Embarrassing Maps misdirection at SFO airport

Question

Level 1

5 points

Embarrassing Maps misdirection at SFO airport

Knowing the location of the rental car facility at SFO I tapped on the "Dollar Rent a Car" symbol shown there, using my iPad, and chose "Directions to here." The directions guided me to a drop off point opposite arriving flights at the terminal, where there are no rental car facilities for any company. Fortunately I figured out how to get to the rental car facility from there to return my car. There was only perhaps 5-10 minutes delay which it turned out I could afford. However I felt this was very embarrassing for the maps App to fail at the airport that serves so many Apple customers and employees, and I wondered if others had been affected more seriously by this, so I am reporting it.

iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, iOS 6.1.3

Posted on Jul 21, 2015 11:25 AM

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Answer 1

kb1951

Level 10

126,083 points

Jul 21, 2015 11:32 AM in response to Billspoon

Since this is a user to user forum, we can't make any changes. You can offer feedback to Apple here: http://www.apple.com/feedback/

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Answer 2

raymond73

Level 4

1,843 points

Jul 21, 2015 12:14 PM in response to Billspoon

Generally when I travel I just get directions to the airport and follow the rental return signs. Maps are not updated often enough to have current information on all the airports. Rental return areas are moved on occasion and it does take awhile for the maps to be updated.

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Answer 3

Billspoon Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 21, 2015 4:40 PM in response to raymond73

Thanks for responding, raymond73.

Increasingly airports have off-site rental facilities common to most rental companies, and if you have visited SFO you will know it is not a temporary location by any means, but a multistory structure three stops away on the SkyTrain from the terminal.

I was staying a couple of miles away and at 5:00 in the morning simply was asking for the most efficient route and turn-by-turn directions. I clicked on a Dollar Rent a Car symbol that was actually correctly located on the map, and trusted that I would be guided to that point. My trust turned out to be misplaced.

What you say is good general advice, I suppose, and I will not be so trusting from now on.

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Answer 4

deggie

Level 10

167,525 points

Jul 21, 2015 6:22 PM in response to Billspoon

You did report this via the Maps app, correct?

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Answer 5

Skydiver119

Level 9

53,489 points

Jul 21, 2015 6:29 PM in response to Billspoon

Another thing to bear in mind, map apps - any map app - is only as accurate as the information sent to it. Let's say McDonalds gets torn down and a new store built 2 blocks away, it's up to McDonalds to tell Garmin and such to change their information. If a DOT builds a new road, that DOT needs to tell the various navigation companies to move the road. I've had a co-worker of mine once have his GPS tell him that he was driving through a corn field...because his GPS hadn't updated to reflect the new road.

So keeping stuff like that up to date is something with a lot of moving parts, and probably no single place to lay blame for incorrect data.

I've had Mapquest tell me to go wrong way on a one way or to take an exit that only existed for the traffic going the other direction.

I guess my point is, navigation apps are great tools but aren't fool proof.

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Answer 6

Billspoon Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 21, 2015 6:43 PM in response to Billspoon

No, via the link kb1951 supplied above, to the section named "maps." Did not have time to deal with it when using the iPad at the airport yesterday.

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