Hidden $200 Contract That Left My Emergency Device Useless
I bought a Garmin inReach Mini in 2024 for an international paragliding trip. I only needed the satellite service for a few days, so I activated it for about three days and then canceled it. Fast forward to my next trip in Switzerland, when I actually needed the device again. Instead of being able to activate the service, Garmin told me I have to pay nearly $200 for a contract balance that I had no idea even existed. An emergency communication device should be ready when you need it—not locked behind surprise fees that customers don't discover until they're already traveling. To make matters worse, the device itself is heavily discounted, which now feels misleading because the real cost appears to be hidden in the service contract. Had this been made obvious from the beginning, I would have made a different purchasing decision. Garmin's customer service simply repeated the policy instead of offering a reasonable solution. After spending money on the device and using the service for only a few days, expecting another $200 just to use it again is unacceptable. I bought this device for safety. Instead, when I actually needed it on another international trip, it became nothing more than an expensive paperweight.