I hear you. I accept that Garmin badly under-services some parts of the world. In most cases it's because of there being insufficient commercial return, i.e. the small profits don't justify the effort to deliver an up-to-date product. They're not alone in that [in a free enterprise envoiroment], it is a universally accepted part of the system. But Russia and it's neighbours are hardly under-populated '3rd world' impoverished developing countries and I believe Garmin is being cynical in some places and selling second rate products at unreasonable prices. It is the same cynicism that they seem able to get away with when they sell the same map downloading from the same server [US] at vastly different prices depending on the location of the buyer. Why should you or i pay more for an NA map with an RU or AU IP than someone with a US IP? The unemotional answer is they do it because they can, and 'we' [the buyers collectively] let them get away with it. I know you and I don't along with many others Giomen, we just change our IP to a US IP by VPN or anonymous proxy. And Garmin either don't know or doesn't care when we pay with an EU or AU credit card. But do the vast majority of buyers do that? нет! Of course not. And does it cost Garmin any more if the map's dl'ed from their US server to a PC in Russia or Outer Mongolia, or Northern Ireland, etc? Nope! Or, put another way do they save something if the dl is from their US server to a US PC? Again, no of course not.
The above is the same principle as charging good money for outdated or defective map data. It's unconscionable, but they get away with it because we [collectively] the consumers let them and so do their competitors to a degree. I can accept that i'll get the occasional spoiled [corked] wine, as an accepted occupational hazzard if buying wine with cork seals. I don't accept the risk with Stelvin. Horses for courses ....... Garmin can stick their 'corked' maps is what the market should say.
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