Tom Tom Customer service stinks!

I'd probably contact my credit card company and block the payment.

I wish satisfaction could dole out the refunds, lol.

I can only add that your story is not unique. TomTom customer service is TERRIBLE. I purchased the new XL-S model. I connected it to my computer and the TomTom software said that my brand new unit required updated software. I installed the new software only to learn that I installed software for a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT (and lesser) MODEL and lost all of the top end features. Needless to say, it took FOREVER to speak with a customer service person, and only then did all three of the agents with whom I spoke (including a supervisor named Tom), admit that they had not received training on the new XL-S model. After speaking with two service agents consecutively, who both told me that it was impossible to download software for a model different from mine (which is not true as the third agent finally concluded after an exhaustive troubleshooting call), they finally agreed that my unit was unsalvageable and that I had to return it to them for a replacement. I returned it December 3, 2007, overnight. They received it December 4 and told me to expect receipt of my new unit by December 20. I'm still waiting for it. I complained three times and now TomTom customer service is asking me for my tracking number. Sad.

A few examples of how TomTom customer service stinks. One, you can email them, but you cannot reply to their responses. Two, you can reply via the TomTom website, but they don't always respond. Three, you have to remain on the phone for 1 hour to ever speak with anyone, and then you almost always are disconnected by some incompetent person.

I agree with Frannie, I'm never buying from them again and will warn all of my friends to avoid their products.

TomTom just won an award for their customer service. See here: http://www.reuters.com/article/pressR....

This commendation doesn't sound like it matches with your own experiences, for sure.

To answer your question, Frannie, I believe the company is based in Amsterdam, but I don't think that should count against them.

Was on hold with tomtom last week for 45 minutes before speaking with someone. Was told I needed to speak with a different department, but they were at lunch(a whole department!)
Called back, and was on hold for 55 minutes until my battery died.
Today called back and was on hold for 48 minutes before someone picked up. Was transfered 3 times, and they still did not listen to me.
They are great at wearing you down. Amazing in this day and age, they can have such BAD customer service!

My tomtom fell off my windsheild after thier windshield mount failed. The screen cracked. They had me ups it. They were going to test it themselves. I agree with so much that has been written about thier customer service. They are a horrible company and I hope they go out of business. The woman I spoke to on the phone was so rude. Buy a Garmen or a Magellan...anything but tomtom. I spent $300.oo on thier shit product. I will tell everyone one I know not to buy a tomtom.

Tomtom lost my damaged navigator...that's why they had to replace it with a refurbished one...in the interim I purchased a garmen...I don't know anymore which is better. All I can say is that after my horrible experience with their customer service people...that I now have two navigators and I always choose the garmen...those TomTom employees have ruined their own product with their nasty attitudes. You guys need to straighten your people out!!!!!

I bought a Tomtom at The Sharper Image last year. One day it randomly stopped working, so I stopped by a Sharper Image location and they swapped it out with a new one in 10 minutes, no questions asked. A good experience overall, and after reading this thread I'm glad I never had to deal with Tomtom directly.

I just opened my new anniversary present, Tom Tom One XL S, and I securely mounted it on my windshield and the first bump we hit in the car the unit fell to the floor board. I thought, no problem, it didn't fall far and there is nothing hard down there it could have hit. To my surprise, the
lcd was busted. I took it back to Best Buy and told them the windshield mount was faulty and they told me that was something Tom Tom would have to address. Will Tom Tom replace the unit if
i call customer service. I did everything the instructions told me to do and the outcome was my brand new device is busted. Any help would be appreciated.

I was going to bring back my !@#$ garmin nuvi and return it for a hopefully less @ tomtom. My nuvi misses turns and is wrong A LOT. I once had a tomtom that I returned because it did not have text2speech. But neither does my current disappointing garmin. I was on hold with garmin for 80 minutes and I called tomtom and was immediately connected. At this moment I do not know aht choice to make? I know that the mio SUCKS and the garmin nuvi 200 SUCKS too! But I do not have any tomtom experience.

