Sunday Times sat-nav article

[Darren]

[weestewarty]

[weestewarty]

In February 2005 I wrote to the Sunday Mail regarding some problems with the Tomtom because their customer service department were not interested. The Sunday Mail published a story, which I have included below as I can’t find a link for it on the net anymore. In February this year some guy called me from The Times and asked me if he could use part of my story in his, it was a two minute call and I didn’t tell him anything just said it was ok to use.
Some parts of the following story are also rubbish and make me sound like a geek but at the end of the day I got my money back and Tomtom also gave me a newer version of the Tomtom for free even although it has all the same errors.

STEW'S L0ST THE PLACE
STEWART LOCKHART thought his days of using an A-Z road map were over when he splashed out £400 on a satellite navigation system for his car.
But instead, Stewart, 24, has been driven round the bend by the dashboard-mounted gadget, which keeps getting him lost and does not even recognise his home address.
In the three months since he bought the TomTom Go system, he has discovered more than 100 faults, including streets and areas that do not exist.
Glasgow's Great Western Road is listed as Inverquhomery Road and Alexandra Parade as Dundas Crescent. Paisley's Wellmeadow Street is listed as Clashrodney Road and West Clyde Street, Helensburgh, as Averon Road.
Stewart said: 'I am quite literally driving round in circles. This system is supposed to get me home but it keeps getting me lost and taking me to the wrong places.
'It's so bad I still have to use my £2.50 A-Z. The thing's ridiculous.'
Stewart, from Alexandria, Dunbartonshire, paid £412 by credit card for the system from Comet online in November.
He said: 'I work for the ambulance service as an emergency medical despatcher.
'I take 999 calls and send out helicopters and the like, so I have a real interest in maps, streets and how they link up.
'I had been out on a job with our rapid response unit and they had a sat nav system.
'I was amazed at what it could do and that's what made me decide to get one for myself.
'Now I dread to think what would happen if our ambulances were fitted with one like mine.'
Minutes after installing the device in his car, Stewart realised there was a problem.
He said: 'One of the first things you do is key in your home address so the system knows where you are.
'But it didn't recognise my street. I thought I'd made a mistake so I keyed it in again.'
But still the TomTom could not pinpoint Stewart's address.
He said: 'I soon realised that my street was listed under a completely different name. I couldn't believe it.'
Stewart went on a drive to test the system out and discovered numerous faults.
He said: 'I keyed in a destination and soon found over 100 errors, most of them streets with completely the wrong name - which means you can't navigate to them.
'The worst one was when I was collecting a pal in Clydebank and it took me up a dirt-track farm road.
'I ended up in the rough and nearly drove into a burn. The farmer was looking at me as if I was mad.'
Stewart started spending his spare time finding streets that were incorrectly listed. He said: 'I have been going out in the car with pals for a laugh to test the sat nav out.
'I now have a huge list of streets that do not exist or have completely the wrong name.
'Some of them are really funny. Station Road in Dumbarton, for example, is listed as Deepdale Branch Road. The best of the lot is Union Court in Paisley, which the sat nav says is Onion Court.
'I have checked the Glasgow street names against proper maps on the internet and found a lot of them do exist... in Dundee.'
But remembering his £412, Stewart decided enough was enough and contacted TomTom and Comet to complain about the useless sat nav.
He said: 'They were no help at all. TomTom told me all the units were the same and there was nothing they could do.
'They said if I wasn't happy, Comet should be refunding my money because I bought it from them.
'But Comet said the system wasn't faulty as such, just made like that - so they didn't have to offer a refund.'
That's when Stewart called me in. He said: 'I have spent £400 on something that's absolutely no use.
'I'm fed up driving up dead-end streets. Please help me.'
When I got on to TomTom, they said: 'We are very sorry Mr Lockhart has had a negative experience.
'We get our maps from a third party supplier and they work hard to ensure information is up to date. We are investigating.'
I then got on to Comet. They said: 'We are very concerned to hear of Mr Lockhart's problems.
'After discussing the matter with TomTom, we have decided to offer him a full refund.'
And not before time.

[altosaxx]

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