Rand Mcnally 710

And why would you say that?

Thanks,
Mark

 

I also bought a Rand McNally 710 a little over a year ago. Within 3 months, the sound went out as well. Called Rand McNally and had to wait until I got home to receive an e-mail, had to print out the e-mail and send the unit back with EXPLICIT instructions (Rand's orders, not mine) and then wait for another 3 weeks to receive the refurbished replacement. The replacement unit worked fine until about a week ago. The unit would not keep a charge. I thought the power cord was bad until I tried to connect the unit to my computer to update and the computer would not recognized the unit.
I looked at the plug inside the unit and noticed that it was very loose. I called Rand McNally last Thursday to see how much it would cost to fix the plug inside the unit. I was told by their tech person that they had problems with the plugs but my unit was out of warranty. They would fix the screen and the button but NOT the plug.
I was then prompted to buy the new 720 at a $100 discount. I told the guy that I bought my Tom Tom when they first came out and it still works great so why doesn't this $700 unit last longer than a year and a half? (Yes, I paid $700 for it a year and a half ago) I then asked him if I bought a new Ford truck and after the warranty went out I had an engine problem, took it to Ford to fix it and they said they wouldn't fix the motor but they would replace the wipers and the headlights, what incentive would I have to buy another Ford? Then I asked him where's my incentive to keep doing business with Rand McNally if they won't fix the unit at MY expense?
I was told the next tier in customer service would call and I STILL haven't heard from them! I was told the other day by 3 drivers that were at the truck show in Walcott that Rand McNally was there and they took their defective units to the reps on site and they got theirs fixed for FREE even though the units were way out of warranty. Well if Rand McNally can cater to those who were fortunate enough to get to the truck show, why not help a customer out when you call? I am seriously reconsidering doing business with Rand McNally after this debacle! I will exhaust every avenue I can to resolve this issue with Rand McNally. My next step will be the Better Business Bureau then the last resort will be seeking the advice of an attorney for the possibility of a class action suit against Rand McNally as they have known about these problems WHILE the units were STILL under warranty but did NOT make a recall!

 

The 710 has never been $700. Rand list a suggested retail price and it is the dealers that can either go with that price or raise it. The suggested retail price has never been $700.

They have gotten a TND exchange, but not fixed.

E-Mail me in regards to your connection issue.

thanks,
Mark

 

Correction and update...

Correction- on price.I purchased the TND710 for $500, NOT $700 at the Petro in Milan, NM last year, checked the receipt. Thank you for the correction Mark.

Update- Finally made contact with the next tier of customer service. Very pleasant conversation and I made my case. No arguing or begging. I told the rep that I wasn't looking for Rand to repair the unit for free, I just wanted to get it fixed without buying another one. After I made my case for the poor design and the reason why the plug was loose in the unit, the rep agreed that there were issues that were fixed with the new 720. After I told the rep that I was questioning buying another Rand McNally, I was asked to be put on hold. After a few minutes they agreed to fix my unit at no cost.
The work will not be guaranteed as the usb plug is connected tot the mother board and they are not sure if they can fix it. My hope is that they can as I really don't want to spend another $400 for the "new and improved" 720. My Tom Tom was purchased when they first came on the market and it still works great even after being moved in and out of a lot of trucks! Hopefully, Rand has fixed the issues they had with the 710 and the 720 is a more durable unit.
All in all, I wasn't too pleased with going higher in the food chain, but I was offered more than what I asked. In my opinion, Rand needs a better system for repairs. The system they have in place is complicated. You make the call, receive an e-mail, send the unit and wait.
The consumer should be able to alleviate the issue with just a phone call instead of so many steps as required. However, with that said, customer service treated me more than fair and they were NOT rude or decisive.
Hopefully Rand will make the process of returns less complicated in the future and the units more rugged. Since I did not have to resort to extremities and the problem is being addressed (as of now), I feel no need to escalate to the BBB (just yet).
I will keep you all updated...

 

If you are not still happy you can contact me via PM. Do as I suggest with the USB end of the DC cord.

Thanks,
Mark

 

UPDATE ON RAND MCNALLY...
I sent my TND 710 in to get repaired and they returned to me a different unit. I was never informed as to what specific problem I had with my old unit, but at least I have a unit that (hopefully) will last longer than the previous one. They also sent me a new power cord for the home AND my vehicle!

