Spot

[FishPOET]

I purchased SPOT I in July of 2009. I purchased the basic & tracking features. Over the course of the last year I found that the tracking feature is mostly useless. I was also not happy with SPOT customer service or lack thereof in the handling of the recall. I decided not to renew my SPOT service this year.

SPOT decided to renew my service for me.

All plans auto renew with the credit card used at service activation on file. This occurs 12 months after your service activation for 1-year plans or 24 months after your service activation for 2-year plans. All plans renew on a year-to-year basis. All plans renew with no previous notice To cancel your Service Plan, you must notify SPOT in writing within thirty (30) days of the end of your Service Plan’s Term. You must email your notice of cancellation to customerservice@findmespot.com and provide your name, your address and the ESN from the SPOT for which you want to cancel service (located in the battery compartment, under the battery of your SPOT). You may call our customer service center at SPOT at 1-866-OK1-SPOT (651-7768) or from outside of North America:+1 (408) 933-4518 to cancel or if you have questions. You still must confirm in writing by sending an e-mail to customerservice@findmespot.com.

SPOT did rectify the situation with a 1/2 hour phone call. Just posting up to let everyone else know about the auto renewal.

 

[prestidigitizer]

Over the course of the last year I found that the tracking feature is mostly useless.

Please elaborate - I was considering one of these, and was under the impression that, while not perfect, that they generally function well.

I would guess that they only offer auto-renewal because when some customers use these as safety/emergency devices, to have them not function because of a lapsed subscription would be bad press (at the very least), regardless of where you stand on the issue of personal responsibility and preparedness.

 

[FishPOET]

The tracking feature leaves a pinpoint 6 times an hour at best and more realistically 5 times an hour.

This is a track from one day in the Jeep in Calico

http://www.spotadventures.com/trip/view?trip_id=192044

Would this be of any use to you if you wanted to explore Calico in your vehicle?

 

[dzzz]

Seems to work as advertised. It doesn't make tea either.

 

[matt s]

The tracking feature leaves a pinpoint 6 times an hour at best and more realistically 5 times an hour.

That is what is says it will do. I have been happy with mine, however I AM very happy you pointed out the auto renewal. I don't like that at all.

As to the tracking, for me I consider it a safety feature. I may or may not be able to push the button if things go wrong, but if I go missing they (my wife etc) will know where to start looking (within a 10 minute window of travel).

As to logging tracks for future use, I leave that to my GPS as that is where it excels.

 

[adventureduo]

That renewal surprised the heck out of me too, since we had ours in 2007 when they first came out.. i didn't remember ANY auto renewal on the initial agreement. Anyhow.. as much as we are out i just bit the bullet.

As for the tracking, ours has worked flawlessly. It's supposed to leave a waypoint every 10 mins. I wouldn't use it for tight track bread crumbs for sure.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I was a victim of the Auto re-bill also. Pissed me off a little but hey I would of renewed it anyway. The good side of my story is when it came up the next year the credit card they had was not valid anymore and I was out of town for a while. When they finally reached me about the a new CC number the gave me a $50 resign up credit (make note) to renew. When I had them on the phone I asked when would they have canceled my service. They said in my case they would have not canceled my service until they contacted me, I thought that was great.

I travel a lot solo on my moto and Land Cruiser and have a great network of people that knows when Im out and it gives me great comfort to know Im not alone. I find myself going places I would not have ventured to before the SPOT. The SPOT is the best accessory I have IMO.

 

[teotwaki]

When mine was coming up for renewal I called to say I was not going to renew. I persuaded them to drop the price and they gave me a "one-time" $49 discount so I paid $100 for everything

 

[CJCA]

All plans renew with no previous notice

I hate that kind of deception. An email requesting renewal is the honest thing to do. I won't be considering SPOT in the future. My PLB will suffice.

 

[Freezer]

In defence of SPOT, i think the auto renewal policy is there partly to ensure continuous service for those individuals that travel longer periods of time without the possibility to renew their subscription.

The same would apply to someone forgetting to renew before leaving on a trip.

 

[dzzz]

Considering the nature of the product auto renewal isn't a surprise. A product like Spot has to be cancelled based on an action, not lack of action (failure to renew). They would face big lawsuits if the service auto cancelled. In addition there would be monthly "I pressed the button and nobody came" stories posted on the internet.

Spot isn't a great customer service company - look how the recall was handled. But posting a "look how Spot sucks" thread is b.s. They don't.