I bought an expensive $399, 6” premium TomTom GO 6100 in-car GPS in late-2015 with the promise of free lifetime maps. One expects this perfectly serviceable device to last many years. Well, TomTom reneged on its promise, and it needs to be taken to task.
When I reviewed the unit in May 2015, I wrote
The free [lifetime] updates only apply to the GO 510/610 and the premium GO 5100 (5”) and GO 6100 (6”) – they also include TomTom world maps (157 countries – Africa, Europe, Middle East, South America/Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and USA/Canada/Mexico) so you can use it overseas for no extra cost.
What does lifetime mean? According to TomTom support site, “Lifetime is the useful life of the device, which means the period that TomTom continues to support your device with software updates, services, content or accessories. A device will have reached the end of its life when none of these are available any more. The useful life of the smartphone app means the period that TomTom continues to support the app with updates.”
Lifetime TomTom Traffic, World Maps and Speed Cameras: Receive TomTom Traffic, Speed Cameras and download 4 or more full updates of any installed map every year, for the life of your product. You need a PC with an Internet Connection and a MyTomTom account to download new maps and updates.
I gave the TomTom GO 6100 to my daughter who lives in Canberra, and she has been using it since.
But it has not all been smooth sailing.
Problem 1 – Won’t update over USB- 3.0
Initially, I used an HP EliteBook circa 2012 with USB 2.0 ports to run TomTom’s MyDrive Connect to update maps and software. But I graduated to a Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and with it, USB 3.0. TomTom stopped communicating with the PC. The user forums were awash with the issue, and TomTom’s support advice did not work. The cure was to buy a USB 3.0 to USB 2.0 dongle – at that time $89 just to update the TomTom. I found that a very much later firmware update fixed this issue providing you could update it via a USB 2.0 PC first!
Problem 2 – Corrupted maps
Early this year during my daughters’ not regular enough pilgrimage to visit Dad, I went to update the maps only to find the MyDrive Connect (on the same Surface Pro 4) was showing ‘corrupted maps’. The onscreen message was that the only way to fix that was to buy a new map for A$84.95.
What happened to free lifetime maps and traffic?
Well, it seems that my 3-year old device was deemed by TomTom to be too old and they reneged on the promise of lifetime maps.
I went online to find that Australia or NZ costs $84.95 per map (no updates) and the whole world (that I also had) now costs from $159.95 (no updates). That did not cover live traffic, and speed camera updates let alone lifetime maps.
To say this got my goat would be an understatement. I lodged an incident with TomTom and Prachi responded the next day.
Soft Reset:- Press and hold the On/Off button until you hear the drum sounds and the device restarts. This can take 30 seconds or more.
Please keep the device connected and install the map using below link:- http://au.support.tomtom.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/13855
Now being a technical type, I followed the instructions to the letter, and they did not work. A web search found hundreds of complaints about having to buy new maps for older devices to cure corrupt maps.
The real cure for map corruption was convoluted involving a factory hard reset of the TomTom to wipe everything; resurrecting the HP EliteBook (that fortunately I had kept) that had a two year old backup version of the map and software; placing this on microSD; and then resurrecting the device from that microSD card.
Out of curiosity I then attached it to the Surface Pro 4. The USB 3.0 issue had disappeared (no dongle needed) and it found the device and updated the software and the maps. Sorry, TomTom – no money for you!
TomTom’s website did display a warning at that time – we can’t find it on the current Australian website.
For affected devices (see the full list of affected devices at the end of the page),
- You will not be able to renew maps or services.
- If you have an active subscription to map updates or TomTom services, you will continue receiving those until the subscription runs out.
- You will not receive new software updates.
- Your device will continue to function as it does now, but your map will become out-of-date and as such navigation will be less accurate
Devices no longer supported (U.K. list) – the US list is different
GO (B1) | GO 1000 (LIVE) (TD/TB) | GO 1005 (LIVE) (SF/SB) |
GO 300 (M1) | GO 500 (2005) (M3) | GO 510 (V5) |
GO 520 (M2/M4) | GO 530 (J1/J2) | GO 540 LIVE (WT) |
GO 550 LIVE (W3) | GO 630 (JB) | GO 700 (M5) |
GO 710 (V5) | GO 720 (M6/M9) | GO 730 (J3/J4) |
GO 740 LIVE (WR/WL) | GO 750 (LIVE) (W4/W7/W8) | GO 820 (FT) |
GO 825 (FY) | GO LIVE 1050 / GO LIVE 2050 (SB) | ONE 1st Edition (G1/G2) |
ONE 2nd Edition (E1/E2/Z1/Z2/Z3) | ONE 30 Series (PA/PB/PC/PE/PF/PH/PI/PK/PN/PP/PL/PO/PQ/PV) | ONE 3rd Edition (Y1/Y2/Y3/Y4/Y5/Y7/Y8) |
ONE IQ Routes (P1/PS/P2/PU) | ONE XL (L1/L2/L3/L4/L7/L9) | ONE XL HD Traffic Europe (F3) |
Start (XA/XB/XC/XD) | Start 20(AO)/25(BK) | Start 60(WM) |
Start/Start Classic (XN/XM/XF/XH) | VIA 110(AG)/130/135(AV/AQ) | VIA 120 (LIVE) (AN/AU/FM) |
XL 30 Series (RB/RC/RH/RI/RM/RN/RO/RV) | XL IQ Routes (GG/GH/GI/GJ/GP) | XL IQ Routes (RU/RS) |
XL IQ Routes LIVE (R1/R2) | XXL IQ Routes/Classic (RY/RW/RX/GL/GQ) | Rider V1, V2 or V3 |
Now here is the catch 22 – my TomTom Go 6100 is not in this list yet we received an email suggesting it was no longer supported – Maps and Services to stop for your device. It blithely offers a 30% discount to go to a TomTom 620 which was supported – for how long? Shove it TomTom.
