Returning satnav advice

sco0ter

bazippy wrote: »

okay lets not get into the cost of maps etcetc, at the end of the day im extremely unhappy with my purchase i wasnt informed that it couldnt be taken back, i also was not given a demo of the product or told i could examine it. am i entitled to a return?

But your whole reason for not wanting it is because of the price of the maps etcetc and nothing to do with anything else. A demo of the product would not have given you any more information and I am sure if you asked for one you would have been given one as for examining it then they couldnt have sold it on to anyone else as the security seals on the box would have been broken. I know in my local they had the plastic (empty) test versions you can hold and look at and a 900 series up and running that you could see features on when I was looking to buy mine.

If you were looking to buy a sat Nav then researching is the only way to get what you want. All the major makers are much the same but some would be more suitable than others. Maybe you could sell it to a mate or give it as a christmas present.

KeithP

bazippy wrote: »

...am i entitled to a return?

Well, you have now asked twice.
I tried to explain gently the first time.

The answer is... No you are not entitled to return the product.

But of course that answer, and those given by others, are only the opinions of anonymous internet forum posters.
I suggest that if you want a more definitive answer, you need to seek legal advice...
CAB, Consumer Direct, Trading Standards, solicitor, etc.

Freddie_Snowbits

bazippy wrote: »

i certainly feel i should have been informed at the cash desk. when you buy a pair of pants the sales person explains there is a no return on these items once bought! they only cost a few quid satnav £130 go figure!

Muppet. £6.99 buys a map

DVardysShadow

I know little about satnavs, but it seems to me that the key question is "Does it still work if you don't buy upgrades?"

If it still works, it effectively functions in the same way as a printed atlas in that the accuracy degrades over time, but the information remains intact. If the satnav stops working once an upgrade is due, then I think it should go back and be refunded, because the nature of the product has not been made clear.

gregg1

I bought a satnav from Halfords and it broke after 29 days. I could not even get a refund when it was broken so I really dont think you will have any luck.

hollydays

I too am aware that Halfords try to get you to return satnavs to the manufacturer when faulty,rather than accept them back.It happened to me,plus a lot of terrible customer service and the worst inefficiency I have seen in a retailer,i won't shop there any more.(Anyone finds this happens needs to contact trading standards)

jb66

I have a TomTom too and I was a bit upset that i had to pay alot to update my maps. Eventually I learned how to hack into my satnav and I then installed the latest updates. The amount of streets that had changed were so small its not worth the bother or the money. If your satnav is upto date now realistically it should do you many years before it starts to get things wrong. Plus you can manually change streets etc in the menu.

jb66

sco0ter wrote: »

The IQ routes are built into the map and are updated with the map. As far as I can tell (and been using IQ routes for almost a year and 3 map updates) the IQ routes is not really that effective anyway. Constantly I get sent into the M8 at rush hour when it has always had tailbacks for the past 7 years I have been driving the route. I connect mine to the free RDS traffic service and this does a much better job and before anybody jumps in and screams its rotten, I know its not the fastest at updating but I usually get plenty of warning and it has got better as now even roadworks and delays on minor roads are given for my area. At least I can avoid the "fastest Route" that IQ want me to take

Just remember that the IQ route data is not like a live service and only goes on historical information and if there is not enough info then no IQ anyway. The monthly price you pay is primaraily for the Map update and is a good deal as it costs more to update once a year than it does to update quarterly.

An interesting fact is that TOMTOM uses vodaphones phone network to detect slow moving traffic then broadcasts the signal to your satnav on the same signal as Classic FM which makes it quite reliable (if you get a signal).

vyle

If you were buying it in the shop, why didn't you ASK how map updates worked? If you even went to the tomtom website it shows all the extras that you can buy with each satnav.

You can't expect somebody in a shop to explain every nuance of a product and the price of every possible upgrade to you if you haven't asked. It's not feasible.

The satnav will still work and you dont HAVE to update your maps every 3 months, they just release updates that often.

If youre trying to return something because you didn't research it and just decided you don't like it then I hope you don't get a refund, because youre just being ridiculous.

markybaby

I should imagine halfords have taken this line due to the amount of people returning sat navs after using them for a weeks holiday and saying they are unsuitable. The manufacturer wont have them back and they would have been forced to sell them with a discount as used. The margin on technology these days is tiny and to be honest why should stores bankroll people too cheap to buy something for themselves.