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duckie008 Regular Visitor
Joined: Jan 22, 2005 Posts: 103
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Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 8:49 pm Post subject: Why are there so many faults with TomTom Products? |
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Reading through the forums i can see people are having so many problems and faults with the 520/720. Why is it everytime TomTom release a new product, whether its a Sat Nav, an accessory or software, there's always something wrong with it? Do the people not test these before they get released into production? How can you sell something that doesn't work properly? It makes me mad reading about it. It seems like the buyers are the beta testers. TomTom is not new to this market. They've had a lot of years experience in this field now so stop making products that only half work. God knows how many problems the 920 will have.
Maybe it's time for TomTom Customers to move on? Possibly over to Garmin? |
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kartracer Frequent Visitor
Joined: 26/03/2003 20:15:33 Posts: 502 Location: United Kingdom
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Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 11:00 pm Post subject: |
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No matter how much testing you do, it is almost impossible to pick up all software bugs during testing. In this respect TomTom are no better and no worse than any other company. I have bought 4 different Garmin products, and have had to apply firmware updates to 3 of these in order to correct problems. The important thing is that both TomTom and Garmin do take note of problem reports and eventually release software or firmware patches to correct them. _________________ Kam |
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Outlander Regular Visitor
Joined: May 21, 2005 Posts: 145
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 1:19 am Post subject: |
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I’m no expert on these thing but the buzzing on hands free sounds like an electrical problem, some kind of interference, so that to me would say a firmware update wont correct it. But as I say I’m no expert. I do know that I’m now on 720 x 4 and all have this same problem. I know one thing this will be the last and my GO 500 is now in the hands of a friend so unless TOM TOM come up with some answers fairly quickly my next unit wont carry the Tom Tom name. |
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kartracer Frequent Visitor
Joined: 26/03/2003 20:15:33 Posts: 502 Location: United Kingdom
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 8:04 am Post subject: |
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Outlander,
Yes, that would sound more like a problem with the actual hardware. I missed the reports of that problem with the 720, as I tend to just read either general ones or ones concerning hardware/software I actually own. _________________ Kam |
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tedkay Regular Visitor
Joined: 23/10/2002 02:45:38 Posts: 223 Location: United Kingdom - Ringwood Hants
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:08 am Post subject: |
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kartracer wrote: | No matter how much testing you do, it is almost impossible to pick up all software bugs during testing. |
Why? Surely all they have to do is run the damn thing and test all its' functions - that's how we find all the flaws. _________________ TED
"If at first you don't succeed; call it version 1.0" |
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Andy_P Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jun 04, 2005 Posts: 19991 Location: West and Southwest London
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 10:48 am Post subject: |
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Not quite as simple as that. Some of the most often seen problems (same with computers in general) are down to a particular set of circumstances or conditions all coinciding, which is very unlikely in any test setup.
The USB connection works fine for the vast majority of owners, but for some, it just won't recognise the TT - PC problem, often blamed on the TomTom
The Bluetooth connection is the same - every phone seems to implement the protocols slightly differently
Most good quality SD cards work fine. Some (often bought as cheap as possible) will not.
The problem with Home being solved by disabling Bluetooth temporarily - its not logical, so will be very hard to spot BEFORE someone discovers it's a problem for them, but that's the nature of software.
It's the same everywhere. I cannot automatically update my e-mail software on my PC because I have a certain brand of Webcam installed. How is a pre-launch tester supposed to discover that? |
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tedkay Regular Visitor
Joined: 23/10/2002 02:45:38 Posts: 223 Location: United Kingdom - Ringwood Hants
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 12:11 pm Post subject: |
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Andy_P2002 wrote: | Not quite as simple as that. Some of the most often seen problems (same with computers in general) are down to a particular set of circumstances or conditions all coinciding, which is very unlikely in any test setup.
The USB connection works fine for the vast majority of owners, but for some, it just won't recognise the TT - PC problem, often blamed on the TomTom
The Bluetooth connection is the same - every phone seems to implement the protocols slightly differently
Most good quality SD cards work fine. Some (often bought as cheap as possible) will not.
The problem with Home being solved by disabling Bluetooth temporarily - its not logical, so will be very hard to spot BEFORE someone discovers it's a problem for them, but that's the nature of software.
It's the same everywhere. I cannot automatically update my e-mail software on my PC because I have a certain brand of Webcam installed. How is a pre-launch tester supposed to discover that? |
You seem to be overly defensive of TT.
In fact most of the problems reported are basic hardware faults (like for instead the faulty hands-free speakers)which indicates poor quality control. There are also a lot of software glitches which are in the unit itself, not things that connection to a different PC or phone could affect.
And even TT themselves have admitted that the TTHome 2.0 application is faulty ...... _________________ TED
"If at first you don't succeed; call it version 1.0" |
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Andy_P Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jun 04, 2005 Posts: 19991 Location: West and Southwest London
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 12:49 pm Post subject: |
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tedkay wrote: |
You seem to be overly defensive of TT. |
You should see my list of emailed "suggestions" to TT support! |
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tedkay Regular Visitor
Joined: 23/10/2002 02:45:38 Posts: 223 Location: United Kingdom - Ringwood Hants
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:00 pm Post subject: |
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Andy_P2002 wrote: |
You should see my list of emailed "suggestions" to TT support! |
You might as well have posted that up the chimney for Father Christmas !
