Require Marketplace Sellers to have a Website with Support links

There is a highly prolific marketplace seller of 3rd party airports whose product is junk. I know this, because I got a copy of the field I consider my permanent home base, St. Petersburg-Clearwater International, and their redo of the stock airfield didn’t even take into account that a former taxiway turned into a runway (who knows how many decades ago) was turned back into a taxiway “only” about 8 years ago due to conflicts with a scheduled Part 121 provider, something the airport had previously lacked.

I was told by someone with insider information that there were about three incidents of near misses, either on the ground or during parallel runway operations that finally got the airport to return that “runway” (that never should have been one in my opinion) back into “just” a taxiway.

It’s bad enough MS/Asobo themselves screwed this up, likely because they were using old charts or their automated software was using old pics, but the provider who I won’t name (but if you’re clever, you can figure it out) couldn’t even get that right.

All attempts to contact them for support failed because they don’t have a website or any sort of tech support available. I did manage to find an email address for them (I honestly do not remember how), but even then, they wouldn’t, or I suspect more likely couldn’t make the change.

I realize MS is making good coin even from junk, sleazy sellers of 3rd party products, but I think it reflects extremely poorly on them to have them in their store and requiring at a minimum to have a website and support contact listed at that site might just eliminate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.

Thoughts?

Kev

I think there should be some sort of mandatory contact information for marketplace vendors on the product page. Most of the reputable developers already do.

However, that being said, it is up to the buyer to do some basic research about what you are buying. If a bing search or other popular search engines can’t locate the contact info for developers, then in my opinion , that should be considered a red flag and any purchases should be considered as a gamble.