Humminbird wins!!!

[harvey lee]

Lowrance can do as they please but I and I am sure many more will stay with Bird.

[gregg52]

i was a fan of lowrance but i have over 1000$ worth of their stuff on my boat right and they dont work ( 2-520's)

not happy at all hopefully some of these downloads they are telling me about help fix the problem

[harvey lee]

gregg52

I have one of those units and got a upgrade in the program and it now works great.

Ask a Lowrance dealer and they should be able to help you out.

[JeffB]

i was a fan of lowrance but i have over 1000$ worth of their stuff on my boat right and they dont work ( 2-520's)

not happy at all hopefully some of these downloads they are telling me about help fix the problem

I'm in the same boat as you gregg, or at least the same 520 problems. Thanks for the advice Harvey.

[DTro]

Not sure how someone losing their job can be twisted into a promotion for another company “ Humminbird Wins”.

What it goes to show you is how fragile some markets can be.

I find it ironic that in a lot of cases, when it comes to viral marketing, it’s the negative buzz against a competitor that seems to get the most attention, rather than a positive promotion towards their own.

A recent great example is the recoil issues with the new SM augers. All it takes is a few negative spins and it seems like the ship is sinking, when I all reality SM has proven time and time again that they will take care of its customers and because of that, their customers will remain loyal.

With any business, there are bumps in the road and it’s unfortunate that Lowrance/Navico didn’t take the same road as SM with all the issues they had with their Combo GPS/Sonar units as well as some common issues with the H20.

I too experienced the 1 star performance by their CS dept so I know firsthand the frustration that others spoke of.

[AaronM]

Not sure how someone losing their job can be twisted into a promotion for another company “ Humminbird Wins”.

What it goes to show you is how fragile some markets can be.

I find it ironic that in a lot of cases, when it comes to viral marketing, it’s the negative buzz against a competitor that seems to get the most attention, rather than a positive promotion towards their own.

A recent great example is the recoil issues with the new SM augers. All it takes is a few negative spins and it seems like the ship is sinking, when I all reality SM has proven time and time again that they will take care of its customers and because of that, their customers will remain loyal.

With any business, there are bumps in the road and it’s unfortunate that Lowrance/Navico didn’t take the same road as SM with all the issues they had with their Combo GPS/Sonar units as well as some common issues with the H20.

I too experienced the 1 star performance by their CS dept so I know firsthand the frustration that others spoke of.

She was the only CS rep that Lowrance had that cared or could get anything accomplished. For those of you that have never dealt with Lowrance customer service, you'll have no idea what we're talking about. Being on hold for hours on end, no responses to phonecalls, taking months to get replacement parts, their CS has been non-existant for awhile.

[Willy]

It is not only this that will take Humminbird over the top. Their quality(Lowrance) has been going downhill for awhile and that is what will kill them. At least with Linda around, people were able to get situations rectified. This is just the last straw for alot of people that are already frustrated with their products breaking/not working + bad customer service.

I guess I would rather have a product that works and you don't even have to worry about it, but if you do someone will make it right. The pros are all starting to switch to Humminbird. Once the big-wheels have them, it will trickle down to the rest of the fishing world.

SM is not even close to this situation. They have the best customer service in the industry, always have and everyone knows it. They have a problem, they fix it and do it with a smile and no money out of your pocket. Plus they don't try to run from problems and manufacture great products.

[fishwater]

Not sure how someone losing their job can be twisted into a promotion for another company “ Humminbird Wins”.

Pretty easily I guess... I don't think poor overworked and obviously under appreciated Linda would construe my slap at Navico as being 'against' her in any way.. Humminbird does win from this viral sort of thing, no doubts about it.

[Scott K]

Seriously... 10 years on this HSOforum, why is it I've never heard about this lady before?

I know I have seen Harvylee post her contact info a couple years ago, and I have seen in reposted several times since then.

[DTro]

Ok, I’ll give you that in this particular incident, people might consider purchasing something other than Lowrance, but it’s an ever evolving game and I find it saddening that so much of what people base their opinion on is perception rather than reality.

