TT Fuel Price feature is discontinued

Andy_P · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:08 pm Post subject:

Agree with Falkirk there.
I'm subscribed to Petrolprices.com's bi-weekly (I think) email updates, and the prices are always spot on, and accurately give the cheapest locations nearest to my registered address.

TT have taken a lot of flak over the dreadful quality of the data up to now (often from me!), but why they seem to be abandoning the service rather than switch to a better data provider is a mystery.

Edited for clarity (I had too many "they"s, referring to both TT and PetrolPrices.com)

WackyRaces · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 10:39 pm Post subject:

Why don't TomTom just fire their current unreliable data suppliers for fuel prices (Inrix and Opis) and then take data for the service from reliable suppliers in those counties where such reliable date exists (eg petrolprices.com in the UK who are successfully selling their App for the Iphone because their service actually works properly with very reliable data).

Also in Navcore 9 TomTom seems to have even withdrawn address and phone information for petrol stations since it can only be accessed through the further i/information button and this does not work whenever Live service no longer has a data connection or sometimes even when it does.

Andy_P · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 10:51 pm Post subject:

WackyRaces · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 10:58 pm Post subject:

Andy_P · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:05 pm Post subject:

I picked a random location on the map (London NW10) and looked for petrol stations near there.

Of the first 20 stations listed:
9 had no extra details
9 had the phone number ("Call" button active)
2 had the address and phone number ("Call" and "Show info" buttons" both active)

I've no idea whether it has always been like this or if the details are actually being removed, but I don't see why they'd do that.

I don't reckon it has got any worse, but that it was just always pretty ropey.

WackyRaces · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:10 pm Post subject:

Andy_P · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:16 pm Post subject:

WackyRaces · Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:38 pm Post subject:

WackyRaces

MaFt · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 10:15 am Post subject:

Just to throw something else into the mix here...

Are fuel prices that important these days? With diesel costing £1.32 a litre and petrol £1.26 then 1-3p per litre difference isn't really much. Most local fuel stations will differ only by 1p in my experience. That's 0.75% difference.

Go back 10 years when fuel was nearer 60p per litre then that 1p difference was 1.6%.

On 100 litres with 1p difference in price you are only paying £1 more. At 60p a litre it made £60 become £61. At £1.32 a litre it makes £132 become £133.

The actual difference it makes isn't that much when you look at it.

Or do other areas differ more in price?

MaFt

PaulB2005 · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 10:23 am Post subject:

Around here the price of a litre of petrol can vary by 10p depending on where you go. For example PetrolPrices website shows cheapest at 123.90p and the most expensive at 133.90p today.

If I filled up say 50 litres that's a fiver difference.

WackyRaces · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 10:33 am Post subject:

When prices have recently gone up a lot there is usually less difference in price between places off the motorways or main A road dual carriageways as everybody tries to get the best deal for a little while after a big price increase. Once prices have stabilised the average customer becomes complacent and some petrol stations start charging 3 or 4p per litre more than others.

But even at the moment the big motorway or trunk A road dual carriageway sites will usually be charging 3p to 4p per litre more than any of the most competitive petrol stations off the motorway/trunk A road. Even at 50 litres per week consumption. that seems to be enough to more than repay the annual cost of the Live services.

DennisN · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 10:42 am Post subject:

WackyRaces · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 10:55 am Post subject:

WackyRaces · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 11:15 am Post subject:

According to www.petrolprices.com the nearest garage to me in my local village 1 mile away is charging 130.9 per litre. The main national brand garages in the nearby towns 7 to 9 miles away are charging 129.9p per litre but two garages (from large national brands at busy petrol stations where the data is normally reliably maintained by www.petrolprices.com ) 15 miles away are charging 125.9p per litre.

That's not what I would call only a 1p per litre difference.

None of the petrol stations I have mentioned are on either a motorway or a trunked (Highways Agency rather than local authority maintained) dual carriageway. Those will presumably be the unspecified most expensive petrol stations within 20 miles of me on www.petrolprices.com at 133.9p per litre.

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