I just downloaded the most recent updates and maps for my brand new tomtom. Unfortunately they are at least 3 years behind on their maps. I apparently live in a forest according to their maps. Several major roads are not included on their "updated" maps, so their directions send me out of the way to get around town. Even my own personal updates have to be "verified" by tomtom before I can use them on my own map. Will a call to customer service do me any good, or am I stuck with a uselss (expensive) product?

I have tried the "Map Correction Fix" that Rob Lazzurs mentioned. I can assure you that it does NOT work on a One 3rd edition (namely Mine).
As far as Customer Service is concerned, whomever gave TomTom an award must be on crack. I purchased the Traffic Receiver Antenna gizmo online last week and realized I could not use it where I live and drive. I immediately called the customer service number and was on hold for more than one hour. I spoke with the cs rep who after several more "hold Periods" gave me a reference number (080611-008309) and forwarded me to yet another department where I remained on hold for another hour before being told that this rep had sent a message to ?? canceling the order. All this took place the day before the item was shipped. Needless to say, the order was not stopped and was received by me. Two e-mails asking for the proper procedure for returning the item 8/19/08 have so far gone unanswered. To add insult to injury, now my One 3rd tells me that "No Route Found" when trying to go to one of my favorites.

I finally got my TOMTOM back from the company repair centre !!
It took many days of emailing the service department and much banter. At this point:-

I FEEL IT IMPORTANT TO SAY A PUBLIC THANK YOU TO: -

Rinder Hortulanus (TOMTOM - UK)

Of TOMTOM who kept on badgering the supervisors and repair centre - which incidentally is in Scotland for the UK to get back my TOMTOM.

The unit finally arrived back repaired free of charge due to the hassle they put me through. It was supposed to have cost me £98.00,which is interesting when the unit apparently only needed a screen connection plug to be reseated...

During this process I had found an independent service provider who quoted me £47.00 for a replacement screen (as an example)...

email: - richard.yates@satnav-shop.com

Good luck 'SAT-NAVERS'

Martin

I have a 2 year old Go 710. I spent over $500 for it. I wanted a high end model with hands free. About a year after I had it, it stopped charging. i sent it to TomTom, who fixed it under warranty. Now a year later, the same problem has occurred. When I called them up to have it fixed, I was told "sorry" its now out of warranty, so we can't help you. I was willing to pay to have it fixed, and again was told "sorry". I asked for a manager, who told me "sorry". I called customer service instead of tech support, who told me "sorry" and offered to transfer me to her supervisor who she assured me would tell me she was "sorry". Apparently I now have a $500+ hands free paper weight..... I will NEVER buy another TomTom. What good is a product that can't be repaired once the warranty expires???????

Hi M Yelo,

Not sure which country you are in so please excuse the assumption.

In the UK there is a company that will do tomtom repairs at a cheaper rate than the main supplier and they can be contacted at:

Richard Yates
SATNAVMAN
99 RICHMOND PARK AVE
SHEFFIELD
S13 8HA
United Kingdom

+44 (0) 1142 433176

IF PAYING BY CHEQUE OR POSTAL ORDER
MAKE PAYABLE TO MR R YATES

PAYPAL SEND TO jacko_cm@hotmail.com

Good luck, Martin

Hi,

I'm having the same problem Frannie did a year ago. I want to download POI's but when I attempt it through Tom Tom Home it gives me the warning message "There is no map where this set of POI's can be shown." And then..."You must have at least one map installed on your Tom Tom device"

Does this mean I have to shell out $59 to install a map that my device indicates I already have??

My device says I have the maps Guam and United States installed so why can't I get a set of POI's for the US??

Any suggestions? I've spent 45 minutes waiting for customer service on the phone so I'm trying another avenue.

Thanks!!

Just got off the phone with a TomTom representative. My 3-yr old One worked fine for a couple of years and then went bonkers. It flips wildly amongst various targets whenever you try to make a selection. I did all the re-start stuff with the paper clip, and attempted to connect it to my computer to download, but the computer will not recognize the device. Enough! I want to send it in for repair. But the bottom line is that TomTom just does not want to help. "Sorry, but we have your records from when you registered the machine, but it is out of warantee. Therefore we need proof of purchase or we cannot help you." We do not have proof of purchase of this three-yr old device (my wiife gave it to me as a present), but are not asking for free repair. WHY do they need proof if it is out of warantee, but not otherwise??? Unless they simply want to run me off and avoid having to mess with repair, and instead have me buy a new model. Well, we certainly will, as these are helpful devices to have in the car. BUT it will be from one of the other manufacurers....I hear that Garmin gives good service on their line.

