Refurbished 920 And Not Happy

[[email protected]]

I sent my new ( less then 3 months old ) 920 to TOMTOM to be repaired. Instead of repairing my unit ( like I asked them to do ) they sent me a REFURBISHED 920. I emailed TT support and told them that this REFURBISHED 920 was a piece of s***. If they could not repair my 920 they should have replaced it with a new 920, and if I wanted a REFURBISHED 920 that I would have saved over $100 if I had bought one in the first place. ANA at TT support said, We understand the frustration such an issue might cause. We are sorry to hear that you are not satisfied with our services. The TT limited warranty found in TT.com/legal states that the TT can be replaced with a REFURBISHED device. ( If I had knowed about this I would not buy a TT) I bet the TT repair shop does'nt even try to repair the device, they just grab a refurbished unit and send it back to the customer. Is there anyway of telling how old the REFURBISHED 920 is by checking the serial # M85497B09064 ??

 

[Birdman]

While I can completely appreciate how you feel buying a new one and getting a refurbished device as a replacement (I would feel a bit upset also because you only used the device 3 months and could have saved approx $100), there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

Refurbished units get more scrutiny than a unit that simply comes off of an assembly line. The mass produced products just get a cursory test before they are shipped out the door. A refurbished unit will be tested through a complete suite of checkpoints to insure it is working to ALL specifications.

I am curious as to why you call the unit a piece of crap? Are there any blemishes on the unit? If so, that may warrant you contacting them by phone and explaining the situation....If no blemishes, what are your main concerns?

If you still aren't happy, I would actually CALL support and explain (in a dignified and calm manner) that you only got to use a brand new unit a few months and paid an extra $100 to get a new unit. State you really appreciate the TomTom units and are unhappy with the 'blemished' unit you received.

 

[sageuvagony]

While I can completely appreciate how you feel buying a new one and getting a refurbished device as a replacement (I would feel a bit upset also because you only used the device 3 months and could have saved approx $100), there are a couple of things to keep in mind.

Refurbished units get more scrutiny than a unit that simply comes off of an assembly line. The mass produced products just get a cursory test before they are shipped out the door. A refurbished unit will be tested through a complete suite of checkpoints to insure it is working to ALL specifications.

I am curious as to why you call the unit a piece of crap? Are there any blemishes on the unit? If so, that may warrant you contacting them by phone and explaining the situation....If no blemishes, what are your main concerns?

If you still aren't happy, I would actually CALL support and explain (in a dignified and calm manner) that you only got to use a brand new unit a few months and paid an extra $100 to get a new unit. State you really appreciate the TomTom units and are unhappy with the 'blemished' unit you received.

I agree. New is nice but no one will ever know if there is a hidden problem except for the person who buys the unit. I have had almost all of my refurbished devices outlast my devices I bought new.

Like when I bought my Tmobile Sidekick 2 when it first came out 3 years ago. Within 27 days the screen went blank and never came back. They replaced it with another BRAND NEW unit. After owning the second unit for 3 months, the phone would start to freeze alot, the keyboard and scroll wheel would refused to respond at most times, and I contacted tmobile again. Since it was past the 30 day window, they had to send me a refurbished unit. At first I didn't like the idea but I said "ohh well, what the heck"
I still own that same refurb unit 3 years later without a problem.

Not only is refurb tested A WHOLE LOT MORE in almost every area of the device compared to a new device, but the cost is SO MUCH CHEAPER as well!
I hate to say it but now-a-days, new devices are a gamble. The devices today are more fragile due to complex construction and using cheap quality parts to save money. The manufacturer does the work for you by repeadedly testing the refurb device for you to make sure it really does work.

Which do you think I'll come out better with?

Me buying my GO 720 for $169.99 (Like I just did)
http://www.compusa.com/applications...pNo=3809100&sku=T529-0026 RB&srkey=tomtom 720

or

Me buying a brand new GO 720 for $449.99 like in this link

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16858194046

I'm not saying there's anything BAD about buying new products, but just showing you that there are some benefits of buying a refurbished product and that it's not as bad as you may think.

