| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
SteveM
Occasional Visitor
Joined: Aug 06, 2004
Posts: 8
|
 Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 3:09 pm Post subject: M6 Toll... yet again! |
 |
|
Just purchased TomTom 3 and I'm miffed about the M6 toll road not being on the maps. After e-mailing tomtom I got the following response 
Dear Mr Mountford,
Parts of the M6 are on the map. Any part of the M6 completed (December 2003) after October 2003 may not be reflected on the map. Road constructions projects have been known to be delayed quite often and sometimes with very little advanced notice. If the project had been delayed by several months then our software would ask that you drive down an unfinished road, and our customers would then have objected to this. Digital maps are not like paper maps and take weeks to correlate and then they must be tested, then road tested, tested with the software, and then pressed into CDs and then the software distributed all of which takes time. We do not know if there will be any map updates prior to the next version of the Pocket PC navigation software from TomTom.
We hope to have answered your question to your satisfaction.
With best regards,
The TomTom Customer Support Team |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Beefy
Regular Visitor
Joined: Aug 06, 2004
Posts: 107
Location: Bucks, United Kingdom
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 3:48 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I have the same problem with the estate that my house is in. We moved in to this new house 2 years ago to this month and they still have no record of the whole estate!
Funnily enough I had a Garmin product for a short while and this had some of the roads of the estate.
I can understand what TomTom are saying, but to take 1 year and eight months to update maps seems to me as if they are a big company that is not really committed to supporting the UK.
Add this to the address searching this just smells of a market leader that is more intersted in profit rather than service.
:x
Beefy |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
andrewh
Regular Visitor
Joined: Jun 18, 2004
Posts: 64
Location: Belgium
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 3:54 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I think that you misrepresent Tomtom as a big company. They have something like 100 employees worldwide and have no input on the mapping process.
I also suspect that their entire development and testing department is currently tied up with the new platform which, by the end of the quarter, should be available on three platforms (GO, Palm and phone). Just testing the new maps used by GO to work on TT3 would be a large undertaking, especially as they will move to the new platform for TT4.
It would be nice to see the new maps for Palm as this would be no effort on top of what they need to do for GO and phone systems. However, I doubt they will do that for fear of riling the Pocket PC mob  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SteveM
Occasional Visitor
Joined: Aug 06, 2004
Posts: 8
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 4:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Seems a bit strange to me that they don't do an interim update of the maps and charge us for it!?!? I would be willing to pay £40/£50 for an update. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
delboy0754
Frequent Visitor
![]()
Joined: Jul 10, 2004
Posts: 296
Location: In the Office
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 6:42 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I don't think everybody would want to pay for updates to an existing software they've already paid for. Brand new software is a different matter. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
AndyCr15
Regular Visitor
Joined: Jul 03, 2004
Posts: 197
Location: London, UK
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 7:08 pm Post subject: |
|
|
But it isn't brand new anyway. TT3 is just to me and slightly patched version of TT2...
Besides, no-one said TT should force everyone to pay £40-£50 for an update, it is just suggested that it is something they could offer to people. Those that want to wait for 'new' software can do so.
_________________
TomTom 6 - SPV M5000 and WM6
Garmin Zumo 500 on Honda TransAlp
www.lanarchy.co.uk for LAN gaming near London |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
amcluesent
Regular Visitor
Joined: Jul 03, 2004
Posts: 134
Location: London
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 10:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
>Seems a bit strange to me that they don't do an interim update of the maps and charge us for it<
Odd, as apart from seriously ***ing off their existing customer base by supplying old maps, it would surely help in providing a steady income stream to give working capital. Seems TomTom have both defective customer relations and treasury departments! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MikeB
Frequent Visitor
Joined: 20/08/2002 11:51:57
Posts: 3859
Location: Essex, UK
|
| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 11:05 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| SteveM wrote: | | Seems a bit strange to me that they don't do an interim update of the maps and charge us for it!?!? I would be willing to pay £40/£50 for an update. |
That is more than they charge for a full version upgrade!!
_________________
Mike Barrett |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
delboy0754
Frequent Visitor
![]()
Joined: Jul 10, 2004
Posts: 296
Location: In the Office
|
| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 6:17 am Post subject: |
|
|
| AndyCr15 wrote: | But it isn't brand new anyway. TT3 is just to me and slightly patched version of TT2...
Besides, no-one said TT should force everyone to pay £40-£50 for an update, it is just suggested that it is something they could offer to people. Those that want to wait for 'new' software can do so. |
But why pay for updates, it could be a ticket to make money hand over fist, what would stop them bringing out updates EVERY month, when one every 12 month would do.
