# Buyers beware! Lowrance/Eagle



## Grumpy (Apr 5, 2004)

In June my brand new Eagle 480 crapped out after less than 6 hours use. It took Lowrance/Eagle a month to send me a new unit. The new unit lasted less than 5 hours before it crapped out. Less than 1/2 hr. ago I took delivery on a replacement for the second unit..............Guess what..........This one crapped out in 0 hours. This one won't even boot up.


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## ShakeDown (Apr 5, 2004)

Ouch! I assume you have an in-line fuse on it? Just to make sure it's not a power surge issue flakin it out?


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i'm glad i was on the other end of town when you attempted to turn it on:EE:
i cannot believe that company gets the praise i see from some people.seems that lately they're not living up to theie reputation.neither in the product nor service area.i thought i just read another negative thread here not long ago.
i thought it was bad eneough after the long wait,that the second one quit before we got off the lake the first time out with it.i should have kept quiet when i kidded about getting a third bad one
at least you still have a "working" garmin unit like mine.


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## Grumpy (Apr 5, 2004)

I may back my car up over this one and send them back the pieces. Asked them to have someone at least at a V.P. level to call me. I doubt that will happen.


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## Grumpy (Apr 5, 2004)

My guess is that what they did was send my last unit back to me. Duh!!!!


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Hmm, I gotta POS Garmin 160 in my garage you can have.  I did have a very minor problem when I got my X125, but Lowrance had me a new one in short order. People like to think the Lowrance and Eagle units are the same except for the name and price, but that's not the case. There seems to be numerous complaints about Eagle units, and not nearly many about Lowrance. Still, hard to go wrong with the price, it if will work!


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> Still, hard to go wrong with the price, it if will work!


LOL.yeah,the key there is IF.i really don't care so much about price,as i do quality/service.even if quality isn't the best,if a product is backed by good service,it eases the pain.when you get neither,as in this case,i sure wouldn't consider it a bargain even if it was free.
i'm sure grumpy wouldn't feel quite so bad if he hadn't received poor service and communication on top of three bad products.
i hear mercedes is a good car too,but if it breaks and nobody will talk to me or fix it,it's no more than a pile of pretty metal sitting in the driveway:rolleye:
ps.............mike,i assume that junk garmin still works,so i'll take it off your hands


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## Orlando (Apr 12, 2004)

Sorry to hear your problems. I guess Iv'e been lucky, same Lowrance 350a since 1995


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## Hetfieldinn (May 17, 2004)

Orlando said:


> Sorry to hear your problems. I guess Iv'e been lucky, same Lowrance 350a since 1995



Same here. I've been using Eagle and Lowrance products for the last twenty six years, and have never had a single problem with any of them.


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## MadMac (May 2, 2005)

I bought an Eagle 640C IGPS when they first came out 1.5 years ago. The only problem was it wouldn't let me save to the SD card. I didn't want to be without it so I used it all season and called them in February. Sent it in after trying a few things over the phone and they sent me a brand new in the box within one week. I've used that one all year with no problems so far. They were very nice and helpful. I would definitely recommend an Eagle but not if I ever received the treatment Grumpy has.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> I would definitely recommend an Eagle but not if I ever received the treatment Grumpy has


he definitely hasnt received the best service or product.i can vouch for that.he would have never posted this if he hadn't gotten a third bum unit.i've been kinda sharing this experience with him from the beginning and he was giving the benefit of the doubt even after the treatment he got with the first two units.the delayed response to phone calls and emails,the waiting for weeks,etc.
i was with him when the second unit took a dump after we'd been on the water only a few hours.
he is no amatuer with electronics,so the problems haven't been operator related.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

> mike,i assume that junk garmin still works,so i'll take it off your hands


 Acutually, it doesn't work well, but it does try to work. I assumed I needed a new transducer, but just never bought one. It's all yours. Right now it's just added to my "will fix someday" pile.  We know how that works out.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> Right now it's just added to my "will fix someday" pile. We know how that works out.


LOL.yep,i know just how that goes.i have a nice pile of my own,so i guess i don't need to add to it  
maybe dragging the boat around on frozen,muddy lakes with robby had an adverse effect on the ducer


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I am thinking the same thing as Shakedown mentioned. It sounds to me that there may be something on-board that is causing the damage. Having 3 crap out right away just sounds way too suspicious to only be coincidental.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

By the way I also have a 480 that is 2 years old and as good as the day I bought it.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> It sounds to me that there may be something on-board that is causing the damage. Having 3 crap out right away just sounds way too suspicious to only be coincidental.


there is always that possibility,but grumpy has never had issues before,and he has graduated from "fishfinders for dummies" school 
hell,he even built his first one. 
anything can happen for unknown reasons and i'm sure he's been testing all theories.just seems strange that his old faithful garmin 160 still works though  
i'm also sure if he finds it to be something else,he'll let us know.

ps...............my garmin 160 is 5 years old and still going strong


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

I haven't any problems with my Lowrance units either. 
But they may have recently cut costs, lowered quality and feel customer service is no longer any value to their bottom line. 
Kind of the way Dell computer has gone.
I hope not.


