TomTom GO 5000 feedback thread NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

This thread is for the MNers who've been trying out the TomTom GO 5000.

Below are some questions to get you started but please feel free to add other comments too.

In terms of your first impressions...

• What was your initial impression of the TomTom GO 500?
• How easy did you find it to set up your TomTom?
• What journeys have you made so far with your TomTom?

Please also note that TomTom may use your anonymous feedback comments on their website and social media channels, as well as elsewhere.

Thanks,
MNHQ

How have you found tomtom over past few weeks
I was disappointed with some of the directions given if its telling me to go left the map shows right and it was right that was the right direction. Otherwise I love the 3d feature and how it tells you about the traffic and reads street names out loud.

What did you think of the tomtom go 500
overall?
Overall its great piece of equipment but still needs a little tweaking imo.

Would you recommend
I would recommend if the cons were worked out. Actually I would recommend.

Just hopping on so I remember to do this tomorrow :)

- How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

I've found it much better than I expected, I love the voice control and on the rare occasions I don't have it in the car with me I miss it.

- What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

Brilliant. Voice control is so much better than touching the screen. I love the big screen, the excellent suction of the holder to my weighted-mat, and the traffic warnings and re-routings are totally amazing. I used to sit every day in traffic jams going to work. No more. I have discovered roads I never knew existed and saved so much time.

I would like to be able to turn off the speed display, because I am fed up of DD being a back-seat police officer.

I still think that for the price it should have come with a case, and I think TomTom's refusal to answer this point on the thread despite so many similar comments from testers is a bit off. If I had actually paid for this I would have been hacked off to have to pay separately for a case.

- Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why

Yes I would - sat navs have obviously moved on a lot since I last bought one, and this one is so useful, I like having it in the car on every journey, rather than just for those those I need directions. The time I have saved is brilliant, but even when there is no alternative to sitting in a queue it is great because it lets you know how long the queue is. This sat nav has both style and substance - I love it.

Thank you very much for letting me be a tester.

love the tom tom and its clear and easy to read screen - woudl def recommend

• How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

Mixed. Some wins with great new routes, and generally it seems pretty good for longer journeys, but also a couple of nightmare experiences (described above already) when it just went batty (and VR had stopped working so I couldn't correct it easily while driving). Also for my most frequent local journeys I have pretty much stopped bothering with it as it just didn't seem to be as much help as I'd hoped. Most of the time it would either go the way I would have gone anyway, or else it would take me some convoluted and sometimes risky* route in order to try and save just one or two minutes vs. the normal (and safe bet) routes. So the benefits didn't seem to balance out the downsides (like having the directions repeated loads of times and interrupting my music!).

*By "risky" I mean for example the one where I'd have to turn left, but into the right-hand lane (crossing the inside lane) onto a very busy road. So if you were lucky and someone let you out it would be slightly quicker, but if unlucky it could take a lot longer and be more stressful.

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

Useful when it's working properly, especially for longer journeys and when driving alone without someone else to help navigate. It seems like a pretty robust piece of kit, the mount is good (except the positioning of the cable) and the screen is nice and clear, although a few things could be a bit more user-friendly (e.g. easier access to My Places). However I just lost faith in it a bit after a few bad experiences.

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

Not for the price, sorry. I wanted to like it but if I had paid that much I would not be very happy about the problems I'd had with it (navigation issues and VR failures). If it was less expensive then possibly, especially for solo driving.

• How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

On the whole, very good indeed. I remain incredibly impressed at the level of detail and accuracy on traffic reporting, and the search is much much easier than any I have used before. It couldn't do much for me the other day when the A417 was closed, but there really was nothing to be done.

I have given up on the voice control, though. It is just too hard to be worth it, and even dd is disillusioned with it. And Stephen Fry was fun for 5 minutes but his vocabulary of silly phrases needs to be wider and more randomly applied. In particular, when he repeats an instruction "in x yards, turn left [insert silly phrase]", followed by "turn left" why on earth does it use exactly the same silly phrase? That's just sloppy programming.

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

I really like it. I use it all the time and would never go back to my old one.

