Smart Start

Seems like taking it to one of their “recommended” dealers is another joke, since nobody seems to know how this machine works. This company is a laughing stock and loves collecting money from you. Good luck trying to speak to a manager or supervisor about your issues, they are always never around. Check out all these reviews about Smart Start Inc and you’ll get the idea of what your future might hold with their device installed in your vehicle. Can’t wait to have it out of the car and never have to deal with ** Start Inc again!!!!

One person from their collection department told me to fill out an incident report online which I did. It said wait 7 days for a response. After 2 weeks still no response. But I got a response every week from collection department now looking for monthly fee plus lockout fee. I informed them I was waiting for a response to my incident report. The next day customer service responded "There is no incident report from me." So I sent in 8 more incident reports. 4 days later, I got a response, "You were not charged a lockout fee." I don't know if they're customer service people can't read or can't comprehend simple English. Dealing with them and trying to get them to comprehend the situation is impossible.

This started three months of constant every four days paying $75 to get the violation lock taken off, resulting in a $400 total extra bill before they finally gave me an ancient Ken said that doesn’t require as much long capacity to pass. No problems since (except For one, after I swallowed a handful of vitamins after lunch and drink half a pop and immediately blew another violation). (I rinsed my mouth and blew right after and it was fine. The violation remained though.) I was shuffled from one person and one department to another everyone saying just fill out the incident report until finally corporate office referred me back to the poor tech-support guy who was the only one that finally helped me with a unit that would work for me. His hands are tied, everyone’s hands are tied...

No matter what they state on their website regarding these occurrences no one is giving you any refunds back. This type of false claims and basically stealing from the already struggling to get back on their feet financially strapped person doing everything right should be brought to justice. Everyone says there’s nothing they can do and I won’t stop until something is done about this. Within a short amount of time this company could be completely out of business if we speak up in the right places, I am giving them a few more chances to make it right, as should the other people who have experienced the same, then take it to another level. If I had known this before signing with Smart Start I never would have other people need to know.

This is not a company to be trusted, you can do absolutely everything right and end up owing them so much as the violations continue for no reason, while they promise you to get back with the refund within 2 to 7 days. I wish the first time this had happened I had switched companies but now I am in too far. I will get my money back, I have a debt to pay for my actions leading up to this, compliance with everything, yet this company “robs from the poor”. It is the worst kind of thievery. Just to be clear when my three months of violations were occurring every four days; I would pay the money to get a violation cleared, and the first blow on the drive back home it would violate me again every single time. Nothing had changed, my headset if that was the problem, should have been changed out after a couple of these Incidences as I asked, not after three months and $400 worth later.

Their webpage doesn’t work either! How can laws the written to require someone to have a device like this when they don’t even work. I absolutely hate the feature of having to blow while driving. You either risk the traffic to pull to the curb to try to get the test off or blow while you’re driving and possibly swerve out of lane. People have enough problems trying to get to work after having a DUI. This is a great way to create more homeless people. I gave up alcohol three years ago and started boxing. I have one of these now because THE COP SAID HE Would CHARGE ME WITH a OVI EVEN IF I PASSED THE BREATHALYZER TEST.

I was hit on a bike and needed hip surgery at the time of the stop for a non working license plate light. The cop asked “Do you take anything for pain?” I said only before bed. It’s expensive testing to prove how much of an opiate is in your system. So if they wanted to jam me up I figured the year suspension beats an OVI neither impaired me that night. Lorain County Ohio has no public transportation. I HAVE TO DRIVE to get to work. It’s 30 miles and 5 to 32 degrees c. I can’t imagine this thing is going to get better with wasting time money and gas just 4 days into it. And the biggest insult is like paying for this thing.

I had two instances where when I went in to get the calibration and I was advised I missed a rolling test and that was not true. I was like a hawk watching this device because each incident is an additional $75.00 charge. So, your device has one or two "Unknown" instances per requirement period and they simply deny the appeals, that's up to an additional $150.00 per client they are making without argument per year! You can appeal it a hundred times but who's going to listen to us? In their eyes we are all alcoholics getting what we deserve but in my case it's still pending in court? Fairness is not at all in play here!!! Also, another scam, and I believe they are all scams, is the following:

I have a thought why this is so, or at least this is my theory... Smart Start is greedy and getting very wealthy from those good Americans that have made a mistake and have a court order to place the IID in their vehicle. If Smart Start simply denies their client's, those that chose them over all the others, any help at all, they get rich!

I will use a hypothetical number: If they have 5000 clients and half of those clients (2500) simply can't pay one month out of the required 12 months (one year) installation charge, this simple denial of help will make them on average an additional $207,500 per year! Figuring the average monthly calibration at $83.00 multiplied by 2500 = $207,500. Job security? Fraud? Each missed calibration, at least in my state after the 5th day, gets you another month added to your IID requirement. I now have two months added to mine. Imagine if 2500 clients each had two added months, they would double the above number.