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## Grumpy (Apr 5, 2004)

As a point of interest...............Both of the first two units were determined to be faulty by Lowrance/Eagle Techs. The comment on the first unit was......."Yep it's a bad one". Comment on the second unit........"Intermittent short circuit in the unit".


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

When they send the replacement units are they sending everything? (power cord and transducer) Eagle has far too good of a reputation to let that one die. I would think they will make it right somehow. It really sucks to have to wait all of the time to get there though. Why couldn't it just break in the winter?



> hell,he even built his first one.


It sounds like he just needs to build a new one then.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Grumpy said:


> As a point of interest...............Both of the first two units were determined to be faulty by Lowrance/Eagle Techs. The comment on the first unit was......."Yep it's a bad one". Comment on the second unit........"Intermittent short circuit in the unit".


With that kind of rotten luck now I know where you earned your screen name.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> With that kind of rotten luck now I know where you earned your screen name.


LMAO brian.
i'll say he's been much calmer through it than i would have been 
when number 2 quit while we were fishing,he was only mildly upset,whereas i would have ripped the thing out and tossed it into hoover


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

misfit said:


> i would have ripped the thing out and tossed it into hoover


You want to throw junk in, but you don't want me run my big motor with a speed limit on Hoover!


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> You want to throw junk in, but you don't want me run my big motor with a speed limit on Hoover!


you shoulda known what i'd say to that 
if you can afford that fancy machine,you can spring for a kicker   
i will bend a little and not complain if you want to hide a 15 hp under the 9,.9 cover though.everyone else does anyway 

ps..................................have you read my open invite.you're welcome to fish from my boat anytime.but i think we should both go on a diet first,or my boat could possibly be added to the hoover junk pile,LOL.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

I'm not trying to hi-jack a thread but I want to add my experience here as well. My Niece's Husband bought a brand new Lowrance FF/GPS from an eBay store. He had a problem with it so he sent it in for repairs. Since it was purchased from eBay and even though it was new, they would not the honor the warranty. So buyer beware.


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## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

Was the transducer sent back with the unit?


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## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

Toxic said:


> I'm not trying to hi-jack a thread but I want to add my experience here as well. My Niece's Husband bought a brand new Lowrance FF/GPS from an eBay store. He had a problem with it so he sent it in for repairs. Since it was purchased from eBay and even though it was new, they would not the honor the warranty. So buyer beware.


That is not a policy specific to Lowrance/Eagle. I think you'll find the rest of them are the same. It's the only way to protect their legitimate dealers.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

i don't think it's a ducer problem as the first two units worked fine till they up and quit.the problem as i see it is the unit won't even fire up.i don't think the ducer would be causing that.as i mentioned,i saw both previous units work and witnessed the second just go blank on the water after a few hours


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Toxic said:


> I'm not trying to hi-jack a thread but I want to add my experience here as well. My Niece's Husband bought a brand new Lowrance FF/GPS from an eBay store. He had a problem with it so he sent it in for repairs. Since it was purchased from eBay and even though it was new, they would not the honor the warranty. So buyer beware.


So do they ask for the sales receipt when it is returned for repair? Otherwise how do they know it is an eBay purchase. I am not saying they didn't give the guy a hard time. It just seems ridiculous that they would if you have all of the contents from the original packaging.


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## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

bkr43050 said:


> So do they ask for the sales receipt when it is returned for repair? Otherwise how do they know it is an eBay purchase.


I've not purchased anything I can think of where you did not need the sales receipt (or duplicate) as your Proof of Purchase for warranty. Years back the good old government in the "interest" of the consumer, made changes to the law that barred manufacturers from limiting warranties to only those who "registered" it at time of purchase. Since then the sales receipt is what you need.

A lot of new eBay merchandise is "gray market" or distressed from a bankruptcy or auction and most manufacturers tend not to honor warranty on that stuff. Ain't saying it's right, just the way it is.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

That shows how long it has been since I have had to do any warranty returns. I have occasionally had parts that needed replaced, small items and from what I recall in those instances they simply shipped without asking for much information.

So I guess whenever buying something used from someone it would be a great thing if you could also get the sales receipt as well. On a cash sales receipt they have no clue who bought the item anyway.