I have the perfect solution, I have requested (and will receive) a Garmin GSP for Christmas (in just Two days).
My TomTom One 3rd Ed. is just too whacked out to be thrustworthy.
I have found in the past that customer service at TomTom is non existent.
I have tried to report (30 to 40 times) a non existent road near my home location. It has been ignored by TomTom MapShare every time.
I have decided to give my TomTom to someone I don't like.
John

http:/ /ghttp://getsatisfaction.com/tomtom/top....com/tomtom/topics/tom_tom_customer_service_stihttp://getsatisfaction.com/tomtom/top...#

I have reported that my TomTom in warranty stopped working - get a reply of re-set which I had told them I had done. No answer on the phone after 20 minutes. The mensu for getting repaitrs done go round in circles. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT

I'm now the happy owner of a Garmin Nuvi, not a moment too soon.
I'm giving my TomTom 3rd away.
John

I spent another 35 minutes on getting to their service department -now told that units sold in Australai only have a one year period on warranty, so if want it repaired I will have to pay. Pointed out that they operate internationally and that I bought the software in USA & UK, which means I have invested $750 in a machine that only lasts year. I shall take this to the Trading Standards Dept but still cannot believe Tomtom can continue to exist

I thought a tomtom warranty was two years - well at least in the UK....

Is there really no place to send my TomTom One for repair? It is not under warantee, but I would pay something within reason to have it fixed. Hours of searching and attempts to call the manufacturer and it appears they simply cannot be fixed.

ProfCharley

What country are you in Charley?
People can then help you locate an alternative repair centre.
Martin - United Kingdom

Don't know why they call it Customer Service. My husband has spent the past week on emails and phone calls. Just wanted to buy a map to use in Australia, on an upcoming trip. The download stopped before completion and said there was some kind of error. When he tríed to download again, just got the message that the map was already downloaded, and couldn't be downloaded again. He logs out of his personal page on tom toms website, logs on again and it tells him that he has to upgrade his unit, which he does. This results in the upgrade stopping underway with some kind of failure message, and his tom tom one xl is completely unusable. He has now spent hours on the phone and sending emails. He has described the problems so many times, and 80 % of the time the non-replyable email answers a completely different question. When he finally got through to customer service on the phone, they told him he could send it to be repaired, but must pay for the repairs and transport back and forth, even though it is tom toms website and download system which is responsible for all these problems. Here we stand with a tom tom one xl we can't use and money paid out for a map we havent received. I am just so angry, and reading all these postings about the same problems experienced by people all over the world I am considering contacting the producers of a national tv program that takes up issues for the public against companies like tom tom. The product is basically ok, the website, download system and so called customer service STINKS!!!!!!

Ann

FYI - I posted my experience in the discussion board on TomTom's Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/TomTom/...). (You have to first become a fan of TomTom on Facebook in order to post on it though). Soon after, I was called by a Customer Service specialist who dealt with my issue immediately. Anyone who has problems talking to the appropriate person in TomTom Customer Service should consider Facebook as their outlet!

I purchased (sorry paid for) a map update for my 910 last night (20/02/2009) almost 24 hours later still no map downloaded. My 910 when I connect it to my pc says no updates availabale.

I have contacted tomtom support (that would be funny if it wasn't such crap) still have had no response. I know that tomtom will come back and say they will answer in two working days but they took my money within seconds and still haven't supplied me with my goods. I am no expert but I guess that there is some UK legislation which protects me as a consumer from companies who take my money and dont supply me with my goods or service. I am sure in another set of circumstances this would be called theft.

Has anyone had a similar problem and if so how was it resolved?

Finally I have to say that having used a number of different sat navs after purchasing this 910, the tomtom range in general seem to be the absolute worst sat navs on the market, my A to Z street books are a millions times better and it was bought in 2004.

