Never buy a TomTom gps...

[KC2IFR]

The screen on my tomtom got broke and tomtom will NOT fix it because its out of warranty. Read the following about that bullshit company.
https://getsatisfaction.com/tomtom/topics/tom_tom_refuses_to_repair_their_products_not_under _warranty

Bill

[VE7DCW]

A friend of mine had a Tom Tom GPS unit and went through 2 consecutive units that had problems relating to the units failing to acquire any satellite signals.... I recommended trying out any of the Garmin products....I use a Garmin in my van, it's 2 years old and i've had no problems....... he's now a Garmin person as well :)

[KC2IFR]

I did buy a Garmin....works great....but Im stuck with a $600 tomtom with a busted screen................

[KC2IFR]

BTW.....from what I can find.......tomtom is a Dutch company..........

[NQ6U]

BTW.....from what I can find.......tomtom is a Dutch company..........

Looks like you're right, it's based in Amsterdam. Maybe you can convince Cor to go have a little talk with them.

[PA5COR]

We have a standard 2 year warranty here, my parents in law have one in their camper, i just "use"their software on my HTC TyTn 2 phone for TomTom.

If it is out of warranty, the dealer should still be able to replace the broken screen, for a price off course...
I'm a member of the largest consumer union here, won some cases against large companies with Dutch and EU law in use here, even after the warranty runs off the product should have a certain lifespan you can expect it to function good.

Our law is simple, for articles that have a longer lifespan as the warranty, the producer of the goods has to repair the article in the rest of that time and pay part of the repair costs.

Example: our new Samsung US model freezer fridge of 1100 euro is expected to have a normal lifespan of 10 years minimum according the law, so if it breaks down after 4 years after the warranty and must be repaired the cost of repair is 40% for me 60% for Samsung.
If the fridge is a total loss i can claim 60% of the 1100 euro's back.

Most companies don't like bad reputation, you can also play in that telling them you will leave lots of bad reputation on the net for your borked TomTom machine...

Can't speak for USA consumer law though, so get informed about your rights.
The UK has the same rules and the small claims court for this.

[kf0rt]

I just threw away a 4 year old Garmin that failed just after 2 years. The touch part of the touchscreen failed and it was cheaper to buy a new unit than to fix the old one. The new one does a lot more, too.

GPS: just another one of those throw-away things.

[W4GPL]

I just use Google Navigation on my phone nowadays.. I think stand alone GPS units will soon be a relic.

[N8YX]

I just use Google Navigation on my phone nowadays.. I think stand alone GPS units will soon be a relic.

This right here. I was considering a Zumo 550 for each of our motorcycles...but our RazrMaxx phones do everything that the Garmin unit does with the exception of XM radio. If I want to listen to music, I can stream Pandora - or use the phone's 32GB combined interna/SDRAM storage to house a bunch of MP3 files.

[KC2UGV]

I just use Google Navigation on my phone nowadays.. I think stand alone GPS units will soon be a relic.

Same here. I even use it for the couple of times I've been out Geocaching.

[W5GA]

This right here. I was considering a Zumo 550 for each of our motorcycles...but our RazrMaxx phones do everything that the Garmin unit does with the exception of XM radio. If I want to listen to music, I can stream Pandora - or use the phone's 32GB combined interna/SDRAM storage to house a bunch of MP3 files.
That works great right up to the point that you're out of cell coverage. Ask me how I know this.

[KG4CGC]

I just use Google Navigation on my phone nowadays.. I think stand alone GPS units will soon be a relic.

The guys on the Ruckus board I frequent use a phone mount on the handlebar to hold the phone and run a GPS app that also tracks like a speedometer, inclinometer, top and average speed, terrain, etc and creates a route map that shows graphs with elevation and a compass.

[N8YX]

That works great right up to the point that you're out of cell coverage. Ask me how I know this.
My paper maps never run out of cell coverage, and at $800 per bike for a Zumo...:shock:

[KA9MOT]

Speaking of bikes, and GPS... Jay Leno's Garage recently featured an awesome electric superbike. 160MPH Top Speed, 150 Mile range. That bile featured a Dash board that was an Android Tablet. I thin that is the future of automotive electronics. It was an eyeopening and very interesting video.

Enjoy:


http://youtu.be/UyYAJgEblrA

[W3WN]

Ok, now that I've looked at the "get satisfaction" link, let me see if I have this straight:

Tom-Tom refuses to repair an "out of warranty" product.

And?

Sorry, but I don't see where someone is legally required to repair an item that's out of warranty.

Yeah, it stinks. And I'm sympathetic -- as a Tom-Tom owner myself. But...

There's at least two outfits in Texas that sell refurbed Tom-Tom's on eBay. No, I don't have the info off-hand, but a quick check of eBay should reveal them. Why not contact them and see if they can do anything?

[KB3LAZ]

I just use Google Navigation on my phone nowadays.. I think stand alone GPS units will soon be a relic.