One big bugbear remains battery usage. It would seem that it uses power sightly faster than it can charge, which means that it ends up needing to be taken out of the car periodically for a top up charge. That is seriously annoying as I would naturally leave it in the car.

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

Yes, if asked. It's useful and easy to use and does the job with (almost) no fuss.

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

I stopped using it for every journey but I have used it when I have been looking for alternative and new routes, and I have discovered a few new routes that I didn't know before. So overall I am quite positive about it.

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

I like the sat nav and route finding features, the traffic jam stuff can also be very useful, but can also sometimes get it a bit wrong.

Yes, I do like it, it has helped me to explore alternative routes, but weighing them up, I probably not use them every day

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

Yes, I did recommend it to my colleague as it is a neat idea.

First of all thank you for letting me have the use of this device

• How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

I like it. Loads better than my TomTom Go was (not suprisingly as it was many years old) The VR is great as far as it goes. It works 99% of the time, but I would like if you could use it to navigate to POI whilst driving, i.e. "Find a restaurant/public place. I too have stopped using it on a daily basis, but do still use it for long routinue trips at work to monitor traffic. Sadly we haven't been away anywhere since I have had it, but will be going to Scotland over Christmas so will get a good run out then I don't like the speed being displayed on it as it is different from that on my speedometer and therefore very irritating

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

It's a nice piece of kit, badly let down by the lack of case, and as i said i wouldn'y have bought it because of this. An AC charger would be useful if you do lots of short journeys like i do. Overall its good, but nothing to write home about

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Probably not

Why? It's way too expensive when compared to a similar product by your biggest competitior. We would have bought a Garmin at half the price if my husband had had his way about 6 months ago. Im very glad now we didn't

- How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?
It is very easy to use and clear but has had a few issues which I have mentioned on this thread; few issues getting it connected to PC (now resolved) VR isn't reliable, sometimes works, sometimes doesn't, taken me on wrong road. I think the issues are the same with any SatNav though so not directly related to this one. Has some really nice features though and the DC have enjoyed listening to it too - sometimes more fun than the radio! :) Although, I rarely use it now for short journeys.

- What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?
Overall is nice and very easy to use. Disappointed that it doesn't come with a case.

- Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?
I really don't think I would - it's very expensive, I think. I'm not sure what extra features it has over a cheaper satnav.

• How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

OK. Not brilliant but I like the interface in general. DH loves the traffic camera warnings. Also, it sticks perfectly to the windscreen.

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

OK. Not brilliant. Voice control is iffy most of the time. Spontaneous attempts to find locations hit and miss. The search facility seems unable to find many addresses and distinguishes between things like upper and lower case. This is really disappointing. Once we have managed to get our location in its great.

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

No. I think its overpriced. Voice control is not very good. Location finder not very good.

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

Ok. I don't agree with a lot of the route choices it gives, and can't understand when driving between my village and the nearest big town it insists on directing me down a maze of tiny little back roads instead of staying on the main A class road. I've tried switching between fastest route, shortest route but it still wants me to detour. Some of the controls are a little fiddly i.e the "buttons" on the touch screen are very small to use whilst driving. The screen is large, which is good, but it only just fits between my dashboard and the pop up screen on my BMW 1 series. It doesn't fit at all in my DHs BMW 3 series, it has to go the the left of the pop up screen i.e in front of the passenger.

I like the reading out of the road names too, it's reassuring as is the lane guidance on larger roads.

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

It's ok. I like the voice control when it understands my scottish accent. I don't like it randomly telling me that it's listening when I've not uttered a word in it's direction!

I like the size of the screen, but it's a tight fit in my car and doesn't go at all in a sensible place in my husbands.

I was disappointed that there was no case or mains plug - my ancient tomtom one came with both! For the price, I would expect more.

The traffic connection is good- when it works. In heavy traffic last week and it was laggy and spouting rubbish info at me.

The search function is iffy too, I can't get it to find really obvious places in my nearest city that have been there for eons. Without a postcode, it's hard. I've had to look up postcodes on my phone and then enter it to the tomtom, should't have to do that.

It was easy to set up, although a manual would have been handy for those not used to sat navs or modern devices. The updates on the other hand, wow. it took me 7 hours to update, on a fast laptop with reasonably good broadband speeds. Awful.

