Lowrance Customer Service

[RavensDfense]

I recently had a prong break in my Elite 4X DSI unit. It was the power cable prong so it is worthless at the moment. I called Lowrance and they said they would upgrade my unit for a fee or "service" my unit (basically send me a replacement) for another fee (around $175). The unit is a over the one-year warranty (I purchased it in April 2014), but I would expect that when I pay almost $300 for a product and when a little brass prong fails under normal wear and tear after one year of collective use, that the company would stand behind their product more than charging over half of what the unit cost to amend the issue.

Has any one had experience with their customer service or this issue in particular?

[Huntrava]

Sorry to hear. That's pretty bad on their part. The connectors are contact points that receive plenty of wear and tear...why wouldn't they be engineered with replacement in mind? For instance, every Hobie part has a corresponding part number that can be ordered from the pro shop. You'd think a company like Lowrance--a big name, if not the biggest name--would have thought ahead for situations like this.

[plastic boat]

There Customer service sucks.
I bought a new unit 2 years ago for my boat and it was missing the transom bracket when I got it home. I called Lowrance and they wouldn't send me one unless I paid for it . I explained that it was a new unit and missing from the sealed box and also that it was an hour drive back to BPS. they didn 't care and still wanted me to pay.
A week later I returned it to BPS and they bent over backwards to help me. they called Lowrance and talked to the factory rep/salesman. I ended up with a better unit than I purchased and 2 spools of Power Pro line for my trouble thanks to Bass Pro shop.

[RavensDfense]

Not what I wanted to hear, but I was afraid of that. I sent them an email and I am hoping for a better outcome, but not expecting it. Unless something changes, I refuse to support a company that makes a quality product that it will not stand behind.

[JKay]

Lowrance has unfortunately established themselves with a reputation of crappy customer service. I had an Elite 4 die on me after I rolled the kayak in LI Sound last year. It was out of warranty, but I got the same $175 run around. Clearly the unit worked 100% beforehand, and it was likely water intrusion that fried the unit. I wound up finding a refurbished head unit for about $70 to replace it. I was pissed that Lowrance would not do something more for me. If I didn't have the Mark/Elite transducers installed in 3 different kayaks, I probably would have looked for something different.

In general, I like their products, with exception of that crummy rubber flap for the micro-SD card slot. I'd love to have a conversation with the "genius" that designed that. Clearly not ideal for kayaks.

[jhoss]

I bought mine through west marine where I know one of the employees. He spoke highly of the lowrance rep. they work with. Sounds like you might get better help going through your point of purchase?

[RavensDfense]

I never thought of that. I bought it from Cabelas. Maybe that is an option.

[LoudounFisher]

Sounds like I shouldn't bother with trying to get my Elite-5 DSI repaired. Most of the color functionally has quit working after two years of sporadic use. I could get a new unit without a transducer for $150.

[Hemingway]

I have the Elite 4 DSI as well, and I have experience a bent pin more that once. Luckily, I have been able to straighten it without it breaking off, but it is just a matter of time. After hearing your experience Doug, I will be looking at other brands when the inevitable time comes. Most boaters are not disconnecting and removing the unit as many times as the kayak fisherman need to do. I think that Lowrance is behind the design curve on this one, something that is not the fault of the consumer, in my opinion. Their customer service should be a little more concerned and protective of their reputation and image. They may be the industry leader in market share (just my guess), but it will not be for much longer with that type of customer relations. My suggestion would be another email including a link to this thread. Also, I feel they need to know that you are a Hobie Pro, and as a result an advocate and ambassador for the industry they depend upon. Hobie , in fact, sells Lowrance on their web and in their accessory catalog. You deserve better, as do the rest of their loyal (for now) customers.

[EMSer]

Makes me glad I bought a Garmin. I haven't had to put the customer service to a similar test yet, but as a dealer of their terrestrial handheld units, I have been impressed with all my dealings with them.

[AbuMasgouf]

That's unfortunate to hear. Sadly Humminbird isn't any better. I had the transducer fail on me twice. First time it was under warranty and they gave me a refurbished one, second time out of warranty but within 6 month of getting the first and it would have cost me $$$. So I went with Lowrance. This time though I got it from West Marine and decided to get the extended warranty. That way I don't have to deal with the Lowrance and can get things worked out with west marine locally.

[RavensDfense]

I received a response from Lowrance this morning. Although I am not 100% percent satisfied that they do not realize the problem with the pins as being a legitimate concern for kayak anglers, I think their offer of an Elite 5 Chirp combo at a significant discounted price is fair given the circumstances. Am I happy I have to pay $175 to replace something I already purchased a year ago...not at all. Am I excited to receive a better unit for around half off what it would cost me to by new....I suppose. I couldn't replace it with another brand of equal quality for that price. I still feel it is a shame more companies do not stand more strongly behind their products. Below is the response I received.

“Thanks for your detailed explanation, as it relates to the bent/broken pin you experienced with the Elite products indicated. The response you have received from our customer service department is accurate, in that the product you purchased is out of warranty; however, we do offer the opportunity to purchase a new Elite-5 CHIRP (larger screen size, built-in GPS chartplotter functionality and enhanced CHIRP sonar), which retails for $500, at a discounted price of $175. We have investigated any level of consistent problem experienced by thousands of other consumers who have purchased Elite products, as it relates to bent/broken connection pins. As far as we know, that known/consistent problem does not exist. That’s not to say that we are discounting the problem you encountered with your Elite product; however, our product experts indicate that a select group of customers have encountered this issue when reconnecting the cables without specifically aligning the pins before pressure is applied to secure the connection. Because this situation that you experienced occurred well beyond the warranty period of the product, providing a discounted price for a newer, enhanced Elite CHIRP fishfinder/chartplotter model is consistent with the fair response that we provide consumers/anglers worldwide.”

[Memory Maker]

......... That's bs ......... Lowrance is well known for problems with pins bending breaking and corroding for over 10 years on their products ........ Glad they gave you a deal though

[Cowpokey]

I'm not here to defend Lowrance (or any other manufacturer), but the connectors are "consumer grade". They are not consumer proof. Some care needs to be taken when connecting the plugs; nobody should expect them to withstand abuse or mishandling...just because you spent $X00 on a unit. If you want mil-spec idiot resistant connectors; add about a hundred dollars for EACH connector. That means $200 for each cable...or $400 for both power and transducer. Feel like spending an extra $400 over the price of the unit you think is expensive already?

As far as the card slot, they surely could have engineered a better cover/plug for those to make them water tight.

[RavensDfense]

They are not consumer proof. Some care needs to be taken when connecting the plugs; nobody should expect them to withstand abuse or mishandling...just because you spent $X00 on a unit. If you want mil-spec idiot resistant connectors; add about a hundred dollars for EACH connector.

You're absolutely right. Often times I connected them with my eyes closed; a pin the tail on the donkey approach if you will.

Come on, guy. Get a clue and don't incinuate that I do not take care of my gear. Dropping it in the water or stepping on it and expecting it to work would be an unreasonable expectation, but breaking a pin after slowly and carefully connecting the cable to the unit is not an unreasonably expectation. I don't really know or care what mil-spec connectors are; I just expect a better designed and more reliable port.