What's happening to TomTom Plus services?

nashmills · Regular Visitor Joined: Nov 10, 2006 Posts: 131

Having recently lost my GPRS traffic service for a month due to "technical issues" it was reinstated last weekend and I was generously given a month's extension of my subscription to compensate me for the inconvenience.

As there is a reduced price offer on at the moment I took the opportunity to renew my subscription for another year. My account then showed an expiry date in November 2009.

At this point I decided to use the voucher I received with my GO 520 Business for a year's free safety camera updates. The code was accepted and I was given an expiry date of October 2009 for this service.

The following day both services stopped functioning again. Traffic still shows an expiry date of November 2009 but my device insists it has expired. My safety camera subscription now shows as having expired on the day I used the voucher.

A half hour premium rate (0845) phone call to TomTom reveals they have no idea when it will be fixed and it is affecting lots of customers. So looks like another month without services I have paid for.

This, coupled with the Mapshare service also not working and a plunging share price is beginning to make me what's going on at TomTom.

carl_the_cobbler · Frequent Visitor Joined: Jul 22, 2007 Posts: 251

The share price plummet is quite a worry (for them anyway), what do you reckon they will do?

Although to buy some shares now and get it back up to was it $66 or maybe Euros would be a real smart investment.

Have those times ended?

Are we all going to be using Smartphones?

Has too much been paid for the map makers?

Will they end up like SEGA and just write the programs and not produce the Hardware?

Who knows?

Very Happy

Maybe they have an NDA for that somewhere!!! Very Happy

LesP2008 · Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 10:08 pm Post subject:

Bang go the quarterly updates we all paid for. Crying or Very sad

dave-t · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 25, 2006 Posts: 37

LesP2008 · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 9:44 am Post subject:

The quarterly updates will most likely be mapshare!!!
As for the live thing i am sceptical, they can't even get the update system right as it is.
Perhaps live will use all the server width and mapshare will become another TomTom thing of the past that promised so much but provided very little.
I understand how tight things must be for business these days but with TomTom i feel they are the root of their own problems at present, they seem to be making more changes of direction than the ALG.
Come on TomTom prove me wrong and get it all back on track.

carl_the_cobbler · Frequent Visitor Joined: Jul 22, 2007 Posts: 251

I also think they have too many new devices, which in turn leads to customer disatisfaction. If you want your new toy to be the newest you have to spend a serious amount of dosh in a real short amount of time.

It may also affect the problems that the devices sometimes seem to face, because there are so many, and they probably all behave in slightly different ways it must make it more difficult to fix the reported problems.

Some of the topics on this forum suggest problems that have been around for ages and some of those problems are serious enough to suggest that certain devices are not "fit for purpose" and do not always do as advertised, but we soldier on. But for those affected it must be a real bind having something that doesn't work as it should.

Personally speaking mine has been brill. and I coudn't be happier.

Cheers

Carl

LesP2008 · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:08 am Post subject:

It is a difficult one Carl.
I have been with TomTom since the HP ipaq days and in fairness the products on the whole shape up as sat navs. It's all this garnish that never seems to work which far from enhancing the product, actually degrades it.
I see a picture in my nogging of TomToms' nerve centre where all this dosh is flying through the doors and into the laps of the board. They lose the plot and go on a mad spending spree buying up everyone and everything before actually discussing it and reckoning "can we make this work" or "is this a viable business option". All those who agree carry straight on, those who don't u turn now. Smile

Darren · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:11 am Post subject:

LesP2008 · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:18 am Post subject:

Very fair points Darren.
This is where it gets sticky. Yes we all get a bee in our bonnets with CS but overall the product is a good one when we look at the sat nav element.
I ask, how much time do TomTom devote to issues with "garnish" that does not function at all or not as it should, lets use traffic as an example.
I still say, as a sat nav device there are none better.

dhn · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:19 am Post subject:

TomTom just announced a new method for those in the States to get gas prices. See this link: http://www.tomtom.com/news/category.php?ID=4&NID=603&Lid=4
_________________
David

LesP2008 · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:22 am Post subject:

Behave Dave, you guys get it cheap enough over the pond.

Darren · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:24 am Post subject:

carl_the_cobbler · Frequent Visitor Joined: Jul 22, 2007 Posts: 251

LesP2008 · Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:31 am Post subject:

Right again Darren.
I too was one who fell into the trap, as soon as a new device was released i was on it. All the bells and whistles etc.
Since i got my 910 i still havent been back to the states to use it there.
As for going home, the last time i went home , maps didn't even exist.
This time i went for a 720 as it gives me all i want, and a lot more "fluff" i don't.
I still want the best unit but i find i can talk myself out of it these days as i just don't see the use for all these bits.

nashmills · Regular Visitor Joined: Nov 10, 2006 Posts: 131

Surely Plus services are an ongoing revenue earner so sufficient resources should be devoted to them. At the moment their attitude seems to be - we have your money and are not like to get any more from you for another 12 months, so go away and we'll fix it when we get around to it.

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