What a rip-job!
A premium $399 TomTom Go 6100 (with a microSD card memory expansion slot) sold by TomTom until mid-2016 should last for at least five or more years. But as the email clearly says “Maps and Services to stop for your device.”
Persistence, not TomTom support, got it going again to help my daughter get home to Canberra. I for one will not be buying TomTom products ever again.
Update – TomTom is still spamming my daughter
Today (29 January 2019) she received this wanring
Your current SatNav is incompatible with TomTom’s latest map update. Consider upgrading your hardware.
Yet, TomTom’s website reveals in fine print:
I have Lifetime Maps: Newer devices with Lifetime Maps are not affected. Only a limited number of devices made before 2013 will have trouble supporting new maps and software. We have already contacted users with these devices. To confirm your device’s capacity and year of manufacture, you can check both via My Products on the TomTom website.
So why are TomTom spamming my daughter (and other users) spreading fear, uncertainty and deception? Laughable, the desperate lengths it will go to to get sales. TomTom please tell the truth although its too late to repair your tattered reputation.
And its offer to pay $0.00 relates to the first map for 1.5 years then you pay for updates. What happened to Lifetime???
I am so angry that I paid big money for this in 2016 and always though I could up date it, what a rip off that we have to buy a new sat nav now. so we just throw this away!
It’s almost time for class action.
Their lifetime means whenever they want to decide how long is a lifetime. Or when it costs too much to provide the lifetime update. warranty.
I own a GO520….my third Tomtom. Been very happy with the accuracy of the maps driving in UK. Looks like I will have to use Google maps from now on. They have let down a lot of people.
I’m super pissed. Even if it were only a $50 product, I’d still be pissed. When you are spending $400+ you get super pissed. For me it’s more about the deception/lies, I’m weird that way. I can’t stand being lied too, just ask any person/entity who has ever lied to me. It completely redefines the nature of our association FOREVER. When you promise “LIFETIME” it should mean LIFETIME, not someone’s new sneaky, chickenshit redefined definition. It’s very simple for me, I wouldn’t piss down their throat if their guts were on fire, meaning I will NEVER EVER spend a penny with tomtom again. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I have now professed my loyalty to Garmin. I have Garmin products that are 20+ yrs old and still work as good as the day I purchased them. Our world is changing quickly and deception is the new name of the game. Our only recourse is to commit to never giving them our business again, or a class action lawsuit. I like them both equally.
Tom Tom has lost me as a customer. When they can offer a update to pay for on your old device but can’t stand behind free lifetime updates on same device. I lost respect for Tom Tom. Time to switch to Garmin.
Exactly!! And I too have switched to Garmin. As a matter of fact, a friend of my husband gave him a little Garmin Nuvi (some years ago), and it didn’t have map updates. I literally went on, purchased lifetime maps for it, and it works great! TomTom worked great, but the lifetime is obviously BS to them, and I will never buy another TomTom again.
I’ve had the app on my iphones & also purchased the app 2nd time for an android phone..(this is another rip-off on it’s own!) then when the changed to “TOMTOM GO” they tried to get me on a yearly subscription…here how the conversation went –
“28/09/2016 06.24 PM
I’m finding it hard to understand what your saying Narendra, I purchased BOTH of the app’s for iphone & android outright with free updates for life!
No more fee’s or ongoing cost…Purchased out-right….both of them! They can’t go & change the same app, call it something slightly different, and then charge a service fee for it. The purchase of the Iphone one costed me $80AUD sometime in 2012, & I got the android one on “sale” sept 2014 for $35AUD.
And now your saying I had to pay for a 1 year subscription. Someone on your side of things has got it wrong.
I thought at the time it was wrong that I had to repurchase the app because I just swapped from Iphone to an android. that was double dipping in my opinion.
I hope I am reading your email with the reply from the finance team wrong, because as explained above, I will be a very unhappy customer.
I want both my Iphone & android tomtom apps supported for life as I purchased, which is simply the fair & right thing to do on all of these. “.
After this back & forth conversation they gave me an “Unlimited subscription” for 5 or 6 years till last year (OCT 2022) when they stopped my subscription, saying after contacting them;
“Sandy (TomTom)
20 Oct 2022, 17:46 GMT+2
Dear Alan,
Thank you for updating ticket 2613—. I understand that you are unhappy that the old app purchased for a lifetime is not available now.
Due to technical limitations, users could no longer install any new maps or software updates. Some features of the app could not be upgraded and hence the app came to end life. The term “Lifetime” in technology states that till the Life of the Device or the App and unfortunately the app came to its end life.
We had already activated the 3 years subscription as an exception earlier. Thus, you will have to subscribe by purchasing the subscription now. Also, please be informed that the subscriptions of the apps are managed by Apple and Google. In order to activate any subscription to the app, you would need to contact Apple. We only handle issues related to the functionality of the app or any issues on the map.
I hope this addresses your concern, if you have any more queries or would like to update me, please don’t hesitate to reply to this email and I’ll be more than happy to help.
Thanks and Regards,
Sandy
TomTom Support Team.
….”The term “Lifetime” in technology states that till the Life of the Device or the App and unfortunately the app came to its end life.” What a cop out! Tried to reply…got silence & just wanted Apple or Google to deal with it!
My smart phones (Iphone & Samsung) will run their apps – no excuses of being outdated!
I purchased & they entered into a “LIFETIME” contract! look up any dictionary.. I believe they know they’ve done wrong.
Someone smarted than me needs to educate them.
Just use Waze or Google Maps ( both of them are free ) and show TomTom the finger !