Toyota Rav4 with ghost fitted 3 - thieves 0. A score better than anything in the world cup.
Toyota Rav4 with ghost fitted 3 - thieves 0. A score better than anything in the world cup.
Im not strict on many things in life, I think flat chicken wings are better than drums. I think cocker spaniels are life. But generally the main rule I live by is information is only as good as its source. Here at Autonox I would like you to buy from us obviously. But truth be told it’s more important to me that you get something fitted be that with us or with somebody else. I have spent the last 21 years of my life dealing with the aftermath of car crime. I’ve had people cry on me, shout at me, take a swing at me and everything in-between. But I want to tell you a story from a customer I’ve just dealt with.
So last August I went to visit a customer with a brand new Toyota RAV4. Customer had elected to have an Autowatch Ghost and Moving Intelligence S5 fitted. The saddest part of this story is this is a bread and butter job for me. But at the time I remember having a feeling about this job, something niggly in the back of my mind, although in retrospect the customer fed me fresh home made croissants so it may of been that.
It was December when I next here from the customer, calling me to tell me that they had disturbed a thief trying to steal their car. This was at 7am in the morning. Now the customers husband isn’t exactly a man id want to have a disagreement with so I can only imagine his response to somebody trying to steal his wife’s car. They’d done a little bit of cosmetic damage but nothing what couldn’t be popped on. Now rather perversely this is my favourite bit of my job. It might be because in my head im going toe to toe with these people and it feeds my (lets be honest not unsubstantial ego) or it might be because its a genuinely nice part of the job. Jury is still out on that one.
Honestly i’d put it out my mind, days get busy and I get about 20 calls like this a week. Look at our google reviews and quite often people will review us when there has been as attempted theft. I know what the stats say, I know that Toyota and Lexus vehicles are the most broken into and stolen vehicles in the UK now. But I also know that Range Rover has the reputation for abysmal security. Channel four released a documentary and a quote from it was “boo hoo now you’ll have to buy another Range Rover” but who the hell do these people think they are. People have a right to have nice cars on the driveway without the fear that some scumbag will come and take it away. Lets be honest there’s s massive price difference in a Range Rover Vogue Autobiography and a Toyota RAV4 s a general rule they may not be brought by people in the same set of financial circumstances.
Another couple of months go buy and we’ve used in the new year. I get another panicked phone call from the customer. They had been back and it was a lot worse this time. The wing liner had been damaged, wing mirrors damages, vehicles key not working, Vehicle unable to run. The thieves had done a good job, not quite good enough because the car was exactly in the same place as. It was when they started. But the damage was done. I helped he customer navigate the insurance quagmire and any issues the dealership had. We do this often sadly, We never charge for it. None of us here at Autonox got into business because we think we’re the next Lord Sugar or Lord Ali. We do it because we want to help, I certainly care.
Due to supply chain issues it took them 2 months to get the car back, The customer called me when they’d got the car back and I was chuffed for them. Equally gutted however because the cost of the claim was nearly 7000. Insurance covered it but we all know that claiming of the insurance costs you in the long run. Surely after two attempts the thieves would knock it on the head.
So fast forward to June. I see the customers name pop up on my phone and my heart sinks, It happened again. This time at 7am in the morning. This time they’d been disturbed. But they’d managed to get access to the car. If you think of the invasion of that anyway its bad. But for a third time. I’ve personally never heard of a third attempt. It just so happens that I wasn’t working that day. So I shot over to her. Around a hour away so not too far. What I was confronted with was key not working and some cosmetic damage.
Its my strong opinion that the people who attempted this one didn’t really have a clue. I was able to sort the key out and put the car back together, sadly the thieves have a key programmed to it. So another trip to Toyota it goes. It’ll cost at least 300 to delete the key. Not worth going through the insurance but lets be honest we can all think of better things to spend that money on, just like the aforementioned chicken wings (flats only).
The saddest thing, I left my customer looking at cheap little runabouts. This couple are looking forward to their retirement. Why shouldn’t they do it in the car of their choice? There is a real issue with car crime in the UK and it isn’t just luxury cars, although that’s bad enough.
