How do I get through the phone menu to a live person?
GetHuman researchers routinely call this Garmin phone number to document the phone system.
Here is our latest tip for weaving through the phone menu to get to a real person the fastest:Press 2, then 1, then 2
Here is how our research team describes the way the Garmin phone system greets you: For support with watches & wearables, press 1. For fitness products, press 2. For auto, semi-truck, motorcycles, and cameras, press 3. For outdoor products, press 4. For marine and fish finder products, press 5. For dog and hunting products, press 6. For golf and baseball products, press 7. For RV-specific products, press 8. For aviation products, press 9.
Below are some clips we've found from Garmin's phone menus and tips that help give an idea of what you will encounter when you call. We've highlighted why they are important as well:
Heard when the phone system first answers
"Thank you for calling Tharm International's product support department.
Call may be monitored or recorded for quality purposes.
For support of watches and wearables, press one.
For fitness products, press two."
Excerpt from a call with Garmin
Tuesday, January 2, 2024 9:46 PM
They may ask you to enter information with the dial pad
"Thank you for calling. For added security, please enter five three three."
Excerpt from a call with Garmin
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 9:25 PM
The first phone menu
"Thank you for calling Garmin International's product support department.
This call may be monitored or recorded for quality purposes.
For support of watches and wearables, press one.
For fitness products, press two.
For automotive, semitruck, motorcycle, and camera products, press three."
Excerpt from a call with Garmin
Monday, April 8, 2024 7:38 PM
After you press 5
"For support of autopilot, press seven. For fusion stereo, fusion RV, and digital switch All of our product support specialists are assisting other callers.
For dog and hunting products, if you're calling to check the status of an order or an RMA, press one.
For questions related to software updates, map updates, or product registration, press two."
Excerpt from a call with Garmin
Wednesday, March 13, 2024 4:05 PM
After you press 6
"For golf and bay for all dog tracking and training products, press one.
For the Xero family of products, press two."
Excerpt from a call with Garmin
Tuesday, April 2, 2024 4:39 PM
What are the hours and when should I call?
Garmin operates the call center for this 800-800-1020 phone number Mon-Thu 8am-6pm, Fri 8am-5pm CT.The short answer is that you should call on a Thursday.This observation and the following section are based on analysis of a sample set of 168 calls made in the last 90 days using our free, web-based phone (see above).
An important note: busy times vs hold times vs best time to call
When we refer to busy or less busy times, we are talking about the volume of calls. The busiest times are when the most people are calling this Garmin phone number (least busy times have fewer people calling). This high call volume does not necessarily mean that you will have a long hold time when you call. Companies like Garmin staff their call centers differently based on the time of day and day of the week, so you may experience a shorter wait on hold at the busiest of times. When we refer to the best time to call, we are referring to the optimal combination of lower call volume and shorter wait times.
The least busy time to call
The least busy day to call Garmin is Thursday.The most busy day to call is Tuesday, which averages 62% more phone calls by comparison.Again, this is based on a sample of 168 calls made with our AI-powered, web-based phone in the last 90 days.
Mon
Tue
Busiest
Wed
Thu
Quietest
Fri
The shortest wait on hold
We measured the shortest hold times to be on Friday.The longest wait in the queue on average occurs on Wednesday.
The best time to call Garmin
In summation, the best day to call Garmin is Thursday.This is not the day with the shortest wait on hold in the phone system, but we still recommend it for its ideal combination of low call volume and short hold times. Plus we believe that Garmin staffs the call center well on Thursday.
I got a brand new Garmin watch over the holidays, but it doesn't want to sync to the apps I want downloaded. Despite numerous attempts, I can't seem to get the interface to update. So, I decided that I'd call for help. I saw they have a live chat option online, but it doesn't seem to work every time that I try it. Likewise, I had similar problems with the call center which seems to close early in the day and wasn't open over the holidays. While I can understand this, it's always a bonus when a company offers customer service during peak service times.
In my mind, most people are going to call after work, and the holidays would be a peak calling time because people like me will have new items. Either way, I eventually called them in the middle of the week on a Wednesday afternoon and was finally able to get through. They have a lot of products from watches to navigation systems to cameras and outdoor products, so they probably get a fair amount of phone calls. I didn't have to wait a long time, so that's one bonus about giving them a call.
When I called, an automated voice answered, and said, "Thank you for contracting Garmin's support department." It then went on to list a long number of options for me to choose between including refunds, technical support, repairs, map updates, and refund a charge. I chose technical support since I needed help with my watch. It then asked me to select which product I needed help with out of a long list that included watches, fitness products, dash cams, RV accessories, fish finding products, dog and hunting products, and sporting products. Obviously I went with watch products. Next, it asked me a couple more questions to narrow down the type of watch I had, and finally the system asked me to hold.
I was pleasantly surprised that I was only waiting for a few minutes. Being so close to the holidays, I expected to wait in line a lot longer. I had to listen to a few messages that encouraged me to go online to visit support.garmin.com for faster service, but I hung on the line and was able to talk to Ray pretty quickly. Ray spoke clearly and walked me through the initial setup process to identify where the problem was. It took us a few minutes, but Ray was helpful and by the end of the phone call my watch was working correctly.
