Tomtom Support Nightmare

simonsgps · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 18, 2005 Posts: 5

I've been having some nightmares with support. I'm going to paste the threads here; hopefully someone will be able to offer me some advice. So, I was trying to download a map from the Support Web Site (I will put the reason for the download in another post) and it kept failing. Here is my initial question to them:

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Customer (SimonsGPS) 28/10/2007 07.40 PM
I am trying to download a map from your website. However, the map download keeps on failing. I have attached an example of the failure.

The downloads seem to proceed at a maximum speed of 50 kilobytes/second, even though my ADSL connection is a 2mbit connection and routinely downloads at 240 kilobytes/second from other sites. When performing the update, there are no other programs running and this computer has exclusive access to the network.

Worst of all, the TomTom Home software always restarts from zero after a failure; at this rate I will never download the 1.7Gb map!! There should be no excuse in this day and age for not having the ability to resume a download.

Please explain why the download is so slow, why it keeps failing, and most importantly why it has to restart from scratch every time. Ideally please provide a download method which supports a standard resume facility.

Thanks,

-simon
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I also thought I'd add a few more examples so they can see what's going on:

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Customer (SimonsGPS) 28/10/2007 07.43 PM
Here are some more examples of the failure. The last one, tomtomfail5.jpg, was close to completion before it failed - it downloaded over 1.5 Gb of the file before it failed. And now I have to start again from scratch! Please help.
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Here is the response that came in from Tomtom support three days later:

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Response (Brennan T.) 31/10/2007 10.32 AM
Dear Mr SimonsGPS,

Thank you for your query regarding your map download.

We currently cannot offer you an immediate suitable solution for this problem. We have sent your question to our 2nd line technical department.

We hope to have an answer for you as soon as possible, please bear with us while we find a solution for your query.

With Best Regards

TomTom Customer Support Team
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Clearly a placeholder to give them more time, but fine. Here is the real response, another day later:

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Response (Brennan T.) 01/11/2007 11.29 AM
Dear Mr SimonsGPS,

Thank you for contacting TomTom Customer Support with regards to your downloading your map:

Our 2nd line department has tried to download your map at our end and did not encounter a problem. Therefore, they suggest that you try to download this map on another computer. Additionally, you might want to check your computer settings, router setting, etc.

With Best Regards

The TomTom Customer Support Team
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Pointless response. I try injecting some common sense:

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Customer (SimonsGPS) 01/11/2007 09.46 PM
As I said, the computer downloads from other sites perfectly; your answer without merit.

In addition, you do not answer why you cannot resume downloads. Please explain why this download cannot be resumed.

-simon
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And they repeat the same thing:

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Response (Brennan T.) 02/11/2007 07.48 AM
Dear Mr SimonsGPS,

Thank you for contacting TomTom Customer Support with regards to your resume downloads:

The TomTom Home programme is not designed to resume downloads lost in the actual cancellation of the download. When your computer times out, it will automatically cancel the download and the contents it started to write.

Again, please try to download this map on another computer and see if you encounter the same situation.

With Best Regards

The TomTom Customer Support Team
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Fine. Try a new computer they say. So, I order a new computer, and still no dice. Interestingly, beforehand TomTom Home was trying to download version 7.10 of the map, but now it's trying (and failing) to download version 6.75. 6.75 is what I want though, so that's Ok, but I do mentione it in the report I open up three weeks later (hey it takes time to get a new computer, set it all up, and so on):

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Customer (SimonsGPS) 27/11/2007 02.14 PM
Hello,

I have now bought a brand new computer especially to do this. I have installed the latest version of TomTom home, 2.1.2.121. I have connected the device, had it log in, and it sees a version of maps to download. I download the whole 1.75Gb map. And then, at the end, after it has *FINISHED* downloading the whole 1.75Gb, I get the message in the attached image (tomtomfailagain.jpg), "The connection to the TomTom server timed out".

I have tried this at five times now, with an identical message. The most recent incident ID from the anonymous submission is "711274". Please fix this!!

Also, previously when I tried to download, it said that the version being downloaded is 7.10. However, now it says that the version being downloaded is 6.75. Why has this changed? Is this the reason that the download is failing?

