- Joined
- Apr 3, 2007
- Messages
- 7
I had a Garmin iQue 3600 for three years. I left it baking in a hot car for most of those 3 years, and the worst issues I ever had to deal with were having to hard-reset it maybe once every three months, and eventually a dead battery due to the heat.
The maps and POI database on the Garmin were getting really out of date, so rather than shell out $100 for the map update, I figured I'd take that cash and put it towards a TomTom 510. Lots more features, bigger screen, better GPS chipset, and... Bluetooth. I thought I had found the perfect device. Wrong.
The following is a list of the issues I've encountered with my TomTom 510, and the result of dealing with customer service. And yes, my software and maps are completely up to date.
- TomTom constantly annoys me with instructions to "keep left" when traveling on a freeway, even though it is perfectly logical to assume that if TomTom were to keep its mouth shut, I would in fact stay on the freeway instead of veering off of a random exit or interchange. I have these reminders disabled. TomTom still won't shut up. I updated the software, even completely reloaded the maps and voices. Same result. Tech support was clueless about this 6 months ago. They still don't have an answer.
- TomTom will not automatically change from day to night colors when lighting conditions change, even when docked. Tech support was made aware of this right after I bought the TomTom. The problem persists. The Garmin will switch to and from night view when its internal almanac indicates that the sun has set or risen. Sometimes the simple approach is the best.
- Menu layout is completely illogical. Why is "Change Preferences" on the main screen even though preferences are rarely changed once the device is set up according to user preferences? Why is "View Route" on the SECOND screen and not immediately available, and "Clear Route" on the third? It's almost as if the folks at TomTom went out of their way to make the device as cumbersome as possible to use in a vehicle. TomTom support says my suggestions make sense, but does anyone actually care? I don't think so.
- POI Database. Beaten to death already. The damn thing can't even find the Target that's existed in this neighborhood for 5 years, but has no problem sending you to a business that's been closed since 2005.
- Unlike the Garmin, TomTom does not show you the address of your destination as you approach it (unless you go out of your way to view the route) nor does it indicate by voice whether the destination address is on the right or left side of the street. Was that 712 or 721? TomTom won't tell, sorry!
- Red flashing "over speed limit" indicator. TomTom, do you really think it's easy to read flashing red text on a blue background? Just show me my speed, thanks.
- Power button is wayyyy over-sensitive and in a very bad location for accidental presses. Even the slightest touch will turn the unit on (usually in my glovebox), where it will run continuously until the battery is completely drained. Then I get to wait forever for a cold boot and position fix. How about a "press and hold" to power the thing up, TomTom?
- Speaking of power, there's no auto-off feature that I could find. TomTom does not have the brains to figure out that your car hasn't moved for 20 minutes, maybe it ought to power down.
- TomTom asks for city instead of state first, which results in having to type too much to find the city you want, or having to scroll through multiple cities of the same name in multiple states. TomTom does not have the smarts to assume that maybe... just maybe... the city you are looking for is closest to your current position or last known fix. More wasted time, more cumbersome operation.
- "Two miles to nowhere": My TomTom has a habit of telling me to do something in "two miles", but frequently the on-screen indicator says something entirely different (maybe 1 mile, maybe 3.5 miles, sometimes exactly two miles). The inconsistency is annoying, and again Tech Support is clueless.
- TomTom on Acid: Today, my TomTom decided to trip out completely and is now displaying flickering lines across most of the display. The only good thing about this experience was the speed in which Tech Support answered the phone and got the RMA processed. The turnaround time? Two weeks. Advance replacement? Hahahahah, not a chance.
Lesson learned. Stick with what works. I should've bought a Garmin, even if it did cost 50% more.
The maps and POI database on the Garmin were getting really out of date, so rather than shell out $100 for the map update, I figured I'd take that cash and put it towards a TomTom 510. Lots more features, bigger screen, better GPS chipset, and... Bluetooth. I thought I had found the perfect device. Wrong.
The following is a list of the issues I've encountered with my TomTom 510, and the result of dealing with customer service. And yes, my software and maps are completely up to date.
- TomTom constantly annoys me with instructions to "keep left" when traveling on a freeway, even though it is perfectly logical to assume that if TomTom were to keep its mouth shut, I would in fact stay on the freeway instead of veering off of a random exit or interchange. I have these reminders disabled. TomTom still won't shut up. I updated the software, even completely reloaded the maps and voices. Same result. Tech support was clueless about this 6 months ago. They still don't have an answer.
- TomTom will not automatically change from day to night colors when lighting conditions change, even when docked. Tech support was made aware of this right after I bought the TomTom. The problem persists. The Garmin will switch to and from night view when its internal almanac indicates that the sun has set or risen. Sometimes the simple approach is the best.
- Menu layout is completely illogical. Why is "Change Preferences" on the main screen even though preferences are rarely changed once the device is set up according to user preferences? Why is "View Route" on the SECOND screen and not immediately available, and "Clear Route" on the third? It's almost as if the folks at TomTom went out of their way to make the device as cumbersome as possible to use in a vehicle. TomTom support says my suggestions make sense, but does anyone actually care? I don't think so.
- POI Database. Beaten to death already. The damn thing can't even find the Target that's existed in this neighborhood for 5 years, but has no problem sending you to a business that's been closed since 2005.
- Unlike the Garmin, TomTom does not show you the address of your destination as you approach it (unless you go out of your way to view the route) nor does it indicate by voice whether the destination address is on the right or left side of the street. Was that 712 or 721? TomTom won't tell, sorry!
- Red flashing "over speed limit" indicator. TomTom, do you really think it's easy to read flashing red text on a blue background? Just show me my speed, thanks.
- Power button is wayyyy over-sensitive and in a very bad location for accidental presses. Even the slightest touch will turn the unit on (usually in my glovebox), where it will run continuously until the battery is completely drained. Then I get to wait forever for a cold boot and position fix. How about a "press and hold" to power the thing up, TomTom?
- Speaking of power, there's no auto-off feature that I could find. TomTom does not have the brains to figure out that your car hasn't moved for 20 minutes, maybe it ought to power down.
- TomTom asks for city instead of state first, which results in having to type too much to find the city you want, or having to scroll through multiple cities of the same name in multiple states. TomTom does not have the smarts to assume that maybe... just maybe... the city you are looking for is closest to your current position or last known fix. More wasted time, more cumbersome operation.
- "Two miles to nowhere": My TomTom has a habit of telling me to do something in "two miles", but frequently the on-screen indicator says something entirely different (maybe 1 mile, maybe 3.5 miles, sometimes exactly two miles). The inconsistency is annoying, and again Tech Support is clueless.
- TomTom on Acid: Today, my TomTom decided to trip out completely and is now displaying flickering lines across most of the display. The only good thing about this experience was the speed in which Tech Support answered the phone and got the RMA processed. The turnaround time? Two weeks. Advance replacement? Hahahahah, not a chance.
Lesson learned. Stick with what works. I should've bought a Garmin, even if it did cost 50% more.
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