 

[[email protected]]

It's just that I don't like buying anything refurbished, rebuilt or remanufactured. If I have enough money I will always buy my products new. The 920 looks OK and it works better then the new one that I sent in for repair, BUT I did not buy the 920 used or refurbished I bought it NEW. I have not given up on TT support, I will keep complaining to them every couple of days just to keep this incident open.

 

[GAW]

You will probably not end up with a new replacement unit, BUT - you should try to get some other forms of satisfaction from them. If you do not have 810 maps, - ask for them. If you do have them already, ask for a map guarantee for the next one, etc.

 

[sageuvagony]

It's just that I don't like buying anything refurbished, rebuilt or remanufactured. If I have enough money I will always buy my products new. The 920 looks OK and it works better then the new one that I sent in for repair, BUT I did not buy the 920 used or refurbished I bought it NEW. I have not given up on TT support, I will keep complaining to them every couple of days just to keep this incident open.

ALL refurbished units were once NEW. If you send in your NEW device to be repaired, the unit becomes REFURBISHED whether you or someone else gets it. What difference does it make?

Because you bought it new you expect a new unit every time? And again, if they repair your unit and they send you your same unit back, its not new, it's refurbished, then you're back in that "I hate refurbs! ewww icky icky!" state. What makes you think a new device wouldn't give you the same problem? The new device you bought was enough proof.

Like GAW said, you are better off requesting some sort of compensation like a map credit for when a new map comes out.

I DO understand your frustration though since you paid FULL price for a new unit, not refurbished. If you would have wanted a refurbished unit, you would have bought it refurbished and saved alot of money to begin with.

New GPS devices don't seem to be all that good though for some weird reason. I've never seen SO MANY refurbs from so many brands for one type of unit, which is a GPS..

Every brand of GPS always has tons of refurb units for sale.


Wanna hear a story that pisses me and my neighbor off? He bought a BRAND NEW CHEVY AVALANCHE. As he was driving it off the lot, the transmission BROKE! Right in front of everybody! Do you think they wanted to give him a new truck? NOPE. They said they would replace the transmission with a rebuilt one at no cost to him. All the kicking and screaming and they wouldn't give him either a new truck or new tranny. He has to come back for warranty claims over and over for that piece of crap Avalanche. He gets a new check engine light every 2 or 3 months, his windows don't work, etc. There are lemon laws but he's under warranty so I don't know what happens there... Almost every day he sees me he says "DONT BUY A PIECE OF SHIT AVALANCHE!"

 

[PSJ]

@ the op, I understand your concern and pain.

Like most products....I'm sure the serial # has been changed when the unit was reconditioned....so you'll never know the original date of manufacture.

I too would want a new device....but if the warranty calls for you to get a reconditioned unit....and it's in perfect condition and works perfectly....maybe after a week or two with it, you will come to be satisfied with it.


Maybe try and think of it from another angle ....maybe the recondition unit is only a month old or at least newer and was used less than the 3 month old unit you returned to them


I would call and ask for a supervisor and at least try and get a perk or two.

Maybe one or two free plus services like....Traffic....Fuel prices....6 month map garrantee....or maybe a travel case or charger ?




NOTE:


just in case you don't know....If you upgrade the units Navcore to a version of Navcore 8 and install a version 8 map....your unit will be the same a TomTom 930 ( only defference is a real 930 is all black in color.



Welcome to the forum and I hope it all works out to your satisfaction.


.

 

[sageuvagony]

@ the op, I understand your concern and pain.

Like most products....I'm sure the serial # has been changed when the unit was reconditioned....so you'll never know the original date of manufacture.

I too would want a new device....but if the warranty calls for you to get a reconditioned unit....and it's in perfect condition and works perfectly....maybe after a week or two with it, you will come to be satisfied with it.


