It has happened, your car has been stolen. You have called your vehicle tracking provider to notify them of the situation but they cannot find your car. What do you do?
Finding yourself in this situation poses a few questions. What happens if your tracking company does not find the vehicle? What recourse can be taken, and what is the protocol to follow should this happen?
Living in South Africa means being aware of the crime problems we have. Vehicle theft unfortunately makes up a significant portion of that crime reality.
It was reported by SAPS that 8,597 cars were stolen between July and September of 2024 in South Africa. A considerable amount of these cars did not get recovered, with many getting stripped moments after being stolen.
For you to understand what to do when a tracking company can't find your car, you will first need to understand why a tracking company would fail to find a car in the first place.
For many people getting a car tracking unit is a decision made out of necessity and awareness of the crime in the country. This leads many car owners to seek some solution to help alleviate the fear of potentially being a car theft victim. That is where vehicle tracking companies come in, they track vehicles and aim to recover a stolen one in the unfortunate event of a theft or hijacking. They often have a team of recovery specialists who use air and ground forces to locate the vehicle.
Understanding the reason for the failure of a tracking unit is crucial, as it allows for the chance to plan against it. Here are some possibilities to consider for a lost or stolen vehicle.
If a criminal is aware of the tracking unit, they may disable or remove it. This is the most common reason for tracking companies not finding your car. Criminals have become very well-versed in vehicle tracking and keep coming up with new tactics to steal and disable tracking units.
A tracking device relies on GPS tracking tools in order to locate your car. This means that any interference in the signal will affect the ability of the device to track its location. Common reasons for GPS signal loss include:
The tracking unit might stop working if the vehicle’s battery is drained or disconnected. This can be due to a car battery being old or defective, making it difficult to keep the tracking device fully charged throughout the day. This is especially true if a vehicle has not been in use for a while.
Technical faults in the device itself can make it non-functional. This means that the efficacy of the tracking unit is compromised and can lead to the tracking company not being able to locate the lost or stolen vehicle.
Glitches can be due to bugs in the device’s software or a breakdown of the service provider’s server.
In the unfortunate event that your tracking company cannot find your car, there are processes to be followed that will mitigate the issue. These are often pre-determined and form part of regulatory protocols for stolen vehicles.
What to do when your service provider has failed to recover your car:
When vehicle tracking companies are unable to locate a vehicle using the mobile app or tracking system, they typically follow a structured process to investigate the issue.
Tracking systems are usually designed with monitoring tools that can detect potential problems. These tools can identify issues like missing data, loss of GPS signal, or inaccurate tracking information.
Here is a list of protocols that companies follow as a response to tracking failure:
Once the problem is identified, the next step is troubleshooting. Companies usually run diagnostics on both the hardware (e.g., GPS devices, sensors) and software (e.g., connectivity or data transmission protocols) to determine the root cause.
After troubleshooting, the company moves on to corrective actions. If the failure is due to a faulty device, the company may repair or replace the hardware as per the terms of the service agreement. In some situations, especially when a resolution might take some time, the company may offer temporary solutions, such as manual updates or periodic check-ins via SMS, until the main issue is fixed.
Clear and proactive communication is an essential part of the process. Companies typically keep their clients informed about the status of the issue. This communication is maintained throughout the entire process, culminating in a full report that the customer can use for other administrative purposes.
In cases where the failure has led to significant service interruptions or data loss, tracking companies might offer compensation to their customers. This could take the form of refunds, discounts, or account credits, particularly if the failure breaches the Service Level Agreement (SLA).
Cartrack offers a R150 000 cash-back warranty (T’s and C’s apply) for unrecovered vehicles, that is how confident we are in our vehicle recovery business. This compensation is proof of how far the company is willing to go to deliver a positive client experience.
Companies like Cartrack utilise backup systems to ensure continuous tracking of assets, even when primary systems such as GPS signals fail. These backup systems are crucial for maintaining service reliability, especially in environments where GPS signals can be obstructed or lost, such as urban canyons, tunnels, or areas with poor satellite visibility.
Overall, by integrating backup power solutions, companies like Cartrack can maintain continuous tracking even when GPS signals are compromised. These backup systems ensure that clients' assets remain trackable, providing peace of mind and reliable data in all conditions.
Cartrack is an industry-leading stolen vehicle recovery company, with over 20 years in the field. Cartrack has an unmatched 90% vehicle recovery rate. The average tracking unit from any other provider offers less when compared to Cartrack’s comprehensive product offering.
The standard option at Cartrack includes stolen vehicle recovery, a mobile app, and vehicle location via call care. Other features that Cartrack offers are crash detection sensors and Carwatch, a virtual car guard that allows the user to see their vehicle in real time through the app. These inform Cartrack’s control room about the impact, which lets them know that something has happened and they need to investigate.
These aforementioned features augment the vehicle tracking system, enhancing the capabilities of the full offering.
Having a tracking unit in your car requires you to take on certain responsibilities. These will affect how well the unit will perform and how likely it is to fail you in the future. Here are some considerations and responsibilities to factor in if you want to avoid future tracking issues.
Most tracking service providers offer some kind of maintenance and repair on request, subject to a possible fee. Cartrack has a one year warranty on its units that lapses into a lifetime warranty after the initial period.
Invest in a high-quality tracking system with strong customer support and advanced features. This means going with a reliable brand with a trusted product. Factors to consider include how long the company has been in business and how much of a reputation they have in the industry and with customers. Check reviews online, read up on the product’s quality, and compare with other providers.
Cartrack is a trusted and reliable brand with a HelloPeter rating of 4/5 stars and a trust index of 9,7/10. It is also ranked second nationally among security companies.
Stay informed with regular updates from the tracking company, ensuring the software and systems are up-to-date. This means keeping tabs on all the communication from the service provider regarding the unit.
Vehicle loss is an unfortunate event to experience, this can be further exacerbated by the failure of your tracking device to find your stolen vehicle. If you are looking for a company that will provide some certainty when your vehicle cannot be recovered, then Cartrack is the service provider for you. As a leading company with a high recovery rate, you can rest assured we will make you a priority.
Contact us today to learn more about our offering.
What happens when a vehicle tracking company can't find your car? Learn about common issues and what steps to take if your car goes missing.