Thanks,

-simon
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To which they say:

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Response (Brennan T.) 29/11/2007 07.57 AM
Dear Mr SimonsGPS,

Thank you for contacting TomTom Customer Support.

The map that is applied to your account is not v7.10 as we will not release this map until November and you purchased the map in October. I am not sure why our server stated that it was v7.10. I would suggest that you clear your downloads folder via My Documents and then try to re-download it again. If you continue to experience a problem with downloading the map then I will suggest that you try it from a different computer with a faster internet connection.

With Best Regards

The TomTom Customer Support Team
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Ok, I can handle "try a new computer". But yet another one, after I've just bought a new one on their adivce? How many do I need to buy! Ok, I admit, I ranted in this next post:

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Customer (SimonsGPS) 29/11/2007 11.38 AM
AAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHH! I HAVE BOUGHT A BRAND NEW COMPUTER TO DO THIS because YOUR SUPPORT told me IN THIS SUPPORT REQUEST that my computer was at fault! I have tried with this new computer using THREE SEPARATE internet connections, including one in A DIFFERENT COUNTRY. It still doesn't work! And your answer is to try YET ANOTHER different computer?!?!?!!!

THE DOWNLOAD COMPLETES. I have a 1.75Gb file on disk, downloaded from you. This means that the internet connection cannot be at fault, clearly. What an IDIOTIC answer to give under the circumstances!

I don't think I can stand much more of this. Your customer support is the worst I have EVER come across. Please ESCALATE this call to your immediate supervisor, and have them examine all of the issues I have had (which came about because of YOUR downgrading my device when you had it for service!).

-simon
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So, does anyone have any idea how I can sanely download the version of the map (6.75) that I should have from this company? Please?

-simon

simonsgps · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 18, 2005 Posts: 5

Sorry, I should have added that I have a GO 910 with 6.65 of the maps.

-simon

Andy_P · Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 1:07 pm Post subject:

All I can say is, you're not alone.... Cool

The forums are full of people in the same boat.

The reason a lot of us frequent this place is to try to supplement TomTom's lamentable customer service / support.
If their servers and hardware were overloaded or broken and they told us so, that would be OK, but being continually fobbed off with farcical replies is the worst, and makes peoples' blood boil.

I am in the middle of trying to download a map for a colleague as I type, and I have fingers, legs, and everything else crossed.

dhn · Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 1:38 pm Post subject:

Wow......

We in Canada (here in Ontario, anyway) connect to a TT Support Centre in New York State. although I've had a few strange suggestions from some CS agents, I'd say the knowlege level of the people here seemsto be of a higher level than that you users in GB have to endure.

I work for a living as a software tester....maybe my company should use that excuse .... blame the computer instead of the software Cool

pepperm · Occasional Visitor Joined: May 13, 2006 Posts: 48

To be honest that looks better than the "try pressing the reset button" type replies that I have been getting since I updated to 7.160 on my 910. It looks like Brennan is from the same stable as Dave, the guy who is avoiding my latest woes.

Does anyone have a management contact address that I could complain to?

Mark

bill03 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 01, 2006 Posts: 16

I had the same problem. Tried three times and it failed every time. I then uninstalled Home, which was the latest version, and downloaded the version from the TomTom site. Installed it and it downloaded the map first time.
Coincidence, probably, but it worked?

simonsgps · Occasional Visitor Joined: Oct 18, 2005 Posts: 5

obs · Occasional Visitor Joined: Apr 30, 2006 Posts: 7

preston_biker · Lifetime Member Joined: Sep 23, 2006 Posts: 5

I too am having the same download problem both with the map download and CS.

Everytime I have contacted TomTom CS I get the run around for a while before I rant. Last big one was with the RDS unit which eventually thy replaced 6 months later than they said.

NEVER AGAIN WILL I BUY A TOMTOM.

They sound great but have so many problems it's not real.

PS I too have a 910 all singing but fell at the first hirdle dancer.

How about the next time we get a customer survey for TomTom we reply with "Sorry the service you requested is no longer supported by this customer"

Eldar · Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 2:13 am Post subject:

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