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1281 Review
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Review on Spot SPOT TRACE 01 Trace Orange Small by Jeremy Meza

Revainrating 1 out of 5

SPOT customer service is good but the product is not worth the hassle

I have been using SPOT for a year as a security measure to protect my utility trailer which is often parked in remote locations. I give SPOT's phone support team high marks, they are friendly and always willing to help. I rate SPOT Online access to my account with low ratings - they confuse billing and renewal procedures so canceling SPOT Online service through secure account access is not an option. In order to cancel before the auto-renewal, I had to call friendly people at phone support. This indicates the inadequacy of the SPOT device itself. Mounting the device on the outside of a vehicle or trailer in a way that allows it to send an adequate signal and yet remains concealed to prevent the SPOT device itself from being stolen is a major problem that I have endeavored to solve. The fundamental problem is that real-time SPOT tracking is a joke. Sending a location every 2 minutes is not enough to protect property. If your trailer gets stolen and is driving at 50-70 mph on a freeway and then off a ramp that leads into an underground world of overpasses and garages, your trailer will quickly disappear and you won't be able to find it in that big space. Radius. Thieves are naturally stupid and uneducated, but that doesn't mean they aren't smart and resourceful. They know how to bypass the system, and bypassing the SPOT device to track a stolen trailer is ridiculously easy. Maybe if a thief stole your trailer and drove it 1,000 miles across the barren tundra without hiding and you could follow it in a helicopter, well then, ok, SPOT is on. Anywhere else, especially in semi-urban or urban areas, forget it. As soon as your thief pulls the trailer into the garage, whether it is a public parking lot or a private warehouse, you will get a signal and will not be able to tell where you are stuck in a very large area. I have friends who use SPOT for rescue missions in remote areas and this seems like a smart use of the technology when no one is hiding and no one is moving faster than walking pace. Think again for the safety of a service trailer, SPOT is useless. In addition, my insurance agent helped me understand and consider your insurance coverage, policy deductibles, homeowners insurance, etc. and run through the scenario where you need to make a claim. You'll quickly see that having your trailer stolen costs you money, and the likelihood that SPOT will save you that cost is infinitesimal. I cannot recommend this product.

Pros
  • Good value for money
Cons
  • Secret