badly let down by tacx, smart trainer with films

Please be fair and thoughtful in your opinions. No rants please.
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jawaka
Posts: 558
Joined: 6 Dec 2007, 2:46pm

badly let down by tacx, smart trainer with films

Post by jawaka »

Well I'm 64 and have used the Tacx films on my Tacx Vortex for the last couple of years, and have paid to buy the films. At my age I'm not competitive and just enjoyed the challenge of riding up Mont Ventoux in my garage. Mostly I've used it in springtime to train for a trip to the Alps and don't use it much otherwise.

Tacx have now withdrawn the cycling app for a training app and I can't access the films I bought, and if I want to be able to access films I can only do it with a 9.99 euros monthly subscription. I don't use it often enough to justify that

Frankly disgusted with Tacx who didn't really seem to care much about support and the app was sometimes very frustrating and not always reliable, and having taken my money, they have now made my purchases unavailable. Oh yes I had the first unit replaced under warranty as it wouldn't switch on and the second packed up last week and is back with Tacx for repair/ replace

I would be more than happy to ditch Tacx after the way they have treated me and would buy another trainer that fulfils what I want to do. Wahoo don't seem to have a films option, are there other smart trainers out there which will match my usage?
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cyclemad
Posts: 186
Joined: 23 Jan 2018, 9:16pm

Re: badly let down by tacx, smart trainer with films

Post by cyclemad »

my first vortex packed up within the first week.....Im on my second unit now...its about a year old and not had any troubles ( touching wood frantically now ) ...I tried the Tacx app and found it boring....I wanted to ride along with others and bit the bullet and joined Zwift...the vortex is doing ok...I only use it during the winter months and when its raining...I don't do rain.
feedback from others is that tacx seem very good when dealing with faulty units...So dont lose hope just yet.

If its still in warranty you could always get your money back and try another brand on the basis of having two go down the toilet !!

try a Zwift free trial....25km and then you getter option of signing up for an account - I think its about £12 a month but you can opt in / out as you choose...
jawaka
Posts: 558
Joined: 6 Dec 2007, 2:46pm

tacx have nicked my films

Post by jawaka »

I used my tacx vortex with the films that I bought from them, so that i could climb Mont Vetoux etc in my garage. Tacx have now changed to a monthly subscription model and the cycling app has been replaced by the training app. My tablet broke and I can only dowmload the new training app and have no access to the films that I bought from them in good faith.

Is this theft? would ereaders, song download companies suddenly deny you all the books or music you have downloaded without a worldwide outcry? A small operation on the periphery of the digital world however can get away with it.

and I bought the trainer 2 years ago and 2 have broken, and I'm getting a third under warranty this week.

If you are in the market for a smart trainer...
thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: tacx have nicked my films

Post by thirdcrank »

Is this theft?


IMO No.

Check your T&C's. IMO this is a contractual issue, possibly with consumer protection implications.

I assume this is something which was a one-time purchase which is no longer sold in that form. ie If it had worked OK forever there would have been no need to refer to the vendor ever again. It's conked and the new version doesn't support the old one. It's the sort of thing that happens all the time.
thirdcrank
Posts: 36776
Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: badly let down by tacx, smart trainer with films

Post by thirdcrank »

This looks broadly similar

When this eBook store closes, your books disappear too

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-47810367

That includes an explanation - of a sort - of the legal situation.
fastpedaller
Posts: 3435
Joined: 10 Jul 2014, 1:12pm
Location: Norfolk

Re: badly let down by tacx, smart trainer with films

Post by fastpedaller »

We have the same with Tom Tom satnav in the car - Map upgrades for 'life' and when you try to upgrade you find yours isn't now supported ie. 'dead' even though it still works.
drossall
Posts: 6115
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 10:01pm
Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: badly let down by tacx, smart trainer with films

Post by drossall »

But at least you still have the old maps, which you may not with those books.

I've always been somewhat conscious of this. I prefer ePubs, most but not all of which come without DRM, over Kindle, because I have the physical file backed up where it can't be taken away, and I'm not dependent on any one company's reader, so that can't be disabled.

And a significant part of the blame should be visited on Disney, whose marketing slogan about owning their films has never been true, because the terms and conditions don't allow you to do any of the things normally associated with ownership. I'm not sure you're even supposed to resell them? I've often wondered whether they should be prosecuted under the Trades Descriptions Act; not only are they not selling what they say they are, they arguably aren't selling anything at all, unless you count a licence with a blank DVD thrown in free! (It's not that I think they should sell without restriction; I just don't think it even makes sense to pretend to do so, and then complain when people break the licence that you pretended you weren't selling them.)
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