Geocaching frustrations

Sometimes geocaching can be VERY frustrating.  Today was one such day. 

BB had some errands to run today so I decided to do a couple of caches while she was out.  Simple, right?  Wrong!  I use a Delorme PN40 and use Delorme's Cache Register to load pocket query results on to the PN40.  Now, on a positive note, I'm generally satisfied with the PN40 even though it eats batteries (buy rechargeable) and the software is flackey.  Not to worry, I've been using it for a while and things seem to work OK.  So, anyway, I use Cache Register to update my not found caches.  But wait, what's this.  When I'm done updating the PN40 with Cache Register I have 0 unfound caches and the PN40 can only accept another 250 caches!  This makes no sense at all.

A bit of investigation shows that while I don't have any caches, I have 500 + waymarks with GCxxxx names!  Bogus!!  What's going on? 

I redefine the pocket query and try again.  Same result!  Now, previously I had issues with the PN40 that required booting into maintenance mode and doing some things.  I scratched around on the Delorme site (it's Saturday so there is NO human support) and find a document that suggest booting into maintenance mode and reformating.  I do so.  Try again to load caches.  No JOY!

OK, so I read some more and am told to reformat and reload the firmware.  Now I'm not happy about this but there really isn't much of an option.  So away I go.  Close to 1 hr later I try again to load caches with CR.  NO JOY!

There's a small chance that I made a mistake in reloading the firmware.  So I do it again being very careful and use CR to load caches.  ANOTHER wasted hour of my life!

Go online to Delorme and check forums.  Find thread from Friday with problem described.  No idea why Delorme doesn't post known problems prominently on their support or home page, but they don't!  A bit more scratching on the Delorme forum site finds a user provided work around.  OK, I'll try that.

Try the work around.  It involves editing the GPX file and then using CR to load results on PN40.  It works, sort of!  I've now got caches but they are known by their GCxxxx code, not their name!  Sigh, never mind, it's a step forward.

Turns out that geocaching.com changed something and didn't coordinate with Delorme.  This has apparently happened once before.  I'm not sure who to be most frustrated with Delorme since CR when confronted with something new didn't error but just went off and did something stupid or geocaching.com who changed something without coordinating with Delorme recreating a problem that they had previously caused! 

Now, I've been in the software business 40+ years.  I know from painful experience how hard it is to do good software so this kind of stuff doesn't happen.  But really, it's just the difference between armatures and professionals.  From where I'm sitting it looks to me like both Delorme and geocaching.com need some software professionals.

Just a POV.