Polar HRM repair problems

[bzar]

Originally Posted by Dena

If you want to purchase it and have it sent to my house, I'd be more than happy to send it on to you in Hawaii, via whatever method you prefer, if it would save you shipping costs.

you are lovely & kind!

i'll keep it in mind. my current Polar is in need of a battery, and if it is completely kaput, and i end up getting the proform, i'll let you know.

[Mary09(b)]

I too had a bad experience with Polar. They kept my HRM for a month and didn't reply to my inquiries about it. They charged me $20 for the $2 battery and like $13 to ship it back to me in a flippin' envelope! I shipped it to them in a box and that cost like $6. And they didn't replace the strap battery. Never again.

[Wanda]

Originally Posted by Mary09(b)

I too had a bad experience with Polar. They kept my HRM for a month and didn't reply to my inquiries about it. They charged me $20 for the $2 battery and like $13 to ship it back to me in a flippin' envelope! I shipped it to them in a box and that cost like $6. And they didn't replace the strap battery. Never again.

Mary, I'm thinking never, too. I did get a response from Polar (I thought it was a little snarky, but then that could be my irritation with them) that, as the battery level was low, they replaced it. No mention if the repair was made. It will cost me about $20 to get it back. I emailed back asking if the repair had been made.

[bzar]

Originally Posted by Wanda

Mary, I'm thinking never, too. I did get a response from Polar (I thought it was a little snarky, but then that could be my irritation with them) that, as the battery level was low, they replaced it. No mention if the repair was made. It will cost me about $20 to get it back. I emailed back asking if the repair had been made.

a while back when my watch battery ran out of power, i was in touch with a Polar center in CA (i live in Hawaii, and CA was the closest; a local Polar retailer strongly emphasized that i go this route).

i was given the same story - that i'd have to pre-pay them some amount (something like $45 for the battery and a new chest strap) and if it costed less to repair, they'd refund me when sending the fixed watch back. this didn't include my shipping the item to CA.

the red flags were "authorized Polar technicians" are advised and that "chest strap and watch battery" should ALWAYS be replaced at the same time."

hmmmmm.....

given that i only paid $30 for it from costco, i thought it was a hunk of hokey.

so i asked my trathlon co-worker where he got his battery replaced, and he referred me to a watch/jewelry repair store that usually fixes Rolexes. my friend has used Polar, Iron Man, and i think Timex HRMs, so i consider him an expert.

this Rolex repair guy charged me $10. they asked me if i wanted it "sealed" to retain the waterproof feature, but i said it wasn't necessary. if i wanted it, it was something like $10 extra and i'd have to come back and pick it up. since i don't use it in extreme weather, i declined.

[karaoke_queen]

I got a Polar F3 a couple of years back, and when the battery went out, I had to go through the same process as everyone else seems to--had to pay something like $13 for shipping and handling and a new battery. They wanted me to send to chest strap back as well and to pay $55 to replace both it and the battery, which was just as much as getting a whole new set would have been.

When the battery died once again, I just decided for my next HRM to get a Sportsline brand one at Wal-Mart. You don't have to go through that whole "send it back to the manufacturer, have to do without it for four to six weeks, and pay a ridiculous amount of money" process if its battery dies. Both the chest strap and the wrist piece just use good old CR2032's, easily purchased over the counter.

[Wanda]

My next HRM will definitly have user replacable batteries. So for I've just had the one reply from Polar that didn't address my question about the warranty repair. I don't know if it's been fixed, just that they've replaced the battery. It's been 2 weeks since I sent the watch in. I could have got the battery replaced at a repair shop in 5 minutes.

It surprises me that Polar is the biggest name in HRMs.

[Debbie S.]

I have two Polar M52 models. I sent one back just once because my cat chewed off the end of my strap, so I had them replace the strap and replace my dead battery.

I now change my own batteries, which is very easy with the model I have. It's much cheaper than sending it in to have it replaced.

[bzar]

Originally Posted by karaoke_queen

When the battery died once again, I just decided for my next HRM to get a Sportsline brand one at Wal-Mart. You don't have to go through that whole "send it back to the manufacturer, have to do without it for four to six weeks, and pay a ridiculous amount of money" process if its battery dies. Both the chest strap and the wrist piece just use good old CR2032's, easily purchased over the counter.

karaoke (love your name) - what model of sportline HRM do you have? and how much did you pay?

last night, i was in sears and they carry sportline too (w/chest strap sensor) and they were asking $99 (?).

[karaoke_queen]

Originally Posted by bzar

karaoke (love your name) - what model of sportline HRM do you have? and how much did you pay?

last night, i was in sears and they carry sportline too (w/chest strap sensor) and they were asking $99 (?).

It didn't really have a model number on it, just said something like "Universal Combo." I think it was $48 before sales tax. It took me a while to get the hang of the lap timer vs. the actual stopwatch. That's what I get for not reading the instruction manual all the way through before using it.

[bzar]

Originally Posted by karaoke_queen

It didn't really have a model number on it, just said something like "Universal Combo." I think it was $48 before sales tax. It took me a while to get the hang of the lap timer vs. the actual stopwatch. That's what I get for not reading the instruction manual all the way through before using it.

KQ - thanks!

i took my polar to sears watch repair here in hawaii (it's an independent vendor operating in the sears store) and they charged me $15 total. it was slightly more than the Rolex repair shop charged me ($10), but sears was more convenient for me.