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Location: Hamilton Square, New Jersey, United States

Tax guy, host & producer of the Consumerism Commentary Podcast, former co-host of the Wall Street Journal E-Report

Thursday, July 09, 2009

TomTom coupon FAIL


A couple of weeks back, I received notification from TomTom...the GPS I use...that there was a new Homer Simpson voice that could could be downloaded. Apparently, Homer would now be able to guide me on my journeys. Being a long time Simpsons fan, I was intrigued. I checked out the website and they wanted $12.95 for it. Fair enough, but given my current employment situation, not a purchase I could justify. So I forgot about it.

Then, yesterday, I received an email from TomTom that they would send me a $10 coupon if I went out to my online TomTom profile and verified my personal data. Seeing an opportunity to purchase Homer's voice for $2.95, I did as they asked. As promised, my $10 coupon was emailed to me this morning. Since I figured this seemed too good to be true, I double checked the legalese on it, and saw "Product purchase total must exceed $10. Coupon must be used on TomTom.com." Perfect.

But redeeming this coupon didn't go as I had hoped. When I went out to TomTom's website, clicking on the Homer option forced me to launch the TomTom application on my computer. Sounded right to me, since that's how I manage the content of my GPS. So the checkout procedure continued via the application. But when I got to the final credit card step, there was no option to enter my coupon code. Being a trusting guy with some programming knowledge, I figured that when they wrote the app they probably overlooked the coupon redemption option. So, with no way to continue this transaction with a $10 savings, I contacted the TomTom help desk. The rep I talked to was confused about the coupon and said he wasn't aware of any promotion. After putting me on hold to talk to someone, he came back and told me that there was a "misprint" and that you can't use the coupon for downloads, only accessories that can be shipped. He then told me if I went to the legal section of TomTom, I'd see that. I let it drop because I didn't feel like pushing this further for a $13 purchase. But I'll say this.

  • If someone screwed up a coupon, whatever was issued should be honored at face value.
  • Don't tell someone to go out to the legal section for more info if that caveat isn't even mentioned on the coupon.
  • TomTom left a sour taste in my mouth
You can see the coupon here to see exactly how it was worded.

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