I never thought I would have a use for a GPS. I simply dont like them. In fact I dont like maps either. As long as I have money and time, I am not lost and do not need to know the direction. However, I found myself lost in the city a few days ago. Okay, so I was not lost per se but turned around in an unfamiliar area. I decided to click the GPS ap on my phone. It asked me if I wanted to find a land mark, I said yes. Typed it in and boom, I was no longer lost.

Embarrassingly, had I just turned around (literally) I would have realized that I was merely on the wrong side of the block. xD

Anyway, my point is that I agree. The GPS function in Cellphones seems to be a given these days. The need for a stand alone will be rendered archaic soon enough.

[KB3LAZ]

800$, 600$, 400$...that seems a bit pricy. I know they sell cheaper GPS devices, we got one for my grandfather a few years back. He loves that GPS to no end.

[KA9MOT]

800$, 600$, 400$...that seems a bit pricy. I know they sell cheaper GPS devices, we got one for my grandfather a few years back. He loves that GPS to no end.

Or less. Allot less. http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&safe=off&q=GPS&ix=h9&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1440&bih=775&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=1361622201415373267&sa=X&ei=wO7MT46VEs73ggecstzcBg&ved=0CMoBEPMCMAQ

It amazes me somebody would spend that kind of money for a GPS. I'd rather buy an HF rig.

[W1GUH]

I just use Google Navigation on my phone nowadays.. I think stand alone GPS units will soon be a relic.

I think so, too. It's on my tablet and seems good EXCEPT for this...

Last night, it directed me to get on the West Side Highway at 96th St. Oops! That entrance has been closed for at least 10 years. WTF? But other than that, the tablet seems to be really good.

[W3WN]

< snip >
Anyway, my point is that I agree. The GPS function in Cellphones seems to be a given these days. The need for a stand alone will be rendered archaic soon enough.With all due respect, no.

I don't want my cell phone to be a GPS unit, or web reader, or video camera. I want it to be a phone. Just a phone. I don't want the other stuff in my phone! (Especially since Verizon rip-offs charges $30 per month per line for the privilege to be able to do all that other stuff that requires Web or data access)

That said... having a GPS is nice. I don't normally need one, but you never know when there's been a sudden change due to an accident or construction or other issues. Now the boss, on the other hand... even with the GPS, she still gets lost. Go figure.

[W1GUH]

Good point about the cost, Ron. Yep, when I had a smart phone it cost $$$. But my tablet doesn't use 3G or 4G or whatever...just plain ol' Wi-Fi. But that's irrelevant, the app doesn't use either. It's free to use.

[KB3LAZ]

With all due respect, no.

I don't want my cell phone to be a GPS unit, or web reader, or video camera. I want it to be a phone. Just a phone. I don't want the other stuff in my phone! (Especially since Verizon rip-offs charges $30 per month per line for the privilege to be able to do all that other stuff that requires Web or data access)

That said... having a GPS is nice. I don't normally need one, but you never know when there's been a sudden change due to an accident or construction or other issues. Now the boss, on the other hand... even with the GPS, she still gets lost. Go figure.

But that wasnt my point. Finding phones without these capabilities is getting harder. In due time smartphones will be not just popular, or the norm, but the only phone on the market. Even your pre pay and pay as you go companies are gravitating toward smartphones.

I dont need these things in my phone, and in fact do not use most of them. If it were up to me I still wouldnt have the phone.

On a side note. When I was using a phone in the US, I ditched verizon long ago. To costly. I used straight talk. Internet, text, talk unlimited for 45$ a month. Some people say that the internet usage really was not unlimited but I had never gone over.

[KB3LAZ]

Good point about the cost, Ron. Yep, when I had a smart phone it cost $$$. But my tablet doesn't use 3G or 4G or whatever...just plain ol' Wi-Fi. But that's irrelevant, the app doesn't use either. It's free to use.

I use wi-fi with my cellphone. Why, because the app I use to communicate with Pilar at work takes data usage (obviously) and I dont see a need to use my 3G which is not unlimited. Unlimited does not seem to exist in Spain.

[NQ6U]

I don't want my cell phone to be a GPS unit, or web reader, or video camera. I want it to be a phone. Just a phone.

How quaint! So...20th Century. ;)

[W1GUH]

BTW...I MUCH prefer paper maps to any gizmo.

[W4GPL]

Yeah, I much prefer to know where I'm going in advance rather than waiting on a computer to tell me to make a sharp left turn across 6 lanes of traffic. ;) But it sure is nice when you find yourself unexpectedly traveling in an unfamiliar area.

[K7SGJ]

How quaint! So...20th Century. ;)

No kidding. He probably wants a rotary dial on it, too.

[KG4CGC]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/bebop5/RotaryCell.jpg

[W1GUH]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/bebop5/RotaryCell.jpg

Oooohhh!!! I WANT one!

I DID see once a cell phone where the numbers were in a circle, like a dial.

[W1GUH]

Yeah, I much prefer to know where I'm going in advance rather than waiting on a computer to tell me to make a sharp left turn across 6 lanes of traffic. ;) But it sure is nice when you find yourself unexpectedly traveling in an unfamiliar area.

