I have a Tom Tom Sat Nav which was new 5 years ago, because of Covid I did not use it last year and did not update the maps. In the meanwhile I had a new SSD fitted to the computer and the Tom Tom My Drive software was not loaded on to it. Today I decided to load the software from the Tom Tom site but I could not, I was contacted by somebody from Zoho Assist who seem to be employed by Tom Tom. The upshot of a very long conversation was that as I had not updated the maps every 3 months my account was closed and I would have to pay £96 to reinstate it. This was despite Tom Tom saying a lifetime of free maps, there was no mention that if you did not update 4 times a year your account would be closed and it would cost to reopen it. I had the same problem with Orange, if you did not use your pay as you go phone for a month, they took all your credit and you would have to top up again to use it, again no mention of this when you bought it. Is this the modern way of doing business, screw the punter for every penny you can?
Geoff
I would definitely seek advice Geoff - Consumer Protection people spring to mind.
Addit: Just got the following from t'internet -
Zoho Assist is cloud-based remote support and remote access software that helps you support customers from a distance through web-based, on-demand remote support sessions. Set up unattended remote access and manage remote PCs, laptops, mobile devices, and servers effortlessly.
Could well be genuine ......., but is there a direct way to contact Tom Tom? :hmmm:
2½ years ago I bought a TomTom satnag for my motorbike and within a year TomTom decided they were not going to support that model any further :veryangry:
They'd be quite happy if I bought a new one, I'll bet, but they can stick it where the sun don't shine.
Quote from: Newportnobby on February 09, 2021, 12:38:58 PM
2½ years ago I bought a TomTom satnag for my motorbike
Was the bike one horsepower Mick? (Sorry, couldn't resist ;)).
Quote from: dannyboy on February 09, 2021, 12:37:47 PM
I would definitely seek advice Geoff - Consumer Protection people spring to mind.
Addit: Just got the following from t'internet -
Zoho Assist is cloud-based remote support and remote access software that helps you support customers from a distance through web-based, on-demand remote support sessions. Set up unattended remote access and manage remote PCs, laptops, mobile devices, and servers effortlessly.
Could well be genuine ......., but is there a direct way to contact Tom Tom? :hmmm:
Unfortunately not their web site (tom tom) takes you to Zoho, there does not seem to be a direct link to tom tom itself.
Geoff
I tend to just use Google Maps on my smartphone. It's got a big screen, doesn't need a subscription, and if you 'run/plan/search' the route prior to setting off you don't need a mobile data connection.
My Garmin Nuvi 610 is about 14 years old now. Still in use. I haven't updated the maps for about 18 months, but I've gone 2 or 3 years between updates with no problem before now. The difficulty is now that it is getting so old that getting the larger, more detailed maps in is getting harder and requiring spreading over from the internal map space to the SD card. Even then I can only fit the UK and Ireland in, when it used to be most of Europe too.
Just checked the TS&Cs for my TOMTOM (not used in 2++ years as the current car has nav built in.) It does say you need to log in to the account every 90 days to keep it active, (you don't need to download updates or do anything else) as they keep sending me offers (e.g. 10% off at Travelodge), that seems to have kept mine active...
A timely reminder thanks!
I used to have a little Start 20 which did the job fine but got to the point where TT wouldn't support it :(
Bought myself a bigger posher one but I've only done 20 miles in the car since last March so it's not been needed at all. I've just powered it up and set it off on a 9Gb update :D
This is one of the big issues with these updates for life things, it's the company that sets the device lifetime, it's not based on the owners lifetime. As soon as they decide to stop supporting your model, that's it lifetime ends.
I am on my third TomTom in about 10 years but will not be by trying another when the current one comes to the end of its supported life. Just don't like the way they work these days, their interface used to be one of the best, but nowadays it's quite horrible.
Ngm
So I just got out my big can opener :D
In this day and age why would you buy a Sat Nav rather than use an App on a smart phone?
It would never occur to me to buy a Sat Nav device.
Regards,
John P
Quote from: jpendle on February 09, 2021, 05:32:49 PM
So I just got out my big can opener :D
In this day and age why would you buy a Sat Nav rather than use an App on a smart phone?
It would never occur to me to buy a Sat Nav device.
Regards,
John P
I'm with you. My Samsung Galaxy gets me anywhere in the UK, and Europe, and also the USA. It got us from Denver up through Yellowstone, across a very convoluted (planned) cross country route to Seattle.
Meh. Why would I want to have a smart phone? I've no interest at all in constantly checking Facebook every 30 seconds on a weedy little screen. A mobile phone is for talking to people and maybe text messages at a push. I might use it once or twice a month for that. I'll use a real computer for internet and email etc., and a proper camera for taking piccies :D
I would never buy a smart phone by choice. I may end up being forced to have one but until then I shall hold out as long as possible...
Oh and I'm not a complete luddite, I'm a full time IT professional and software developer :) I just hate the whole concept of smart phones and how people can't put the damn things down, have to have the latest model etc.
