Livetrek and Petrek Service Fees in 2022
Livetrek and Petrek Service Fees in 2022
Service Fees
For the past 10 years since launching Trackall we have been able to provide all of the features of the iCar and iPet apps that drive our range of trackers for no cost. The only ongoing cost you have been faced with is the cost of the data used by the SIM card in your tracker and this cost, in the vast majority of cases, has been a maximum of $15AUD per year. The trackers all use map services from companies such as Google and Apple with the latest updates to keep the trackers updating as accurately as possible. The trackers also link to mobile phone tower networks across the country to distribute the GPS data from your tracker to your smartphone.
A number of companies providing us with mapping services have announced that they will be increasing the service and licence fees for any tracking apps using their map services from 2020 onwards! The mapping fees are generally charged per location update and as well as that we are also required to use a certified security encryption process in utilising the map service as well as paying increasingly higher app licence fees. With recent global internet security issues, we also now have had to add new and more secure Cloud-based servers to handle your tracker’s data and new hardware, firmware and software updates are constantly required throughout the year. Without these measures and updates, your tracker may work for a limited amount of time but then immediately cease to work as soon as the mobile networks update to a new security protocol. The constant surveillance and updating we are doing ensures that your tracker will remain visible on the network so we can protect your pet or car or whatever asset you are tracking. To do this, we have increased the IT personnel needed to keep the app services running smoothly and to quickly address any issues that arise.
As a result of all of these issues and to remain viable and continue to deliver a high-quality service, we are now faced with the unfortunate reality that we will have to pass some of these costs on to our customers. We sincerely apologise for this as it is not something we foresaw 10 years ago but we now have no choice but to introduce this fee. The good news is that we have partially absorbed much of the cost and the fee is therefore minimal and far less than most of the GPS trackers in the marketplace!
So, what does this mean for you? …
For our existing customers:
In association with our partner company, Lintek, a decision was made NOT to start passing on any fees to our customers until January 1st 2022 as we felt it was unfair to charge our customers without sufficient warning - so we will be covering this payment on your behalf until January 2022. This means that all current Trackall users and customers who have already purchased a Petrek or LiveTrek Stealth, Guardian or Sentinel tracker will not need to pay this fee until 1st of January 2022. After that date, if you are still wanting to carry on using your Petrek/LiveTrek unit you'll just need to follow the app prompts and pay only $15USD (approximately $20AUD) per tracker per year for single tracker users and, for multiple tracker users, the second and subsequent units will be charged at $12USD (approximately $10AUD) per unit per year. This will then provide you continual usage of the iPet or iCar app for the following 12 months. Paying this new fee means that our iPet and iCar app will always be updated with the latest map updates.
For new purchases:
For any customers who purchase a Petrek or LiveTrek unit after January 1st 2021, once you have added the tracker into the iPet or iCar app, the first 12 months usage will be free. You will not be charged the $15USD fee until the first 12 month period is over. Once you pay the annual fee the tracker will be able to be used on the iCar or Ipet app for the next 12 months. So if the new tracker was purchased on the 21st of September 2021 then the free 12 month licence will be valid until 21st of September 2022. If you purchase a new tracker on the 21st of March 2022 then the free 12 month licence will be valid until 21st of March 2023.
When we first launched our range of trackers over 10 years ago, we were able to avoid any ongoing extra cost but these situations have been forced onto us and are out of our control. Having said that no other range of trackers offers the features and functions that ours do without paying ongoing monthly fees. We are determined to provide you, our customers with the best and most economical solution available. Our new TOTAL ANNUAL FEE is actually even less than most GPS tracking companies are charging their customers PER MONTH! Be wary of cheaper alternatives as you will often find that the trackers will have far fewer functions than ours, may only provide SMS/Text based map coordinates that you have to manually find and they cannot maintain the firmware, software and security updates that are constantly required for GPS trackers so they become redundant with no back-up support service after a relatively short time period.
We hope that this information about the new fee is clear and provides sufficient detail and enough forewarning for you. We know that the introduction of any fee is NOT a good thing but we have tried to make sure that this new annual fee is as low as possible.
NOTE: The SIM credit that you pay each year or month will of course still be needed but will continue to go directly to the Telco provider of the SIM used by the tracker you own.
So, in a nutshell, nothing changes until 2022!
Thank you for your understanding, and stay safe!
- The Trackall Team