Exactly why I like it on a device. Use it to find out where the freak I am, then find a place to buy a map!

[KG4CGC]

I memorized the entire route to Key West before we left. I only had the GPS on to track what we were doing in real time. It was not in program or voice voice mode.

[W4GPL]

Tough one, I-95 until you start seeing the hurricane evacuation route signs in your rearview. ;)

[K7SGJ]

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/bebop5/RotaryCell.jpg

Is that available in the rest of the obnoxious AT&T colors of the 60s?

[KG4CGC]

Tough one, I-95 until you start seeing the hurricane evacuation route signs in your rearview. ;)

85>
185>
26>
95>
Davey Blvd>
Riverland Rd>
95>
US1> etc etc

I did a visual memory with google earth too.

[W1GUH]

One issue with that flavor of navigation are interstate exits where you can exit but not enter!

[KA9MOT]

One issue with that flavor of navigation are interstate exits where you can exit but not enter!

Those really suck in a big truck.......

[K7SGJ]

The screen on my tomtom got broke and tomtom will NOT fix it because its out of warranty. Read the following about that bullshit company.
https://getsatisfaction.com/tomtom/topics/tom_tom_refuses_to_repair_their_products_not_under _warranty

Bill

I never liked Tom-Tom from the get go. The commercials were obnoxious as hell.

To be honest, if it was in warranty, it wouldn't be covered, and the cost would probably be prohibitive anyway. IE, my wife and I have Garmin Forerunner sports watches with GPS and all kinds of functions. I don't remember what we paid for them many years ago, but recently, they both needed new batteries in them. Garmin wanted a fortune to do it so, I found some batteries designed for another application that were about the same size and specs, and changed them out. They have a much longer operating time between charges now,which is nice. The down side is I had to use silicon seal to reseal them, and I doubt they will come apart again without significant damage. But WTF, I had nothing to lose.

I guess what I'm getting at, is crack that thing open, and see how hard it would be to change out the display. Maybe you can find another unit on Ebay or Craigslist that has electronic troubles, that you can pick up cheap, and make one out of two. The only thing you probably won't be able to do is to recharge it with whatever gas they use to keep the moisture out. Just don't use it in your submarine. If nothing else, it might be a great way to kill a Saturday afternoon.

[KC2IFR]

Found the fix.........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6p7N8VufY4

[KC2IFR]

More horror stories......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3w6YoXHKwo&ytsession=DVXGPLQArUQuLekhIfdubfM9_oCTsI5BBT1LQeYU JB4JyBSNzDH_mrESEm96wkluGy7AQL1c91zRPOzAbyEMAgwNDu wfgx-Z15nJeWXUKL_9MfTunIOm9dRGTetQB4_JyhtRMbykFqf4UGPp_ 7NfJknRi13H0TKxZzGR2EV9SESaHSTGe5BGi7Bs2kycyFCWFDq FuEpyw5E4TuGKaj_cdQln58M7cYzd12wupHiM7bf8VZKV7Usi6 OTffDr1FG5IaLFNFIGFuD-BRVPfOK6VxZ4Isb9cOIFXkxQNQXC0f2w

[KC2IFR]

Finally found a site that will fix my problem.........My tomtom is a Go920........that freekin thing cost me $600 about 6 years ago.......
http://www.pdasmart.com/tom_tom_repair_parts.htm

[W3WN]

How quaint! So...20th Century. ;)Yup.

[W3WN]

No kidding. He probably wants a rotary dial on it, too.Actually, I still have one of those. Still works too, and eventually, it's going into the new shack... as a gag.

On a related note, if you've ever seen the Kevin Kline movie In & Out, there's a great scene near the end, when the super-model is left to her own devices in the motel room, and tries to call her agent.

[W3WN]

OK, all kidding aside, and getting back on track...

Yes, I found the old Tom-Tom commercials obnoxious. To be honest, I had no plans to ever buy one; it was a Christmas gift from our son.

My wife absolutely loves the thing. She's horrible with directions, and it has kept her from getting lost more than once. Still, she tends to turn too soon or too late, or misremember what the device said to her a moment before... so it's a great help, but it's not perfect.

I still look at a map ahead of time, especially if we going somewhere we haven't been before.

Now, for what it does, I like the Tom-Tom we have. I agree that the suction cup stinks... I'd say that it sucks, but the reality is that it doesn't. If I ever get another one, I'm going to drill a little hole in that plastic plate that sticks on the dash, insert a bolt, then drill another hole through the suction cup... wing nut, and voila! Problem solved.

I do like that I can take the unit out of the car, charge it & get new uploads off one of the computers. I've heard horror stories of some of the GPS units built into cars that have maps out of date or that are a real pain to update.

Will I buy another GPS in the future? Yes, I will eventually get something for my car. Will it be another T-T? We'll see.

[N2RJ]

I prefer having a built in nav system in the car I'm driving. It is just a much better experience.