Well, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if TomTom wants to play with the big boys (Garmin, Magellan), it’s going to have to hand out some pink slips in its customer service and QA departments.
On July 3rd TomTom posted version 6.12 firmware for the TomTom GO, One, and Rider series, and after just a few hours had to pull the update from the site after users reported the update killed their devices, rendering them unable to boot.
TomTom claims they did the right thing and yanked the update as soon as they heard users were experiencing trouble. However, I say there shouldn’t be this much trouble in the first place. TomTom is plagued by little details. Their mounting hardware sucks, the 910 can’t keep time (an odd problem for a GPS to have), and they’ve had several buggy firmware releases.
This isn’t the first time TomTom’s run into the Firmware update crisis. This is the second such instance that we know of. TomTom – while I’m sure everyone appreciates the speedyness with which you release new products and firmware, but please start doing some QA on your code (and do some customer sat training while you’re at it).
It's all down hill for TomTom unless they stop denying device problems and fix the issues when they say they will fix them. If they just say "we're fixing it!", but they just sleep in their chairs at work, what does that say about them?
Honestly, a lot of people like TomTom, including me, BUT when they don't listen to their customers, they are at a huge risk and money loss. So far, all my hours of research on TomTom have come up with nothing new. They may be fixing the mount, but noone knows, all I have been finding is that more and more and even more people all over the WORLD where the GO X10's are sold, are getting more negative remarks. You would think calling TomTom would be a good idea and get in touch with the president, but then again, he is throwing his money in the air, not giving a care (until he has to refund it) and then a customer "support" rep says "I don't know how to connect to anyone else within TomTom, how about sending an e-mail?", only to find out one month later or never that your question wasn't even answered from what you had originally asked in the e-mail. Ah, smell that American business headquarters in closure? I do!
This has to be a joke right (read carefully)?:
Jul 07 2006
Are we nearly there yet?
’Writing up the audio, setting up playlists and creating a Bluetooth connection to your mobile for handsfree and TomTom PLUS services aren’t difficult, but can be time consuming. That done, you can get on with what the TomTom really excels at – sat nav. A solid wind screen mount and bright, responsive touchscreen provide an excellent base for straightforward menus…we especially like the clear voice navigation, with text-to-speech tech that reads out street names.’ Stuff says: ‘Despite all the TomTom GO 910’s tech trickery, we couldn’t get it to step out of line.’ Reason enough to award the TomTom GO 910 with the Stuff Hot Buy award!
[July 2006]
How about this one?:
Jul 06 2006
TomTom has done it again!
The TomTom GO 910 again becomes a T3 test winner in a comparitive test with several sat-navs. T3 is very pleased with the new TomTom GO910: ‘TomToms have always been userfriendly, but this takes it even further with just one hard control – a power button. The four-inch widescreen oozes detail, with clear menus just a finger prod away. It’s packed with features, from multiple voices to a built-in MP3 player.’ But besides this, the TomTom GO 910 is also performing well on his core feature navigation: ‘…route calculation is also faster than average. Guidance is best on test, with intuitive maps and even side roads being described by name.’ T3’s overall conclusion: ‘This is a top navigator…TomTom has done it again. Navigation has never looked so good – and now it’s in widescreen!’
[July 2006]
All leads me to say that TomTom is greatly favored in the United Kingdom, for some strange reason. Maybe they get updates to problems, and we don't *shrugs*.
Sorry if I'm just ranting, but I couldn't help it, TomTom just sent me this e-mail response, first theirs, and then mine (completely ignores the majority of my e-mail, I hope I didn't scare them to much):
"We appreciate your feedback and will forward it along to the apprpriate department. In the meantime, if you provide us with your full name, mailing address, and telephone number, we will send you a replacement for your mount.
