“We’re Not in a Contract, We Just Can’t Leave for 36 Months”
Not long ago, one of our reps got an email from a lead named Patty. Her company had decided to go another direction for their GPS trackers. That happens, but we had never actually spoken with her, so our rep picked up the phone to check in.
Patty was friendly and happy with her decision. Her company had gone with one of the biggest names in the wireless industry. The trackers had arrived, and they were waiting on help with setup. Then she described the deal she’d signed, and it was a perfect example of why the fine print matters.
When “No Contract” Still Means 36 Months
Our rep mentioned that she might end up paying monthly. Patty corrected him: they weren’t paying monthly, and they weren’t in a contract. They just had to pay for 36 months.
When he asked what that meant, she explained that they couldn’t leave for 36 months. If they canceled early, they’d owe a fee on every tracker. Whatever it’s called on paper, an agreement you can’t leave for three years without a penalty works like a contract. That’s not a knock on Patty. Plenty of businesses sign up for these terms because the sales pitch focuses on a small recurring payment and leaves the commitment in the fine print.
Patty said canceling early would cost something like $180 per tracker. For a small fleet, that adds up quickly. For a larger one, it can make switching providers feel impossible, even if the service isn’t working out. And the cancellation fee is only part of it. Payments spread across three years add up to far more than the hardware is worth. Our rep estimated that over the full term, Patty’s company would pay several times what they’d pay with us, and even after covering that cancellation fee, switching would likely still come out ahead. Long terms like this are designed to keep you paying, whether the trackers are earning their keep or not.
A Week and a Half Without an Answer
The most telling part of the call came almost as an aside. Patty had questions about setting up her new trackers, and she’d been waiting on an answer for about a week and a half. That’s the other cost of a big provider. Trackers sitting in a box don’t protect anything. Every day without setup is a day your trucks and equipment are on the road with no visibility, while the payment clock is already running.
When you’re locked in for three years, slow support isn’t just frustrating. You can’t walk away from it.
Before you commit to any GPS tracking provider, get clear answers to these:
If the answers are hard to get before you sign, they won’t get easier after.
Want to learn more?
If you’d rather skip the multi-year terms, the cancellation fees, and the monthly bills, that’s exactly how we do things.
GPS and Track has no monthly fees and no contracts. And when you call for help, a real person picks up.