GPS Map Scams, Rip-offs, and Pirated Products
Buyer Beware: Navigating with outdated, incomplete, and otherwise poor quality maps can be dangerous. Unscrupulous merchants are selling free and pirated maps. Don't get ripped-off. Here is what to look for to make sure your are getting a premium GPS map product.
High quality, full-featured GPS maps take a lot of time and money to develop and maintain. Accordingly, legitimate developers go to great lengths to protect their investment. But pirating and other unethical business practices undermine the market, leaving remorseful buyers and sellers of premium products frustrated.
When shopping for premium GPS maps, look for:
Price
"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
You should expect to pay between $35 for specialized regional maps and in some cases over $350 for national coverage. Products at the high-end cover places where map data is difficult to obtain, especially in war zones. Exceptions on the low-end include extremely small regions, like parks.
Copyright protection
Products which do not require unlocking, or at least registration for updates and customer support, should be considered suspicious.
Updates
Most legitimate developers publish new map versions on a annual basis. Updates are often offered every three or four months.
Vendors that do not offer updates and maps that have not been updated within the last year should be regarded as suspicious.
Return Policy
Most download versions of premium maps are non-refundable. Downloads are usually locked to the customer's computer or GPS and so there is nothing that the customer can return for a refund as it would be useless to anyone else.
Maps on SD-cards should be refundable - with limitations. Premium maps on SD-cards are typically locked to the card and the vendor may allow returns within certain time limits.
Merchants that do not have a reasonable return policy for SD-cards should be regarded as suspicious.
Features
Premium GPS map products for vehicle navigation feature:
* autorouting (a.k.a. routable), providing turn-by-turn directions on roads,
* routing on roads constrained by turn restrictions, including freeway on- and off-ramps, one-way roads, and roundabouts.
* include street names for use with devices that can say street names
* searchable index of cities, towns, and villages,
* an extensive POI database for tourism, including hotels, restaurants, gas stations...
Maps not intended for vehicle navigation (i.e off-road maps) may feature
* topographic detail (look for 20 m or better contour intervals)
* trails (hiking, skiing, snowmobile, paddling...)
* campsites, summits,
The better maps for both on-and off-road use include
* political boarders,
* railroads
* rivers, lakes, and streams, wetlands
* parks, golf courses,
Licensed Developers
Look for credentials. GPS manufactures, like Garmin, authorize 3rd parties to develop maps for their products. If the developer and/or map product is listed on the manufactures web site, then you have assurance that the product will be compatible and compliant with the manufactures standards.
Ref: http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/us/maps/mpcpage/
Map Comparison
Most vendors will provide screenshots of the product. Ask for a screenshot of an area you are familiar with and compare it with the screenshot of the same area from other vendors.
Read reviews
At Travel By GPS, you will find comments from our customers on the product description pages and on our About page.
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The purpose of TravelByGPS is to provide the best GPS maps available. If there is a better available, I'll find it and sell it instead.
Contact me if you have a question or concern about anything at TravelByGPS.com
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