POOR SERVICE DELIVERY

POOR SERVICE DELIVERY: TRACKER VEHICLE TRACKING SERVICE

My car has been giving me problems for a while, with the battery running flat if the car was not used daily. A couple of months ago I had the battery and alternator tested and the battery supplier (obviously) recommended that the battery needs replacement. The substantial amount spent should have solved the problem but, alas, the battery still ran empty if the car stood unattended for a few days. The next step was testing by BMW Pretoria. After testing on their system, they could not find anything wrong and concluded that the only possible problem could be the TRACKER unit in the vehicle draining the battery. I spoke to TRACKER and they said the odds of their unit draining the battery was very low, but they could arrange to remove the unit for me to take it back to BMW for further testing. (Hindsight would have made that the better option). I said I would monitor the situation. On 30 October I travelled to Bloemfontein and on the morning of 31 October, the car would not start at all. I contacted BMW Bloemfontein and described the problem. They once again, suspected that the problem sounded as if it could be caused by the TRACKER unit and recommended that I should have the unit disconnected before they could do any testing to the vehicle. At 11:49 on 31 October I phoned the TRACKER help line on ***(an experience that one should rather try to avoid) and related my problem and the fact that I was stranded away from home with a vehicle that would not start. The telephone assistant, Michelle Moses, listened to my whole explanation and logged a call for technical assistance. Great was my shock when I asked her how long the assistant would take to reach me, and she answered that she would try to have an assistant with me within 72 hours! I once again reiterated that I was stranded in a strange town, on which she said that 72 hours was the policy, but that she would indicate on the service request that it was an emergency. It needs to be said that, at no stage, did Ms Moses enquire about the safety of my wife and I or our vehicle, notwithstanding the fact that she knew we were stranded. On the morning of 1 November, after not hearing anything from TRACKER for almost 24 hours, I decided to go to the TRACKER office in Bloemfontein with a borrowed vehicle. When I described my problem to the Manager of the Bloemfontein branch, Ivan Heydenrych, he could not believe the poor service that I received from TRACKER. Almost 24 hours after my initial call, TRACKER Bloemfontein had not even been notified that a TRACKER client was stranded in their town with a problem! He immediately sent his technician, Nicola, to assist me with the vehicle. After assessing the situation, Nicola removed the TRACKER unit and personally contacted BMW Bloemfontein to have the vehicle towed to them for further assistance. Although Nicola could not do any more, he stayed with us and the vehicle until it was loaded onto the flat-bed and safely on its way to BMW. I need to emphasize that the professional and friendly service I received from TRACKER Bloemfontein, both from Mr Heydenrych and from Nicola, was of exceptional quality. That is the service standard one would expect from a company like TRACKER. Thank you, Ivan and Nicola, for your excellent service. BMW Bloemfontein determined that the vehicle had an electrical problem that could not be detected because of the TRACKER unit, something that was already predicted by BMW Pretoria. They could not confirm if the TRACKER unit did, indeed, drain the vehicle’s battery, but said nothing else in the vehicle could drain the battery when the vehicle was not in use. They solved the problem and I could continue my travels. Because of the pathetic service and lack of assistance from the TRACKER call center and Miss Moses, I decided not to have the TRACKER unit that was removed from my vehicle refitted and rather cancelled the service. The call to Valencia Mahada at the call center was once again marred with less than friendly undertones. The market is saturated with vehicle tracking suppliers. It can not be difficult to find one that gives a better or at least more professional service to their clients. Needless to say, that anyone hearing this sad tale about poor service delivery, and I tell it to all who are willing to listen, will ever make use of TRACKER and a number of people already said they are going to look at different service providers for their vehicle tracking service and have their TRACKER units removed.