“Hey, I heard this”

“Hey, I heard that”

“You know what so and so told me”

“Guess what I read online the other day”

When trying to interpret some of this stuff, I would recommend considering the source and reading between the lines. Don’t always take a random post at face value. In time, patterns will form and it even makes it easier.

[harvey lee]

Its pretty simple. Lowrance has poor CS to say the least. Linda was about the only person at Lowrance that seemed to care about the customer. I have dealt with Lowrance when they told me my H20 was junk. I then was told by a Lowrance rep to call Linda. Problems for the H20 resolved. They shipped out a new one. Linda took care of me 3 times and I thank her for this type of CS that is not always there.

I had and have e-mailed and posted Linda's number many times to help others out or hopefully tried to.

I see it as a total let down on the side of Lowrance to not take care of their customers.

I also see that a huge percentage of users have switched to Humminbird. One can also see that many pro's have also made the switch. I do not know if thats due to a better unit or just all around better service.

I am happy with my Ice 55 and I will also be happy with my 997cSI when I get it. I don't believe I will have any issues but if I were to, I do know that Humminbird will take care of me for sure.

Thank you Humminbird.

[Surreal Deal]

Ok, I’ll give you that in this particular incident, people might consider purchasing something other than Lowrance, but it’s an ever evolving game and I find it saddening that so much of what people base their opinion on is perception rather than reality.

“Hey, I heard this”

“Hey, I heard that”

“You know what so and so told me”

“Guess what I read online the other day”

When trying to interpret some of this stuff, I would recommend considering the source and reading between the lines. Don’t always take a random post at face value. In time, patterns will form and it even makes it easier.

Good advice DTRO, I might point out though that a lot of people (Including me) scour forums like these extensively when making a major purchase (In my family's economy, a fish finder is a major purchase).

Every company will TELL you that their Customer Service department is the best in the industry, but that's an arbitrary claim. I am way more interested interested in hearing testimonials from guys who care enough to post their experiences on sites like this.

I think that where we can agree on is that I won't let one or two sour grape posts sway me.

BUT - if I see a PATTERN of bad service after the sale (It seems like this lady at Lowrance had her finger in the dike) OR excellent service after the sale, you bet it will affect my purchasing decision.

I don't think that I'm that different from most of the other guys who use this site.

[Willy]

Dtro,

It is not even so much of "what I heard" or whatnot. Lowrances quality has went to hell since their sale to Navico and everyone knows it. That is coming from personal experience from me and many others. They have been having trouble with all of their units, transducers, etc. THAT is what [PoorWordUsage] people off.

To top it off when they won't stand behind it or fix it in a timely fashion, it puts people over the edge. I know when one of my graphs fails on me in the middle of fishing season and I can't get it fixed for over a month, it [PoorWordUsage] me off more than anything.

Why should a unit that costs 700-2000 dollars fail in less than a year? For that kind of money, they should be bulletproof and they have not been for some time.

[PierBridge]

Ok, I’ll give you that in this particular incident, people might consider purchasing something other than Lowrance, but it’s an ever evolving game and I find it saddening that so much of what people base their opinion on is perception rather than reality.

“Hey, I heard this”

“Hey, I heard that”

“You know what so and so told me”

“Guess what I read online the other day”

When trying to interpret some of this stuff, I would recommend considering the source and reading between the lines. Don’t always take a random post at face value. In time, patterns will form and it even makes it easier.

I don't expect this particular incident to really steer to many people away. Lowrance has done that on there own if you've followed the situation over the past few years. And frankly I don't see how Linda keeps her job at Lowrance after all this hoopla/non-sense.

Hummingbird is the HUGE winner here, because they run their company much better, Night and Day better. The market share HB has gained on Lowrance which basically had a monopoly in this field is astonishing and the arrogance slash ignorance of Lowrance has really bit them in @[PoorWordUsage].

[gregg52]

Harvey

Just so we are on the same page...your quit reading the bottom??

Doesnt matter deep or shallow ?