12 monthly updates @ say £30 = £360
1 yearly update £30 or whatever
get my drift. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dave
Frequent Visitor
Joined: Sep 10, 2003
Posts: 6460
Location: UK
|
| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 8:42 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I have asked TomTom if there will be an update either via digital download or via CD, but have had no response back, so I can only presume they're not thinking of providing any updates at this time. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MikeB
Frequent Visitor
Joined: 20/08/2002 11:51:57
Posts: 3859
Location: Essex, UK
|
| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 8:44 am Post subject: |
|
|
| delboy0754 wrote: | But why pay for updates, it could be a ticket to make money hand over fist, what would stop them bringing out updates EVERY month, when one every 12 month would do.
|
This is exactly what TomTom do at the moment, and people are not happy. At least the M6 Toll will be in the next release when it comes out. The bottom half of the A130 in Essex has ben completed and open for nearly 18 months and has only just got into Co-Pilot 5.
One of the issues here is that where do you make the cutoff?
TomTom had no option but to take the December 2003 Teleatlas data to get TT3 to market in march. If they had waited for the March data then TT3 wouldnt have been launched until June. Now teleatlas have a cutoff so changes making it into their December release would be up to say October. So you you can see a lag getting built in here. The effect is that no map is going to be up to date and will always be about 6 months old at best. And thats assuming Teleatlas dont have a backlog of areas to be surveyed and get out and survey the roads as they are opened.
Another thing to consider is that when the roads are surveyed it is not just a matter of driving down the road and using the GPS track to construct the map. A lot of additional information is collected, such as road width, kerb height, pavement details, traffic island details, etc. This makes it a much more involved task, effectively adding to the time that a new road can be entered into the database correctly.
You also have to bear in mind that this is not just the UK we are talking about here it is the whole of western europe. Each country region will be facing similar issues. TomTom ultimately get the blame for not releasing updated maps, but for whichever software company issuing map data it is a huge investment in time and effort to get right, and lots of people are not going to be pleased because road x is not on the map, etc.
_________________
Mike Barrett |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
delboy0754
Frequent Visitor
![]()
Joined: Jul 10, 2004
Posts: 296
Location: In the Office
|
| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 8:57 am Post subject: |
|
|
| MikeB wrote: | [Another thing to consider is that when the roads are surveyed it is not just a matter of driving down the road and using the GPS track to construct the map. A lot of additional information is collected, such as road width, kerb height, pavement details, traffic island details, etc. This makes it a much more involved task, effectively adding to the time that a new road can be entered into the database correctly.
You also have to bear in mind that this is not just the UK we are talking about here it is the whole of western europe. Each country region will be facing similar issues. TomTom ultimately get the blame for not releasing updated maps, but for whichever software company issuing map data it is a huge investment in time and effort to get right, and lots of people are not going to be pleased because road x is not on the map, etc. |
This is why i think people expect to much from a GPS unit.
They forget that roads are being built on a regular basis, also roads re-routed, as near me in Blackpool, a major pedestrian area,in the town centre. No GPS could be upto date with this.
I say well done to the map makers,,, for a hard job well done. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
NigelJ
Regular Visitor
Joined: 17/03/2003 14:53:36
Posts: 70
Location: United Kingdom
|
| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 9:44 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | | Another thing to consider is that when the roads are surveyed it is not just a matter of driving down the road and using the GPS track to construct the map. A lot of additional information is collected, such as road width, kerb height, pavement details, traffic island details, etc. This makes it a much more involved task, effectively adding to the time that a new road can be entered into the database correctly. |
You could have fooled me! From the routes thet calculated for me when they always take me down VERY narrow 'B' roads. I shouldn't think they have ever seen let a lone driven down most roads.
Nigelj |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
SteveM
Occasional Visitor
Joined: Aug 06, 2004
Posts: 8
|
| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 10:50 am Post subject: |
|
|
| From a recent trip through Wales I would say that a lto of the map data is 'acquired' rather than gathered. i.e. they are relying on government info rather than measuring it themselves. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
BrummyGit
Regular Visitor
Joined: May 19, 2004
Posts: 113
|
| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 2:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| MikeB wrote: | One of the issues here is that where do you make the cutoff?
TomTom had no option but to take the December 2003 Teleatlas data to get TT3 to market in march. If they had waited for the March data then TT3 wouldnt have been launched until June. |
But surely the M6Toll (and related road changes such as the M6N->M42N) is such a core part of the UK trunk road infrastructure that they would have achieved a major advantage over their competitors by waiting until June, they might even have had the extra time to sort out the numerous bugs they shipped TT3 with. Imagine if we had built the M25 and the map printers had said, oh don't worry it'll be in next year's issue - They print them in dotted lines so maybe TomTom could have found a way to "switch it on" or done a deal with Teleatlas to re-issue the maps once the Toll road was open.
I'll bet more TT2 users would have upgraded for the M6Toll as well. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
![]() Posted: Today Post subject: Pocket GPS Advertising |
|
|
We see you’re using an ad-blocker. We’re fine with that and won’t stop you visiting the site.
Have you considered making a donation towards website running costs?. Or you could disable your ad-blocker for this site. We think you’ll find our adverts are not overbearing!
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Forum FAQ
Search
Usergroups
Profile
Log in for private messages
Log in
