Why I won't be getting a TND 720

i had the 510 model briefly. i got that message occasionaly. and like some of the others. my units gets shut off when the truck is parked.

no sense in keeping it on and getting hot.

some electronics just have there quirks. no getting around other then a reboot.

just like my phone. since the day they got smart. if i don't reboot they start acting quirky. good thing there's an app for that now so no more battery pulling.

 

When you turn the TND on the memory is clear. Each screen you go to it then loads that screen for faster access next time you go to that screen. It also will depend on if you are running Custom POI's, Car POI's and/or Truck POI's. It only has so much memory and when it reaches a certain threshold you would get that message. Running all POI's and hitting all screens it should run about 3 days at 24 hrs a day before you see this message.

I run tests on the TND's such as leaving them on for a few weeks with the weather running. If I run traffic and weather I can usually go about 5 days at 24hrs a day before it shows a low memory message. Note - I do run it in static mode meaning it just sits there.

Thanks,
Mark

 

It isn't impossible for the right (wrong) circumstances to occur, but again it has not been a crash mode with any regularity that I have seen on the 720. I made it happen once during "torture" testing by running the weather overlay on a 4000 mile demo trip with all poi's and logs/odometers etc turned on contunuously and it took over 24 hours. With that said though, if you see it with any frequncy under normal usage, just give us a call and let me know. We'll cover it.

 

I run a Garmin 560. Stays on 24/7 when I am on the road. I have never had this type of problem with it.

 

I had it happen once since I bought the 720 two months ago. Otherwise I'm prettys happy with it.. it has a few weird quirks in the software but nothing that the average Joe would notice or even care about.

 

I was planning to upgrade to the TND 720 until I discovered how Rand-McNally "nickels and dimes" (only it's a lot more than that) its customers.

I purchased a TND 710 a month or so before the TND 720 came out, only to find out later that I had to PAY EXTRA FOR MAP UPDATES!

Unlike Garmin, where Lifetime Maps are included with their product, Rand-McNally wants you to buy their product at around the same price as the Garmin, that has Lifetime Maps, and then pay more for a map update that come out a few months later.

As professional drivers, of course we want the most current maps, they're literally the engine of the GPS.

If we were buying a car from Rand-McNally, we'd get to the parking lot to take our new car home and find out it had no engine. Rand-McNally's response would be, "Oh you wanted an engine in your car? Well, that costs extra."

So, aside from the issues with the product itself, I refuse to do business with a company that treats its customers that way.

I don't mind spending the money for a quality product, and would have had no problem paying a little more for a unit with lifetime maps included in the base price. But for them to sell me a product without making it clear that I would have to pay more money down the road for map updates is disingenuous, if not unethical.

"Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, shame on me."

So, I've purchased a Garmin 560LMT WITH LIFETIME MAPS AND TRAFFIC (both of which you have to pay extra for with Rand-McNally) and I love it! I find that not only is the company more ethical in their business practices, but the product is actually better when it comes to routing, etc.

I've been running both units side by side for a few weeks now and I find the Garmin unit to be far superior to the Rand-McNally.

Are there a few things that I like about the Rand-McNally product better, of course there are. But when it comes to the core functionality that is getting me to a location as quickly and safely as possible, the Garmin is far superior in my opinion. And the INCLUDED traffic feature is AWESOME! Just two days ago it saved me at least 2hrs by routing me around accidents in Beaumont and Houston TX!

Garmin will have a new 7-inch unit, the 760LMT, that ships in December that has even more features than the current 560LMT (it can even connect to your smartphone and use its connection to provide additional features/information) and you can bet that I'll be purchasing on of those as soon as they are available.

So, if you're thinking of getting a new trucking GPS, do yourself a favor and think twice before buying a Rand-McNally.

 

I do have to agree with your gryphon on the traffic part that was the one thing I was like what the Heck. But the map updates did come with mine when I bought it. You had to send something in to get it but it still came with it.

 

You have been down this path before in another thread. I think everyone understands your thoughts. What one company does and another does not do is different. Do you think that when the maps are included that somewhere down the line the costs are not put into the cost of the unit? When a product is made each component is thought of in how it will affect the overall cost of the end product. Do I put part X in or Part Y.

Maps from other companies are rolled into the cost factor and usually you pay a higher end cost.

Traffic. Great you get traffic from the other companies, but what you forget to mention also is that you also get screen advertisements rolled into it. Rand does not display advertisements. You buy the traffic receiver, you own the license outright. But, you did not know that a license fee has to be paid to get traffic? Same with the maps and other added features. License fees have to be paid and this is rolled into the cost factor also.

And back to your statement. The 510 and 720 do come with LTM's. It was not advertised on the last Promo for the 720/trade in. But, it was there and Rand did clarify that on the website. It was just an oversight.

And back to the car thing.. MAPS DO COME on the TND's. Only future maps would have to be purchased if it did not have LTM's included when you bought it.

Since you have quite a few posts, you could have asked before you bought the 710 if it included LTM's at the time you were thinking of buying it.

So, let's please move on about the 710/720/traffic/maps issues. I think it has been explained well enough.

Thanks,
mark

 

I'll tell you what, Mark, how about you not try to be the moderator of every forum post that has to do with the product that you "support", and instead just stick to your little support thread!

This is a public forum where people are free to express their thoughts and opinions, as they wish so long as they do so respectfully and truthfully.

I'm expressing my opinion on your company's products and will continue to do so regardless of your efforts to try to keep others from finding out how your company does business.

As for the COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) for a product, I'm well aware of how that works as I was a product manager for both hardware and software products for companies much larger and more recognizeable than yours for years (i.e. IBM, Compaq (now HP)). So, don't try to "educate" me on how products are priced, etc., I'm well aware of how that works as I have actually done it, not just talked about it.

While we're on the topic of product pricing, the Garmin 760LMT has a list price of $399, JUST LIKE YOUR TND 720! The difference being that the Garmin pricing is not just for a "promotional period" as it is with your company's product.

As for your statement about traffic information containing advertisements, THAT'S JUST NOT TRUE.

I have never had an advertisement of any sort appear on my Garmin 560LMT.

So before you start talking about other companies' products, and stating absolute falsehoods about them, perhaps you should actually know what you're talking about BEFORE you post such false information.

As for whether I should have asked about the lifetime maps before I purchased your company's product, perhaps you're right, I should have.

I made the mistake of thinking that Rand-McNally would not be so unethical as to try and charge additional fees for something so crucial to the successful use of its products as map updates. I was obviously wrong.

But, fortunately for me, I've learned from that mistake and will never make it again. And I post the information that I post here on the topic to help others not make the same mistake that I did.

And guess what, I'll continue to do so, regardless of your attempts to try to control the opinions expressed here.

So, as I said, please do yourself and the rest of us a favor and just stick to providing support and stop trying to moderate every forum post that happens to mention your company or it's products.