Tomtom products and tomtom customer support are disgraceful. Tomtom should really come clean and put thier hands up and hang thier heads in shame for thier crappy products and even worse customer service.

I had the same problem with updating my map and will advise anyone thinking of ordering a TomTom device to look for another product.

I must admit I have also had a very bad experiences with TomTom's customer service - twice now.

I had the TomTom Navigator - a good product. For various reasons I had problems, first with the installation and later on with the update of maps. The feedback from customer service was short and almost arrogant - and most importantly, didn't solve my problem, nor did it guide me in any direction as to where to find help or what to do. If you can, avoid TomTom's customer service - and if that is important to you, buy another product.

Tom Tom is indeed the very worst GPS Company I know of, although to be fair I dont know of any decent ones either. I had my Tom Tom One for three months and in that time it only worked effectively for about a consecutive week! Since then it has "lost signal" for periods of up to five days at a time and finally today It wont even turn on even after I did all possible trouble shooting you can do and mind you that I have never abused this product at all! From what I understand Iam also under NO warranty through the store I purchased it through ((Wal-Mart((sucks too!)) and obdviously Tom Tom will not replace or fix the product for free! I warn all of you not to make the mistake I made NEVER BUY TOMTOM! RESEARCH ALL OPTIONS BEFORE YOU BUY, LESSON LEARNED!

Sadly Tom Tom believe they are above the law within New Zealand, and have pointed me to a legal that apparently (in their eyes) supersedes their obligation to the consumer (called the Consumer Guarantees Act). The device died, after a lot of work I managed to get it going again but it lost the map that came with it. I'm told I have to purchase one or pay for a repair centre to restore one. Thankfully it is less than a year old and deemed to be "not suitable for the purpose purchased", sadly it's the retailer that will end up picking up this burden, not Tom Tom. To simplify my feelings, F&*^ them, they can ram their shoddy outdated poorly mapped pile of windscreen garbage up their anally retentive obligation ducking asses.

After 6 months of having no ability to create a wireless connection with my mobile phone for Traffic, TomTom refuses to help further. Was told it will be fixed in a software update... a TomTom software update last year knobbled the wireless data connection in the 1st place. Managed the other week to get it working by completely rebuilding all the software on the unit, but now refuses to work again. TomTom have given up helping and refuse to exchange or replace with a working unit.

VERY poor 'customer service' policies. Their tech's are very friendly and I have no issue with them, its the company that appears not to want to have satisfied customers any more.

Will have to loose money and go and buy a Garmin after many years being a loyal TomTom customer.

Not happy at all.

I received a $10 coupon in e-mail for use on tomtom.com. It contained no other restrictions. So, I went to tomtom.com and ordered a voice. The site wouldn't take the coupon code so I proceeded anyway, assuming that customer service would take care of it. WRONG. I was informed that even though I went to tomtom.com and ordered it there, and got an invoice from tomtom.com, it was not a valid purchase because the website launched TomTom Home, which means that voices can not be purchased from tomtom.com. (Even though you start and finish there and are never told you are leaving....)

Anyway, customer service and the "I can read from my list of allowed responses" supervisor George are unable to do anything about it.

Oh, and I can't get a refund either. But I can still use the coupon on anything else on the tomtom.com site (maybe....)

Does anyone think that tomtom can fix this or should I chat with VISAVISA?