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## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

bkr43050 said:


> That shows how long it has been since I have had to do any warranty returns. I have occasionally had parts that needed replaced, small items and from what I recall in those instances they simply shipped without asking for much information.
> 
> So I guess whenever buying something used from someone it would be a great thing if you could also get the sales receipt as well. On a cash sales receipt they have no clue who bought the item anyway.


I've spent some time in big ticket retail sales and you would not believe the stuff people return... without a sales receipt of any kind.


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## rattletraprex (Sep 1, 2005)

It's always possible to get bad new products! Ask us,after 3 new and rebuilt starters. Unlike you the manufactors are making it good so we'll still have a backup and not have to eat the third one. We were trying to figure out what was causing the problem but it was just a bad product at the get go.


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## All Thumbs (Apr 11, 2004)

like it was stated early, lowrance will not honor their warranty if you purchase it off of ebay. my friend bought a second lcx15 in december from cabelas and both crapped out. the newest one is still under warranty. lowrance said that they haven't manufactured the lcx15 in so long that they would not honor the warranty even though it still has 4 months left on the warranty. they would extend the 1 year warranty to 3 years if he bought something else. My friend told them to ... well he told them no thanks!!!!! what good is 3 years if you won't honor 1 year. he called cabelas and they told him to send it to them and they would try to deal with lowrance.
anyone hear anything good about hummingbird?

all thumbs


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## papaperch (Apr 12, 2004)

My 500C fish elite that was turning itself on has now bit the bullet. Beginning to question Lowrance and Eagles commitment to quality also. Really hate when these companies try to rely on past perfomance. You would think anytime they seen the phrase pre-64 on a Winchester it would remind them.


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## Seaturd (Apr 14, 2004)

papaperch said:


> My 500C fish elite that was turning itself on has now bit the bullet. Beginning to question Lowrance and Eagles commitment to quality also. Really hate when these companies try to rely on past perfomance. You would think anytime they seen the phrase pre-64 on a Winchester it would remind them.


My Lowrance X125 was doing the same thing - turning itself on at random times. It has now pretty much crapped out completely - I'll power it up and it'll work fine for anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes and then it starts going haywire. Alarms go off, won't read depth properly because the screen is going stupid, can't reset anything without shutting the unit off. Once it acts up for the first time it isn't worth a crap the rest of the day. And of course it was out of warranty by about 2 months when this all started.

Not that it would've mattered. About 12 phone calls and numerous emails to Lowrance produced exactly zero in the response category. Hell I'd of been happy to send the s.o.b. back and pay for repairs if someone would've responded and told me how to go about doing it properly. No more Lowrance products for me.


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## Whaler (Nov 16, 2004)

Probably using Chinese parts in them like all the other trash coming from China !


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## papaperch (Apr 12, 2004)

Update on my 500 C was out fishing today at milton and I gave it one more try and the darn thing started to work. Maybe it thinks its a part timer ??


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## Seaturd (Apr 14, 2004)

I tried my X125 again for the heck of it on Sunday. I didn't even have to hit the ON button - I plugged in the cable, it turned on and went nuts. But.... i checked the Lowrance website again to try and call and they got a totally new on-line set-up for sending your unit in for repair. I was able to get a Return Authorization number, directions for packing and sending it in, etc. So it's going to be on it's way back for repair effective this afternoon.


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## preacherman (Dec 26, 2006)

i have had good results with my humminbird. made in alabama and the customer service has been great they seem to stand behind their product. had to send my unit in shortly after i got it and they fixed it with a good turn around time


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## Seaturd (Apr 14, 2004)

Seaturd said:


> I tried my X125 again for the heck of it on Sunday. I didn't even have to hit the ON button - I plugged in the cable, it turned on and went nuts. But.... i checked the Lowrance website again to try and call and they got a totally new on-line set-up for sending your unit in for repair. I was able to get a Return Authorization number, directions for packing and sending it in, etc. So it's going to be on it's way back for repair effective this afternoon.



Update on my Lowrance. It is now in Tennesee and on it's way back to me. Lowrance had it for two days and I guess they fixed it because I got no word on whether it's been repaired, how much it cost, nothing. But I should have it back by Monday. On-line tracking of Fed-ex is a beautiful thing.


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## Wannabitawerm (Apr 13, 2004)

There must be ongoing problems with the 480 unit. I just got the repair authorization from Eagle for my FishMark 480. I said I didn't have the reciept, he says, "don't bother, I got you covered". We'll see how this works out.


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## BrianM (Sep 24, 2007)

Man , that REALLY SUCKS ! I have two Eagle units and so far they are doing good . Hope they get things straightened out for you .


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