I'm not on Farcebook, Twatter, Whatsupp, TwitTwot, or any of them.
I wouldn't spend £200+ on a SatNav to use twice a year, for instance. But I can email while I'm out at work, buy materials from my van, source suppliers etc. Oh, and talk to you lot.
:D
I agree with ntpntpntp. I have a smart phone which I normally use once a day (Currently Furloughed) to phone the wife in the evening whilst at work. So that is 4 times a week.
But I need a Satnav in my truck to navigate around the country so I update it every couple of months
Regards Chris
Over the years I've had to direct a number of delivery drivers by phone to my house because their Tom Tom was trying to make them go somewhere else! I've had 'em phoning up saying they're at my front dooor when they are clearly not (me looking outside!). Even when they actually get here the Tom Tom is telling them they are 3 miles from their destination. I live on the A4124, so I'm not 'in the sticks'. But I'm with a lot of the other members on this - I wouldn't want one. A trip to Asda and back once per week since last March doesn't exactly test my navigation skills - stay safe, people!
Hi Folks,
It always makes me smile to hear how people's experiences of something can differ so wildly. We see a similar thing with Dapol steam locos.
As for TomTom, I am on my second which I bought about five years ago. It is still going strong and works well for what I want it to do. Mine has to be updated via their application on my PC whereas my daughter's updates over WIFI.
Despite my own positive experience with TomTom, I do wonder how long their consumer device business will last. With Google and Apple effectively offering same service for free, where is TomTom USP?
If you add up the coast of a decent SATNAV, camera, music player and tablet then the price of a high end smart phone does not seem quite so excessive.
Kind regards
Paddy
I have a very early Navman which has never had it's maps updated. I still use it, however, mainly for the last bit of the trip to navigate streets of the destination and find the hotel, or whatever.
I agree that a smartphone can do all this and more (I'm typing this on one from my motel at the moment), but the Navman is more convenient when I'm driving.
I don't actually look at the screen, I just listen to the voice directions. It was funny yesterday, driving to Mollymook, when I got on the Berry by-pass which is only a couple of years old. The Navman desperately tried to put me back on the old road, thinking I was out in the middle of a paddock!
As I said, it's the end of the trip that's important to me. The long distances on Aussie roads make the travelling bits largely irrelevant. Another factor is that one way streets, etc don't get changed anywhere near as much here as they do in the UK.
About 15 years ago my late wife gave me her old Nokia when she got a new one, I rarely used it until one day I tried to use it and found that because I had not used it for 6 months I had to pay for a 6 month (or longer) contract; I threw it away and have not had one since, no satnag either. The only use I can think of for a mobile is if I should have a car breakdown far from anywhere, but as I never go far I don't see a need.
I don't have a TV either, A PC and a radio are all I need, the radio only for music for a while at night in bed; I do have a land line but I rarely get any calls that are not scams or other nuisances.
Well 7 years ago when I was working I used a Tom Tom everyday for work. I was collecting and delivering different cars so needed to transfer it from one car to another. I was advised at the time it was the best kit but that was 7 years ago. My last few car's have had satnav built in so no need anymore, I gave my Tom Tom to one of my sons, the software still bothers me to update I just take no notice.
Not a fan of the current TomTom interface but their maps are up to date, and their routing algorithm are better than most, much better than the Ford one in my car.
As for using a smart phone, I have had my smart phone shut down because it got hot in the windscreen mount on a hot day, never had that with the TomTom.
Their speed camera warnings are quite accurate as well.
NGM
Quote from: Paddy on February 09, 2021, 09:39:28 PM
If you add up the coast of a decent SATNAV, camera, music player and tablet then the price of a high end smart phone does not seem quite so excessive.
And everything is in one unit. :thumbsup:
Quote from: dannyboy on February 10, 2021, 08:42:33 AM
Quote from: Paddy on February 09, 2021, 09:39:28 PM
If you add up the coast of a decent SATNAV, camera, music player and tablet then the price of a high end smart phone does not seem quite so excessive.
And everything is in one unit. :thumbsup:
counter point to that is, when the one battery goes flat you lose use of them all... ;)
Easy way round that - carry a small power pack if you are in the habit of not charging the phone up.
Quote from: littlegs on February 09, 2021, 08:05:08 PM
I agree with ntpntpntp. I have a smart phone which I normally use once a day (Currently Furloughed) to phone the wife in the evening whilst at work. So that is 4 times a week.
But I need a Satnav in my truck to navigate around the country so I update it every couple of months
Regards Chris
Sat-navs? Who needs 'em? That's what maps and sign-posts are for. I was a tanker driver for 40 years, never heard of sat-navs and never, ever, got lost.
Quote from: Bealman on February 09, 2021, 10:05:03 PM
I don't actually look at the screen, I just listen to the voice directions. It was funny yesterday, driving to Mollymook, when I got on the Berry by-pass which is only a couple of years old. The Navman desperately tried to put me back on the old road, thinking I was out in the middle of a paddock!
