Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Garmin nüvi 2495LMT 4.3-Inch Portable GPS Navigator I'm updating my review below... I noticed for some time now that I'm no longer getting the ads that so offended me (below)... I had another question for Garmin and asked customer support today if they discontinued the ads. I was told that they discontinued them about a year ago in response to customer concerns. That impresses the hell out of me and, since I'm a total fan of the product other than that rectified issue, I'm revising my review to 5 stars and retracting the concern I voiced below. Incidentally, I received great customer service just now. All is forgiven and I'd buy this product again. Just sayin... **** I'm a big fan of Garmin GPS products... However, I chose 1-star to make a point. The "Lifetime Traffic" is part of why I chose this product. What Garmin fails to disclose up front is that the traffic provider (antennae in power cord) sends advertisements to the Garmin device. These pop up regularly and take up an rectangular area about 2/3 the size of a standard postage stamp in the upper left quadrant of the map (where the traffic notification icons appear). I don't mind having local product offerings available on the device on demand, but not on the map. There is no option to disable this feature and, contrary to what I was told when I called Garmin to complain, these remain on the screen when the vehicle is in motion... the only way I have found to get the advertisement off the map is to select it and then go back to the map... and this fix is temporary until it pops up again. These offers also appear at the top of the traffic page and causing the user to have to scroll down to see options that would otherwise be in view without having to scroll down. Advertisements also sweep across the top banner in the same way as do traffic options (e.g. alternate route); the motion causes me to check the screen expecting to see a traffic issue only to discover that it is another advertisement... distracting and dangerous! I paid for a product that INCLUDED lifetime traffic. Allowing their Traffic data provider to inflict their paying customers with unsolicited advertising is a huge failure on Garmin's part... especially in view of the fact that the advertising interferes with the purchased functionality of the device. I regard this as being akin to if HBO or Showtime (paid channels) started airing commercials. That the included "lifetime traffic" inflicts advertising on the user... (and that this advertising interferes with the purchased functionality of the device by obscuring part of the map) should have been openly disclosed in the specifications of the product as a qualifier for what the "lifetime traffic" included. I read all the specifications; before and after my purchase and saw no such disclosure. I took the time to write this in the hope that other purchasers would at least have this omitted piece of information before they buy. I complained to Garmin through their website but have received no response. I will say, however, that in every other way I'm a fan of this product. I may still return it and go to a competitor product because the traffic issue annoys me every time it occurs. Travel safely, all!