch.

  • You tried all solutions on the internet.

    But have you actually contacted Garmin customer support? It could relate to any number of issues that they might have a solution for.

    • -2

      They only open during business hours which makes it a bit inconvenient. I work the same hours they do but will find some time to call them on Monday.

  • A product of that price will have an implicit statutory warranty way beyond 12 months, and to deny you that the retailer is likely breaking the law. Contact ACCC for advice.

    • ACCC complaint done. Will post update

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