Although its been a few months, I though I'd post this letter I wrote to Jocelyn Vigreux, President of TomTomUSA, explaining the situation I had with TomTom and their EXCEPTIONALLY POOR quality control and customer service. FWIW, I received NO REPLY or RESPONSE from TomTom. None.
TomTom's features continue to beat the other GPS devices out there, but their customer service is so incredibly terrible I can't ever see buying another TomTom.
(Warning: This is a long post)
Dear Mr. Vigreux:
I?m writing to inform you of my extreme dissatisfaction with TomTom?both the quality of its products and its customer service. At this point it is highly unlikely that I will purchase another TomTom device nor will I recommend that others choose TomTom when deciding which GPS device they wish to own.
Before I tell you what has brought me to this opinion, let me first state that two years ago I bought the TomTom GO 720, my first GPS device, because of many attractive features offered by TomTom, and generally have been impressed by the continual release of enhancements that maintain the product?s attractiveness. The ability to customize map colors, voices, and icons and features such as MapShare, IQ Routes, Advanced Lane Guidance, and Traffic all combine to propel TomTom to the top of the GPS pile.
However, the value of these features is eliminated when one must constantly deal with bugs and other firmware and software problems, the apparent lack of quality control by TomTom for new features and map releases, and an inconsistent customer service experience that too often exacerbates the problem rather than resolves it. It is for these reasons that I am dissatisfied and for these reasons that my next GPS device will not be a TomTom.
The issue that sent me down this road to disgruntlement began with the release of the very troublesome and problematic map update issued in August of this year. I am confident you are already familiar with the issues of that release, especially for those of us who subscribe to the Traffic service.
Your customer service response to this issue was, frankly, erratic. The first response was that there ?must be a server update going on right now?. When it didn?t work the following day I was told TomTom was aware of the issue and would have a solution ?any day now?. When that timeframe passed and I complained that was not able to use a service I was paying for, the service organization offered a myriad of untested solutions that varied based on whom I spoke to and ranged from trying to reload an earlier version of the map, esoteric workarounds involving deletion of certain files on the device, and complete formatting and rebuilding of the unit. By the time all was said and done I had spent hours on the phone with TomTom and had a device that was completely non-functional. Problems with TomTom Home, space constraints on the device, and other issues compounded the problem to the point that the only solution was to return the unit to TomTom. Given the immense level of difficulty I was having, the fact that the unit was working fine until I followed the directions of your service staff, and the original cause of all the trouble?an apparent lack of adequate quality control over the map releases?TomTom offered to replace the unit without charge. At this point I was frazzled and disgruntled, but satisfied at the ultimate solution.
As you might expect, the issue did not stop there. After eight or so days without the TomTom, the refurbished unit arrived, but not with the most up-to-date map or application. Updating the device was not without issue. Continued problems with TomTom Home (failure to create the necessary folders) and space constraint issues that shouldn?t of occurred warranted further hours with customer service who tried, again, a myriad of solutions of solve the issue. In the process the ?death issue? occurred?the device would not restart after the new application was supposedly installed (it never actually made it on the device, thus rendering it useless). We tried shutting off other applications, tried loading Home on a PC rather than my iMac, and other attempts to fix this problem; your customer service team appeared to have little clue as to the cause of the issue or how to fix it and was clearly guessing at the solution, again with each ?guess? different depending on the representative I spoke to.
Again TomTom came to the conclusion that the unit needed to be replaced. This time, however, that answer was unsatisfactory. You had just sent me a replacement unit?why would I trust that a different one would yield any better results? Why should I be without my TomTom for another one to two weeks? I insisted on speaking with a supervisor, who listed politely to my rant, complaints about all I had dealt with, and my flat refusal to spend any more of my money to ship this unit back to you. He sympathized, offered to send me a pre-paid authorization, and stated that for all my trouble he would make sure I received a new?not refurbished?unit.
Another eight or so days passed from the time I shipped the unit to you until the time I received the replacement. I had now been without a fully functioning unit for over a month. I opened the box to find a refurbished unit?so much for the promise made by your customer service supervisor!
Confident that I would need to update this unit with the latest map and application, and expecting similar results as the last attempt, I decided I would do nothing without your customer support group on the phone walking me through each step. So, again, now having your support telephone number well memorized, I called customer support. ?I?d be happy to help you with this, but our servers are down. Can you call back tomorrow?? said the customer support representative.
Instead I wrote this letter.
I hope my point is understood. If not, allow me to reiterate the salient points:
? TomTom failed to perform adequate quality control with the August map update resulting in incompatibility with the Traffic service and resulting in the non-delivery of paid-for services.
? TomTom?s response to the issue was disjointed, inconsistent, uninformed, and ultimately did not solve the problem; instead attempted solutions caused additional issues and problems resulting in the complete inoperability of two separate units.
? TomTom failed to ensure that replacement units were updated with the most recent application and map, and attempts to update the device yielded the same device-killing results that the replacement unit was supposed to address.
? TomTom?s customer service attempted to appease the customer with promises that it failed to keep.
As a result of these and other issues I have been without a fully functioning GPS device for more than a month, and accordingly have not received services that I have subscribed to and paid for during that time.
Although I try to remain hopeful, I am far from confident that I will be able to update and operate the replacement device I now have in my possession and expect instead to be caught in this endless loop of incompetent solutions, lost time, and lack of appropriate resolution.
I am not requesting any particular response from you or reparations from TomTom, but instead leave it to your judgment as to what response, if any, is appropriate and warranted. However, a lack of response to this letter will cement my discontentment with TomTom and destroy any remaining possibility of me returning to the status of ?satisfied customer?. I hope that someone in your position would not wish to see such conclusion transpire.
