John Stephens
Well-known member
Sharon and Gary - your experience with your 770 really makes me rethink whether or not I want to buy one. But I have to ask one question before making my decision: did you ever contact Garmin and ask what could be done to fix these problems?
It sounds to me like you had problems that could have been caused by a unit malfunction, poor software, incorrect mapping, but just as easily by the need for updating - again - or user error. When you downloaded your update before your trip, did you try to update it again? It is always recommended to try a second update simply to see if everything needing updating actually was on the first try. You indicated you never downloaded the smartphone app which would have given you traffic information, but you were upset that you couldn't pick "least congested" in your choices of how to set up the mapping. Although that option is not included in your initial setup, if you had downloaded the app and used the traffic update feature, it would have given you options whenever it encountered a traffic problem and you could have then decided if you wanted to try a different route or stay on the one you presently had.
If you called Garmin and were told the problems you experienced were due to shortcomings of the model, I certainly would not want one for myself. However, if you never called Garmin, then I guess we'll never know the exact cause or nature of the problem and if it could have been averted. One issue you mentioned that is of great importance to me is the lack of being able to tell the unit that you have a toad and cannot back up. I have surge brakes on my tow dolly and can back up about two feet before they lock up so I always have to make sure I have a forward egress. Backing up and turning around isn't an option.
Buying something and having it work perfectly out of the box, especially if it costs $400, should be expected, but in today's world, I don't think that is an option any longer. With that thought in mind, does anyone have useful information about the Rand McNally 7730? I'd like to see a comparison between it and the 770 but the professional reviewers haven't gotten around to making one yet.
It sounds to me like you had problems that could have been caused by a unit malfunction, poor software, incorrect mapping, but just as easily by the need for updating - again - or user error. When you downloaded your update before your trip, did you try to update it again? It is always recommended to try a second update simply to see if everything needing updating actually was on the first try. You indicated you never downloaded the smartphone app which would have given you traffic information, but you were upset that you couldn't pick "least congested" in your choices of how to set up the mapping. Although that option is not included in your initial setup, if you had downloaded the app and used the traffic update feature, it would have given you options whenever it encountered a traffic problem and you could have then decided if you wanted to try a different route or stay on the one you presently had.
If you called Garmin and were told the problems you experienced were due to shortcomings of the model, I certainly would not want one for myself. However, if you never called Garmin, then I guess we'll never know the exact cause or nature of the problem and if it could have been averted. One issue you mentioned that is of great importance to me is the lack of being able to tell the unit that you have a toad and cannot back up. I have surge brakes on my tow dolly and can back up about two feet before they lock up so I always have to make sure I have a forward egress. Backing up and turning around isn't an option.
Buying something and having it work perfectly out of the box, especially if it costs $400, should be expected, but in today's world, I don't think that is an option any longer. With that thought in mind, does anyone have useful information about the Rand McNally 7730? I'd like to see a comparison between it and the 770 but the professional reviewers haven't gotten around to making one yet.