[DTro]

I agree 100% with you Willy and because you have a long history here, I can consider the source, read prior posts and make my own judgment. But, more often than you might think, bogus posts are generated to whip up a whirlwind of negativity, sometimes quite successfully I might add.

Like I said, I think Navico really has shot themselves in the foot here and it’s unfortunate that Mrs. Colt lost her job.

[gregg52]

I bought the orginal paper graph many many yrs and have 2 flashers that are bullet proof

And couple of freinds had lowrance with no problems

I guess the thing is I dint buy anything else for 20 ys

Didnt need it

Wasnt aware that they sold now I have 1000$$ worth of eletronics that dont work

Harvey said the fix worked for him The guy at Reeds told sometimes they work sometimes not so I'm hoping Harvey is right

I really think I'm going to install my old flashers and just use the gps and the chip Never really had as much confidence in these new lacotars any way I can read the bottom wayyy better with the old flasher I'd probably still use the old paper graph if I could get paper for it..lol (I'm old to..lol)

I didnt read this whole thread but I do agree with what you are ditro I dont put much stock in most of what I read on here

I mention that on another thread on here specially when it starts out

i've heard...someone told me...did you hear And not that I'm smarter than any one on here Just old and experience kinda lends its ear !!!

[AaronM]

I bought the orginal paper graph many many yrs and have 2 flashers that are bullet proof

And couple of freinds had lowrance with no problems

I guess the thing is I dint buy anything else for 20 ys

Didnt need it

Wasnt aware that they sold now I have 1000$$ worth of eletronics that dont work

Harvey said the fix worked for him The guy at Reeds told sometimes they work sometimes not so I'm hoping Harvey is right

I really think I'm going to install my old flashers and just use the gps and the chip Never really had as much confidence in these new lacotars any way I can read the bottom wayyy better with the old flasher I'd probably still use the old paper graph if I could get paper for it..lol (I'm old to..lol)

I didnt read this whole thread but I do agree with what you are ditro I dont put much stock in most of what I read on here

I mention that on another thread on here specially when it starts out

i've heard...someone told me...did you hear And not that I'm smarter than any one on here Just old and experience kinda lends its ear !!!

Most of us aren't going off of he said she said about their customer service. Just for kicks, give them a call. Guess what? Joke will be on you after being on hold for over an hour. Yes, Harvey did say that the fix worked for him. But why does a $500 unit ($500 being conservative, double my sentiments on the $1000 plus units) need to be fixed in the first place? If I'm going to spend my money, I'm going to something where I don't need to worry about getting it "fixed" out of the box.

[harvey lee]

I believe with all the new options on the new features with these electronics, there may be an issue here and there.

The one wants to purchase of course is the one that fits your style of fishing and where one knows they can get the service if they do run into an issue.

I doubt that every product that a electronics company puts out into the market will be bug proof. Thats why one needs to know that the company will address ones concerns.

For me, Thats Humminbird.

[PierBridge]

I agree 100% with you Willy and because you have a long history here, I can consider the source, read prior posts and make my own judgment. But, more often than you might think, bogus posts are generated to whip up a whirlwind of negativity, sometimes quite successfully I might add.

Like I said, I think Navico really has shot themselves in the foot here and it’s unfortunate that Mrs. Colt lost her job.

[delcecchi]

Humminbird used to build [PoorWordUsage]. They got bought by Johnson outdoors and now their stuff seems OK from what people say.

Lowrance built some [PoorWordUsage], perhaps because they lacked money or for some other reason. Anyway I think that is why they sold to Navico.

Now Navico needs to turn things around in product quality and customer service.

Johnson outdoors also probably had money for sponsorships so I would take that pro stuff with a grain of salt.

[jigginjim]

It's too bad many Companies think their trash is so good. They don't need customer service, rather than have great customer service to support the equipment.

[croixflats]

Now that says a lot right there.

What I dont get is the loyalty these companies get even after putting up with the poor quality then to top it off the poor customer service. My rule is if the product cant stand on its own I go to another brand and after trial and error I found that brand.