Dishonest advertising!

I take a great deal of pride in my workmanship and the reputation I have built over that past few years, so when I found out that a local company had taken a Google AdWords advert out titled “Obsessive Vehicle Security” I was rather pissed off.

One of the most important aspects of the Obsessive brand is honesty. The goal is to be upfront and truthful about what I can offer each customer, provide them with the information to a make an informed decision, and then hope that they will trust me and use my services and recommend me to others.

Obsessive Vehicle Security do not recommend Abtec, 5starcaralarms.co.nz or onlinecaraudio.co.nz

Sadly not all people in the industry operate in this manor, as local company Abtec have proved this week. It seems that they have no issues with misleading people to achieve a quick buck and will even scoop so low as to try and trade off another companies name as the following proves:

onlinecaraudio.co.nz is a Website owned by Abtec NZ

Note: Abtec own the onlinecaraudio.co.nz website.

For those of you who don’t know how AdWords works the read this link: http://www.google.com/ads/adwords2/

I have already been in contact with Google as this advert is in breach of the Obsessive Vehicle Security trade mark. I have also sent the following email to the managing director of Abtec:

Dear Ashley,

It has recently come to my attention that Abtec has been using “Obsessive Vehicle Security” as the heading for a Google AdWords campaign.

I would like to point out that I do not approve of your use of my company name and a request that you remove this misleading advert.

Regards,

Julian Dunster

Obsessive Vehicle Security

Whilst on the subject of Abtec I have also noted that they are now following in the foot steps of the Obsessive Blog. They have even coined the “News Views and Product Reviews” heading that I have on the site!

It’s a shame that they have not copied my idea of  pointing out that most of the so called “5 star car alarms” are not effective, (see Siren Muppetry and AVS Immobiliser for examples why!) and continue with the bullshit 5 Star Car Alarm rating system.

This is most disappointing, after spending the past two years pointing out how misleading the NZSA star rating system was, it is sad to see that Abtec have created their own 5 Star car alarm rating which like the original, is fit for little more then wiping your arse on!

Another Obsessive Parasite!

Rant over!

Abtec now join Warlocks in the exclusive list of companies who I suggest to avoid!

Good vehicle security installers are a rare breed and hard to find. I’m always getting asked if I can recommend someone outside of Wellington, to which I often point out that Wellington is slap bang in the centre of NZ and a great place to visit

This ploy works sometimes as I’ve had customers coming form as far away as Christchurch and Hamilton, although no Jafa’s that I’m aware of yet!

On a more serious note I do understand that not everyone can find the time to travel down here, or afford the fuel costs in travelling this far.

Who I recommend:

I’m going to start the ball rolling by stating who I recommend and why.

Note: I am recommending individual installers (not companies where installers can come and go) that I have worked with and have first hand knowledge on how capable they are. If you intend to use them then I’d suggest by-passing the sales team and speak directly to the installer and explain that you want a stealth install

Bret @ Trends in Hamilton

http://www.trendscarstereos.co.nz/

I worked for Bret at Mobile Alarm Specialist (sadly no longer in existence) when I first arrived in NZ and learnt heaps form him. Very knowledgeable and a good bloke too.

Trends are now selling Cobra alarms too. Hopefully the Website will look better soon (It is currently being updated).

Kishor @ Autowatch NZ in Auckland

http://www.autowatch.co.nz/

Kishor is the owner and Importer for Autowatch NZ. I worked with him when I lived in Auckland back in 2005 and have regular contact with him. Again a good bloke who is very capable and has a good alarm brand on board which can make a big difference to how effective an installation can be.

Feel welcome to add your own recommendations in the comment section.

Note: Remember that part of being a good installer is suggesting a decent alarm/immobiliser, so If you’re going to plug an installer that takes part in Siren Muppetry and other poor habits then I may well question your credibility!

You can see all the shots and read his write up on the Green Sticker Society blog.

Yemo: There are some beers sitting here for you when you want them

Autowatch Product range

There are some vehicle where running cables can be a real pain and a major time consuming event. Motor homes and boats instantly spring to mind, I’ve certainly uttered some expletives in the past when I’ve pondered just how the hell I’m going to run a cable through, or past all the cupboards and other obstacles to get a switch to protect a door or window.

Fortunately Autowatch now have the Wireless Reed Switch as an option which makes the installation process much easier.
Like the wireless P.I.R. Sensor the Wireless Reed Switch will work with both the Autowatch 446RLi Premium and the 695 CAN-BUS alarm.