I agree that TomTom's "customer service" (i use the term loosely) is poor, despite their methods of calculating just how good they are when looking for awards. My 5 month old GO730 has a cracked screen after the windshield mount fell onto my dashboard. I called TomTom & their phone service rep said there was nothing they could do, just take it to an electronics repair shop & get them to fix it. I've tried 6 shops and everyone one of them has said i need to get a new screen from TomTom. I went back to TomTom & told them and the response was simply "there is nothing we can do". I understood & dont have a problem with it not being under warranty and when i asked if they could sell me a new screen or at least direct me to a vendor that could sell me a new screen i simply got a "cant help you, but would you like a $50 coupon to go out and buy another TomTom from us?" as a response. Since there is no chance i will buy another TomTom, i turned that offer down. Their response was to simply say "there is nothing else we can do and goodbye".
I've had 3 problems with this unit since i bought it. All 3 calls into their "customer service" dept have been met with rude, unhelpful reps. When i emailed them with the problems, they didnt respond with solutions but did send me the same email that 'truckerjohn1' got and a comment about how they are always there to help. Since you cant respond to their emails my unhappiness fell on deaf ears. How the hell does TomTom get their customer service awards when they treat customers this way? My guess is that the customer service manager is the one who provides the customer feedback data to management. Talk about covering one's ass to make themselves look good & keep their job.....its like giving a fox the keys to the chicken coop and telling him to guard it.

Good old Tomtom customer 'service' strikes again.... I've already said to hell with Tomtom and bought a Garmin 265WT to replace it.

Customer (***) 07/17/2009 11:14 AM
I have a GO 730 unit that fell when mounted in the windshield device and now the screen is cracked. The unit works fine other than a cracked screen. Can i purchase a replacement screen from your company or can you direct me to a source where i can purchase the necessary screen? I have tried a number of electronics companies both here in Canada and the USA & they have all told me to go back to TOMTOM & obtain a replacement screen.

Dear Sir or Madam,

Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support center. We appreciate you allowing us to be of service to you. Below is a summary of your request and our response.

This incident will remain open for the next 72 hours and will close automatically if we do not hear back. If you have follow up questions regarding your incident, please select the link below.

Thank you and Best Regards,
The TomTom Customer Support Team

Subject
I have a GO 730 unit that fell when mounted in the windshield device and now ...

Discussion Thread
Response (ST Rebecca F) 07/18/2009 05:17 PM
Dear Mike,

Thank you for contacting TomTom. We appreciate the time you have taken to contact us regard to the cracked screen on your unit We are happy to help.

We do understand the frustration that you are having, with your defective unit. We must inform you that any physical damage that happens to the unit, is not covered under warranty. We do apologize for this. This is stated right in the warranty agreement:

WHAT THIS WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER
2) The Limited Warranty does not apply to normal wear and tear, does not apply
when the Hardware is opened or repaired by someone not authorized by TomTom and
does not cover repair or replacement of any Hardware or part thereof damaged by:
misuse, moisture, liquids, proximity or exposure to heat and accident, abuse, noncompliance
with the instructions supplied with the Hardware, neglect or
misapplication. The Limited Warranty does not cover physical damage to the surface
of the Hardware. This Limited Warranty does not cover any software that may
accompany or be installed on the Hardware. The Limited Warranty does not cover the
installation, removal or maintenance of the Hardware or any costs related herewith.

We do not do any repairs on cracked screens, even if not in warranty. We do not have screens to offer you even for purchase. We are also not aware of any type of repair centers.

Because we do understand this frustration, and we do want our customer's to get the most out of their units we do have what is called a "Customer Loyalty Program". This gives our customer's a chance to get a unit at a discounted rate if the unit is purchased through us. If this is something that you are interested in, please do let us know.

$75 Off MSRP GO 930; 930 T; GO 730
$35 Off MSRP XL 330•S; XL 330; ONE 130; ONE 130•S; ONE 3rd

Thank you for choosing TomTom for your navigation needs. If you have any further questions or comments, please email or call us at 866-486-6866 Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM until 7:00 PM EST or Saturday, 9:00 AM until 6:00 PM EST. Thanks again for writing. At TomTom we believe in showing you the way the easy way.

With Best Regards,

Becki
TomTom Customer Support

Should you wish to update your TomTom Question, please log in to your TomTom account via the TomTom website and do the following:

-Click on 'Support'
-Select 'My Questions History'
-Click on the title of your question then click on 'Update Question'

and my response.....

Just what i needed. Another TomTom rep telling me about the warranty and not providing any 'service'. I'm very aware that the damage was not covered under the warranty, thats why i asked if i could "PURCHASE" a screen or be directed to a vendor where that could handle the screen repair.

