Old = Stupid

[DennisN]

I know I'm not young, but I did start using computers before a helluva lotta people were even born. And I started using TomTom satnavs 12 years ago, becoming a little bit of an expert with them - admittedly, I stopped getting new ones when they (TT) started dropping functionality and accessibility with the new Nav 3 and 4.

So, I've got trouble (again) with my Renault R-Link (TomTom) and because I don't have access to their server, it needs dealing with by them. They tried, but eventually told me to book into my local dealership and they'd tell them what to do to fix it.

The problem is that I downloaded a new map, but their system recorded it on my account as against a different SD card - that's the equivalent of me trying to use an SD card from another vehicle - gets the report that "this map cannot be used on this device". The solution which TomTom would apply, is to delete this map from my account and re-allocate it for me to download again. One of them at Renault Connected Services Support even went so far as to agree when I said this was the solution.

So in the dealership I explained this to them and also gave them a couple of printouts demonstrating the situation and they sort of shrugged me off, saying they had heard from the latest Support person. So I said, OK, I'll wait, even though they said it might take all day. The Renault software and server are both so slow and clunky that it does indeed take a long time to do anything, but nevertheless, it should have been no more than an hour and going home and back on the bus would take much longer than that. After ages, I went and asked how it was going on and they were still working on it. Eventually, hours later, they showed me a printout of my account details, showing the maps I have on the account. The same as the printout I had given them 5 hours earlier. They were loading all the maps onto the SD card - they said - but I said the card won't take them, only one at a time and the software deletes any map already on the card before loadimng a different one, but they ignored me and said they had loaded four out of six and still had three more to go, so far they had reached map v985 and only had 3 more to go - they had a list of map versions and release dates runnning to v10.00, November. This shows they have absolutely no idea - TomTom maps are released earlier than the equivalent Renault ones, which have only just reached v995, I had bought v990 when it was released in September. They ran out of time fter 8 hours (!!!) and as the van is booked in for major service today all day, they said they would go and get the SD card out and continue to fix it during the service. It takes them so long because the maps recorded on my account are simply identified as "Map UK&ROI" size xxxMB. The only difference between the map entries is the size of the file. They are not consistent in either increasing or decreasing size from one version to another. So it's, for them, trial and error - load a map and see which version it is, tick it off and do it all over again for the next map, hoping they'll get to the right one eventually. The process to do this once takes a very long time - you have to load SD card to PC, clear the map off the server, synchronise, then load the SD card into the vehicle and clear it off the vehicle, load SD card back into PC and download the next map, synchronise, then load SD card into vehicle and install the map. Because the process is so clunky, it takes about an hour to do just one and includes doing it in the vehicle with the engine running all the while.

I have told them that when they eventually load the correct map, it will refuse to work in "this device". I have told them that a simple and easy solution is to credit me with £45 and I'll buy the map again and download it successfully because the SD card has been wiped and re-linked to my device. But they are carrying on regardless - stupid bald old men are put on this earth in order to be ignored!
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

[MaFt]

Blimey... I *hate* customer service like that! Why not just listen to what they're being told. I hope you're not paying for their time??

[DennisN]

Well, I had eight hours free on Tuesday and I’ve already had the quote for the van service today, so they won’t be able to load that.
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

[Kremmen]

Renault are not alone. From what I hear about other dealerships they are often just as clueless about their own products.
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DashCam:
Viofo A119 V3

[DennisN]

Oh yes, I wasn’t meaning to infer it’s only Renault. Although I haven’t got any other, I see enough comments to know that inbuilt gear is generally a rubbish pipe dream.
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

[SylarGrant]

Ah, good ol' Renault is still crap huh?

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