Tracker service

When we bought our used caravan a few years back, I sent the alarm unit back to Sargent as it wasn't working properly. They apparently repaired it, but it was hard to tell that it was much better. A few years down the line I replaced a sounder inside that should chirp when it's armed & disarmed .... it seemed to work for a while but is now hit & miss as to whether it'll chirp (I suspect electrickery that talks to the sounder rather than the sounder itself) Then, when off EHU a different sounder started to chirp every few minutes .... Sargent suggested it was a failing rechargeable battery in the alarm ... they want £40odd, I replaced it with a some what cheaper battery that was suggested here by EasyT.

Their customer service is great, they repaired a PSU for me a few years ago on another caravan & I had it back within days. but their alarms could be much better. 

I recently purchased a Bailey Unicorn4 Vigo built in late 2020 from Viscount Leisure and was told by them to just update the factory fitted tracker subscription online for a small fee as a new owner.

When I called Tracker to do so, a rather curt receptionist took my VIN number and bluntly told me that the tracker battery would by now be depleted and a complete new tracker system should be fitted for £299 before I needed to take out a subscription. They would not let me subscribe until I paid for a new tracker unit. Their own website states a five year battery life and my caravan is not yet three years old !

I complained to Viscount who were great and said I should not be expected to pay for this having just bought the caravan and that they would cover the cost of a replacement tracker unit and arrange fitting. I emailed Bailey who closed ranks on the matter and simply agreed with policy of their agent "Tracker" with some blurb about not disclosing the secret location of the unit inside the caravan to anyone but an approved fitter.

I am thoroughly impressed with my local caravan dealership for being gentlemanly about it and will be a long term customer of theirs. I am also very unimpressed with the approach taken by both the Tracker company and Bailey.

If it wasn't for the simple fact that my insurance cover expects a tracker after declaring one and it is integrated with the fitted alarm system I would just buy a rival aftermarket product elsewhere on principle, I feel they are profiteering by fitting a new tracker instead of replacing the units battery, or at least letting new owners subscribe until such time as the batteries become an issue.