Again, as stated, I received no acknowledgement, no response, nada.
Buyer beware.
TomTom's features continue to beat the other GPS devices out there, but their customer service is so incredibly terrible I can't ever see buying another TomTom.
(Warning: This is a long post)
Dear Mr. Vigreux:
I?m writing to inform you of my extreme dissatisfaction with TomTom?both the quality of its products and its customer service. At this point it is highly unlikely that I will purchase another TomTom device nor will I recommend that others choose TomTom when deciding which GPS device they wish to own.
Before I tell you what has brought me to this opinion, let me first state that two years ago I bought the TomTom GO 720, my first GPS device, because of many attractive features offered by TomTom, and generally have been impressed by the continual release of enhancements that maintain the product?s attractiveness. The ability to customize map colors, voices, and icons and features such as MapShare, IQ Routes, Advanced Lane Guidance, and Traffic all combine to propel TomTom to the top of the GPS pile.
However, the value of these features is eliminated when one must constantly deal with bugs and other firmware and software problems, the apparent lack of quality control by TomTom for new features and map releases, and an inconsistent customer service experience that too often exacerbates the problem rather than resolves it. It is for these reasons that I am dissatisfied and for these reasons that my next GPS device will not be a TomTom.
The issue that sent me down this road to disgruntlement began with the release of the very troublesome and problematic map update issued in August of this year. I am confident you are already familiar with the issues of that release, especially for those of us who subscribe to the Traffic service.
Your customer service response to this issue was, frankly, erratic. The first response was that there ?must be a server update going on right now?. When it didn?t work the following day I was told TomTom was aware of the issue and would have a solution ?any day now?. When that timeframe passed and I complained that was not able to use a service I was paying for, the service organization offered a myriad of untested solutions that varied based on whom I spoke to and ranged from trying to reload an earlier version of the map, esoteric workarounds involving deletion of certain files on the device, and complete formatting and rebuilding of the unit. By the time all was said and done I had spent hours on the phone with TomTom and had a device that was completely non-functional. Problems with TomTom Home, space constraints on the device, and other issues compounded the problem to the point that the only solution was to return the unit to TomTom. Given the immense level of difficulty I was having, the fact that the unit was working fine until I followed the directions of your service staff, and the original cause of all the trouble?an apparent lack of adequate quality control over the map releases?TomTom offered to replace the unit without charge. At this point I was frazzled and disgruntled, but satisfied at the ultimate solution.
As you might expect, the issue did not stop there. After eight or so days without the TomTom, the refurbished unit arrived, but not with the most up-to-date map or application. Updating the device was not without issue. Continued problems with TomTom Home (failure to create the necessary folders) and space constraint issues that shouldn?t of occurred warranted further hours with customer service who tried, again, a myriad of solutions of solve the issue. In the process the ?death issue? occurred?the device would not restart after the new application was supposedly installed (it never actually made it on the device, thus rendering it useless). We tried shutting off other applications, tried loading Home on a PC rather than my iMac, and other attempts to fix this problem; your customer service team appeared to have little clue as to the cause of the issue or how to fix it and was clearly guessing at the solution, again with each ?guess? different depending on the representative I spoke to.
Again TomTom came to the conclusion that the unit needed to be replaced. This time, however, that answer was unsatisfactory. You had just sent me a replacement unit?why would I trust that a different one would yield any better results? Why should I be without my TomTom for another one to two weeks? I insisted on speaking with a supervisor, who listed politely to my rant, complaints about all I had dealt with, and my flat refusal to spend any more of my money to ship this unit back to you. He sympathized, offered to send me a pre-paid authorization, and stated that for all my trouble he would make sure I received a new?not refurbished?unit.
Another eight or so days passed from the time I shipped the unit to you until the time I received the replacement. I had now been without a fully functioning unit for over a month. I opened the box to find a refurbished unit?so much for the promise made by your customer service supervisor!
Confident that I would need to update this unit with the latest map and application, and expecting similar results as the last attempt, I decided I would do nothing without your customer support group on the phone walking me through each step. So, again, now having your support telephone number well memorized, I called customer support. ?I?d be happy to help you with this, but our servers are down. Can you call back tomorrow?? said the customer support representative.
Instead I wrote this letter.
I hope my point is understood. If not, allow me to reiterate the salient points:
? TomTom failed to perform adequate quality control with the August map update resulting in incompatibility with the Traffic service and resulting in the non-delivery of paid-for services.
? TomTom?s response to the issue was disjointed, inconsistent, uninformed, and ultimately did not solve the problem; instead attempted solutions caused additional issues and problems resulting in the complete inoperability of two separate units.
? TomTom failed to ensure that replacement units were updated with the most recent application and map, and attempts to update the device yielded the same device-killing results that the replacement unit was supposed to address.
? TomTom?s customer service attempted to appease the customer with promises that it failed to keep.
As a result of these and other issues I have been without a fully functioning GPS device for more than a month, and accordingly have not received services that I have subscribed to and paid for during that time.
Although I try to remain hopeful, I am far from confident that I will be able to update and operate the replacement device I now have in my possession and expect instead to be caught in this endless loop of incompetent solutions, lost time, and lack of appropriate resolution.
I am not requesting any particular response from you or reparations from TomTom, but instead leave it to your judgment as to what response, if any, is appropriate and warranted. However, a lack of response to this letter will cement my discontentment with TomTom and destroy any remaining possibility of me returning to the status of ?satisfied customer?. I hope that someone in your position would not wish to see such conclusion transpire.
Again, as stated, I received no acknowledgement, no response, nada.
Buyer beware.
