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No standalone map lifetime updates?

Former Member over 9 years ago

I bought the Europe NT map for $99 about a year ago, and noticed lately it's been inaccurate on a few occasions, so I went in to update the maps today to find that I'll have to pay another $99 for an update. Is Garmin stuck in the 1990s? There's no way I'm going to pay $99 every year to keep my maps up to date. I bought my 2597LMT in the US last year and planned to buy the Europe maps when I returned back to traveling in Europe, which I did. Now I'm back in Europe and find my maps are outdated. How can Garmin compete with smartphone GPS users when their maps have so little value? Why do I have to purchase a whole new device at the same price as a map purchase in order to get lifetime updates? When a map is purchased, it's tied to a device and can't be transferred to another, so why doesn't it include lifetime updates? Makes no sense. It's wasteful and artificially constrained.

I'm definitely not going to play this game. I'll happily go buy a TOmTom or just use my iPhone.

0 SUSSAMB over 9 years ago

You can, but you need the DVD version. Sounds like you (incorrectly if you wanted to update them) either bought the maps on a sd card or via a download.

0 alandb over 9 years ago

Unfortunately, that link does not mention the DVD version. Nor does it mention that the download and SD card versions are not updatable. Did Garmin change this FAQ or is it the wrong link?

Edit: oops ... I see you edited your post and removed the link while I was typing.

0 SUSSAMB over 9 years ago

Yes, Garmin have just updated the link ... If its correct the DVD option appears to have been dropped from that link, not sure why as you can still purchase the DVD map option.

0 Former Member over 9 years ago

This is the typical circus nonsense I've come to expect from Garmin lately. They can't seem to compete with a better quality product, so they have to figure out ways to coerce and trick their customers into buying more and more. I'm through with them. It's really a shame they can't simplify their products and stop with this confusion. I purchased the map under the impression that it included lifetime updates. I'm not stupid and I know how to read, so I can only assume there was some sort of trickery involved.

0 SUSSAMB over 9 years ago

No trickery. Clearly marked as not updateable. You missed it somehow. You may not feel so but it's very rare for folks to complain about this so the vast majority must be content.

0 alandb over 9 years ago

I understand your point sussamb and agree the original FAQ (link you deleted in your first post) clearly stated that the DVD version was updateable and the download/card versions were not. I guess if the OP purchased the map a year ago he did miss that information.

But where is this information now? Maybe it is there somewhere on the Garmin site, but I just spent about 10 minutes looking for it and couldn't find it. So I don't see that it is so "clearly marked".

Edit: I looked again, and see where it states that the card version cannot be updated, but I still don't see where it states that the download version can't be. I wonder if this means that updates (one time or lifetime) can now be purchased for the download version? Maybe someone from Garmin can clarify this for us.

0 Former Member over 9 years ago

I understand your point sussamb and agree the original FAQ (link you deleted in your first post) clearly stated that the DVD version was updateable and the download/card versions were not. I guess if the OP purchased the map a year ago he did miss that information.

But where is this information now? Maybe it is there somewhere on the Garmin site, but I just spent about 10 minutes looking for it and couldn't find it. So I don't see that it is so "clearly marked".

Edit: I looked again, and see where it states that the card version cannot be updated, but I still don't see where it states that the download version can't be. I wonder if this means that updates (one time or lifetime) can now be purchased for the download version? Maybe someone from Garmin can clarify this for us.

That's exactly what I remember the website looking like a year ago. And if it's hard to find now, it's fair to say it was hard to find then. "Clearly" must be a better of opinion.

No trickery. Clearly marked as not updateable. You missed it somehow. You may not feel so but it's very rare for folks to complain about this so the vast majority must be content.

To assume everyone who is discontent will actually bother complaining is pretty foolish. Most people will just buy a different product next time. I guess that's Garmin's position though, so I'll follow suit. I love when businesses blame the customers for their dissatisfaction. Not surprisingly those businesses won't be around a decade later.

0 SUSSAMB over 9 years ago

I looked again, and see where it states that the card version cannot be updated, but I still don't see where it states that the download version can't be. I wonder if this means that updates (one time or lifetime) can now be purchased for the download version? Maybe someone from Garmin can clarify this for us.

Yes, I wonder if that is the way Garmin are going now, I have some feelers out so will report back if I hear anything.

0 Former Member over 9 years ago

Where is my previous reply? Are the moderators censoring my posts?

0 Former Member over 9 years ago

I understand your point sussamb and agree the original FAQ (link you deleted in your first post) clearly stated that the DVD version was updateable and the download/card versions were not. I guess if the OP purchased the map a year ago he did miss that information.

But where is this information now? Maybe it is there somewhere on the Garmin site, but I just spent about 10 minutes looking for it and couldn't find it. So I don't see that it is so "clearly marked".

Edit: I looked again, and see where it states that the card version cannot be updated, but I still don't see where it states that the download version can't be. I wonder if this means that updates (one time or lifetime) can now be purchased for the download version? Maybe someone from Garmin can clarify this for us.

So I should have looked in the FAQ to find out that my purchase didn't include updates? It's as clear on the product page as it was a year ago. Why is does same map on DVD include updates when the download does not. Isn't it clear that this is intentionally misleading?