Customer Reviews

GiSTEQ TripBook TB-100 GS Mileage Logger

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I had been looking online constantly for around 3 months to see if I could find some way to automate my mileage log for tax/reimbursement purposes. I had not had any luck finding just what I was looking for... until I stumbled upon this. Most of the loggers out there are the "Mileage Logger/Vulocity" type which have either a huge investment upfront ($199+), monthly service charges ($15+) or both!!

I recently started my own business and wanted a way to be able to reimburse/deduct business use of my vehicle. I had been told by 3 CPA's that I couldnt simply "write off" my vehicle just because it has an advertising wrap on it. They all advised that I would have to create a log every time I got in the car to show each trip I made and then record the purpose, only then would I be able to take the percentage of usage for business and multiply it by costs or use the number of miles and reimburse $0.55/mile (2009). Hearing this I knew there had to be an easier way as I was not one to keep up with logs and notes at all.

This logger has no monthly service charge and is very reasonably priced compared to the most direct comparison I found which is the "Shadow Tracker" unit for around $199. I just happened to do a Amazon.com search and came up the first day it was released. I had a couple of teething issues getting the data downloaded and the reports formatted initially, however Gisteq support was amazing!! They helped me through the entire process of configuring it with my computer.

I even gave them a couple of pointers on how I would like a total on the reporting just so I could directly use those to reimburse myself and a few other tweaks and within a week they added all the additional functionality I would have liked/wanted!!!!! I couldnt believe how great they have been to work with, several emails to make sure I am having no issues and to ask for any feedback.

I now have a great way to keep track of my Business and Personal usage of my vehicle and I can take it from vehicle to vehicle as I please just incase I wanted to take the minivan for loading which is great. When downloading I simply plug it in to the computer and download the log. I then can go in and quickly select the trips and Business or Personal and add a comment or two to make my CPA happy and im done. I usually do this once a week since its just easier for me to remember but I havent seen it even reach 15% capacity so I am sure you could probably go a whole month without downloading your trip data.

I would definately recommend this to anyone looking for a Tax/Mileage logger as its the most affordable solution on the market right now and still has all the features and ease of reports as the most expensive units out there.

100% SATISFIED - GREAT PRODUCT AND GREAT SUPPORT FROM GISTEQ

I bought it with high hopes.

The concept is simplicity itself: plug it in your car, then plug it in your computer. Once the software shows you the trips and stops you've made in Google Maps, all you need to do is write down if there was a business purpose for the trip so you can later justify to the IRS your mileage deductions. Exactly what I needed.

However I could never make its software work properly with my Vista 64 laptop. When downloading data into computer, it frequently locked up, which resulted in lost information (trips = $). I contacted support twice, and was able to promptly talk to someone who then emailed me drivers and updates, to no avail. Still the same issues, and in fact worse after the last update.

So now I don't use it anymore, resorting instead to the old ways of data keeping: pen and paper. I wish it worked, or that I had a XP computer to try it on - I'll bet it would work.

In fact, if you are interested in this product and have a XP computer, I have an almost new unit here in the office looking for a new home (or car).

DEC-2010 UPDATE: About 6 months ago I bought a newly-released Android smartphone, that not only replaced my old Garmin GPS (now retired somewhere in the trunk) in giving me driving directions, but ALSO LOGS MY TRIPS! So no more pen and paper, only the cell phone that is always along anyway. In the Android marketplace I found software that helped me sort out and classify the datapoints, so I'm all set now for tax reporting. In fact, my CPA (also a tax attorney) was so impressed that he will suggest this idea for his other clients.

I bought this for one of my employees to use to track his mileage. We are having trouble getting it to download, have emailed the customer care 6 times with no response.

Overall works very well but has one minor issue. Needs a longer cord to get the unit up into the front window for better reception. Before I added a longer cord, the track on the map tended to veer off road fairly often due to dropping satellites.

No problems running software in Win XP Pro (32-bit). Downloaded and installed current software v1.5.426.0 (dated 05/01/09) prior to first use. Reports are fairly simple to produce. I have not been able to get the GPS unit to connect to MS Streets & Trips, but I haven't found claims that it is supposed to.

Overall very pleased with unit. It does what it claims it will do and does it very well. And the best part: No more writing down mileage!

This tracking tool is amazing. But the only Cons it has is the software. While I run the software on my laptop with Windows Vista I faced many errors and the software many times stops responding and quit. I think these issues can be solved by a software patch...

Great concept except the software is terrible and the product stopped logging within a matter of minutes. There goes all those miles I thought I was logging. Don't waste your money.

I use this every single day to track my travel for tax purposes. I have a small business and this allows me to pay myself mileage based on this gadget. I have used it now for over a year. It paid for itself the first week.

The software works but I would not call it user friendly. The latest update lets it work on Windows 7. It seems like the developers could do better with the interface. I spend too much time messing with it. I wind up exporting it out and manually editing my reports.

If they would put some hooks into Quickbooks or at least a better report writer and you would have a goldmine. Put this on the shelf at Sam's Club next to the Neat Receipts and you would sell millions of them.

The product works as advertised. Customer service is very slow in following up with you. I kept receiving an error message whenever I attempted to erase the trip logs. I reported the problem to customer service, and didn't receive any assistance for two weeks regarding the problem. Otherwise, I am very pleased with the performance of the product. Well worth the investment.

My car was cleaned and my GisTEQ was vacuumed away. I am ordering a new one because I had very good service after their tech support helped me to install it on Windows 7. I also have the expensive LandAirSea which works well but gives me a useless report after it dies with its batteries. The GisTEQ report is exactly what I need for the IRS and works very well without any batteries.

11/22 LATEST UPDATE: The device now works correctly! The two trips I made this morning, 36 miles on 280 South and 29 miles on 101 North, were recorded from start to finish with no interruptions. I am not sure what made the difference though. Besides updating the firmware and running the AGPS program, I let the device sit on my desk and talk to the satellites for hours yesterday. There are some settings in the GPS viewer program that I may have altered, but I have no idea if any of those tweaking contributed to the now-consistent performance. An extended USB cord allows me to position the device closer to the windshield and point its tip to the sky. Five stars because it works now, but I am sure most consumers would have returned the device after two days of frustration.

11/17: I just received mine this morning so this is a first-impression review. It was easy enough to install the software and run the AGPS program that is supposed to make the unit work better. Once on the road, I noticed that the green light blinked initially, but then it stopped. Upon arrival at the destination, I downloaded the data and was surprised to see that only the first 4 miles of my trip was recorded. It appeares that after I merged onto 280 South from 92 West, there was no record whatsoever. I called the customer service and someone answered the phone right away. After describing the situation, I was advised to update the firmware and run the AGPS program again. This part, I think, is perhaps troublesome for those who aren't used to gadget tuning. Anyway, I did as I was told before embarking on my return trip via 101. However, my return trip was fragmented according to the device. It appears that I drove and flew (since no record was recorded) at different sections of the freeway. I am going to give the device another chance. Overall it works, and I can deal with the required maintenance and etc. Will try also to position the device closer the dashboard, if that makes any difference.

11/18 UPDATE: Still, nothing was recorded for my 25-mile ride on 280. On 101, only a portion was recorded.

11/21 UPDATE: The GPS viewer program (a.k.a. SkyTraq) that I downloaded from the company's website is intriguing though. It is somewhat satisfying to watch the scrolling texts and flashing red and blue dots. It appears that the device is receiving/recording data consistently when I sit in my office and work on my laptop.