Well guys, I'm tapping out. It's 6:30 PM my time, been fiddling with this since I left the UPS store at 8:45 this morning. Still not operational!!!!!!! I should'a went with my gut and just shipped it back this morning.
After all this time, and over 1.5 hours on the phone with them (actually about 45 minutes, the rest was on hold), I can only get test messages to my email, not the two phones I set up on the account (with the help of CS so I know they were put in right). I've given it two hours to get the messages to my phone. Pretty sure a guy could die by then?
Nearly 7 hours of wasted time and all I have to show is $31 stop payment charge from my bank as I'm attempting to get my money back this way rather than fight with Garmin over it (see warnings from other members above on their billing department)
so for those of you who said be patient, try a little harder---did I meet the criteria?
Conclusion: Garmin set-up sucks! (but I already knew that this morning)
I can't comment on the operation of the mini because I never got to use it!