My point in closing, they will all be very courteous and kind when you are choosing the supplier to use but whatever you do, if you have Smart Start at least, don't miss a payment and call in expecting help from them. The above is just a guess on my part but there is no reason they cannot work with those who are in hard times to therefore help keep them remain compliant with the states court orders. They say they are there for their customers, to help you through this requirement but they are full of it, bottom line is they care only about their bottom line at the end of the day. My point: Be cautious, don't miss a payment, know if your state allows a grace period after the appointment date and be prepared not to get help from these companies as I'm sure they are all pretty much the same!

Original: I had to have the device in the car for a year longer when it was installed. The installation was great but whenever it came to remove the device, I had already overpaid the account by $120.00 as there were 2 Violock fees that were paid and should have been returned. Then I was told by corporate that they did not have the requests for repayment since November and when taking out the device I had to pay the $60.00 removal fee and the $70.00 fee as the one credit that was given for the last Violock could not be credited. I've been waiting since December 8th for my credit back for the overpayment since December 20th and have had no response. The email was sent to Fernando ** who claims to be able to credit my account.

I also want to express genuine appreciation to the garage where the unit was installed and is calibrated. They are a caring mom and pop garage who NEVER treat their interlock (breathalyzer) clients any different than their other customers. They listened if I had a problem, and if they were able to provide a solution, always offered it.

On that note, the initial customer service with Smart Start was excellent, again, never treating me like a criminal or as if I had done anything wrong. That was basically where the courtesy ended. I had one time (as mentioned above) that I received a violation because my battery had died and I was allowing the car to run for a bit to charge it after the jump start. I went inside to go to the bathroom, and missed the prompt. Fine. Went next day to get recalibrated, and the garage owner told me to file an incident report and request a refund, since I didn't violate because of drinking.

I filled it out, emailed it, and although the email confirmation says response in 5-7 days, I had to call after 2 weeks, where I was met with ignorance, and the representative informed me my request had not need reviewed, and to email it again. I did so and received a response of no refund. Ok, so I accept that because I made the mistake of leaving the unit w the car on. HOWEVER, in the recent few weeks the unit has been acting up, (taking an extensive amount of time to analyze, asking for immediate retreats etc). Tonight I had gone to work, driven on break, drove home from work (all with more than one prompt for testing, and passing). I stopped home, picked up laundry, and again started car with no problem (note: not eating, drinking, touching or applying anything).

About 5 min later when I pulled into parking lot of laundromat, requested test again. No problem. Used to it after 7 mos. VIOLATION. For no reason. Requested a retest after 1.5 min, which I thought might clear the violation. Nope, I PASSED and still was left violated with a 4 day time limit to have it calibrated. I started my laundry, started car, again with no issue. Also was prompted to blow again before I got home, also no problem. Called customer service, explained what happened, even offering to go to my local police to be tested and documented that I was sober. Was transferred through 5 or 6 people, telling each the story, each telling me they were unable to help me, but "maybe this department/person could"...

Basically all of the representatives/operators telling me it's "not their problem". Finally after customer service, troubleshooting/service dept, credit/collections, and back to customer service, I was told I would not have a choice but to pay to have it calibrated (even though I made it clear that was financially impossible), and to file an incident report, requesting a solution, or if I paid for calibration, a refund. This company has ABSOLUTELY no fail-safe as to how a client could make a case and prove that it was device error, not a mistake or violation on their part. While we ARE advised in the beginning that certain foods or drinks could show up as a false positive, this has NEVER happened, and I eat and drink MANY different things.

I have, in fact violated due to residual alcohol in my system the day AFTER drinking. Again, I take responsibility for my genuine violations. However, receiving a positive reading when I had done nothing to trigger it, and all the while ALL the other tests this evening I PASSED (except for one at the end of the night, where it requested an immediate retest, which I also passed. I feel like this system/company has no availability for an innocent person, who is TRYING to do the right thing and is paying a RIDICULOUS amount for Smart Start's SERVICE to be able to legitimately plead their case in the event the device malfunctions or tests incorrectly.

Basically the client is stonewalled and told they have no choice but to pay for the extra calibrations (even if they are unable), or they receive more violations, vehicle lockout, or worse, additional punishment from the DOT if they violate too many times before removal. I feel as if we are being scammed, stolen from, and being taken advantage of. And we have absolutely no representation to defend us. I intend to continue to call the company and speak to every representative, every supervisor, every technical support person until the very last minute before I receive a lockout. I admit and take the punishment when I do wrong, but if I am innocent, I will fight tooth and nail to prove myself right.

