Need an alternative to Garmin InReach
Equipment
Not long ago I asked what the alternative to the Garmin InReach are. They are:
Spot-X
SatPaq by Higher Ground
Bivystick
I am glad to see the competition grow for satellite texting devices. Garmin has been just miserable to deal with. In order to use it for a month you have to start the service and then apparently go through Customer Service in order to cancel it at the end of the month. There seems to be no way to do it on their website, even when you are logged in to your account. It would seem much easier to choose the service date period. If you forget to cancel then you are billed automatically until you call and cancel it. If they don't cancel it correctly then you also are billed automatically until you call and cancel it again.
Inreach Garmin you could turn on/off the monthly plan from the website. I did notice Garmin recently changed the website so it doesn't have the same abilities it used to. Now you use the App to create your custom messages. Maybe you have to use the App for on/off monthly service plan too. I'll have to double-check that.
If you cancel your monthly plan it will end whenever that date is. You can cancel in the middle of the month and it will end; you don't have to wait until the end of the month. And it's not calendar month, it's 30(?) days from when you activate.
Takes me about 5 minutes to activate or deactivate my inreach account online. I am not sure what you are doing but whatever it is your doing it wrong.
Have you synced your device?
Ive had my InReach for 3 years and never had much trouble
Just did mine, turned it on online, then after my hunt turned it off on-line. Easy Peasy Rice and Cheesy!
smarba, you're right. They did change the website. And it is a 30 day period, not a month. Previously I've activated the plan, logged off, logged on, and canceled the plan. That way it would only run for 30 days. But apparently we can't do that any more.
I've used numerous Garmin products in the past (mostly for fishing) and it seems like Garmin has always been awkward to deal with.
Okay, so I'm doing it wrong. I'm signed in to my account. How do I cancel it?
Another satisfied inReach customer here. Have owned mine for two years, but only used for a total of three individual months on three different hunts in WY, NM and NM. I've been happy with the messaging capability and also the use in conjunction with the Earthmate app for GPS and mapping features.
We change plans a dozen times or so per yr and never takes but a minute. I really like the InReach.
Try the App, not the login website. I use the App on my computer, not phone. It's on my home machine so I don't recall what the App name is, but from what I see it basically allows you to do what you used to be able to do online login website.
Thanks smarba, I'll try the app on my home computer.
The key is to go to explore.garmin.com in order to change your subscription.
You can't modify your plan at support.garmin.com but you can login to your profile there.
Thanks elkstabber, that is on my to-do list today since season just ended.
It's the Inreach Synch app
I used to be able to modify custom messages through my online account, but now whether it's my computer/browser or Garmin changing their website, I have to do it through this app. Turning the service on/off I still do though my online account.
I find it quite simple to start/ end the inReach and have never had a problem other than once I forgot to cancel and paid an extra month.
I found it too bothersome to attempt to turn it on/off every time I plan to be out of cell service (nearly every month of the year these days anyways)... so I just set up the annual plan for $50/month.