As I said, it's the end of the trip that's important to me. The long distances on Aussie roads make the travelling bits largely irrelevant. Another factor is that one way streets, etc don't get changed anywhere near as much here as they do in the UK.
Funny isn't it, I'm the exact opposite. I don't even know what the voice sounds like on mine, I only ever look at the map, which is handily on the dashboard and very easy to see.
I definitely agree they're generally only useful for the last few miles of a journey, at least until you're off the motorways here. Dunno about one way streets and that though, I've never noticed them changing. Guess it's more common in cities.
my first use of satnags was when I was on the AA, and to be honest I was not impressed.
preferred to use a map.
did not that on several occasions you were unable to enter a destination ..
'destination does not exist'
but after finding it on the map, when you drove down that road, 'you are driving on xxx' appeared at the top of the scream :veryangry:
also got fed up with being told to do U turns in one way street when I was unlucky enough to end up in Londinium. [best thing about Londinium is the M25, goes right around the :veryangry: place.]
did give in and buy one a few years ago, not I hasten to add a Tom-Tom, and first thing I did was turn off the :censored: annoying voice.
do update every so often, when it reminds me, mainly to stop it telling me when doing 70 down the motorway that the limit is 40 from roadworks that finally finished years ago.
This thread got me a bit worried, because I haven't used mine since Doncaster exhibition a year ago. When I plugged it into the computer-nothing, 'cannot connect device'.
But thankfully after giving it 30' charging, it has connected and updated.
I have to say that most of the use it gets is travelling to and from model railway exhibition venues (exhibiting James St), and from venue to overnight hotel. Which in one case was about twenty miles away, and another occasion, nearly as far.
Fingers crossed for now, and I'll try and remember to plug it in now and then, even if it doesn't look as if it will get much use in the near future.......
Martyn
I survived doing exhibition runs without a satnav for many years, though my navigator and I would fully expect to large-chicken up at some point over the weekend :D I remember after one show we managed to totally miss the junction onto M25 and ended up heading down into darkest Sussex for quite a way. It was very foggy that evening though :)
I think it was a trip to Wembley Arena for a show which finally prompted me to invest in the satnag.
Time for a repeat of this, methinks..............................
I have a little Satnav,
It sits there in my car
A Satnav is a driver's friend,
it tells you where you are.
I have a little Satnav,
I've had it all my life
It's better than the normal ones,
My Satnav is my wife.
It gives me full instructions,
Especially how to drive
"Its sixty miles an hour", it says,
"You're doing sixty five".
It tells me when to stop and start,
And when to use the brake
And tells me that it's never ever,
Safe to overtake.
It tells me when a light is red,
And when it goes to green
It seems to know instinctively,
Just when to intervene.
It lists the vehicles just in front,
And all those to the rear
And taking this into account,
It specifies my gear.
I'm sure no other driver,
Has so helpful a device
For when we leave and lock the car,
It still gives its advice.
It fills me up with counselling,
Each journey's pretty fraught
So why don't I exchange it,
And get a quieter sort?
Ah well, you see, it cleans the house,
Makes sure I'm properly fed
It washes all my shirts and things,
And keeps me warm in bed!
Despite all these advantages,
And my tendency to scoff,
I only wish that now and then,
I could turn the b***** off.
Quote from: N_GaugeModeller on February 10, 2021, 08:32:52 AM
As for using a smart phone, I have had my smart phone shut down because it got hot in the windscreen mount on a hot day, never had that with the TomTom.
When I worked for Nokia we tested our prototype by leaving it in the hire car's armrest during a summer lunchbreak in Florida - we returned to a phone that was almost too hot to hold, but it was still working 8)
An advantage of satnav on a smartphone is real time traffic updates. I use mine all the time on my commute (well, when I commuted...) to avoid traffic. My car displays the phone's satnav on the centre dashboard via Android Auto while the voice is over the audio system - it mutes the radio/streaming audio.
I used a Tomtom daily up until 2 years ago - I was driving touring coaches around Europe. It mostly did the job and avoided roads I couldn't drive along.
I use another Tomtom regularly on my Motorbike, it does the job well though the journey timings are less accurate (They don't account for being able to go past 50% of traffic jams!) It's fully waterproof and has operated well in temperatures I'd rather not have been out in.
Both suffer from desperately outdated software (Firmware, not maps) and woeful PC/Mac software that struggles to do it's job.
In the car I'd never use one - pop the phone on it's mount and off I go. Faster reactions to changing traffic conditions and faster & more efficient routing.
A Pay as you go Smartphone capable of running Google Maps can be had for far less than the price of a Tomtom, one doesn't need to use the other features or negotiate the seemingly steep learning curves accompanying said features.
Quote from: class37025 on February 10, 2021, 01:03:14 PM
my first use of satnags was when I was on the AA, and to be honest I was not impressed.
I can just hear you now, "Hi, my name is Alan and I'm an alcoholic......."
I always take my unit to NZ when I go there, as I did load NZ maps onto it. We were driving between Auckland and Rotorua once, with me quite happily listening to directions, when my wife said "she doesn't read all that into it, does she"
:worried: