Ohhhhh Tom I say!!!!!!!!! (TomTom One 3rd Edition Great Britain)

Member Name: izzoh

Product:	TomTom One 3rd Edition Great Britain
Date:	04/10/08 (262 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: quick starting, easy, clear, ready to go !

Disadvantages: short battery, not 100% reliable, no in house charger

Oh where to begin!
Yes, a great accessory for any driver. But let's get into detail shall we?
I'm not going to talk about specifics or prices etc... Just my experience of using the Tom Tom One and what its like for a normal everyday, not to great at technology kind of person! So hope it helps!

I bought the Tom Tom One from Halfords with great expectations. The first bad news is that if your car has any form of UV Protection or de-steaming on the windscreens then you will also need an extra aerial. This costs about an £20-£30. Now as I have a sun-roof on my car this was ok for me, as it's a small metal square which I can leave just on the outside of my sunroof, so I can leave it there but at no risk to people getting into my car. Unfortunately for those that do not have a sun roof you will have to hang it out your window unless you can do some clever crafty work so it goes out through your bonnet.... so not a great perk I'm afraid.
When you get over that the product itself is VERY easy to set up and you can get started straight away. Literally plug and go! Put the memory card in (the extra satellite aerial if needed) and you are away. You get an in car charger in the box but unfortunately not a mains charger you can use in your house, the battery life is also very short so most of the time you have to drive with the charger in and wires hanging around. It can look a bit messy so it's not for the minimalist!
The sound is clear and the menu is very quick and easy to use. The stand or 'sucker' bit that you stick to the window tends to only stick for about 5 minutes then in my experience it keeps falling off.... dangerous when driving because not only do you lose your way but you need to make sure the Tom Tom has not broken. I keep mine in my little storage space next to the cigarette lighter, plus keeping it there means it's out of other peoples view.
So.... 4 weeks went by, going good, great directions, very handy especially for new drivers finding their routes on the road (like myself). Then 2 days after my guarantee has run out my Tom Tom will not switch on. I sit in the car and charge it (thinking about how much I wish I had a mains charger!) and still no sign of any life in the little thing. So I find my way to Halfords.... lucky for me I knew my way!
Oooops.... they check it all over and yes something is definately wrong... but they don't know what. They tell me they have to send it off and I have to wait a minimum of 2 weeks for it 2 be fixed by Tom Tom... 2 WEEKS!!!! WHAT!!! ARE YOU HAVING A LAUGH! No, they were serious, 2 days after the 'refund period' and they have 2 send it off. Now, I was not entirely impressed with this, and I could not blame Halfords as they had obviously been given the rules by Tom Tom, but, I spoke to the manager (always a tip) and he agreed there was obviously a wiring fault and I was only 2 days after the refund period. All I wanted was an exchange for a system that worked. So I got it. YAY!!!
It has now been another 3 weeks and my Tom Tom is doing fine, and still taking me to places quite efficiently. I must add though that the navigation can actually take you a longer way then necessary so don't be scared to challenge it now and again by going a way you have a brief knowledge of... the Tom Tom is still there to guide you. The signal can also be slow at times but you do need patience if this happens as it's easy to take a wrong turning.
Let's leave this on a good note... Tom Tom is a great driver's aid but learn your new routes just because Tom Tom may take a pit stop without warning you!

(Also published on ciao under myself izzoh)

Summary: Once you have it, you can not live without it!!