 

Attention all fellow truck drivers.....DO NOT BUY ANY OF RAND MCNALLY GPS'S OR ANY OF ITS PRODUCTS!!!! They lie with their fals claim of 30% more routing information than the competition.....LIARS!!!! I'm pissed at Rand McNally for their blatant refusal to acknowledge and continually sell overhyped garbage. I should've known somwthing was up when TND 500's mysteriously disappeared from every truckstop.....along with TND 710. They are so quick to pull support from their products. I gave up on them when my $400 TND 710 FADED TO BLACK when I was 15 miles away from my delivery!!! It was my 3rd GPS from Rand McNally. "Trucker Tested, Trucker Approved" is their slogan....inspired by a kid's cereal commercial!!! I bought a garmin nuvi for truckers for UNDER $300 and has more than tenfold the routing info of Rand McNally's failures. Its sad cause they had nice features and I wasted money. Never again will I deal with Rand McNally GPS's or products....not even their atlas's. We truckers already have 4 wheelers make rules against us, responsibilites in our lives, unscrupulous companies and shippers to deal with. However a necessary tool like a GPS shoiuld'nt be one of them. Learn from my mistake and others on this site. STAY AWAY FROM ANY AND ALL PRODUCTS OF RAND MCNALLY INCLUDING GPS's & Atlases. To top things off... a familiar label was on the back of my TND 710......."MADE IN CHINA"

 

Nothing mysterious about new models replacing the prior models on the shelfs. News Flash - all brick and mortar stores do this. Car lots in Oct sell the prior year to make room for the next models.

Since this is your first post, I see you did not notice a support thread on this Web site. If you would be so kind as to list the issue on that thread in an informative manner I could probably help you.

Did you take the other companies GPS and compare to the TND for all routing in the US and Canada to make the claim that we do not provide 30% more routing? What areas did it not route you?

Thanks,
mark

 

The only thing you got right was that it was my first post. I've been driving for over a decade now. Yeah, you should of read that. "All brick and mortar stores" ??? Cars and trucks of previous years are still sold today. Why would they remove products so quickly in less than a year??? Why are there so many complaints against TND 710 on this website??? They all have the same issue. I gave Rand McNally the benefit of the doubt...3 GPS units. I guess you didn't read the issue I stated in my post....."FADED TO BLACK" Please be kind to re-read it!!!
As far as other competitors brands I like Garmin...scpecifically their nuvi models for truckers. It had routing info for the US, Canada, Mexico, Central & South America and even Europe!!! Their website even has maps for other countries where you can download them. I'm not going to spend money on everyone's product just to do comparisons. ALL Rand McNally products from GPS's to Atlases have one thing in common like George.W.Bush......COMPLETE FAILURE.
My Garmin Nuvi even alerts me to traffic without an addtional add on like Rand McNally TND units require.

I notice your replies to other truckers on here. I bet you aren't even a trucker. You are probably just paid to do damage control for Rand McNally. I'm at a TA in North Carolina right now. I'm even told by them don't get Rand McNally cause drivers have returned them. Do the trucking world a favor and stop defending overhyped garbage Rand McNally is paying you to do. We TRUCKERS have too much to do than deal with idiots making unreliable equipment and marketing it to us.

Thanks,

TRUTHSERUM

 

Many things are still sold today, but are not of the current model. Each year Rand comes out with new models and the prior models are not made anymore. Common business practice. When the stores sell out they cannot reorder the prior models since there are no more. So, they stock the current model.

If you were so fast to post yesterday your issues with the 710, then why did you not try to find this site sooner? I have given a solution for the 710 that is as simple as slightly squeezing the USB end of the DC cord to provide a more snug fit.

This site draws many happy and unhappy customers of the TND. I put myself on this site to help out those customers that ask for help in resolving their issues or simply trying to find information. Can I fix everyone's issues - nope. I do my best, but in the end I am here for the customer. I want you to note that many times I am on this site past midnight or working with a customer on E-Mail's to help them get their TND working again.

As I have noted also in prior posts I drove OTR for 3 years comming off the road in 2009. I do work now for Rand McNally as a Field Research Manager.

Freezing, fading to black, not turning on - all indicators that you are not getting proper DC power. The 7" does have a HD screen which draws more power. The input is 5vdc, 2amps.

If you are unhappy with the 710 you have then I am sorry you did not try to find this site sooner.

Thanks,
Mark