Fed up with Garmin Mapsource locking/restrictions

Forgive the rant, but I only just found out about the upgrade policy
on second units.

My Garmin Quest has been using City Select Europe v7 since new.

I have also used the 'Unlock Additional Garmin Unit' option
and have unlocked the City Select Europe v7 for my GPSMAP 60c.

City Select Europe has been discontinued in favour of City Navigator
Europe, and a few days ago I paid my $75 (plus tax) and unlocked
the City Navigator Europe 2009 Update disk.

But while my original product was unlocked for two Garmin units (the
Quest and the GPSMAP 60c) the updated unlock product is only unlocked
for the Quest and the "Unlock additional Garmin Unit" option is not
available.

The only option I get is to purchase City Navigator Europe 2009 yet again
for another $149, which is twice the price of the update again.

I fully expected the update to work on both Garmin units the original
Product was unlocked for. After all this is why I purchased the update in
the first place! And I wouldn't have purchased it if I knew this would
happen.

Garmin are having none of it. They say that they have changed the policy
so you can't unlock a second unit anymore. Unless you pay again of course.

In this day and age you would expect vendors to give the customers more
for their money, not less! Guess not. They're always super efficient in
taking your money, but when it comes to providing service you can't even
raise a bug report with them (you get all the rubbish excuses about how
they're not bugs but features.)

I'm now sick and tired of all the unit restrictions, unlock procedures and
pain-in-the-ass crippleware products that you can only use on certain
units etc. I thought the era of the hardware 'dongle' was gone FFS.

I've been on email and on the phone to customer services but to no avail.
Really, they could have simply said "here you go, here's an unlock code."
City Navigator Europe 2009 is out of date anyway. Plus the GPSMAP 60c is
an old unit and when the time came to replace it, they might have got some
repeat business.

No chance of repat business now.

--
Vartan

Am 01.05.2010 11:44, schrieb Vartan Narinian:

stupid policy, indeed.

I was close to buy a second Garmin for ma car, besides the existing one
for hiking. But I won't, because I had to buy the map DVD again, and
twice for each update.

Garmin seems to think that one GPS device is enough for each customer.
So it is.


--

Heinrich
http://www.gartrip.de

Agreed. Probably someone at the big companies are thinking they are fighting
piracy this way :-) Meanwhile, probably the real prirates have no problems
to unlock any numbers of units they would like, but the money paying people
have to experience all this. Sick...

I think they are causing more people to look for illegal ways to
unlock.
--
Larry
Citrus Co. Fl.

Which is what I did. I use different receivers on Motorbike (Zumo
660), Bicycle (GPSmap 60CSx) and in my Van (N=FCvi 750). I am the only
user of my bikes, bicycle and van. I am willing to pay for what I use,
but I am not willing to pay 3 times for the same thing. Off course one
pays for what one uses, but paying three times??

After losing my second receiver unlock, I was forced to look for
different unlock methodes. Illegal, maybe, but good for Garmin,
because I expanded from 2 to 3 receivers. Until then I used the 60CSx
on the motorbikes as well. The 'different' unlock methode opened up
for a third receiver, the incredible Zumo 660! I also payed for
lifelong updates.
Now I am licensed once to use the map that I payed for and use it in
the receiver I choose, whether Garmin likes it or not!

For you, Garmin: If you come with a reasonable license-expension for
second and third receivers, I am stil happy to pay for it, because
your ware is worth it.

Reasonable greetings,

H@n Zijsp@n