written by Jimed1210 on 09/08/2015
I've never bought a worse piece of technology than this. Everything about it is poor. If you can get over the poor menus and inputs and can wait sometimes 15 mins to find a satellite then you probably won't get over the fact that it can simply be wrong. From poor route choices to country lanes instead of A roads and twice it has just taken me to the wrong place when I'd entered the correct postcode. I can't trust it so now use google maps which is far superior in route choices, usability and traffic accuracy. There are some positive reviews and clearly it does sometimes work - but the sometimes is the key. You often won't know until it's too late. Avoid this product!
written by Peter283 on 21/10/2011
If it can find a satellite it is fairly good-I have been directed right to the hotel door in France. However on many occassions it cannot locate satellite and yesterday we were approaching our destination before it acquired a satellite.
written by on 21/04/2011
I have had this one for two years and have had problems with freezing and not being able to find satellites.Then one day recently it froze completely and now does not work.I have downloaded updates 3 times and it still does not work.I have been on the Garmin website which I find almost as confusing as the
nuvi.I am from UK and there does not seem to be any help with repairing only in the states.I have sent 4 emails and have never had a reply.It's now in the bin.What a waste of space and I will never buy a Garmin again.
written by on 25/09/2010
Agree with other posts here, the garmin doesn't differentiate between any other road apart from motorways and will regularly take you 'off road' to cut a corner (irrespective of fastest or shortest mode settings) which proved very frustrating sround cornwall (lanes with grass growing in the middle and hedges huging each wing mirror either side)
Also takes an absolute age to locate satelites.
generally easy to operate and clear instructions when co-operating on decent roads
written by on 28/06/2010
Garmin Nuvi 255
Garbage. After a day in Alton Towers, I needed satnav to help me get back on to the M1 towards Leeds. My Garmin took me in the complete wrong direction, down an un-made road (and I mean un-made). Grass in the middle of the road, broken cattle grids and wildlife I'd never seen before. There was nowhere and no room to turn around so I just had to follow the satnav's advice. After about 20 minutes we ended up being surrounded by huge rockfaces and a sign telling us that we were now in the 'High Peaks'. In total in took me approximately 40 miles out of my way; added an hour on to our journey, and wasted a shed load of fuel. One other problem with this device is that it does not tell you (on the display screen), how many miles you have to go to reach your destination, so when it does get you lost, you are well and truly screwed.
Also, it does suffer from the following:
Freezes in the middle of a journey.
Tells you that you are driving at 28mph, when you are actually stood still at the traffic lights.
Tells you it's reached its destination when you are actually still a few miles away.
Top Tip: Buy a Tom Tom or print out the directions from the AA or google maps websites instead.
Dolly, Leeds
written by on 17/06/2010
I have had this for about two years and it kept telling me to update the maps. To be honest I had noticed that things like roundabouts etc were missing on certain journeys. So I steeled myself and sat down at the computer to update. What a palaver...so complicated...and at the end a bill of over £150 to update. So have chucked in the bin and bought a new TomTom which is much easier and only cost about £20 to update. BIG TIP! Find out how much the updating costs before you buy.
written by on 29/09/2009
My Garmin nuvi 250 is always loosing sat signal my other GPS a Mio very rarely ever looses signal I would never ever buy another Garmin product for the one i have is a piece of rubbish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
written by on 21/09/2009
The Garmin Nuvi 250W has been the biggest waste of £170 I think I have ever spent. It has been literally worse than useless, unable to locate signals for sometimes several hours and then losing the signal with the familiar and depressing "lost satellite signal". It's not possible to give a product any stars whatsoever if it won't do what it was purchased for - to navigate. My wife bought a TomTom and it is superb, locating satellite signals within seconds even when indoors, whereas the Garmin almost always gets to the "unable to locate satellite signal" before it finds anything. If, as is so often the case, you need to switch on your satnav whilst in the middle of a journey then the Garmin is useless due to it's inability to locate a signal.
I tried to return the unit to the place of purchase (Halfords) and was told there was nothing wrong with it and that it was normal to take a while to locate a signal. They phoned Garmin who advised that it simply needed updating, even though it was fully up-to-date with the latest software version from Garmin's own website. Appalling service from both Halfords and Garmin.
Garmin should be forced to place a huge disclaimer on the front of the box, stating "This product may take several hours to locate a satellite signal and should only be purchased if you do not intend to use it as a satnav unit".
From now on nothing but a TomTom will be considered.
written by on 22/07/2009
The Garmin nuvi is the worst piece of electrical kit I have ever had. Work gave me this one which it why it is still intact today, I would have driven over it a long time ago if I had brought it.
It can't find a thing, I have been though 3 chargers, the options are terrible, it tells you to stay on the motorway at every junction as if you were 6 years old.
In short, DO NOT BUY THIS SAT NAV!
written by steveop on 10/06/2009
I got a Garmin nuvi 250 to replace a Tomtom. Very disapointed. It has taken me across country a few times avoiding motorways, can't get it to use motorways first. Nearly missed a flight 2 days ago as it decided to take me trough lots of little villages in Holland and Germany, instead of taking the motorway. Please try and imagine the stress in the car with the family at 4 in the morning.
written by silemin on 11/05/2009
If there were an option to put in minus number in the review I would! There is a function on the Garmin nuvi 250 to take you the fastest and shortest route, more often than not you'll be on single track roads getting stuck behind tractors or on dirt tracks getting stuck behind sheep. Both have happend to me. I was at Birkenhead ferry terminal and thought, how long would it take me to get to Stranraer ferry terminal. The sat nav said go on the ferry to belfast then on the ferry to Stranraer. It will make you pull your hair out!
written by bill bloggs on 16/09/2008
I think my Garmin Nuvi 250 is not fit for pupose. It was unable to locate a hotel in andorra, rubbish instructions regarding safety cameras ie continual buzzing with the wrong information regarding the speed on the motorway in France. It was as if the screen information was refering to the old roads and not the motorway. On coming up through france I was told to leave the motorway at every exit. The only way to Calais was to turn the 250 off. Am I the only one who doesn't rate sat/navs?
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