Tomtom errors

#1
I recently undertook a SS1000 ride. My submitted receipts and log have been rejected as the shortest route between the logged points with receipts is less than 1000 miles. I don't have an issue with this, I understand.
However, and it's a big however... I recorded the route ridden using the 'Record Route' facility on my Tomtom Rider 42 satnav. Latest software downloaded and installed, all ok. I even remembered to press 'Start' before setting off.

When I got home 18 hours later and tried to upload the completed route to my laptop, the Rider 42 showed 'Internal error' and promptly deleted the file recording the route. I have contacted Tomtom about this. The reply is below. A previous software issue I contacted them about is still uncorrected after 18 months. Let this be a warning: the programming in some Tomtoms is fragile at best and useless at worst.

The ride cost me around £200 to complete (fuel, tyres etc) which is money I won't get back. And I doubt Tomtom will volunteer to reimburse me. While I am satisfied I have completed an SS1000, I'll have to think about it again next year when I have the time, and money permits, to gain the accolade.

Lessons:
Make sure the shortest route between your receipts is >1000 miles.
Don't rely on Tomtom satnavs to back your claim.

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TomTom Customer, 19/08/2018 07.59 AM
Yesterday I undertook a 'challenge' motorcycle ride. I recorded the route ridden using the 'Start recording' facility on my Rider 42. This morning I tried to upload it to my computer using 'Share Tracks'.
Twice I got an 'Internal error. Please try again later' error and now the recording has completely disappeared from the list on my TomTom.

How can I try to retrieve it. How can I upload it?

Help! I need this to validate the ride.

Oscar D. (UK), 21/08/2018 03.22 PM
Dear TomTom Customer,

Thank you for taking the time to contact Tom Tom Customer Support. My name is Oscar and I am glad to assist you.

The reference number for your query is 180819-000631.

We apologize for delay in responding to your query. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.

I'm sorry to learn that your TomTom RIDER 42 device is unable to share the tracks due to the error.

This issue occurs when the track that you recorded on the device offers a default name and you save it with the same default name. This name contains special characters such as '.' and ':'. These special characters cause these errors. The team is working to get this issue resolved at the earliest. May we apologise for any inconvenience caused.

As, unfortunately, the routes once saved under "My Routes" cannot be renamed, I would request you to rename the routes in future before saving them with simple names without any special characters. This should prevent the issue henceforth.

Please let me know if you are facing the issue even after renaming the routes so that I could assist you further.

For now, I regret to inform you that once the route is disappeared from the device, it cannot be retrieved back. Many apologizes for the inconvenience caused to you.

If you need further assistance or have any more queries, please feel free to call us on 02079490134 or simply reply to this e-mail with your callback number and convenient time and we will be more than happy to help you.

Our working hours are 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

With Kind Regards,

Oscar
Customer Service Representative

The TomTom Customer Care Team
 

sector7g

Premier Member
#2
Sorry to hear... However, I would strongly recommend using Spotwalla via your phone (SW Connect on iPhone, Bubbler for Android-I think?) I tried on my last trip to use Garmin's tracker, but found it recorded it in segments - each time it was powered off (for fuel), it stopped the trip. So that wasn't going to work...

I'm not sure what you/they mean by "the shortest route between the logged points with receipts is less than 1000 miles". One should - according to the rules - try to obtain a receipt from each "corner" or furthest point(s), though sometimes that can be tricky. Your receipts should include a shot of the bikes mileage (to help verify the total mileage). And your total route mileage on Google maps (or other proper map routing software that is not your bikes odometer) should be equal to or greater than 1k miles.

In the end, it sounds like you may of relied wholly on one electronic device to verify your ride. Man, all the times electronics have failed me in one way or another.... I'd encourage you to have a backup plan so if one thing fails, you aren't out. Keep your chin up - most important - you know you did it.
 

kwthom

=o&o>
Premier Member
IBA Member
#3
I needed two GPS' running to be certain I collected sufficient track data for my little ride I just completed.

Another sage piece of advice is to pre-map the ride (if possible) with a 3% or more additional cushion of distance.

In the end, it sounds like you may of relied wholly on one electronic device to verify your ride. Man, all the times electronics have failed me in one way or another.... I'd encourage you to have a backup plan so if one thing fails, you aren't out. Keep your chin up - most important - you know you did it.
Agreed - two is one and one is none!
 

GSears

Dambuster... Bouncing panniers...
Premier Member
IBA Member
#4
Don't forget Google maps doesn't always give the shortest route. Autoroute, mapsource and basecamp all have shortest route options for planning. (Distances between receipt locations.) You can then check for the quickest route knowing that when your ride is verified it will pass. For 'newbies' you can always send your proposed route in to be checked prior to the ride. This will give you the confidence that your proposed route and receipt locations will result in the required mileage.
Hope this assists.
 
#5
It wouldnt have made a blind bit of differance to the acceptance of the ride even if it was working, as the only varification accepted by the checkers is reciepts and shortest route. !!!
 

Megabuck

IBAUK Verifier
IBA Member
#6
Folks,

As the person who had to give David the unwelcome news that his ride couldn't be verified, let me explain. From where he started to his next receipt point, there is a straightforward route up an A-road - that's both the quickest and shortest route. David didn't go that way; instead, he took a route which initially went at 90 degrees to the 'obvious' route, which kept him on motorways. The route he took was both further (by 30-ish miles) and slower ((higher average speed, but the extra distance meant the arrival time at the next stop was later).

There wasn't a receipt from the 'corner' that his actual route had, and he didn't have a track to show his route. He was frustrated to find that the track he had expected his TomTom to have generated didn't work, as he described in his email. However, when another rider had sent in a satnav-generated track to support their claim, it was a GPX file - which is plain-text, and thus could be edited. In that instance, the guy actually admitted editing the file, as a glitch had it showing him going somewhere he didn't! As it could be edited, we couldn't rely on that as 'proof'.

You've all made valid points here; the starting point when looking at a ride is the shortest distance between receipt points. A Spotwalla track will let me see where you actually went, which is handy to differentiate between fastest and shortest routes. And I really do encourage people to contact me with their proposed routes; I'm happy to spend time ensuring a route does the job, as that's much better than writing a 'sorry, you didn't succeed' email!

Regards,
Martin