9:00 am, March 28, 2013
CAR theft has moved on since the days of jimmying a door open with a coat hanger — car makers and thieves are today locked in a battle of wits.
As the manufacturers evolve tougher security systems to protect vehicles, the thieves ratchet up their attempts to bypass them. In this game of cat and mouse there seems to only be one loser — the car owner.
Take GPS jammers for instance. Easily available over the internet, they can be used to block the GPS and GSM signals that most Stolen Vehicle Recovery (SVR) systems rely upon.
While the use of jammers is illegal, because of a legal loophole it is not illegal to buy them.
A recent study had engineers monitoring traffic on a dual carriageway outside London.
They uncovered the systematic use of jammers, with 10 incidents per day on some roads.
In most cases these were drivers trying to evade on-board monitoring systems; however their widespread use goes to show how easily criminals can block an SVR system which relies solely on GPS and GSM.
So it’s not surprising that many car buyers are worried that the car they have just bought might be stolen.
And it’s this fear that presents a unique opportunity to provide your customer with peace of mind that their vehicle is protected, as well as boost your profit margins.
Tracker’s SVR offering is unique in that it combines GSM, GPS and VHF technology in one unit, to create a robust tracking device with a real USP for your customers — it is resilient to jamming technology.
Utilised by all 52 police forces in the UK, Tracker’s innovative SVR systems act like a homing device and enable the police to pinpoint a stolen vehicle, even if it is hidden in a container or garage where a system based solely on GSM/GPS could not operate.
So who is best placed to let car buyers know of the options available to them to protect their new purchases? You.
Profit generating
Most dealers wouldn’t think twice about offering a product which will protect paintwork or fabric at the point of sale; however SVR systems are often something of an afterthought which is left to the customer.
Adding tracking systems to an aftersales proposition can generate substantial profit; there is certainly money to be made for dealers selling Tracker.
We offer not only a traditional margin but also a percentage of the subscription that dealers collect for us, making Tracker just as profitable — if not more so — to sell as other aftersales products.
And if your customer purchases a Tracker unit which then recovers their stolen vehicle, this will build customer loyalty to your dealership and keep customers coming back.
The statistics speak for themselves. To date Tracker has recovered more than 21,582 stolen vehicles — worth a staggering £466 million — since 1993.
Each month Tracker helps to recover an average £2 million worth of stolen vehicles. It has also led the police to arrest 2,249 car thieves.