With best regards,
The TomTom Customer Support Team"
"Hello, I have been in retail stores, have scoured the GPS internet forums, tried the product, and from that, I have seen and proved that an overwhelming amount of people, including me, have complained constantly about the faulty TomTom GO 910 mount and socket. While driving in the car, the GO 910 unit will come off the socket and when it is on the socket, it rattles and starts to face towards the car dash instead of towards the drivers face. Just the fact that you released the June 2006 firmware to "correct" the problem is not enough. This is a hardware problem, not a software and firmware problem. PLEASE make a new mount and socket, unless you like receiving tons of TomTom GO 910's back as defective. The stores I have gone to even have the GO 910's put back on the shelf as an open item product because of customer complaints. This is WIDELY known. Browse the forums, the internet, you will see what I mean, and as always, try it yourself. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make a new mount and socket, not correct the already faulty mount and socket but a NEW one, a new WORKING design. Garmin is ahead of you for that reason and I am seeing you falling behind. Yes, great reviews on the TomTom GO 910 are published on that products webpage, but after reading those reviews myself, they hardly mention the fact that the mount and socket is faulty because the unit itself is great enough to overlook the faulty design, which is bad on a reviewers part. Even releasing this new June 2006 firmware release PROVES there is a problem with the mount and socket despite hearing and seeing for myself that you guys deny there is a known problem, with me calling customer support. The GO 910 unit is great as it it, although it is STILL buggy, has outdated maps, and some of those great features aren't supported in the USA yet. But PLEASE make a NEW mount and socket, not a fixed one even though it is still the same as the faulty one, a NEW one. Then MAYBE you will have less returns and better news on the product. Maybe just redesign the unit and offer a replacement plan to purchasers of the unit if it is the unit's design that is the problem and nothing can be done to correct or make new mount and socket design. Afterall, two small clamps on the underside of the unit isn't big and strong enough to make it stable. You might also want to publish operating and non-operating temperatures for this product as there is no published information on this, and perhaps even more information that "didn't make it"."
TomTom, if you are going to pull a firmware update (v6.12) within hours of releasing it then please at least say sorry for the inconvenience.
Secondly, keep your customers up to date and that means keep us informed about this mysterious, blink and you'll miss it, update.
For instance, when do you expect to release it again?
Any ideas at all?
It has been eleven days since it has was pulled from your site and not one word about it since then.
Also, do a bit of Beta testing before you release updates.
Although, I still can't work out how you miss a bug which results in the TomTom Go Sat Nav freezing on the boot up screen FOREVER.
How on Earth did you miss that one?
Where are you 6.12?
Twelve days now and still nothing.
Anyone there?
Please someone answer....anybody....pleeease.
After three weeks and two days TomTom has at last released the de-bugged version of the ill fated v6.12
The new release is version 6.14
Guess what?
It works perfectly.
Thank you TomTom
TomTom Firmware v6.15 has just been released.
After many attempts i still not able to connect my TomTom Go910. It's an unknow device to win xp. But for just 5 minutes it was recognized by TomTom Home and then it disappeared again and so far...Any comments.
Jose,
Sounds like a Windows problem and not a TomTom issue to me. Try uninstalling TomTom HOME, rebooting, then re-installing TomTom HOME, then connecting your 910 and wait for it to auto-detect it and tell you the device is ready to use.
BTW - when you connect the 910 to the PC, do you see a screen on the 910 asking if you want to connect?
--Fletch
any ideas on my tomtom one and why it will not switch on. tried the reset and this does nowt
Bracket failed on tom tom rider. tom tom say i am the only one with this complaint, is there any one else eith this problem please email if you have had the same problem.
Tomtom Go 910 really stinks. Ordered a replacemet mount online because it doesn't charge while driving. They sent me a confirmation email saying it would be here within 4 weeks. 6 weeks later, (today) I finally call and after being kept on hold for more than a half hour, I'm told that they order never went out because of a mixup, and that I have to wait several more weeks because they are backordered right now. The rep wasn't even willing to send me a confirmation email. The thing doesn't keep time. It periodically tells me to go the wrong way (resulting in a lot of wasted time and miles) and sometimes just shuts off by itself, batteries aside. Not to mention waiting for up to ten minutes sitting outside on the hood of my car to find a satellite. CRAP CRAP CRAP. Do not buy this piece of garbage. I'm going shopping for a magellan.
Craig - most of the issues you list have been addressed via firmware updates from TomTom, so you should definately run the TomTom HOME application and update your unit. Still, I agree with you that TomTom is too fast and loose with QA, and needs to do a better job testing their products *before* releasing them.
my tomtom go910 when switched on get stuck on the booting up screen is there any way i can get this to boot up properly
restert the toomtom
I can get my tomtom one to run my hands free phone on my alltil motorazr V3a can you help.