You've already adapted for a long period of time without a car...keep acting like you don't have a car for another year. This program will teach you no lessons, it will just be a continuous nightmare in which they profit. Drive the minimum mileage, bring it in on time...get it out and move on. The more you drive, the more problems you'll have...the more it will cost and longer you will have it.

So I got the device removed and brought the new vehicle with device in hand to the service station and was told after they finished that it is now $200, $150 for vehicle transfer/install and $50 for the violation for the unit losing power. 2 things to keep in mind, 1 the installer did not have to transfer just install (supposed to be free), and I was told the $50 was for the violation lock for loss of power. Not for the download I was explained. After the service station finished they even tried to resolve it and understood exactly where I was coming from since there is no vendors to remove the device and it supposed to be free install and this was clearly not a transfer since it was nothing for him to remove and reconnect. Anyways I then spoke to a lady named Taylor ** who then basically called me a p.o.s. liar and told me that I was told this price.

Well lo and behold I had my phone on speaker with 2 others listening in when all I was told was the $50 download and free install. I told Taylor to pull up the phone call (I also work for an agency comparable to them, I know their calls are recorded). She says she will look into it and get back to me tomorrow, I told her I would also like an apology after she listens to the phone call and verifies that the info I reiterated is true and I'm not a liar! I gave this company the benefit of the doubt last time and worked to resolve the problem. Now is going to be a little more complicated. This reiterates my original review... This is my fault and I'm a liar?!?! Previous Review: First thing is if anything goes wrong it is 100% your fault! They take no responsibility for faulty equipment or if the installer damages anything. If you ever need customer service and call them they give you the run-around and blame you. They never respond to emails.

Original review: First thing is if anything goes wrong it is 100% your fault! They take no responsibility for faulty equipment or if the installer damages anything. If you ever need customer service and call them they give you the run-around and blame you. They never respond to emails. My state (WI) allows me 1/2 priced interlock pricing and the company won't honor the court order.

What on earth people hire that person as a customer service representative. She kept repeating me 'Do you think I know?' more than 3 times. She wanted to argue with me or piss me off on purpose. I asked her that "what do you mean, it's customer service, are you trying to argue with me?" She said, "No, because I don't know." Even though you don't know what the company handles for this hurricane issue, you shouldn't have said, "Do you think I know?" with that looking me down voice tone like you are starving to fight with somebody who seems easy to attack. She was so rude, not helpful at all. I don't have any issue with the product but customer service. Jesus Christ!

However this is not the reason for this review. There's been one bright spot in this whole experience for me and the technician at the 25 Road location Grand Junction Colorado. His demeanor is stellar. He's always patient and I'm sure it's a very difficult position to work in. I always feel better leaving than when I arrived. He should be commended and also get a raise. I've seen aggravated client and I witnessed firsthand his patience and professionalism. I really appreciate it in a world gone crazy with rudeness. He always explains everything calmly and does the best you can to go to the extra mile for me. He's a really good guy.

There are more foods and drinks that would do the same thing as cigarettes and energy drinks such as cheese and bacon rolls and tomato sauce, so I guess I am not the only one? And when is the company going to do something about this? Hopefully a full class action goes ahead and with all the money that they make they could correct the issue and for once give an honest and true reading of .000.

Remember almost everything is your fault when it comes to damage, violations, lockouts, car accidents! I've heard of devices failing from being left in hot, cold temps or water damage. Don't use mouthwash with alcohol before you even think about blowing or you're dumb. Don't drink at night and then blow in your device the next morning, ever. Don't think "oh it's been long enough". I seriously am a Smart Start master and this was cake for me after awhile. The worst part was avoiding having people in my car. I have a decent car I worked hard for.

I couldn't have friends, co workers, girls, or anyone in my car without being embarrassed and sometimes judged. I have more excuses why I can't give you a ride or use my car to go out than anything. It's over. I will never drink and drive ever again! It's called UBER. I'd rather pay $5k-$10k for an UBER than get another DWI. It ruined my life and finances and mental stability for a while. All the court dates, lawyers, fines/fees, classes, stress lectures, IID, dealing with RMV and the billion other crappy things DWI/DUI brings. I'm done. Bye Smart Start. I will never see you again. I can promise that.

I ask the guy (different person) if I can just give him my real ATM number (not the prepaid), and he says yes. So I make the payment and it goes right through on my actual bank account. Next day, I just happen to check the balance on the prepaid card since they told me it was declined and wouldn't you know, it's missing $75. I call Smart Start and tell them and immediately I'm treated like a convict (which I'm not aside from DUI). They tell me that I need to provide them with a bank statement. I tell them I don't have a statement because it's a brand new prepaid card. They say oh well they can't do anything about it. I hope they all burn.