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

No, probably not. I think it is a good piece of kit, but it's lacking vital things for the price. A case and plug plus manual to start with. It's been too hit and miss directing me for me to trust it fully. It's too big for my DHs BMW 3 series and a tight fit in my 1 series (but would be fine for those without pop up screens in the dash of their cars) so I probably wouldn't buy it.

Thank you for allowing me to test it though, I'm going to keep persevering with it over the next few months so I hope it's possible to still keep feeding back. I do like using it, but it needs to work better in my rural area of scotland.

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?
Generally good-really clear screen, quick to find where we are, no major disagreements with routes! I love how firmly it's stuck to the screen, my old one used to fall off whenever we went round a corner which was a bit nervewracking, so that's a major improvement.
I do have an issue with the voice control-it just doesn't seem to recognise how I talk, so comes up with some very odd addresses when given instructions.

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

Good-definite improvement on older models, with a few glitches that need ironing out to make it absolutely first class.

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

I might-it they were gadget people and didn't mind spending a bit more than usual on a product. It is odd not to provide a case for it for that sort of money!

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to test it :)

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

Brilliant. It has helped me find new routes locally that I was unaware of, helping greatly to avoid traffic snarls (of which our area is experiencing heavily at the moment due to road works, which keep appearing without warning).

It has also given me the confidence to travel to new areas on my own without worrying about being able to look at a map while driving, or be concerned about traffic building up and being late for school pick up.

What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?
I love it. I found it easy to use from the beginning with minimal learning curve, without ever having used a satnav before.

The updates downloaded very quickly and easily.

I have found the directions to be flawless for our journeys, and very good at flagging traffic jams/re-routing around them.

The estimated time to destination has always been spot on.

I have actually used the traffic feature to decide in advance if I will go out right away to do errands, or wait. I can get the traffic update sitting on my sofa. If it's busy (have a bridge crossing that snarls up), then I can wait and check back. I have found this to be more reliable and accurate than local traffic cameras or news reports.

Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

I would. It has been great at doing what it is meant to, and has saved me a lot of hassle and time. It's been especially handy while driving a new car, needing to concentrate a bit more on the differences in the car, having directions sorted has been wonderful.

Thank you for the chance to test this. Have really enjoyed having it in the car.

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?
I have found it really helpful,especiallythe live traffic information. Like any devide it takes a short while to get used to it but I am used to having it on all the time now, my old satnav was very old and not great so I only used it when I had to but this is just a part of the car now.

What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?
I really like it. To be honest I wouldn't pay the RRP for it but I am reallyglad to have it. It is simple (in a good way) and does exactly what you need. The live traffic and lifetime map updates are what sets it apart. My old sat nav didn't recognise a lot of places and town centres that had changed so I am relieved I won;t have problems with this one. I'm looking forwrd to trying it on holiday on the continent next year as well.

Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?
Yes I would, if asked about it I would defintely recommend it. Expecially for someone like me who does a lot of miles for work and the live maps is really useful for that.

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

It has its uses! Good for unknown locations and has found me a few new routes home which avoid some of the traffic. However I do find it a bit annoying for every day use. Positively, the number of routes home it has led me on to date means I'm getting a much better idea of how everything links up. Give me a few more months and I'll have a much better idea of the area. It is useful to have around when you know you are driving around a big hot spot. At the moment there are major road works and I have avoided that area pretty much every day using Tom Tom (with mixed success!)

I'd welcome the ability to stop it changing its mind every 5 seconds about route when it is busy as it means the driver is distracted and doesn't have a clue where they are supposed to be going and most of the time it is only to save a minute.

Annoyingly today it flagged up an alternative while I was driving to save a considerable amount of time but it failed to respond ot my saying "yes" so I lost it.

It would be good to be able to tell it to avoid toll roads full stop. Instead I have to tell it my destination, let it find the route, then go and tell it to avoid tolls and then let it find the route again. Every day. On the way to uni. And again on the way back.

Some junctions are not quite where it thinks they are leading to not having hte time to take the turn.

Some directions are inaccurate. A turning near me for example is "bear right" when it is a fairly major right turn. Or today it told me to keep left and then go right on the roundabout. Except keeping left branched away form the other lanes and then rejoined them right at the roundabout in a dedicated lane to turn left. Not right.

• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

If you are going to buy a satnav then it is probably a good one to have. The traffic updates do make a big difference. It is easy to use (though some aspects could be improved eg a battery icon on the main screen rather than the menu and the VR) so it is quick to get going, the screen is big and clear, serena is good, colours are good and the night screen nice and muted although when it flicks from night to day it scares the crap out of me

• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

I'm not sure, purely because of the price. If someone was considering upgrading I'm not sure I would as it is a hefty price tag. however, if someone doesn't have a satnav at all and wants to buy one then yes, I would as the traffic updates and the inclusion of all the maps and lifetime updates to maps does add a fair bit. I'd rather like to see a case and a plug though. I think the expectation that users will keep it plugged in at all times is a bit of a cop out, you want to be able to get in car, whack satnat on stand and go not fiddle around with a cable for 10 minutes.

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks

I have found it excellent and once I got the hang of it really helped with several journeys. It is great for new routes and if you are unfamiliar with a new location. I think you have to persevere with it and it is like any other technology.

What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

I was very impressed. Once I got used to it and the voice control. It definitely helped me on tricky routes and when I was unsure where I was going. Sometimes it was the practical side with me like making sure it was safely mounted and keeping it safe. I found it very comforting.

- Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why?

Yes because it is very reliable and for people who are nervous about visiting new locations and going on unfamiliar routes it is a real help. Also if you have alot of distractions i.e. small children in the back. It is very difficult to use a paper map if you have no one to read it and cannot pull over. I liked the way it named roads and had n.o.s on the screen. Sometimes the pronunciation of roads was amusing.

many thanks mumsnet and TomTom

• How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks? It wasn't the easiest to get to grips with and I'm not stupid with technology. However, I have to say that I've found having it very reassuring. It's got me to London and back from the depths of the South West and helped me avoid some hideous traffic on the way.
• What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall? Personally I would never spend this much when my phone can do the essentials. Maybe if I lived in a big city I would get my money's worth but not in the countryside. Dodging traffic is not high on my priority list.
• Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why? I would recommend it to those who I felt would get their money's worth but not to anyone local to me.

How have you found using the TomTom GO 5000 over the past few weeks?

I have found the TomTom GO 5000 to be invaluable to my journeys. From the first day of using it right up until now it has helped me get used to a new city and find alternative routes. I am not sure that I can manage a journey without it now. It is so simple to use and even whilst driving I have managed to change my route, find a petrol station and alter settings all through the voice control.

What did you think of the TomTom GO 5000 overall?

Excellent little piece of technology. The screen is large enough to see everything I need to. The voice control has recognised my commands straight away without any problems and going through the average speed checks on the motorway is very helpful in telling me my overall average speed.

Most of the time Tom Tom has saved me time on my journeys but I have had a few problems where I have been directed off route due to heavy traffic and then been directed onto another route that seems to take me into even heavier traffic and well known busy roads, but this has been rare and now I'm cautious to accept every alternative route that it finds me.

I think there should be a voice control to command that I could tell it to avoid certain roads, such has non motorway routes.

Would you recommend the TomTom GO 5000 to other Mumsnetters and/or your friends and family? Why

Yes I would, this sat nav has proven that my precious time can be used better and not by sitting in traffic jams. I have found routes that I never knew existed and continue to use these routes.
I love having the sat nav here on every journey, not because I need directing all the time either, because should I hit traffic it is there waiting to suggest a number of different routes for me. It is like having a little bit of added reassurance on my journeys and travelling with the little ones it gives you that extra piece of mind that you will get where you need to be no matter what.

I have loved testing this product, it was not something I would have purchased just by looking in store because I just thought sat navs were all the same, this is not what I believe now and if I did not have this now I would be rushing out to make sure I purchased one.

We have enjoyed using the Tom Tom over the last few weeks and are now getting used to it.

Overall we have been really happy with it. Despite the few niggles with the voice recognition it's been really easy to use. The daily commute for dp on the motorway in rush hour has been great with the live traffic updates. The accepting the alternative route with voice control is a really good feature whilst your driving. The speed and reliability on the whole has been good.
As mentioned previously a case would be good to keep it safe.

