Why I won't be getting a TND 720

Each member of this site has the right to post in any thread they so desire. When someone posts something that is not true or is spreading falsehoods, then I will speak up to help set the record straight.

I understand you are not happy because you bought a TND-710 and then found out later that you have to buy future maps. I am sure a lot of other drivers are in the same boat. No where in the selling of the TND-710 did it say anything about LTM's, but those products that do have LTM's are so noted in there ads.

As a prior PM you are well aware of what goes on when making business decisions as to what to offer to the customer at the time of a product launch. I am pretty sure you did not make 100% of your customers happy either.

Each business tries to keep their costs down, but provide a good product to the customer. There is a price point that has to be figured out as to what do you sell the product for and what will the customer be willing to pay. These decisions are made on market data and the economics at the time.

I am not in marketing, but when you asked the question "Does LTM's come with the TND-720" my first statement to you was "no." At that time I went back and queried Rand since it was unclear. Rand did correct the website and I made several posts as to "yes" the Trade-in Promo did have the offer of LTM's. I thought the matter was settled. Again you jumped in on this thread and repost the same statements again although this thread had nothing to do with LTM's and strictly on what a driver saw at a truck stop. Rand does not control the truck stops, but Rand can contact DAS and the companies to suggest that they reboot the displays every few days. Will this happen? Probably yes, probably no.

I did notice that when you PM'd me about the TND-720 and LTM's that you started that other thread before your PM to me. You did not have clear data about the TND-720 and LTM's, yet you went ahead and blasted Rand about LTM's on the TND-720.

I consider this matter closed. The TND-720 does come with LTM's (you do have to send in the registration card) and you are unhappy since you do not have LTM's on your TND-710.

Thanks,
Mark

 

You're right. Each member of this site does have the right to post in any thread they so desire. That was my point when I said that you should stop trying to moderate every thread and instead stick to the support thread where you can actually add some value to the conversation. All you're doing on these other threads is trying to act as if you're the arbiter of what can/cannot be posted, you're not.

As for falsehoods and things that are not true, I have not posted either, yet you want to jump on almost every post that I submit and act as if I have.

Unlike you, I have not posted a single thing that was either a falsehood or was not true.

You, on the other hand completely misrepresented Garmin's product by making a blatantly false statement when you said that there are advertisments in their traffic updates. That's completely false.

You see, I actually have both a TND-710 AND a Garmin 560LMT. And I have been running them side by side for over 15,000 dispatched miles now. So, I actually know what I'm talking about.

If you think that I've posted something that was either untrue or a falsehood, then point it out. But you won't, because you can't.

Then again, I have to remember who I'm dealing with here. You're the guy who wanted to argue with me about what century we are in!! You think we're still in the 20th century!! Hilarious!!

You're right, I'm not happy. And you're right, there was no information provided by Rand-McNally about future map updates for the TND 710 when I purchased mine. In fact the website was completely silent on the topic with the exception of offering for sale lifetime maps for the TND 500 and TND 700. There was no offer for sale of lifetime maps for the TND 710.

So, let me ask you. If you had purchased a TND 710 and then went on your company's website and saw that there was a SKU to purchase lifetime maps for older versions of the unit that you had just purchased, but not for the then current model, would you have perhaps thought, as I did, that it was not necessary to purchase lifetime maps for the TND 710, as there was not a SKU offered for sale for that unit?

Bottomline, I saw the lack of a way to order map updates for the TND 710 as an implication that they weren't necessary for that unit. So, I guess I gave Rand-McNally too much credit.

As I said, "Screw me once, shame on you. Screw me twice, shame on me." So, I won't make that mistake again.

You're right I do know what goes into making business decisions as to what features and functionality to offer to the customer and at what price points. And I can tell you that I would have never allowed a product to be marketed to professional drivers missing such CORE FUNCTIONALITY as MAP UPDATES. Nor would I have ever allowed any of the product managers who worked for me when I became a product line manager to market any of their products by leaving out such core functionality and then trying to charge for it later. It's disingenuous and unethical and I would have never allowed it.

