untommed in Brooklyn

[guy4ks]

Get Tomtom, install window mount, get window smashed, GUARANTEED!
The day after I installed the window mount for my new Go 730 my window was smashed. The cops said that it happens every time. Where are the warnings for first time buyers? Why isn't Tom tom doing something about this?

 

[dhn]

I'm sorry for your loss and hassle.......but the media, letalone these forums are full of stories about people leaving mounts of GPS units on their windshields with the same results.

Tell me......would you leave a notebook bag in plain sight on your seat in the car? How about a camera bag? Do the providers of those items provide warnings? GPS manufacturers are in the same category. The user at some time should take responsibility for his/her own actions.

 

[ChillyCat]

Why isn't Tom tom doing something about this?

I'm shocked-- Speechless and totally dumbfounded.

Just when I thought there was indeed intelligence on earth......ah, nevermind

 

[dhn]

How do you really feel! <g>

p.s. You said what I REALLY wanted to say ........

 

[Pedro2NR]

I am sorry to hear that they stole your unit.
Actually TomTom does have a warning in the manual. I am not sure if it is printed out with the device, but HOME does have a web link for you to visit the online manual which does state:

Take care of your TomTom GO
Never leave your TomTom GO or accessories in view when you leave the car
or they may become an easy target for thieves.
You can set a password for your TomTom GO which must be entered every
time you start your GO. For more information, see Using TomTom HOME on
page 94.

 

[96ss]

Hey, he never said they stole his TT, just the mount. Maybe he was wise enough to not leave the unit.

In my line of work on Skid Row, I see windows smashed daily, whether or not the GPS was in the car or not. The suspects believe that if they see cables/mounts in cars, that people just hide the (fill in device here) somewhere in the cars.

 

[guy4ks]

the difference

The difference between leaving a notebook case or a camera case in a car is that it is not clear whether the valuable items are inside their cases. With a window mount for a tomtom it is clear that the tomtom has been removed. That's the difference. I am surprised that you two clearly intelligent, street savvy tomtom users hadn't figured that out. I repeat, it is irresponsible of the tomtom company not to make a warning of this kind the first thing that you see when you open the package. Even before you open the package!

 

[46jimbo]

The thieves even look for the telltale ring left on the glass by the suction cup.

 

[dhn]

The difference between leaving a notebook case or a camera case in a car is that it is not clear whether the valuable items are inside their cases. With a window mount for a tomtom it is clear that the tomtom has been removed. That's the difference. I am surprised that you two clearly intelligent, street savvy tomtom users hadn't figured that out. I repeat, it is irresponsible of the tomtom company not to make a warning of this kind the first thing that you see when you open the package. Even before you open the package!

Listen guy....the fact the mount is on the windshield without a tomtom attached does NOT mean the unit is NOT in the car. Surprised a streetwise New Yorker such as yourself hadn't figured that out.

 

[guy4ks]

in closing

By your argument, any indication that there is a window mount, even a ring from a window mount, for a tomtom is reason enough for a thief to break into the car. OK, follow along now. That is what I am saying should be on a bright orange sticker on the outside of any package for any gps unit or accessory.
The problem is that people who are buying a unit for the first time have not been on the tom tom chat sights and and are not aware of this pattern. Case in point, I am a very street savvy New Yorker (25 years), even lived in Toronto for 4, and I was not aware of this pattern. I also read the papers and follow the news. Now, do you see my point or do we need to continue this with the dude from Youngstown who apparently needs a gps to navigate both the roads up there.

 

[dhn]

Seriously......I really do agree with you about the problems we all face in our society concerning the break-ins of vehicles when thieves see tell-tale signs within.

I just don't know how far any product manufacturer/supplier can go to advice the purchaser. As was pointed out, the manual cautions against leaving the device in the car. There is even a setting the user can turn on so that the splashscreen as you turn off the unit is an 'antitheft' warning.

True.....neither refers to the mount, just the unit. I don't know what else to say.

 

[Michael Quinlan]

Hey, he never said they stole his TT, just the mount. Maybe he was wise enough to not leave the unit.

In my line of work on Skid Row, I see windows smashed daily, whether or not the GPS was in the car or not. The suspects believe that if they see cables/mounts in cars, that people just hide the (fill in device here) somewhere in the cars.

Actually he never said that anything got stolen - only that his window got smashed.

While I can sympathize with the OP, blaming the manufacturer is not the answer, and will in no way help the OP and his current situation.

I leave my mount on both my vehicle windshields all the time, and often leave my TomTom attached to it. It all depends on the area I'm in. In and around my own area I leave the device on the mount for days on end. However, if I were about to park in Camden, NJ I would probably remove the device and mount, and even clean the windshield several blocks away from my destination.

Should Rolex watches include a warning that they are more likely (than other watches) to be swiped off your wrist or cause you to be the target of a mugging? Should coins come with a warning not the leave them in a convenient location for paying tolls, for fear that they will attract a thief? Maybe every purchase should require a singed affidavit from the purchaser acknowledging personal responsibility for their new possessions?