We would definitely recommend this to other people , it's a great product and we have enjoyed testing it.

I thought about this on the way to work today.

What it is great at is providing information

What it is less good at is making the correct choice about what to do.

The choice needs the information it has but also local knowledge and experience that can't really be programmed into a route finding algorithm

@IAmAPaleontologist

Suggestion: Find a way to make it only ask if we want an alternative route at the point at which a decision would have to be made (eg turning off etc). Today it was manically flicking between different routes every couple of minutes. Really, really, really, rather dangerously distracting. Then it calmed down and settled on only changing its mind a further 4 or 5 times on the way home. And after all that took me from traffic jam to traffic jam even though I know there are at least 2 perfectly good routes which, once through the initial bits of traffic, are on back roads etc with no traffic at all.

TomTom say: "Hi IAmAPaleontologist, you can actually tell your GO 5000 to ask you if you want to take the faster route if one is available. To do this – go to the Settings in your menu, select Route Planning and select “Ask me so I can choose” to avoid a situation you have described in your comment. We’ve also replied to your more detailed comment later with information on this."

@SophieBarringtonWard

TomTom have said: "Hello SophieBarringtonWard, sorry if that wasn?t clear, but when searching for a certain facility like supermarket for example, the results that are presented to you are ordered by proximity. If you want to pick the closest supermarket near you, you simply choose the first one in the list."

no, the issue I have - and it has continued to be a problem - isn't that. I can't search for facilities. If I enter "Tesco", it doesn't return anything (similarly if I enter "Manchester Royal Infirmary", or "IKEA", and several other examples). I have to enter a postcode. I was able to find a supermarket in Cornwall by searching for "Tesco petrol station" - that worked, & I went on the basis that a big supermarket will have a petrol station attached! But on my recent trip to IKEA I had to use my iPhone to find the postcode then enter that into TomTom.

TomTom have said: "Hello SophieBarringtonWard, it’s very strange that you don’t get any suggestions at all… we just tested both the Tesco and IKEA search and got tens of destination suggestion in the right column of the search. It seems like your device might be malfunctioning – could you try completely turning it off (not sleep) to reset it? If the problem persists after the reset please send us an email on [email protected] so we can reach out to you and help?"

@Lookslikeimstuckhere

Still finding TomTom very useful and think that the Live Traffic thingy works really well. Is a point of annoyance that so many service stations just don't seem to exist. Have found more since I last mentioned it and it would certainly help, on long trips with children, to know with certainty how far the next services are and what sort of time you will arrive. Any reason why they aren't included? Have we perhaps not selected the right thing somewhere along the line?

Out of interest (and please don't let it read like I haven't appreciated the opportunity, I really have) how much longer are we going to be required to add to the feedback thread?

Initially it was only going to be two, then three weeks I think, plus a survey.

If it is going to be longer, that is fine but it would be nice to know as the thread keeps disappearing from my list and I need to know if I have to keep searching for it and posting. I thought it was kind of over by now, hence a lack of posts...

TomTom say: "Hi Lookslikeimstuckhere, thank you for all your feedback. You can keep posting on the thread as long as you want – you are not required to do so. The only key part of the test remaining is the final survey which you should have received via email."

@IAmAPaleontologist

Sorry I didn't get back last night. Poorly baby and all that.

Anyway. The bleeding thing is really, really annoying me at peak times. It changes its mind about route sooooo many times I hardly know where it is I am supposed to be going. The first 20 mins of my journey are a never ending stream of "new route found"

Yesterday it told me to turn into the city centre. I followed like a good little product tester. The radio said there was an accident in my direction and indeed I could see a huge queue of traffic ahead. It otld me to take the 4th exit form the roundabout so I did but I think there was one that wasn't an exit or something and it turned out I took the exit before I was supposed to. The directions were then terrible tbh. In a city centre full of no car lanes (NONE of which show up on the TomTom which led to some hairy situations of me having to change direction last min because the signage in the city was as rubbish as the TomTom for the non car lanes), one way systems etc you need TIME to prepare. But recalculation was slow, so I I didn't have time to get in the right lane so it had to recalculate so I didn't have time to get in the right lane...you get the idea? Then it started telling me to turn round. Yup. In a city centre full of no car lanes, one way systems and, well, a city centre it isn't exactly possible to turn round. To add to all of that it was constantly finding new routes for the later part of my journey so just when I thought I might be getting somewhere it would go "new route found" and the map of where I needed to go RIGHT THIS SECOND would vanish until I said "yes" and it actually understood me or I paused at a traffic light or something to press the "yes" button. ARGH! Eventually I managed to navigate myself out and once I had got onto a major road it stopped getting me to turn round and calculated my route home from there.

