When Press Releases arrive on editorial
desks they don’t usually arouse fury and indignation, but one did this morning.
It was from a certain Dutch manufacturer of SatNav devices and systems, called ‘Bum
Bum’ or summat like that.
The headline of this PR was “Customers left waiting by poor service
standards” which is a bit rich coming from a company which has deplorable
customer standards of its own - and that’s from personal experience! Apparently, 92% of British consumers have
suffered tradesmen and delivery firms
turning up late for appointments, and this Dutch outfit appeared to think this
was unacceptable.
To cut a long
story short, I purchased their mapping software and system way back in the days
when such services were downloadable on to PDAs, or Personal Digital Assistants
– remember them, the techno-geek’s answer to a Filofax?
Anyway, the
system worked fine till the PDA was stolen. The insurance company paid up
pretty promptly and a new PDA purchased, but the StaNav software refused to
download because it detected a ‘new device’. Fair enough. I naively surmised
that a phone call to the company would sort it out. One big problem, there was
no telephone number in the paperwork, stamped on the box or available on their
website.
Neither was
there an email address. Anyone wanting to make a query had to go through pages
and pages of FAQs before arriving at an email address should any of the
previous dozens of questions not resolve the specific issue.
Email sent. Nothing.
Another email sent after the rigmarole of going through the FAQs again. Temper
rising. This time, a phone call was received from a bloke who said he would
need proof of purchase of the original SatNav software, and gave me a fax
number.
Invoice
faxed. No response. So I emailed again.
This time I
was informed that the easiest way to get out of this was to buy the upgrade and
install that in the new device. Not ideal, but I didn’t have a problem with
that because I would get the updated maps.
Anyway,
having forked out more cash, the software duly arrived - but failed to install.
I was continually prompted with messages that the Upgrade needed to have the
original software installed before it would process the new.
You’ve guessed
it, I couldn’t install the original because it detected a ‘new device’, so it
wouldn’t install the upgrade. I tried repeatedly to contact the company again
and eventually gave up. Money down the drain.
Then I had an
idea, make a complaint in person. At the Commercial Vehicle Show at the Birmingham
NEC, I tried to lodge a complaint with a member of their staff. They refused to
have anything to do with it. I then approached their PR company who appeared
interested, but nothing came of it. Last year I approached their latest PR
company. Again, nothing.
So much for
customer service, and then they have sheer effrontery to commission a survey
about poor service standards and send out a Press Release criticising other
folk. That’s like a politician on the take criticising a banker on the make.
So for the
past five years I have written about Garmin, Navman, Navigon, Binatone, Mio, Medion
and all the others, while ignoring this other outfit. Even if I’m writing about
cars or trucks with such a system fitted, I don’t mention it by name. It is a nameless
organisation, an unmentionable entity, a commercial pariah, as far as I am
concerned.
So if anyone
out there is in the market for a SatNav, consider not only the efficiency of
the product, but of the backup service – if things go wrong.
So although
their products and mapping are pretty good, it’s no wonder I prefer anyone but
them.
