Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › Frustrated with Lowrance…Can anyone help?
VonH.
My HDS10 stopped working, AGAIN. This is the 2nd time since 2011. In 2011 it was a brand new unit. You guessed it both times I was on a week long trip to Canada for fishing. Lowrance replaced it the 1st time and admitted to having problems. This time I am pretty much getting the run around and told it is out of warranty and I have “service options”. One might think a unit as expensive as this would not have that amount of problems. I dont fish tournaments any longer and really havent spent much time on the water the last few years. I have about 35-36 hours on my boat thats about it most of that is from 4 week long trips to Canada. It sits in a garage, I know shame on me. After a 3rd call I got to someone that offered $750 to replace the unit and 1 year warranty instead of the “normal $999 & 6 month warranty”. Is this normal? I think a company would want to keep their customers. I was told “i should be happy that they went of the way to offer me a $250 discount and the 1 year warranty.” That pretty much ticked me off more. I thanked him for finally doing something and kindly let him know that I have to go with that since I dont have anyother option but to make sure that I dont have their products on my next boat. Am I off base for being frustrated?
I think you are correct to feel frustrated.When they fired Linda in customer service…….their customer service left with her.I honestly thought HBird might put the hurt on them. But, I see used Hbird units for sale everywhere. Switching to Lowrance.
If it makes you feel any better, my last Humminbird unit had to be sent in three times before they found the loose connection.
Thanks for responding. I guess I needed to vent.
I would be frustrated too. They are expensive and should operate normally for at least several hundred hours minimum. Both brands can have issues.Von H, go over to the BassBoatCentral board under the electronics for sale. There are way more lowrance units for sale than hbirds, but does that mean humminbird is better? Or worse? No. People are dumping their lowrances to get the newest or next generation hds. Their system probably works fine, they just want new features. Each brand has features that people prefer, and by most reports, one brand is more “user friendly” than the other, while the opposite brand has a few more gimmicks/features.Ive got 2 birds, an 898 SI/DI, and a 787c2. Bought them both used, and both work flawlessly, for my skill level and my needs. Would I ever go to lowrance? Possibly, when these are gone. BUT, mine were bought used, so I knew the risk was there from the beginning.A new model that you are the original owner of, and it goes out like that………heck yes I would vent……a lot! I do hope it works out for you. But it does leave a sick feeling to go through that for sure!96 Eyra/12 Mercury 175 Pro XS with 2015 single axle trailer2017 Victory Gunner
I felt the same way after my 50″ flat screen Sony TV went out after 13 months and I was hosed. When it comes to electronics and the manufacturer warranties I dont think marine electronics are any different than major applicances, cell phones and so forth. My last boat had Gen 1s and my new boat also came with Gen 1s but upgraded that to Gen 2s. Ive been lucky and not had to return anything ever. The times I have called Lowrance CS the service has been superior.
I was told. “Actually we have very few problems at all with the HDS units. You are just the unlucky one that happened to have 2 fail in less then 3 years.”
I think you have every right to be angry and I dont think that $750 and a years warranty is fair.Ive been through my share of Lowrance electronics over these many years. Im sure Humminbird is no better. Ive sent units back and my dad has sent units back. Ive had multiple units die….at which time, rather than fool around with the run around, I just replaced the unit.But heres what Ive learned, what Ive decided, and what I think……Due to poor quality and worse customer service, I decided awhile ago to not jump on the big units for thousands of dollars. Id love to have one, but given their track record (which is not getting any better) I think the fee far exceeds the value. In other words, theyre just not worth it for the typical BFL/Weekend Series guy and below.I was ready to pull the trigger several years back, but when I did a careful study, I asked myself……If I spend $3K here, and in a short amount of time, with hardly any use, the unit is down…..and I have to pay anything at all to fix the unit, is it worth it to me? My answer to myself is absolutely not. I have decided that I will not buy any electronics that I cant afford to throw away. I would invest if the investment ment quality…but it does not. I would invest if the unit would still be around in 3 or 4 years, but likely, it will not. Why would I hand out that kind of money for something so fragile with such poor support when I could spend the same amount on alot of other things and still have something 4 years later?Ive given up on these companies making anything that will last. Same is true for the trolling motors….which is why I stepped back from a 36V to a 24V with my latest boat. I just cant keep putting 36V trolling motors on my boat every so many years. In fact, just today, I just got back from the Minn Kota service center putting new bearings in the trolling motor (Maxxum 80) that I have…..again….after limited use.Its a shame that we have to take this angle….but thats what its come down to. Find something that will do most of what you want, on sale or closeout, at a price you can be comfortable throwing the unit away in a couple years when it dies an early death. The boat itself is the only thing I feel we get our moneys worth out of these days. And I feel thats only true for BCB.
CB2,I agree with ya 100 percent!!!
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