Other things annoying me. Is there a way to turn off toll roads as a permanent thing? At the moment I have to do it each and every time I go home from uni. I select home. It calculates fastest route, I have to turn off toll roads and then it has to recalculate. Annoying.

If you plot a route then how much variation and recalculation do you get or does it just follow that route regardless of traffic? This relates to the above question. There are several possible routes that don't involve the toll road but if I were to plot one of them and select that each time as a way to avoid the whole toll road avoidance faff on then would I still benefit from the traffic function?

In all honesty I am heartily sick of it at the moment. Even in the morning it recalculates 3 or 4 times on my way in yet has never, ever, not even once ended up directing me on anything other than my own usual route. On the way home it has taken me a variety of ways which is good. I wish there was a way of having more input though and being able to choose one of the ways more easily. TBH at the moment I pretty much just want it to take me on a couple of the routes one more time so I know them well enough to do myself as you can easily tell from the traffic situation in the early part of the route (which is the same regardless of which route you take after than) which way is going to be best.

If it didn't recalculate so often I wouldn't mind, I think it is useful being able to see where the traffic is and which routes to avoid but it just ends up making me feel like I don't know if I'm coming or going. I'd like an option to tell it to only recalculate if it will save me, for example, more than 4/5 mins. Generally when it recalculates it is only suggesting a saving of 1 min or so which frankly just depends on whether the traffic lights are on green or red. In rush hour traffic fluctuates so much that a minute is neither here nor there and it changes all the time, which I assume is why the blinking thing ends up recalculating all the time.

More positively we have used it several times for finding unknown places and that is helpful. Dh has become a bit of a convert having initially disliked it as ds1 has had lots of away games so they have been going to various rugby clubs about the region.

The finding places without the postcode thing is a bit of a apin I agree. I understand TomTom's explanation and yes, there is a lot of variety in place names etc but google maps manages! Though for some of you have you tried narrowing fields using the lists on the right hand side? Eg I typed in Metro Centre the other day and it didn't find it but if I used the fields on the right hand side to narrow down criteria it did then come up with it so I didn't have to find the postcode.

TomTom say: "Hi IAmAPaleontologist, first of all thank you for all your feedback and suggestions. I apologise that the experience with your device is not always smooth.

Regarding your question about avoiding toll roads – yes, you can set your device to avoid toll roads by default, along with other types of roads, from the Route Planning section of the device Settings. (gear icon at the right end of your main menu) If you choose to avoid toll roads you’re still going to benefit from the TomTom Traffic services. The Route Planning section of your Settings also has some more advanced options on how your device plans routes in general and how it notifies you when it’s found a faster route.

If the Go 5000 makes you take your usual route every time, but you want to try another route, you can choose one of the alternative routes. To access those quickly you can tap your route on the map and ask for alternatives at any time.

I hope these suggestions help improve your experience!"

@ChippingInAutumnLover

IamA - (or anyone else!!)

OK, so I have set the route (the one I did the other day, arboretum to home), I want to find a costa coffee along the route.

So far I can either -

Get a list of Costa's (near me, but not 'on route')

OR

Look for a 'Restaurant' on the route (but not specifically a Costa, have to go through the list to find a Costa) and then how far away it is, I can't get them to show on the map.

But what I really want is to be able to choose 'Costa on route' and have it show me them on the map - can you do this?
??

TomTom have said: "Hi ChippingInAutumnLover, what you can do is choose a stop along the route. This is how: after planning your route, choose the Current Route menu and then Add Stop to Route. Choose Search and enter the name of the POI you want to stop at on your route and add it to your route."