Salams!
I can't exactly say if this topic has been discussed in a single thread or not, but I'm opening this one to address all issues and problems relating to tracker services issues and the ever growing complaints with this respect, of lost cars belonging to owners who put all or most of their faith in the "false sense of security" that it appears these companies are providing us, after charging hefty amounts for installation and monthly charges, with no proportional security provided in response.
It appears gradually that these gadgets are worth nothing more than the 2-3K's traditional security alarm systems that we've always been installing in our vehicles for the ease of operating the central locking system and giving the unprofessional thief a minute or two's more of work to it, in lifting off with our preciously, cared for, hard earned roadsters.
I'm of the view personally that what's paid for and conferred over with responsibility, should be indemnified in case of the failing of these services - or - these people either upgrade their services or leave this biz once and for all and let us do with the traditional security measures, instead of bombarding us with all their market gimmickry of providing services which - by any standard of measure - are nothing but a " false sense of security", that leaves one dropping other options, imposing more than due confidence in the working of these systems.
I'd request and invite in all personal such experiences where these systems failed and left the owners thinking: WTF ?"!
Yet, in order to control the thread to genuine cases only, I'd request only 1.st hand experiences or personally overseen 2.nd hand experiences, hearsay not welcome. Plz only report genuine cases and do mention your tracking services providers also, it's not enough just to say that you had a tracker installed.
The purpose is to cause alertness on the quality of services provided, as to enable our members to do a better choice when selecting between different tracking services providers - or rejecting them as a whole, if possible.
Let me also state a discrete disclaimer:
I know that the tracking services providers claim 90% recovery of lost vehicles, and the purpose is not to lament these firms for their success stories. I'm just of the view that the growing number of stealth tracker installed vehicles lately, indicate some serious flaws in their system/services, even to the extent probably of inside assistance, if not from the tracking companies themselves, likely from the assistants involved with the installations, etc.
I understand that those of our members who have no choice of leaving the tracking option if the car is a leased vehicle, since insurance companies insist on the installation of these devices in most of the vehicles, yet still it would cause alertness about the extent to which they could rely on these systems, since even insured vehicles do not get indemnified at full value, leave alone the months long wait for claim settlement, and continuously growing prices of the replacement vehicles later.
As in my personal case below even, the car - a Corolla Altis 2011 MT/SR - has appreciated some 90K's since I purchased it last year and gone are the 70K's registration charges also. All accumulated, I do still stand some 250-300K's at loss, before I start rolling the same kind of wheels back onto the roads.
I'll mention here the Karachi based tracker services providers who were responsible for the working of the tracker installed in my personal vehicle, but for obvious reasons, I deem postponing the mention of details due, till I receive their report of the incident from the firm, probably in a day or two.
The rough outlines of my personal incident:
1) The car was parked inside my garage, gate locked, tracker/security on and working, steering lock active.
2) The tracking company according to my update received park/rest signals from the car every 30 min from the time I parked the car after last use at 11.30 pm.
3) Last signal transmitted from the car at 4.am. The signal due at 4.30 am never came in, suggesting that whatever happened, was carried on between the period of 4.am-4.30am.
4) No ignition alert/battery tampering alert received from the car.
5) No alert sent to me ever from the company regarding the status of my car.
6) I personally called up the company, probably 6-8 hours later, when I found my porch area on the ground floor empty at around 10.30/11 o' clock next morning, can't exactly remember the precise timing, it was a shock state.
7) Anti-jamming device was installed at extra cost, yet it served nothing.
8) Until today, no clue of the missing bird!
Now, my car was luckily insured at full value, yet what if it wasn't?? Who would have been responsible of the near to 2 mil loss? Do these firms offer any practical responsibility too, attached with the packages, that we're paying hefty, hard-earned money for? If not, why rely on this "false sense of security" at all??!!??!! Why not do with the traditional 3-5K options and instead be more vigilant of our vehicles, or arrange some manual precautionary measures, instead?
It would be beneficial if any lawyer member could enlighten us of the legal coverage as well, as to what and how one could sue these companies for these neglects/technical inefficiencies, with all this market gimmickry being the most efficient of all.
I am firmly of the view that tracking devices only help against the unprofessional thieves, hence the 90% success stories. The wiser guys face no real challenge in dismantling all this without any notice at all, and probably in less than 2 minutes.
I cannot say if it would be of any help or not, but of what I've learnt after this incident, the jamming devices used by these thieves are usually connected to your lighter socket. I'm of the opinion and suggest, even our smoker bro's here:
Have your lighter socket disconnected, even in brand new cars, so this point at least is not use-able to these suckers.
I even suspect that the right signals may have been transmitted from the car timely, yet at the notice that the car was already gone 6-8 hours before the firm received my alerting call, they may now just be putting up excuses that the tracker stopped working by 4.am, who knows? In any case, why wasn't I called up by 4.30 am, when they had realized that my car wasn't emitting any more signals????
In a day or two, I'll post the details of my package and by which firm it was covered. Keep checking, and share your own experiences.
The beauty gone:
https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/members-member-rides/174077-my-black-beauty-altis-2011-1-6-mt-sr
https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/members-member-rides/174445-review-altis-1-6-fuel-efficiency-6th-gear-deployment
Regards.