I am still waiting - a week later - for the device code change for my 720 replacement so I can use the Traffic subscription I have paid for and have yet to use ! _________________ TED
"If at first you don't succeed; call it version 1.0" |
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Andy_P Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jun 04, 2005 Posts: 19991 Location: West and Southwest London
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:15 pm Post subject: |
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Mine took nearly two weeks....
I had to send my proof of purchase twice by FAX (they lost it both times) and twice by email (they had to send me an email to reply to, they wouldn't just give me an address).
I had technicians who said it was impossible, technicians who wanted the product code (there isn't one for the 720 or its maps) and technicians who said they could do it straight away if I told them my login password (they gave up after half an hour).
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tedkay Regular Visitor
Joined: 23/10/2002 02:45:38 Posts: 223 Location: United Kingdom - Ringwood Hants
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Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 1:49 pm Post subject: |
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Andy_P2002 wrote: | Mine took nearly two weeks.... |
Did they credit you for the subscription time you lost - or could you not bear to contemplate giving them something else to try and work out? I find it totally bizarre that they make such a big deal out of something that is very simple (and with the number of faulty units they are having to exchange one would think they are absolutely au fait with the procedure ..?)
I think I'll give them another ring and entertain myself with some more of their babble .... I think we should start a thread 'The Most Bizarre Customer Support Comments' - I could start with the TT guy who, when I told him that every time I connect to Home 2.0 it wants to download a firmware update, and that it had done it 3 times in 15 minutes, replied "Well they are updating the sotware all the time" "NOT EVERY 5 MINUTES THOUGH" I replied rather testily ! _________________ TED
"If at first you don't succeed; call it version 1.0" |
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kartracer Frequent Visitor
Joined: 26/03/2003 20:15:33 Posts: 502 Location: United Kingdom
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Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 4:43 pm Post subject: |
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tedkay wrote: | Why? Surely all they have to do is run the damn thing and test all its' functions - that's how we find all the flaws. |
It's a nice idea, but in 37 years of experience with computers I can't recall a single software product complicated enough to have any commercial value which was bug free when first released for sale to the public. Apparently the Space Shuttle, in addition to having a primary system of multiple redundant computers to assist with landing, also has a secondary system built and tested by a different team just to cater for the eventuality that not all of the critical bugs in the main systems were detected during testing.
That's not to say that TomTom couldn't do a better job on hardware testing though. _________________ Kam |
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tedkay Regular Visitor
Joined: 23/10/2002 02:45:38 Posts: 223 Location: United Kingdom - Ringwood Hants
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Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 8:29 pm Post subject: |
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kartracer wrote: | It's a nice idea, but in 37 years of experience with computers I can't recall a single software product complicated enough to have any commercial value which was bug free when first released for sale to the public. Apparently the Space Shuttle, in addition to having a primary system of multiple redundant computers to assist with landing, also has a secondary system built and tested by a different team just to cater for the eventuality that not all of the critical bugs in the main systems were detected during testing.
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Erm - I suspect that the Space Shuttle presents slightly more challenges (if you'll pardon the pun) than this little in car navigation system, and the consequences of failure are just a tad more serious. Rather a bizarre analogy if you don't mind me saying so. _________________ TED
"If at first you don't succeed; call it version 1.0" |
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mikealder Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jan 14, 2005 Posts: 19638 Location: Blackpool , Lancs
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Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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Hmm...... The thoughts of a TomTom or Garmin or any other car based Sat nav attached to the windscreen of a shuttle for that matter on RTB don't bare thinking about by the way it wouldn't work until the hardware was well into the earths atmosphere as civilian units don't like Mach 20+ Mike |
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tedkay Regular Visitor
Joined: 23/10/2002 02:45:38 Posts: 223 Location: United Kingdom - Ringwood Hants
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Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 9:00 pm Post subject: |
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Ground control to Major TomTom - Ground control to Major TomTom:
Take your protein pills and put your helmet on
Ground control to Major TomTom: Commencing countdown engine's on
Check ig-nition and may God's love be with you
This is ground control to Major TomTom, you've really made the grade!
And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear,
Now it's time to leave the capsule if you dare
This is Major TomTom to ground con-trol, I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating in the most peculiar way
And the stars look very difeerent today
For here am I sitting in a tin can, far above the world
Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do
Though I'm passed one hundred thousand miles, I'm feeling very still
And I think my spaceship knows which way to go,
tell my wife I love her very much she knows
Ground control to Major TomTom:
Your circuit's dead, there's something wong.
Can you hear me Major TomTom?
Can you hear me Major TomTom?
Can you hear me Major TomTom? Can you ...
Here am I floating round my tin can, far above the moon
Planet Earth is blue and there's nothing I can do _________________ TED
"If at first you don't succeed; call it version 1.0" |
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