Humminbird Lakemaster chip failures?

I have a Woods/Rainy v.4 chip that is not working any longer. It stopped displaying the card data while navigating on the ice this past weekend. I tried cleaning the chip and using it in different units with zero luck. My units all say loading map data…, but never change from the basemaps. All my other chips work.

Anyone experience this before? How did Humminbird handle it?

This is my second round of dealing with CS in a little over a year and must admit I’m less than impressed. A decade ago they did backflips getting the noise issues resolved on my 997. I’m getting the impression they don’t want me as a customer anymore.

I’ve had that issue happen with my older Lowrance Lakemaster chip about 7-8 years ago. I mailed them the card and they mailed me a replacement, which was also updated. I have never had any issues with their CS. They even replaced my whole head unit on my 35 after I cracked the housing and broke the knobs from a spill it took, no questions asked. Hope they resolve the issue quickly.

Weird.
Never experienced that before.

I’d suggest going back to default settings. And putting the card in.
It should be that easy.

I’ve only had weird map experiences when viewing map in split map view, and it would freeze if I had the zoom side active and at a certain zoom level.

Scratch that, if all other chips work then I suppose it must be the woods chip that no longer works. That sucks.

It happens that the cards go bad once in a while. Like Merican Eagle says, get ahold of Humminbird and they’ll tell you the procedure to send it in and get it replaced or even take it back to where you bought it if you can. They may replace it for you as well. It’s worth a try.

All I can say on this is WOW! 30 whole days?? Johnson Outdoors just lost a friend for life over a chip that probably costs them $2.

Here is my third response from them. I only changed my name to my new nickname around the Racine headquarters..

Dear Sucker,
Thank you for contacting Humminbird Customer Service.
If you have had the card for less than 30 days there is a warranty on the card after
purchase for 30 days. If you have had the card for more than 30 days it would be out
of warranty and a replacement card would need to be purchased as we do not offer
service on the chart cards for a flat fee.
If we can assist you further on this subject or any other Humminbird related
questions please feel free email us again or contact our Customer Resource Center at
1-800-633-1468 to speak with a Customer Service Representative. Our hours are Monday
thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Wednesday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Good Fishing and Boating!
Dawn Turner
Humminbird Customer Service
Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics
678 Humminbird Lane
Eufaula, AL 36027

I think this is pretty ridiculous. You are not buying the card, you are buying the mapping technology. Flash cards fail all the time. They need to figure out a way to purchase the map so that you can download it whenever you like…in other words, pretty much how most software is handled these days.

I’m surprised!
I’m not trying to rub it in Fish but I down load updated info to my Navionics card all the time. Mostly from info that I’ve sent in but still it’s being updated.

The only draw back to this is that a person could plug a new card into their computer, download the new info then give their old card to someone else. Sending in a defective card is about the only way it can be handled.

But 30 days? Wow! That just doesn’t seem right.

“Navionics offers a one year warranty on plotter cards. The one year is from the date of purchase of the card or the date of purchase of the subscription update/upgrade. This does not include lost, stolen or physically damaged cards. The chart files are also right protected and cannot be copied, backed-up or saved onto another card.”

“Do not return this product to any retailer. You must return this product directly to Johnson Outdoors. Returned products must
have a Return Authorization (R A) number clearly displayed on the outside of the shipping package. You must contact Johnson
Outdoors at 1.800.540.5747 or e-mail LakeMaster at “[email protected]” within 30 days of purchase to obtain the R A.
When you return the product, include a valid sales receipt, product UPC, a return address and phone or email contact
information. The R A is valid for 30 days from date issued.
Product should be returned to:
Johnson Outdoors, 59 East Broadway, Little Falls, MN 56345
Johnson Outdoors reser ves the right to examine the product when we receive it to determine if the defect or
malfunction is due to a defect in materials or workmanship. Johnson Outdoors will duplicate the original data on all repaired or
replaced products. Products that are defective due to any other cause will not be repaired or replaced. Damaged products, not
covered by or that are out of warranty may be eligible for repair for a ser vice fee, contact Johnson Outdoors for more
information. WARNING: Never format a LakeMaster SD card, formatting the card will permanently erase the map data. Never
use a LakeMaster SD card to store or transfer data as this may damage the card”

That is the warranty period. I’m still amazed there is that much of a difference!