The great thing with the Wireless reed switch is that you can be quite creative with how you use it, for example you could fit one to your garage door, that way it could trigger your car alarm as soon as the garage was broken into (Assuming that the car is inside and in range of the sensor).

 Other applications can be can be protecting Ute canopies, sliding windows on vans, or most doors where a conventional pin switch is not an option. The other advantage with a wireless sensor is that there are no cables which maybe vulnerable to attack.

Up to 6 sensors can be programmed to the of the alarm or any combination of Wireless Reed and P.I.R. Sensors.

So with the NZSA Star rating system for car alarms and immobilisers now dead and buried it’s been interesting seeing what others are up to. Mongoose have simply adopted the “Star rating System” as their own and dropped the NZSA logo part!

Then there is the www.5starcaralarms.co.nz website that have their own “approved installers” and star rating system which I really don’t need to make any comments about other then noting that Mongoose have lost their “star rating”!

AVS, Dynatron and Stealshild (and numerous others) still list their products as being NZSA Star rated, and a quick search for alarms on “Trade Me” shows 157 alarm products with installers claiming to be NZSA members!

Now I’ll be the the first to admit that it can take time to update a website, my one after all is a monster with many pages that I’ve been attempting to update one at a time and it is a tedious process! But I have to say it is disappointing to see how slowly everyone else is adapting which can only lead to confusion and ultimately a situation where the alarm buying public are still getting mislead!

The NZSA website now states:

But as of yet this is not the case as the MTA have yet to decide if they will go ahead and first need to investigate what the most viable options are, if any! I know this as I had a meeting with them last week so am at least in the loop. I promise to post any new information up here as and when it happens.

Your Alarm Immobiliser Check Lists.

Rather then jump on the “Let’s create my own Star rating system that means Jack Shit” bandwagon, I felt it would be more constructive to create an honest guide to what makes an alarm/immobiliser effective.

Introducing the alarm feature check lists. There is one for “4 and 5 star” systems, one for Immobilisers and another for Upgrade (PLIP) alarms.

Check Lists below:

Alarm/Immobiliser Check List (Covers 4 & 5 Star remote alarms)

Immobiliser Check List

Upgrade Alarm Check List (Covers OEM Upgrade/PLIP Alarms)

Hopefully this will help create some clarity.

Feedback is most welcome

Not for Sale!

It’s nearly 3 years since the review section of the blog went live. I’ve had some fantastic feedback over this time about how blunt, honest and useful the reviews have been.

One of the main criteria I have is to be upfront about both the positive and negative aspect of each system, even if it ruffles the feathers of some of my suppliers!

There are clear guidelines in place of how the alarms are reviewed and comments are always welcome. Let’s face it, I am human and may get things wrong at times, plus I’ll be the first person to admit to being an opinionated cock!

Review Plagiarism

It was only a matter of time… All good ideas get copied in time and I’d like to thank Abtec NZ for the vote of confidence by jumping on the review band wagon. They have even taken the liberty of coping my “News Views and Product Reviews” title FFS!

So with that in mind how do the reviews compare?

Here is the Abtec review of the AVS S5: (Click on image for full review link)

http://onlinecaraudio.co.nz/blog/the-ultimate-in-vehicle-security/

Here is the genuine Obsessive review:

http://vehiclesecurity.co.nz/blog/avs-s5-avs-s4-avs-s3

Reviews You can Trust

Who else thinks that Abtec (AVS wholesaler) have overlooked some of the “Issues” that the S5 has?

Why have AVS put a link to the review on their Facebook page, yet not linked to my review? (I’m not really looking for an answer on this one as I think I know )

To summarise I’d say it goes to show that a review by a wholesaler is never going to be impartial and upfront!

Feckless, Incompetent, Useless, Compromised, Corrupt.

Does anyone actually have a better word which is not in French that summarises the New Zealand Security Association?

It is almost April and as of yet the NZSA has failed to front up to the public about what is going on with the failed “Star Rating System” for vehicle security systems.

Given this I have just sent out the following email to Greg Watts “Executive Officer” of the NZSA and CC’d other members of the NZSA for good measure:

Dear Greg,

Please be aware that this email is going out to all members of the NZSA and will be posted on my website. The reason I feel forced to do this is because you have chosen to evade responding to my previous email questioning what is happening with the “Star rating system” for car alarms and immobilisers. On top of that I believe that my customers, the general public and vehicle security retailers have a right to know what is happening.

