Hi Everyone,
We have a Garmin GPSMAP 740S
chartplotter. Before we left the US in August 2015, we purchased a Garmin BlueChart g2Vision SD card for California-Mexico from Amazon.com.
Because of licensing restrictions (I think?), I was not able to update the SD card (which is free by using Garmin Express) while in
Mexico for the last two years. So, while we are back in the US visiting the
family, I took the opportunity to get our card updated.
After two
phone calls and several emails to Garmin, we learned that we purchased a FRAUDULENT copy from vendor "WorldShop" on Amazon. Apparently, not all sellers on Amazon are legit and ethical. (Imagine that.)
The fake 2015 SD card appeared to
work in our chart plotter just fine. The electronic charts were spot on in most areas - matching shorelines,
depth, and warnings. There were two
anchorages (Bahia San Evaristo and Punta Chivato) that the
google maps overlay didn't match the chart. But, there is no way to update it and get the latest changes, effectively making the charts obsolete.
I have read that even the best of charts and plotters can be off in places in Mexico.
Looking at the packaging, there was no way to tell it wasn't an authentic product. But the
price was obviously too good to be true. (See attached
photo.) Garmin said that if the
price is lower than the MSRP (in this case about $320 USD) that it's fake. But that also doesn't stop someone from selling a fake at that price.
Garmin claims any chip selling for less than MSRP is not authentic??? Maybe they better contact West Marine, Defender and most other vendors I've checked over the years. That sounds like pure marketing hooey to me.
You can tell an authentic SD card from a fake SD card by viewing the files on the SD card with your computer. See "Comparison" attached. Some file(s) are missing on the fake cards.
Garmin recommended buy from authorized Garmin dealers (a list of brick and mortar retailers is on Garmin.com) or directly through Garmin's website. They do NOT have a list of authorized ONLINE retailers at this point.
We don't have any recourse through Amazon because the SD card was purchased two years ago.
And, according to Garmin, we still won't be able to update the new, real SD card while in Mexico unless we sent it back to the US. So there's that...
This is a point I really don't understand and does not make sense to me. What do people do that buy a chip and go sailing for a few years?
Other than this hiccup, we really like our Garmin products. They have been really reliable and are very user friendly. And the accuracy of the charts is truly amazing. We can't imagine cruising in unknown (to us) waters without it.
Hope this helps someone else.
Cheers.