Reviews Do No Reflect Service

[gsandy]

I have two satnavs, a Garmin 2720 (used on my motorcycle) and a Tomtom Rider (used on my wife's motorcycle).

I originally purchased the Tomtom Rider after reading rave reviews in motorcycle press and on the web and although it then cost £600 I was, initially pleased with my purchase. Then it went downhill.

In daily use I found a number of problems but one stood out. The very poor bracket design which was insecure and prone to poor electrical contact. I guess none of the reviews picked up the bracket problem as the kit was not tested over time - and this is a problem with all new product reviews. The real problem however is not the failures as this sort of thing can happen with all new kit, but the backup provided by Tomtom.

First, the web message system used by Tomtom is a joke. You send a message and wait, after a while you get an automated reply suggesting solutions which would have been obvious to a two year old or do not relate to the problem - so you send another message. Eventually you get an email asking you to send it back - using their long winded system of phoning their courier and waiting around for the kit to be picked up so what happens when the kit is picked up.

Sat 21st April

Visit Tomtom stand at PocketGPS Satnav exhibition at Sandown Park to tell them what I think of the constant problems with my Tomtom Rider. One of their guys takes my details and promises to contact me on the 23rd. He also gives me his `direct access' telephone number.

Mon 23 April

No call

Wed 25th April

Still no call so I phone the `direct access' number. I am told the guy I spoke to is not on that number and can't be contacted by phone. The person I spoke to was very off-hand and suggested I write in. Tried that before but nobody bothered to reply. Wrote really snotty letter to Tomtom HQ and sent it by fax AND tracked mail.

Fri 27th April

Get email from Tomtom asking me to pack my Tomtom in a box clearly labelled with their address, my address and reference number and call their courier service for collection.

Find suitable box and packing tape, print required labels, pack unit and phone courier. He arrives and tells me to unpack it all so he can confirm contents - then he drops it in a bag and takes it away.

Quote from email "The expected timeframe will/can be 5-15 working days to book a replacement and ship to you"

Sat 5th May

Email from Tomtom saying they had received my letter (remember sent by fax and tracked mail and delivered on 26th April). Quote from email "We have received your letter and strive to respond to you within a maximum of 5 work days.

Tues 15th May

Tomtom advise they are exchanging the parts returned. Quote from email "The FOC is currently processing and will ship shortly"

Fri 18th May

Get email from Tomtom asking me to complete `Customer Satisfaction Survey". Boy, did I enjoy doing that!!!

Mon 21st May

I email Tomtom and ask them for the definition of `shortly'

Tues 22nd May

Tomtom advise "The current status of FOC07051448623 is processing. Usually it takes between 5-10 working days for the replacement items to be shipped.

Fri 25th May

Email from Tomtom advising items shipped. Estimated delivery - 30th May.

The original 5- 15 days has now become close on 5 weeks - just to exchange faulty items. I still have had no response to my letter sent 5 weeks ago even though I had an email 4 weeks ago advising a response in a maximum of 5 days.

Now my experience of Garmin service when I accidentally damagd the screen of my 2720. Can't remember dates but it's the overall timing that is important.

Wednesday

Visit NEC Bike Show and put my Garmin in my jacket pocket. Badly damage screen as I had forgotton a bunch of keys was in same pocket.

Thursday

Phone Garmin, explain problem and ask cost of repairs. Told to send it back and they will look at it. Place in Jiffy bag and drop in post.

The next Tuesday.

Courier with big box arrives. Brand new, retail boxed, satnav system with free of charge invoice. Not just the bit I sent back but a comnplete system complete with all the accessories.

This timing means that Garmin received my unit, made the decision to exchange it for free, and couriered out a new system ALL ON THE SAME DAY. It takes Tomtom longer than that to respond to an email.

Over long term use I far prefer the Garmin but the Rider does some things better and they both get you to your destination easily BUT neither are any good if they stop working and even with the best of manufacturers this can happen. Various forums are littered with posts complimenting Garmin on their service. They also have plenty of posts complaining about Tomtom. It would be useful if this could be reflected in reviews of products from these companies.

[Darren]

It is an impossibility for us to reflect the quality of customer service in a review and consequently neither we nor anyone else does.

I appreciate that your experience has been poor but there are equally others that have received good support. However, our forums do contain tales of woe in respect of poor service from a manufacturer and anyone doing research before purchase can see these but as always, few bother to post when all has gone well so they are not a true reflection of the situation. Its worthy of note that Garmin have also had their share of issues in the customer service arena although I agree that they are in general well respected.

Both Tim and I have both run RIDER's long term without experiencing the contact wear issue. It appears that the installation and amount of vibe of the particular bike has a large bearing on whether the issue occurs or not but thankfully RIDER2 has a redesigned mount which should cure all instances of this issue.
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Darren Griffin

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