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Mapquest Directions: BEWARE!

If you want to venture away from major highways, or reach a rural area, beware of getting your driving directions from Mapquest.

I just got back from Hebron, New Hampshire, home of the annual 4-day Lindy Hop dance festival, Swingout New Hampshire where me and 275 other dance fanatics spent 10-12 hours a day in joyous, sweaty dance rapture.

Unfortunately, we got our directions from Mapquest, as did several other campers. Everything was fine until the last leg of the trip when Mapquest sent us down a dirt road that was ended by a barrier in the middle of a forest.

We backtracked to the nearest house and knocked on the door. The bemused woman said "Oh, I bet you had Mapquest directions. You are not the first this week. Those roads have not existed in the 16 years I've lived here."

She sent us back on our merry way, but gas stations were so few and far between, that we then ran out of gas. Sigh. We finally made it to camp, in time for dinner, ready to dance. And we had a really good laugh with the other people who'd traveled the same dead end road.

Next time: Google maps.

Categories: Customer Service Issues

Tags: Mapquest_sucks

BL Ochman | Sep 6 06 4:13 | TrackBack (0)

Comments

No news there. As the salespeople in California I know never use them.

Two big problems with Mapquest, not always updatged and always gives you the most obvious to get somewhere without any alternatives. And guess what? Those most obvious ways to get there are also the most congested.

Mapquest is irrelevant. I used google but strong with my Mapquest experience, I check other routes.

That's the problem now days, reputation, no matter how fake it was established somehow just gets people. Go figure.

Posted by: Nick at September 7, 2006 6:23 PM

Isn't it funny how quickly we all want to believe in the quality of digital automation products?

Try Google Earth for another laugh! People have attempted to use that to locate us, and they keep going to the wrong place a block away (and the house we bought, and its street/street number, have been the same for 40+ years)...

I will say, knock wood, that the GPS in our car has worked flawlessly, but your post reminds me we need to get the updates when they're offered!

Posted by: Edward O'Meara at September 8, 2006 8:20 AM

LOL all the online mapping services make mistakes. I just always double-check, or I may even triple-check using different services if the timing is important. But they are usually not that badly wrong - just the last mile or so...

Posted by: Mapquest Advocate at February 11, 2008 9:58 PM

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About BL Ochman

Blogger, social media strategy consultant to Fortune 500 companies, and sought-after corporate speaker B.L. Ochman heads the creative team of whatsnextonline.com. She also publishes the Ethics Crisis blog for SRF Global Translations

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