Road Angel Classic - When is Lifetime Subscription not for Life?

Patrick5544

I think RA will not switch us to a lifetime subscription on their new products, otherwise they have got the exact same headache again in the future. It was only a ploy in my view to get alot of money at the start, in order to rapidly expand their company. They must hoped by the time they cancelled the lifetime subscription service (which they never could afforded on just £99), most users would have got bored of their product or no longer used it. Reading this site - how wrong they were!

Like I said already, RA days are numbered with the fact Tom Tom units now do speed cameras as well as being a sat nav, so there will be not such a need for RA product's in the future, so they may go bust anyway.

Realistically it is my belief that a small claims court would only refund the £99 subscription if I went that route, although I would push a refund of the cost of the RA unit as well, as it was bought with a promise of lifetime subscription, which is why i did actually buy it. However having used it for about 6 years, a judge may feel that I have had a fair amount of use already and therefore doesn't justify a complete refund of both. Who knows - just wondering what RA next offer will be once the deadline expires.......

Disapointed

I wrote to these guys no response, I emailed and no reponse.

Here's the letter which seems similar to most

Dear Operations Manager,
In response to Mr Thickbrooms letter dated the 26 March informing me that you no longer intend to support my Road Angel Classic.

This is totally unacceptable to me.

I purchased a lifetime subscription from your company, not as a launch promotion in 2002 but as separate item after I had purchased the device in 2005. If you intend to break your contract please return my 99.99 which was paid to your company in good faith. I would also like compensation for the loss of use of my Road Angel Classic for which I paid £ 350.
With regard to your comments on Computer servers, system support software and the applications which support the subscriptions service and cannot be migrated. I would ask you to clarify the specific issues that you have so that I may understand the problems

In the event that you do not return my payment and some from of compensation I will seek advice from my solicitor, trading standards and other organisations like the BBC, in the form of Watchdog..

I look forward to your response.

I would be happy to see these guys in court - It should be an Open and shut case. Lifetime subscription - Right!

Monty5

If you have had continuous legal cover on your house insurance since purchase of the RA then most insurers will include cover for costs incurred in pursuing them for breech of contract. If you are a Which member then e-mail [EMAIL="which@which.co.uk"]which@which.co.uk[/EMAIL] so they can include in their reviews comment on the RA approach to customers.
I will pursuing for full costs of continuation of the service they sold to us

banjo_2

Reviews of R A Gem

jetskidia

banjo wrote: »

Reviews of R A Gem

Not pretty reading:(

Patrick5544

Did anyone get the RA 'customer newsletter' from our friend Mr Thickbroom today? It was a very boring, hard sell newsletter about how great their failing Road Angel Gem was. Couldn't believe the cheek of it, Mr Thickbroom ends it by saying that RA 'would like to thank you for your continued loyalty'

I think RA have shown exactly how they reward their most loyal customers - by stabbing them in the back!

awfulbiker

hi all,just had another letter from ra,upping the offer to 2 years free subs for the 99quid gem.not a good unit i hear,so ra are cracking a little bit more.

jetskidia

awfulbiker wrote: »

hi all,just had another letter from ra,upping the offer to 2 years free subs for the 99quid gem.not a good unit i hear,so ra are cracking a little bit more.

Had the same letter

petjam

I to received a email from road angel regarding lifetime subscription being cancelled i emailed back my displeasure, i have just received a letter this morning saying they will continue the updates but will review it each year, but will come a time when it will finnish. They have said i can have the road angel gem for £99 with 2 years free subscription, but to pay out £99 plus in 2 years more money for something i dont need i think is realy poor.

danesboro

I have pointed out to Road Angel that I would take them to the Small Claims Court if they stop providing the lifetime support for my Classic. The claim is not for my money back - it is for the continuation of the service and compensation if they fail to provide it. As they are seeking some £67 for annual support for the Gem, their compensation should be a significant multiple of this.

After two letters to Mark Thickbroom CEO, I still have not received a personal reply but they now offer a discount of a meagre 23% on the Gem and two years free support for the Gem as compensation. This is just not good enough. We have contracted for support for the lifetime of the Classic and NOT of their support system. I have offered to buy the Gem in replacement provided they give lifetime support for that instead. In effect, the marginal cost to Road Angel is zero for providing its Classic customers with this solution. Their latest offer is not an acceptable compromise and I consider they should still be subject to legal persuit if they fail to continue to support the Classic for many years to come.