If we were discussing a non-professional product then perhaps map updates aren't core functionality. But then most of those products are priced in the sub-$200 range and are not marketed to a customer segment that drives for a living. Map updates aren't as critical to Susie wanting to get to the nail salon on Saturday, as they are for a professional truck driver who purchased a $400 unit to use to make a living. [/QUOTE}

 

As I stated. I consider the matter closed.

thanks,
mark

 

It's NOT "completely false."

Just a moment of clarity here. A huge number of Garmin models now come with a "lifetime traffic" receivers built into the power cords. In my opinion, this was a smart MARKETING decision on their parts, AS IS THEIR OTHER MARKETING DECISION of offering two different models - LT and LTM.

HOWEVER, the majority of "lifetime traffic" models are AD-SUPPORTED including the 560, unless you pay the premium price (traditionally $60 - $100 more) for the LTM model. There are dozens of articles on this - some just complaining, some on how to turn it off, some understanding that this is how Garmin's MARKETING dept is able to offer the ever-enticing "Free Lifetime Traffic" at a lower price than the "Premium Lifetime Traffic and that it isn't "that intrusive." Regardless of personal opinion opinions of the ads, THEY ARE USED commonly on Garmin models when the traffic is turned on unless you purchase an ad free receiver cord, or a premium traffic subscription, or and LTM model with the extra cost built in.

Here are some of the world's biggest sites talking about it in case I am in a nefarious plot:

How to remove ads from my Garmin

How to get ad-free traffic on your Garmin

Garmin's purchase page to buy ad-free traffic for your unit

Garmin's site new "HD digital" enhanced 3D traffic receiver for better, enhanced traffic, free of ads

Here is the review voted MOST HELPFUL on a little-known web site called Amazon whereby the reviewer with a 560 LMT mentions the traffic ads and additional costs multiple times in his otherwise generally positive review

The ads on both the 465 and 560 models have been mentioned in threads ON THIS SITE at least a dozen times.

Garmin does VERY little in their marketing to specify the "ads verses no-ads" difference in their models that come with the "lifetime traffic" moniker on the box. You paid the extra up-front for the "LTM" model which is why you aren't seeing the ads. ALSO, there is more than one mention of the ads being STILL ON LTM models due to a mistake in the software loading or box-packing at the factory.

My Garmin 560 has ads when the traffic is enabled.

Ok? Everybody cool now on how and why some "have it and some don't?"
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Next, I've known Mark for several years now, in person and in cyberspace.

Mark has two never-ending challenges that he will face here. (1) he is the only official "voice of Rand" that speaks on this forum. So ANY AND ALL complaints about anything that they do in THEIR ENTIRETY (sales, marketing, engineering, janitorial) is directed at him. ALL of the answers that he provides of non-technical natures, he has NO-SAY or control over the business decision behind them. He is simply the messenger and in my opinion Rand needs to pay him combat pay sometimes for having to relay news that has nothing to do with his department or job description.

And second, he gives a crap personally. There are scores of silent voices on this forum and elsewhere that would verify this. At this juncture I can no longer measure the number of times that I have seen him go to bat for the fellow drivers to get their concerns and suggestions HEARD by the "powers" that DO swing the decision-making stick. That doesn't even account for the hundreds of times that he goes well outside of his hired position to do customer support both on the phone and in person. Because he gives a crap personally. And he takes a periodic barrage here and elsewhere cordially and professionally. What he doesn't do is knowing "spread falsehoods."

My personal belief is that the technical area of a forum like this should be a sanctuary from "personal" attacks, regardless of which side of the ball you are on. Your complaints are about Rand's MARKETING tactics and you are shooting the messenger. Look around here for how many other direct company personnel you can speak to - day, night, weekends. Or maybe I can revise that to ask how many at ANY time in general. I have never seen him knowingly or blatantly "spreading falsehoods" to the membership of this respected forum or the driving community. If he is guilty of something, then it is in trying to provide clarity for Corporate departments where "clarity and policy is by definition" - REDEFINED DAILY. He will perhaps get that through that Army skull of his some day. No good deed goes unpunished...

 

Clarification - Marine Corps....

 

Even more thick headed...

 

Even more thick headed...

(Respectfully said, grin)

 

You have to earn the right to be a Marine....LOL

 

See, now you went and done it. Now you're gonna start a whole new fire.