Phantom Tracker

[SilverSurfer]

We are about to collect our new caravan and have been told by the insurer that we MUST have a tracking device fitted as the value is over 17k.

I am told that the initial cost of a Phantom is around £400 plus an annual charge of £100.

OK, I want to protect my caravan and the investment but can these devices be 'self fitted' and if so, would the saving, (if any), be worthwhile? Could it, for example invalidate any warranty, be acceptd by the insurer and he tracking company as an efficient fit????????

 

[GrahamSouthBrum]

I decided to shop around for insurance for my 07 van this year.

Several companies stated that thay would only insure me if I had a Phantom type tracker system fitted.

I am now insured with the caravan club. No requirement for a tracking system.

If you want a tracker buy one but there are insuance companies that will cover you without one.

G.

 

[Surfer]

Why don't you try "Tracker". It costs about the same to fit and you can pay a one off fee of

 

[oldievanner]

With a Tracker, that virtually guarantees you get your van back,

what would its condition be like after it may have been trashed by the thieves? I personally wouldn't want it back.I would prefer to the extra little bit of premium for replacement new for old van, and you save the tracker annual premium.

 

[Guest]

I agree with Peter. I wouldn't want my van back if trashed by thieves. I've read so many reports about how naff Phantom actually is and is definitely NOT foolproof. I also have first hand reports from several local friends how naff the system is. Plus, the savings gained on insurances do NOT cover the running costs of a tracker.

In my opinion, in an insurance company insist you MUST have a tracker, ditch them and look elsewhere. Their loss.

 

[Ray_5112937]

Picked up my new van' in November with a Phantom tracking device already fitted. The caravan is insured through the Caravan Club and they did not require a device of this type to be fitted, although they did give a discount of

 

[David_374332498]

I have recently purchased a new caravan and was told the same by most insurance companies. Eventually I went with the Phantom proactive system. The total cost for 5 years was just under

 

[Mikey1]

If your van is trashed you dont have to accept it back,but at least the insurance company can recoup some of their money back instead of nothing.

Insurance companies do not make loses the more vans that get stolen the more they charge for insurance its that simple so at the end of the day its your loss.

I had one van stolen and couldnt get insurance on a twin axle without tracker so had a choice stop vanning or accept it.

 

[Pete_374320759]

One advantage of the Phantom system is that the little box of tricks (which is hidden away somewhere in the van) contains a very sensitive motion detector. I've heard tales of the system being triggered by the owner nipping into the van while it's parked on the drive. It only takes a slight movement to trigger it.

Another thing is that even if the switch is found by the thief and the system turned off, it can still be tracked - it just means you have to phone Phantom to tell them that your van has been nicked. Passive tracking is always on, as long as your battery is good.

It is expensive, but I feel happier knowing that it's there.

 

[Rich]

I have been spending time looking at different tracking solutions and it seems the caravan tracker may cost

 

[Essexeddie]

Posted this before, what I use is an old phone connected to a car charger in the van.

Then register to a tracking company. I use 'followus.co.uk'

Its free to join, you pay 50p a hit when you want to track the phone.

The whole set up cost me nothing, as it was all old phone bits.

Better than nothing.

Edd

 

[Rich]

Edd, The thing with that is it is only accurate to an area inside a phone cell which can be from 100 or 200 sq yards to 2 or 3 miles out of towns or cities and you are not alerted as soon as the vehicle moves so it could be 10's of miles away and hidden before you even know. But as you say it is better than nothing. The insurance discount thing is variable at best and some of this is down to the device and user input so a device which has no user input to make it work will get more discount than one which relies you you to turn it on or make sure it is charged. The less we have to do to make it work the more interest the insurance company will have and if it is efficient they will give bigger discounts.

 

[Essexeddie]

Edd, The thing with that is it is only accurate to an area inside a phone cell which can be from 100 or 200 sq yards to 2 or 3 miles out of towns or cities and you are not alerted as soon as the vehicle moves so it could be 10's of miles away and hidden before you even know. But as you say it is better than nothing. The insurance discount thing is variable at best and some of this is down to the device and user input so a device which has no user input to make it work will get more discount than one which relies you you to turn it on or make sure it is charged. The less we have to do to make it work the more interest the insurance company will have and if it is efficient they will give bigger discounts.