I dont want any part of your "Customer Loyalty Program" after my experiences with this particular unit and your customer "service" dept. over the last 6 mos. I've gone out and bought a new Garmin unit to replace the TomTom. Garmin will provide the help i was seeking. Of course i'm sure that your service manager (in his reports to management) will chalk this one up as another satisfied customer so that you can nominate yourselves for service awards again.....

I tried buying a map from them, I have proof of the order, their system failed putting it through, I called they said try back later. That was Wednesday, I tried back Monday the next time I had time to do this and downlad the file and the price went up $20 and they would not honor the price on my order, an order that is in their system.

Hallo ALL,
I reside in Melbourne, Australia. In here, we have (apparently) impermeable set of laws against rough trading; yes? Wrong.
I own an HP iPAQ hw6500 series PDA that came bundled with a TomTom’s Navigator 6.
Four days ago, I decided my old map of Australia was far out of date, so I purchased a “new” map of Australia for a cool price of AUD149.95.
After 3 hours of download/install process I had to search for and then install an “activation code” which process took me Friday night (5 hours until 02:30 hours into Saturday’s morning), Saturday some 5 hours, Sunday ON/OFF another 6 hours, all to no avail.
Following instructions of TomTom “support”, I went to www.ttcode.com to obtain the activation code; subsequently TomTom system rejected the code I had just been issued, as an invalid one for the “Australia Product” (the map I just purchased).
After spending ALL that time, on Monday I called TomTom’s Australian support, well first was this rather unpleasant and impatient Michael for whom I waited 15 minutes (no help at all – call in one hour , for the person who issues codes). Next was a rather nice Anna for whom I waited 23 minutes (for a nice women I can wait); still little help, she offered to send a request to TomTom Home (Nederland I presume).
Finally, some five hours later I spoke to Warren. This time I learned that the Australia Product (the map I purchased last Friday) is over two years old, with only a few changes as compared with the one I already have. The only problem was that when updating to the new map, the SYSTEM whipped out my old map, so effectively I am left with an OLD map for additional AUD149.95 ONLY, and without an activation code to us it!!!!!!! Apparently, there is no more support for the Navigator 6, so I better learn again how to “nNavigate” manually.
Next time you think about purchasing a TomTom product, thing: TooooooooooooommmmmmTooooooooooooooommmmmm!!!!!!!!!!
All yours Wojtek M. From Melbourne, Australia!!!

I have a TomTom One 3rd edition and the port where the power cord plugs into somehow lost the female side and now my charger can't charge the unit. I just need the little metal socket to press back in, but since the unit is over one year old I can't get it serviced and TomTom won't sell me the part directly. WHY? I will not buy another TomTom product if this is the support they offer on their products. It's ridiculous that they'd expect me to go spend another $200.00 instead of selling me a piece that probably costs .02 cents to manufacture. Exactly why would they think I, or my family, will ever buy one of their products again? Lousy customer support and service policy.

I understand about software refunds in general as I am Director of a software company. However TomTom has charged twice now on orders directly from your website for the same product. Why do I need two copies of maps for Germany or TomTom traffic twice. On both occassions I have been advised by TomTom that the original orders had failed and to reorder. On both occassions I have eventually been charged twice. This seems like a company policy to me.

well i had this problem with a Go 500 made the mistake of buying a new machine and because of their stupid infuriating ridiculous so called help, the system will not even let me REGISTER my NEW machine grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I agree that the customer service is worse than pathetic. I tried to buy an item that was on sale on their website, and when I added it to my shopping cart the price shown was 30% higher than the price on the original page. I went back to this page, saved it, sent it to customer service via their awkward website, and then called twice, each time waiting 15 minutes to get to talk to someone. Both times I was assured the price would be honored, but they asked me to wait 3-4 days for instructions on how to make the purchase. Does the President of the company have to approve them honoring their own prices? The next thing I know, the day after my second call, I get an e-mail, from an address that allows no reply, saying my case was closed because they had not heard from me. I think they did me a favor. If this is their idea of customer service, I'm going to buy a Garmin. That last thing I want is to have to deal with these clowns if I have a defective product or technical problem. Too bad, I've had a TomTom 1 for years, and liked it, but I'm done with this company.