Maybe try and think of it from another angle ....maybe the recondition unit is only a month old or at least newer and was used less than the 3 month old unit you returned to them


I would call and ask for a supervisor and at least try and get a perk or two.

Maybe one or two free plus services like....Traffic....Fuel prices....6 month map garrantee....or maybe a travel case or charger ?




NOTE:


just in case you don't know....If you upgrade the units Navcore to a version of Navcore 8 and install a version 8 map....your unit will be the same a TomTom 930 ( only defference is a real 930 is all black in color.



Welcome to the forum and I hope it all works out to your satisfaction.


.

I felt the same exact way with my Sidekick 2 after having had paid $399 brand new straight from t-mobile. If you were to check my call log with them, you'll see at least 4 complaint calls about me receiving a refurbished product.

Exactly like PSJ said, you'll get used to the product and will almost forget it's even a refurbished product.

I guess the biggest frustration here is the fact that the product is ONLY 3 months old and already you are receiving a refub. That was the exact situation with my Sidekick 2.

If your goal is to ONLY get a new product from TomTom and not a map credit, be firm, but not abusive or harrasive (is that a word?) or they will definitely not help you at all. I worked at a call center for 2 years and I know that reps WILL write in notes/comments like "This guy was HORRIBLY RUDE, DON'T GIVE HIM THIS.. DON'T GIVE HIM THAT" on your account that will be visble to the next rep that gets your call.

 

[markp1950]

I'm wondering if some of you have been having a lot of problems with your units. I would think that a TT have so few buttons would be relatively trouble free. I think that my TT was a refurbished unit. It seems to work very well.......

MarkP

 

[[email protected]]

This refurbished 920 works much better then the new one that I sent in for repair. Maybe it's because the TTs are assembled in China and the refurbished devices are repaired here in the U.S. I just received my December 2008 issue of (Consumer Reports) special issue on best electronics. In the gps navigators section it shows Garmin Nuvis # 1,2, 4 and 5 with the TT GO 730t in 3rd place.

 

[rodmcinnis]

What does "refurbished" really mean?

There are a number of laws that regulate what "new" means. Anything that can't be sold as "new" is usually sold as "refurbished", even if they are essentially "new".

Having worked for a electronics manufacturer I had to deal with "refurbished" a fair amount. Where did the refurbished units come from?

Mostly returns from retail stores. These fell into two categories: customer returns and unopened returns.

On a customer return you can't assume anything, the unit needs a full diagnostic test.

An unopened return the unit is essentially new. Why do units get returned unopened? Several reasons:
1) retailer overstock
2) OEM recalls (bug fix or software updates)
3) Model updates

An OEM recall can be for many reasons. The manufacturer that I worked for had to recall a large number of units because the owners manual didn't have the required warning about not operating the unit in a bathtub. We pulled the units back, slipped a page into the owners manual, and poof: a whole lot of "refurbished" units.

Some units were called back because we discovered a software bug that would have created a problem. Get the units back, update the software, and poof: more refurbished units.

We even had a significant number of units come back because we changed the box the unit shipped in. The retailer had a stack of boxes on the shelf and a few were in the old box. No one would buy the old box. What was in the boxes were identical, but the customer doesn't know or trust that. So, we get the units back and they become "refurbished". And we didn't even change the box.

If you get a refurbished unit, inspect it closely to make sure it wasn't a customer return and has damage. If it looks new, it probably is. Unless you there is something wrong with it, don't worry about it.

Rod

 

[osidak]

It's just that I don't like buying anything refurbished, rebuilt or remanufactured. If I have enough money I will always buy my products new. The 920 looks OK and it works better then the new one that I sent in for repair, BUT I did not buy the 920 used or refurbished I bought it NEW. I have not given up on TT support, I will keep complaining to them every couple of days just to keep this incident open.

The only problem is.........

while you bought it new you sent them an use old broken GPS. Why should they replace it with a brand new device. Yours was no longer new.

The only time you can resonably expect a NEW replacement is if it was DOA out of the box.

There are more important things to stress over - move on