Road Angel rip off

Author
Discussion

northo

Original Poster:

2,375 posts

226 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
quotequote all
Got a call from Road Angel recently to let me know I needed to update my yearly subscription. I didn't bother to renew given most councils are actually removing their speed cameras. 2 weeks later I got a rather curt letter saying unless I renewed "we will have no choice but to disable your unit".

True to their word, my Road Angel no longer works. I emphasize the word "my". I paid for the data, and they've removed it. I don't recall there being any mention of this in the instruction manual.

Fair, or terrible customer service?

chris1roll

1,738 posts

251 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
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I expect they will say that you only paid for the right to use the data for a year.

Rather than the way I think you are looking at it which is you paid for the current data at the time outright, which you want to use "out of date" as it were.

I Can't say I'd be too happy about it though - for example I haven't updated the maps in my satnav since I got it three years ago, but it still works (although it did try to send me the wrong way down a new one way street in London the other day)

Edited by chris1roll on Sunday 3rd October 11:26

Fire99

9,849 posts

236 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
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Does sound pretty harsh but i'm not all together surprised. The current trend seems to be towards less cameras rather than more so perhaps the likes of Road Angel are fearing a loss of profit looming.

I certainly won't be using one though.

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

268 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
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Fire99 said:
Does sound pretty harsh but i'm not all together surprised. The current trend seems to be towards less cameras rather than more so perhaps the likes of Road Angel are fearing a loss of profit looming.

I certainly won't be using one though.
Not less cameras, you mean fewer.

Mutter grumble grumble mutter etc


ShadownINja

77,495 posts

289 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
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Dr Jekyll said:
Mutter grumble grumble mutter etc
Not mutter, just grumble as grumble covers the muttering but mutter is just muted noise. biggrin

Martin Keene

9,923 posts

232 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
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Hmm, not good.

I shall watch this with interest.

DaveL86

884 posts

184 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
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northo said:
True to their word, my Road Angel no longer works. I emphasize the word "my". I paid for the data, and they've removed it. I don't recall there being any mention of this in the instruction manual.
I understand your point on principle, however surely the unit is close to usless without an updated database?

northo

Original Poster:

2,375 posts

226 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
quotequote all
DaveL86 said:
northo said:
True to their word, my Road Angel no longer works. I emphasize the word "my". I paid for the data, and they've removed it. I don't recall there being any mention of this in the instruction manual.
I understand your point on principle, however surely the unit is close to usless without an updated database?
Not really - the data for fixed cameras and mobile cameras doesn't change much, and you can't really miss the average speed cameras. I will be buying an update, as I travel quite a lot and it's so easy to get caught out in urban areas. Just feel I've been scammed. Entirely my own fault, but that's how I feel.

kevin63

4,661 posts

260 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
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I will probably get one of those letters soon. I have on two occasions not been able to update the unit and they have had to reset it at their end which takes time and now my subs have run out, I have now decided to pay half the price for safety camera updates (either to add or delete cameras) on my sat nav so I only have to use one unit in the car now.
In the early years the Road Angel unit I had was great but it is now not a current model and I have now decided to move on.

so called

9,130 posts

216 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
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t bother with a Road Angel then.

8MRFQ340

2,944 posts

178 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
quotequote all
northo said:
Got a call from Road Angel recently to let me know I needed to update my yearly subscription. I didn't bother to renew given most councils are actually removing their speed cameras. 2 weeks later I got a rather curt letter saying unless I renewed "we will have no choice but to disable your unit".

True to their word, my Road Angel no longer works. I emphasize the word "my". I paid for the data, and they've removed it. I don't recall there being any mention of this in the instruction manual.

Fair, or terrible customer service?
Can you buy exactly the same unit, from a place staffed by teenagers that dont have a clue, then do a swap? Then take it back, saying it doesnt work?

Note- I've NEVER done this with games consoles in a Arg....

Cough, mutter, grumble smile

Rich_W

12,548 posts

219 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
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I let my OriginB2 lapse at the end of 08. It still works, though obviously it's out of date. Just a shame that they seem to have folded soon after changing to "Pogo"

I suspect RA, Snooper et al. Are pissed at TomTom and Garmin having camera data on their units which are generally cheaper than the stand alone detectors.

redtwin

7,518 posts

189 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
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My Snooper continues to work despite me cancelling the direct debit nearly a year ago. I was happy to continue paying for updated data except that they didn't seem to be updating it. A Gatso camera had been removed from a local road and the unit continued to warn of its presence months after it was removed. I have also had instances where temporary road works cameras were not located despite them being in place for weeks.

If the data being sold is not reliable or current, what am I paying for?.

northo

Original Poster:

2,375 posts

226 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
quotequote all
I've got speed camera info on my TomTom, but my car has Nav anyway and the Road Angel is definitely the best for alerting you to a camera's presence - the whole thing flashes red and Tiff Needel warns you what sort of camera it is. I often miss the TomTom alerts if I'm talking to someone or am listening to music.

PaulHogan

6,593 posts

285 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
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I presume your use of 'instruction manual' instead of 'paperwork in the box' is self-serving? Still, I sympathise: I don't bother with tomtom updates and the unit still works.

bazking69

8,620 posts

197 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
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Read the smallprint.

Leccy

481 posts

198 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
quotequote all
8MRFQ340 said:
Can you buy exactly the same unit, from a place staffed by teenagers that dont have a clue, then do a swap? Then take it back, saying it doesnt work?

Note- I've NEVER done this with games consoles in a Arg....

Cough, mutter, grumble smile

That would make him a thief. Are you implying that you DO that?

Cost Captain

3,917 posts

187 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
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You'll find somewhere there will terms and conditions that say you own the unit but the data is on lease and therefore not yours to use outside that lease.

Cost Captain

3,917 posts

187 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
quotequote all
You'll find somewhere there will terms and conditions that say you own the unit but the data is on lease and therefore not yours to use outside that lease.

Targarama

14,661 posts

290 months

Sunday 3rd October 2010
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How did Road Angel remove the data? I assume you connected to the PC and thus their site? In which you were asking for it. If you didn't connect your RA to anything then they wouldn't be able to do this surely?