Complaint Review: Magellan GPS - Santa Clara California

If you are considering purchasing any Magellan GPS product, please consider this first. I recently just won a Judgment against Magellan after filing a lawsuit against them in mid-August over warranty disputes. If you already own a Magellan GPS product, you should know that the limited 1 year warranty covers both replacements and repairs. The GPS "Roadmate" product I purchased in September of 2012 was (and still is) defective in every way. From the accessories to the product itself it is an inferior product made by an incompetent manufacturer.

The GPS I bought instructed me to make U-turns on interstates (that were not under construction), it would show that I was driving through a large body of water when I was really driving on an old road that existed for decades, and it would emit “false alarms” for red light cameras when none were present and would not stop unless I turned the GPS off. The GPS was fully updated so it wasn’t a software/update related problem. It was just a poorly designed and defective product.

After dealing with all of the flaws, I couldn’t take it anymore. In late May I began seeking a refund from Magellan who would not issue one since I didn’t buy it directly from them. I continued to file a complaint against them with the Better Business Bureau which Magellan did not take seriously. They would not cooperate with me or the BBB in seeking some type of resolution. By late June I was tired of hassling with them and decided to just use the warranty to get a repair of the product instead of a refund. I tried to call them about getting it repaired (covered under the warranty) but they told me they only issue replacements since they shut down their repair department several years ago. I told them that there was no way that they could guarantee the replacement would work since they can’t “test” the product other than taking it out of the box and checking it for “dents” or “scratches,” so I insisted on a repair only. They still refused saying “they couldn’t repair it” even after I read back to them what their warranty states.

By then the open BBB case was closed as “Unresolved” after 2 months of no response from Magellan. I filed a lawsuit with the Virginia Beach General District Court (where I live) for a minimal amount. A few days before the scheduled court date, Scott Leming, a supervisor speaking on the behalf of Valerie Denappe (the head of Magellan’s legal department), contacted me to try and settle outside of court by offering me a low-ball amount. I told them that the amount I was suing for was already miniscule compared to what I really spent over 6 months, and that low-balling my already small claim was unacceptable. Magellan only has offices and employees in California, so just to appear in Virginia would cost them hundreds in travel, legal, and lodging expenses; settling would benefit them more than me. Therefore the offer should have been worth my while.

They refused to budge from the miniscule and insulting amount they offered and yet ironically failed to appear on the scheduled court date. From there I spent another 3 weeks trying to get them to pay the Judgment I was awarded by the Court but they wanted to prolong the payment for as long as possible.

During this 6 month ordeal I have been lied to, verbally insulted, hung up on, and ignored by the incompetent and unprofessional supervisors, administrators, and executives at Magellan. This company’s obstinance over the past 6 months was ridiculous and uncalled for. If the company just paid me a refund from the beginning or even repaired their garbage product, they would have saved a lot of money and I would have saved a lot of time.

At least my story has a desirable ending, but unless if you want to endure the drama, hassle, and obstinance of Magellan and their incompetent employees, or  you have 6 months to spare, AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS!