Tom Tom starting to give way

[JohnD]

TomTom have had a ridiculous policy of charging huge amounts for updates to their navigators, so high that it is not worth paying for updates, after a year or two it would be cheaper to buy a new device (though I wouldn't buy another TomTom due to this policy)

Today I got a mail offering me a year's subscription to updates of the UK and European speed cameras for £9.99 (reduced from £39.99). As they have relented on their policy of excessive charges, I have decided to take it up.

Let's see if they have realised the folly of trying to charge such high prices that they get no custom.

 

[PJF220]

TomTom have had a ridiculous policy of charging huge amounts for updates to their navigators, so high that it is not worth paying for updates, after a year or two it would be cheaper to buy a new device (though I wouldn't buy another TomTom due to this policy)

Today I got a mail offering me a year's subscription to updates of the UK and European speed cameras for £9.99 (reduced from £39.99). As they have relented on their policy of excessive charges, I have decided to take it up.

Let's see if they have realised the folly of trying to charge such high prices that they get no custom.

TomTom are like Snap On tools or any other leading company in thier field. Yeah, it's costs a lot, but what you get is brilliant and in many ways superior to it's competitors. Things don't come cheap in this world if you want good quality so to produce the updates is not just a case you you downloading it, it's the team of people out in the field ensuring all the updates are correct, the people in the back office, the running of the operation. Other companies who offer too god to be true cheap updates and machines generally are too good to be true and cannot match the quality.

 

[JohnD]

but it's no good offering updates at a price that's so high nobody buys them. I paid a proper price for the original device and its software.

Profit maximisation depends on shifting the things.

What do you think is the incremental cost of each downloaded update? 0.00001p, or less than that?

 

[wotan]

I have a Garmin Nuvi, how strange that when it was just out of guarantee
it lost the ability to lock onto the satellites, ended up sending it back to be reprogrammed, that cost over £40.

I wonder how long it will last this time?

Wotan

 

[PJF220]

but it's no good offering updates at a price that's so high nobody buys them. I paid a proper price for the original device and its software.

Profit maximisation depends on shifting the things.

What do you think is the incremental cost of each downloaded update? 0.00001p, or less than that?

but the fact is, loads of people buy the updates, it's only those who object to the price that make their thoughts known.

As for cost of the update, it takes somebody to collate the information, people to update and improve the design and features of the product, someone to put the info in the database, the running costs of the office, rates, electricity, gas, water... it all adds up.

As an engineer, to train a new starter, provide tools and company car etc, it costs approximately £100,000, we have 200 engineers in the uk, all requiring ogoing training, product support, tools. The costs have to be met so thats where mark up comes in. Something that costs the company 20p will cost the customer £50 to pay for the time the engineer is with the customer, the cost of fuel to get there, the cost of repairing the return item as the factory needs money to run and pay for the staffing and expences.

Yeah sure, if you hike costs too high, people will stop buying, but whilst £40 for an update sounds expensive to some, enough people are buying so it's not a concern to TomTom. The no doubt offer discounts to companies buying bulk updates and they can take a hit on a few people objecting to the cost.

Also, by making the cost at the point where people may consider just buying a new unit, it generates new sales and makes figures look good in the sales department, ensures more people have new units and therefore they can begin to drop support and repair for older units which is more cost efficient to them.

 

[foxhole]

Bought my wife a tomtom sat nav and it was out of date from day one.Of course you should never download updates from dodgy free sites as that would be theft.
Have a Nokia phone with free sat nav , not perfect, but does the job.

 

[empip]

Have a Garmin Nuvi 300. Several years old. Works well.
Using the £19.99 p/a PocketGPSWorld.com Speed Camera Database, this is regularly updated by verified user input only.
Find a new fixed camera or mobile site - alert PGPSW, when verified get lifetime free updates. I am still searching for a new cam site, don't cover too many miles these days but just haven't found an unlisted cam yet.
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