 

[96ss]

Actually he never said that anything got stolen - only that his window got smashed.

While I can sympathize with the OP, blaming the manufacturer is not the answer, and will in no way help the OP and his current situation.

I leave my mount on both my vehicle windshields all the time, and often leave my TomTom attached to it. It all depends on the area I'm in. In and around my own area I leave the device on the mount for days on end. However, if I were about to park in Camden, NJ I would probably remove the device and mount, and even clean the windshield several blocks away from my destination.

Should Rolex watches include a warning that they are more likely (than other watches) to be swiped off your wrist or cause you to be the target of a mugging? Should coins come with a warning not the leave them in a convenient location for paying tolls, for fear that they will attract a thief? Maybe every purchase should require a singed affidavit from the purchaser acknowledging personal responsibility for their new possessions?

By your argument, any indication that there is a window mount, even a ring from a window mount, for a tomtom is reason enough for a thief to break into the car. OK, follow along now. That is what I am saying should be on a bright orange sticker on the outside of any package for any gps unit or accessory.
The problem is that people who are buying a unit for the first time have not been on the tom tom chat sights and and are not aware of this pattern. Case in point, I am a very street savvy New Yorker (25 years), even lived in Toronto for 4, and I was not aware of this pattern. I also read the papers and follow the news. Now, do you see my point or do we need to continue this with the dude from Youngstown who apparently needs a gps to navigate both the roads up there.

Wow, just wow.

 

[JimT]

By your argument, any indication that there is a window mount, even a ring from a window mount, for a tomtom is reason enough for a thief to break into the car. OK, follow along now. That is what I am saying should be on a bright orange sticker on the outside of any package for any gps unit or accessory.
The problem is that people who are buying a unit for the first time have not been on the tom tom chat sights and and are not aware of this pattern. Case in point, I am a very street savvy New Yorker (25 years), even lived in Toronto for 4, and I was not aware of this pattern. I also read the papers and follow the news. Now, do you see my point or do we need to continue this with the dude from Youngstown who apparently needs a gps to navigate both the roads up there.

Be sure to clean those suction cup rings!!!!

 

[JimT]

Actually he never said that anything got stolen - only that his window got smashed.

While I can sympathize with the OP, blaming the manufacturer is not the answer, and will in no way help the OP and his current situation.

I leave my mount on both my vehicle windshields all the time, and often leave my TomTom attached to it. It all depends on the area I'm in. In and around my own area I leave the device on the mount for days on end. However, if I were about to park in Camden, NJ I would probably remove the device and mount, and even clean the windshield several blocks away from my destination.

Should Rolex watches include a warning that they are more likely (than other watches) to be swiped off your wrist or cause you to be the target of a mugging? Should coins come with a warning not the leave them in a convenient location for paying tolls, for fear that they will attract a thief? Maybe every purchase should require a singed affidavit from the purchaser acknowledging personal responsibility for their new possessions?

I hope that you do not have your home address on your TT because it is a matter of time before yours is hooked!!! I never leave mine in clear site. My father was a city police officer and I was lectured from the time I got my first set of car keys. Even if it is not stolen, just think of the insurance claim to fix window and /or dented door from break-in.

 

[Bobinsc]

Wasted bandwidth...........*sigh*

 

[cputrdoc]

Do not leave anything expensive in your car in plain view, do not shout "I have expensive equipment in my pockets" in a back alley, do not attach post-its to your ATM cards that contain your PIN number, do not leave a note for the thief, "I have even more valuable stuff at the following home address:..." do not leave expensive equipment on your office desktop in plain sight, and finally, your GPS is a navigation AID and does not substitute for using your brain, neither for navigation nor for keeping track of your stuff.

Do I really need to start adding that disclaimer to every store display I see?

 

[lec510]

When turning off your TT, do you see the picture of a thief ? That's the warning.

 

[theagent]

Some things are supposed to be obvious.

 

[Sextant]

By your argument, any indication that there is a window mount, even a ring from a window mount, for a tomtom is reason enough for a thief to break into the car. OK, follow along now. That is what I am saying should be on a bright orange sticker on the outside of any package for any gps unit or accessory.
The problem is that people who are buying a unit for the first time have not been on the tom tom chat sights and and are not aware of this pattern. Case in point, I am a very street savvy New Yorker (25 years), even lived in Toronto for 4, and I was not aware of this pattern. I also read the papers and follow the news. Now, do you see my point or do we need to continue this with the dude from Youngstown who apparently needs a gps to navigate both the roads up there.

Not aware of what pattern? That people break into cars looking for valuables? Why would a consumer electronic device worth potentially hundreds of dollars be excluded? Why would anyone in this day and age leave anything worth something in their car to be stolen? It doesn't matter if it's a GPS, if it's worth anything you have to be a risk taker to leave it in your car.