Rather then point out the failing of the NZSA under your helm I will simply refer to this blog post and email which covers the main details: http://vehiclesecurity.co.nz/blog/a-legacy-of-failure

It is disappointing that other then a letter which you have sent out, (see attached) that informs me that the NZSA now intends to stop using the vehicle security industry as a source of revenue, along with a suggestion I should join the MTA, very little seems to have been done!

I believe that the NZSA needs to front up and respond to the following questions:

1: What is happening to the NZSA “star rating system”? Is it being handed over to the MTA or is it officially null and void as of the 1st of April?

2: What has the NZSA done to keep the public informed about changes to the “star rating system”?

3: Has the NZSA been in contact with the Insurance council of New Zealand to advise of any changes to the “star rating system”?

4: Why has the NZSA failed to to mention what is happening to the “star rating system” on its website?

Personally I would encourage all NZSA members to consider what the NZSA actually offers them before renewing membership.

Finally I would like to say farewell to the NZSA and have now made a video dedicated to the failing of the NZSA in improving vehicle security standards.

Professionalising the Security Industry – Yeah Right!

Regards,
Julian

P.S. Am I in the running for NZSA member of the year given my dedication to improving NZSA standards?

Here is the video dedicated to the NZSA:

My membership has now gone up in flames

New Zealand Product Range

Whilst some alarm importers offer crap dealer support (along with crap products) others have great communication skills, fantastic technical support and positive attitude.

I can’t speak highly enough about Cobra NZ and the support I’ve had from them over the past 4 years. Today was certainly one of the best in the way of job perks as I was invited up to Manfeild for a couple of “Hot laps” in the Cobra sponsored Ferrari F430 Challenge.

Anyway, enough of my babble. Here are the photo and video clips:

There is also some in car footage (I was not aware that the camera was on ) which I’ll add later that’s quite cool

MONGOOSE PRODUCT RANGE

Last week a customer asked my why Mongoose only offer a 6 month warranty on new remote controls. His existing M60 remote had failed and he wanted reassurance that a replacement remote would not crap out on him again. Most alarm manufactures offer 12 months warranty on their remote controls, Mongoose NZ however seem to be the exception to this rule.

He felt that this was not good enough so had me replace the alarm with an Autowatch system.

Here is a snap of the Mongoose remote page:

Should we expect more from Mongoose?

Well my customer certainly felt that this was not good enough and wanted to know why. Given this I thought it would be a good idea to flick an email to Mongoose to ask if their customers (and dealers) deserved better support on their products:

Good afternoon.

I have had a request from a customer asking me to contact you to enquire why you only offer a six month warranty on your remote controls when the industry standard is twelve months?
My customer did not find this acceptable and had me remove his alarm and replace it with a different brand which offered better after sales support.

Please could you explain why the warranty period on your remote controls is so short?

Kind Regards,
Julian

–
Obsessive Vehicle Security Limited

I have had comments on this blog in the past from the Managing director of Mongoose claiming that they do not have reliability issues so it will be interesting to see what response I get!

I’m sure some of you have heard the recent radio campaign where the NZSA claim to be “professionalising the security industry” (If not click here to listen) yet the hard facts are that nothing could be further from the truth.

The reality is that that the only thing you can be sure of is that the “NZSA member” is a victim of the NZSA extortion racket.

All the NZSA claims about testing installers are total fantasy and I believe that most people are only members because they feel their business will suffer commercially if they do not pay up. I know I’ve certainly felt that way in the past!

So what is Professional about the NZSA?

Well I certainly don’t consider the actions of Greg Watts (the NZSA executive officer) to be professional. I have emailed Greg asking him to front up and respond to my questions over the “Star rating system.” Yet Greg has either ignored my emails or taken over 7 weeks to reply!

Emails with untrustworthy content

Last week I received an email from Greg Watts informing me and other members that the police now have a “Stolen vehicle database”. Better late then never ! I blogged about this last year! Yet when I went to click on the link which Greg had sent, the following came up:

Seriously you would have thought that the man tasked with being the face of a “security association” would have enough competence to place a safe link into an email!

So to conclude, I don’t trust the NZSA, and it would seems that Google don’t trust them either.

Fortunately it will soon be April and the NZSA will no longer be associated with the vehicle security industry. I tell you, it can’t come soon enough!