Its just nice to know where it went, even if you dont want it back!

Edd

 

[CarolineSimon]

I have recently purchased a new caravan and was told the same by most insurance companies. Eventually I went with the Phantom proactive system. The total cost for 5 years was just under

 

[Paul_5064559]

Edd, The thing with that is it is only accurate to an area inside a phone cell which can be from 100 or 200 sq yards to 2 or 3 miles out of towns or cities and you are not alerted as soon as the vehicle moves so it could be 10's of miles away and hidden before you even know. But as you say it is better than nothing. The insurance discount thing is variable at best and some of this is down to the device and user input so a device which has no user input to make it work will get more discount than one which relies you you to turn it on or make sure it is charged. The less we have to do to make it work the more interest the insurance company will have and if it is efficient they will give bigger discounts.

It takes police in my area 2 days to attend a house burglary so I would not be as confident as some about their reaction time to find someones stolen caravan.

 

[Surfer]

A radio transmission is far more reliable than GPS and is just as accurate. If the caravan is stolen and hidden in a barn that has an iron structure there is no ways that a GPS signal will be located. If it is conceled in a container the same applies but a radio transmission will still work!

One way to think of it is to think about the number of times you cannot use your phone because of poor signal. GPS is very much line of sight whereas radio transmission can work outside those parameters.

 

[Essexeddie]

A radio transmission is far more reliable than GPS and is just as accurate. If the caravan is stolen and hidden in a barn that has an iron structure there is no ways that a GPS signal will be located. If it is conceled in a container the same applies but a radio transmission will still work!

One way to think of it is to think about the number of times you cannot use your phone because of poor signal. GPS is very much line of sight whereas radio transmission can work outside those parameters.

Its still better than nothing!!

Edd

 

[Rich]

Ian.

I have been spending time looking in to tracking devices and now there are some which do not need an antena to "see" the sky as they have high gain internal antenas is side them. I was given one to test which when I sent back to the dealer I had turned on and "watched" it traveling in the royal mail lorry while it was in the post! I was sceptical it would work and although it lacked a couple of functions I wanted to to do I was impressed and as the guy sent me one to try I wanted to see how it would work when I had no control over where the device was placed.

I was gob smacked!!!

 

[Mikey1]

The average time for your van to be recovered with Tracker is 44 mins to 86 mins which is pretty good.

New vans are stolen to sell on or live in,they are not trashed as many seem to presume,vans that are trashed are normally not stolen just thieves looks for items of value in the van.

The damage to stolen vans that are recovered is damaged doors or windows and as they are recovered so quickly all personal items are recovered too.

The fitting of the big locker door to gain access to underneath the fixed bed is a new chosen route into your van,they force it open and they get in this way.

Choice is yours but overall its only short term gain as the more new vans get stolen the more insurance will go up then all the insurance companies will force you to fit an approve system of tracking or no cover.

Can you afford

 

[Rich]

Mikey has a point. Stealing a van and break ins are not the same thing and if someone has stolen a van to use or sell on then the damage to that van will be minimal if the person taking it knows what they are doing. If it is damaged then this can be repaired easily and the insurance premiums will not go up as high or as quickly if the van is never found or wrecked once the burgler realises he has no way of selling it on.

Break ins are different and the damage can be quite bad but again it would be more about repairing damage and if the van is badly damaged you can still refuse to have the van repaired.

I would personally prefer to protect my van with the Alarm, Alko secure, Hitch lock and a tracking device than have to worry about missing holidays due to a stolen van and I dread having to find a replacement one at short notice if the worst did happen. Our friends had one stolen a couple of years ago and the extra cost of getting one so they could go on holiday as planned was not cheap. I know we cannot stop theft but if I think I have minimised the risk of it going missing I would be happier. After all a few repairs is still quicker and easier than waiting for a brand new van to arrive up to 3 months later or paying a premium for one which has been unmolested at the dealer.