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Why Customers Call Garmin
If you have time to do a bit of reading before you call Garmin, we recommend you read over some of our problem-specific articles.
The battery life of your Garmin device varies depending on the model and usage. In general, most Garmin devices offer battery life ranging from 7 to 14 days in smartwatch mode. For GPS-enabled devices, battery life typically lasts between 10 to 36 hours, depending on the settings and usage. If you're using the device in UltraTrac mode, the battery can last up to 72 hours. It's worth noting that certain features such as continuous heart rate monitoring, notifications, and GPS tracking can impact battery life. To maximize battery performance, consider adjusting settings like display brightness and frequency of GPS updates. Charging times and battery life indicators can be found in the user manual or product specifications for your specific Garmin device.
The warranty period for Garmin devices typically varies depending on the specific product. Garmin provides a one-year limited warranty for most of their devices, covering defects in materials or workmanship under normal use. However, certain products such as refurbished devices may have a shorter warranty period of only 90 days. It's important to check the product's manual or the Garmin website for the specific warranty duration of your device. In case of any issues within the warranty period, Garmin will repair or replace the product at their discretion. To initiate a warranty claim, customers can contact Garmin support with their proof of purchase and device information.
Yes, you can definitely use your Garmin device for geocaching. Garmin offers a range of GPS handheld devices specifically designed for geocaching activities. These devices are equipped with advanced navigation features, high-sensitivity GPS receivers, and preloaded geocaches. With Garmin's geocaching-friendly devices, you can easily search, navigate to, and log geocaches. The devices provide accurate coordinates, detailed maps, and paperless geocaching, simplifying your overall geocaching experience. Additionally, Garmin’s products allow you to share your geocaching adventures with fellow enthusiasts through wireless connectivity. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned geocacher, Garmin devices are a reliable choice for discovering hidden treasures and engaging in the exciting world of geocaching.
Click the link above to get answers to just about any Garmin customer service question, including step by step guides for the most complex issues. You can also detail a new issue and get answers instantly.
Below is a sample of recent calls to Garmin, and their purpose. Are any of these similar to the reason you are trying to call?
Ordering new charging cord: "I'd like to order try to get a a new charging cord."
- From a call lasting 22m 2s , Apr 8, 2024 7:38 PM
Technical issues with watch: "I have a problem with my watch, it keeps turning off and the arrows don't work."
- From a call lasting 2m 15s , Apr 8, 2024 4:56 PM
Faulty bark detector: "The bark detector on my new Garmin isn't working properly."
- From a call lasting 23m 26s , Apr 2, 2024 4:39 PM
Issue pairing Garmin watch: "I just received my Garmin watch and it's asking me to pair with my phone, but the suggested PIN numbers aren't working."
- From a call lasting 6m 21s , Mar 6, 2024 3:11 PM
Changing watch band: "I got a new band for my watch and want to make sure I change it correctly."
- From a call lasting 3m 58s , Feb 6, 2024 8:03 PM
GPS not finding addresses: "I got a GPS about a month ago, and if you put seven out of ten addresses, it can never find them, what am I doing wrong?"
- From a call lasting 21m 27s , Jan 12, 2024 10:43 PM
More Garmin Customer Service Contacts
There are of course other ways to contact Garmin customer service besides the phone. Below we list the best ones, by medium.
Use this link to find deals and promotions through their website
As a last, sometimes only, resort- Garmin customer service can be accessed through their website. This can entail digging through help articles before finding a form and "being allowed" to submit a problem to their team, and rarely leads to a real-time conversation, which is why GetHuman does not recommend this unless it's the only way.
Conclusion and closing notes
This is Garmin's best phone number, the real-time current wait on hold and tools for skipping right through those phone lines to get right to a Garmin agent. This phone number is Garmin's best phone number because 46,812 customers like you used this contact information over the last 18 months and gave us feedback. Common problems addressed by the customer care unit that answers calls to 800-800-1020 include Repairs, Device Support, Map Updates, Update Account Info, Refund a Charge and other customer service issues. The Garmin call center that you call into has employees from Kansas, Oregon, Missouri and is open Mon-Thu 8am-6pm, Fri 8am-5pm CT according to customers. In total, Garmin has 2 phone numbers. It's not always clear what is the best way to talk to Garmin representatives, so we started compiling this information built from suggestions from the customer community. Please keep sharing your experiences so we can continue to improve this free resource.
GetHuman does not provide call center services or customer support operations for Garmin. The two organizations are not related. GetHuman builds free tools and shares information to help customers of companies like Garmin. For large companies that includes tools such as our GetHuman Phone, which allows you to call a company but skip the part where you wait on the line to get a live human rep. We continue to work on these tools to help customers like you (and ourselves!) navigate the messy phone menus, hold times, and confusion with customer service. As long as you keep sharing it with your friends and loved ones, we'll keep doing it.
