TomTom XL 350 user reviews

Pros Some of the screen features are very good. The "red light camera" warning feature that can be downloaded for free is very helpful - especially in our area where the local government is red light camera happy. Lane change images are good.

Cons Product quality is poor (our first one failed just two weeks out of warranty). But when our second unit had an issue and TomTom's customer service refused to help, I realized that this is one of the least customer friendly companies on the planet.

Summary The product quality is poor, but TomTom's customer service is the very worst anywhere. These are clearly con artists disguised as a corporation. We purchased one of these units in December 2010. The screen failed at the end of January 2011 - just out of warranty - and TomTom refused to do anything for me. Okay. It's out of warranty (if only by a couple of weeks). I get it. So we went to buy a new GPS, saw the same unit on sale and, liking some of the features, plus already knowing how to use it, we purchased another one which we began using right away. Unfortunately, we found the map was out of date. Fortunately, the unit includes a one time map update download. However, when we went to download the update we reached a screen telling us the included update had expired and we would have to buy the update for $79. I don't know about you, but in my book that spells "SCAM". So I called customer service (which happens to be in Guadalajara Mexico) and eventually got through to someone named Paula. She told me it is "company policy" that you have to download the included map updated with 30 days of using the product, that we were a couple of days past that, and since that time had expired I would have to purchase the update for $79. WHAT? First of all, nowhere, anywhere does it say the included update needs to be downloaded within 30 days. Second, I paid for this update when I purchased the product. I am entitled to this update 30 days or not, and despite what Paula called "policy". When I asked to speak to someone else about this Paula said that there was no one else to speak to and her decision was final. She actually made a joke out of it in her Mexican accent. I repeatedly asked to speak to someone else and she repeatedly refused. She argued with me about this for a good half hour, trying to explain through her accent that policy is policy and people like me have to follow policy. I explained that if TomTom's policy was indeed to rip people off like they were doing to me, then my policy would be to report the issue on CNET. Clearly Paula could care less, so here I am ... stuck with two of these TomTom units - one fried, the other brand new but with an outdated map. I will never again buy anything from this company, and I recommend that you, dear reader, do the same.