M6 Toll Road - TomTom Official Response

[Dave]

[NMatthew]

Dave says:

[Mark R Penn]

Dave,

Yes I have purchased the upgrade, because A) I'm keen to try the traffic service, B) although not good enough, the maps are better than before, and C) I have little choice - I can't afford to ditch what I bought originally, but can afford the (modest) upgrade fee. But as I said before, it's not me that I believe TomTom are taking advantage of!

Yes, I did know about the missing M6 toll before I upgraded. But as I said, I couldn't care less about the M6 toll, as I know that area well enough not to need TomTom. It's all the missing roads I haven't ever heard of that concern me, some of which are a lot older than the M6 toll I'm sure.

I'm also experienced enough to accept that if a road is not on the map, TTN will still get me where I want to go using a different route. Being specific for a moment, even though my overall point isn't about specific roads, the biggest problem with the data is not the fact that some routes are missing, it's that some destinations are missing, either because the road is not yet in there, or because it is but is still listed as un-named, or because it's listed under the local authority name not the post town. Few people will set the M6 toll as their destination, but they might want to get to a four year old housing estate in Petersfield (that's Petersfield, not North Liss).

The only point I'm making, which I keep making only because you haven't yet realised what I'm arguing, is that what TomTom choose to sell me IS a TomTom issue. Yes it's a Teleatlas issue as well, and the direct solution lies with Teleatlas, but I just think you underestimate the influence that TomTom have or should aim to have. I also think you overestimate the influence consumers have on the data suppliers - for as long as companies continue to buy from them, what should they care? It's only when companies like TomTom start to threaten them with lost business that they will really sit up and take notice, and that's the responsibility that I want TomTom to take seriously.

You are right, we should all complain to Teleatlas, but it's TomTom who should be doing it most vehimently, and as far as I can see, they're not.

And please understand, it's not MY expectations of the data that I'm worried about - I completely understand how the data is collected, and don't expect it to be completely up to date, but I do believe that it could be a lot more up to date than it is if Teleatlas were under greater commercial pressure from the people who pay their bills, and that the general public DO expect it to be better "off the shelf" than it is.

I think possibly where we've missunderstood each other is over the fact that you think I'm talking about people lucky enough to have found this site, or have experience of GPS, while in fact I'm concerned for people, like the ones I know, who just walk into Dixons or hit the TomTom site, and buy what looks to be the answer to all their navigation dreams based on the claims made for it. You could say they should make more effort to educate themselves, but most people don't, and those are the people I think TomTom (and the others, but I'm not concerned with them) are deliberately taking advantage of.

Anyway, I think I understand your point, and hope you understand mine, so we can both stop sounding like stuck records!

[Mark R Penn]

[trafcam]

I guess they have to pick some cut off date, and it might or might not be acceptable for that to exclude the M6 toll, but neither October, December nor January excuse roads as old as 7 years or more being missing, un-named, or listed in the wrong town![/quote]

Nor my local 'new' by-pass which opened May 2003 and isn't on the TT3 map (nor the iQue, for that matter). "Cross the roundabout, second exit" says the woman. Well, it's now the third exit as the second is a new dual-carriageway that prevents you from getting where you wanted to.

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