Smart Start Reviews

I just want to say thank you, my experience was great, I was so nervous about the price, if my car would have problems after service. I couldn’t blow long enough. I was a mess but after that it all the tech had a guy who was nice enough to show me the correct way to blow, the price was a Dream come true and my car drives perfectly fine. 10 out of 10, I definitely recommend. But everyone be safe and don’t drink and drive.

This is the absolute worst company I have ever had the displeasure to deal with. That is if I could ever deal with them! They never answer their phone. They don't return calls. Everything with them is a big mystery. As a customer I have questions and three phone numbers. No one answers any of them. So now two weeks in, I still not sure why this piece of ** device is so buggy. And I'm afraid I'll get smacked with another 75 dollar lockout fee! That's the only thing they do well is pull money outta my wallet. What a money grab. Nice job North Carolina for allowing these scammers to do business with you!

I called customer service to get help with my log in to there portal. I explained that I continue to get logged out and that my password will not work nor will the password reset work.... Blah blah. I was not rude and am just asking questions and the lady just hung up on me. Once in a blue moon you will get a customer representative that is actually helpful and respectful but that is far and few between. Four years of the absolute worst customer service and hidden/additional fees ever! Use any other company than Smart Start.

One star because the technicians at the shop in Gastonia are personable, sharp, and great to deal with. They get me in and out in ten minutes or less for each calibration. They are a joy to work with. Customer service at whatever corporate office they have is a complete other story. They couldn’t care any less. On two occasions the device malfunctioned resulting in a violation. The first time it happened, I was driving on a busy highway and it wouldn’t take my rolling retest. The second time, a “recall” message was displayed and it resulted in a violation. I got a letter in the mail from the FL DMV stating that this being the second violation, my license will be suspended unless I attend classes at the local DUI school.

Biggest scam on earth. They make you pay to keep the device in your car but they don't pick up the phone to let you pay to take it out. On top of that you physically can't drive the car because they lock the device. Horrible company overall. Niggest money grab on earth. I don't know how this is legal or they are still in business.

Great communication on the phone, very thorough and knowledgeable. My service at installation was professional, informative, and very timely. Really impressed with the quality of the concern about using the device so I can continue with more knowledge.

Second weekend in last weekend, I was locked out. Now what’s going on to device is that my car is starting without me blowing into the device. Then as I’m driving a couple minutes later, my car still and it just locks me out. I have contacted customer service about this issue and the company reply to me was I have to bring it to a service station? Before getting this, please know you’re gonna have to take a lot of time from work to go to the service station and they charge him part of the hidden fees. People are talking about and loss of work. Stay away from this company at wall expenses.

Complaint Against Smart Start Ignition Interlock. To Whom It May Concern, I am filing a formal complaint against Smart Start regarding the performance of its ignition interlock device, the company's handling of my account, and what I believe are unfair and unjustified fees. Throughout my participation in the ignition interlock program, I have never consumed alcohol while using this device. I have never had an alcohol-related violation. Despite this, the device has repeatedly malfunctioned.

Terrible, Terrible, Gabriel or whoever, they make you wait for 1+ hours, and still will not give you a response or an answer. I cannot wait to be done with this company. Scam scam scam, and long wait times, it’s insane. They treat you like criminals. No bueno.

No customer service. Got approval from the DMV to have the device removed. Paid Smart Start a $75 removal fee. Had the device removed, and now they won’t stop calling me with a computer telling me I owe them money. I was on autopay. If I had a balance due, they should have deducted it. If you call them, you just get a menu. Most poorly run business I’ve ever seen.

DO NOT call Smart Start. Absolutely horrendous customer service. Worst decision calling Smart Start. I don't even own a car. I called to inquire about prices because I was thinking of buying a car. The representative signed me up in case I MIGHT have bought a car. I never got the car. I called to cancel a future appointment. Never used their service. Never installed a device. Yet I am being billed? Billed for what??? I filed a dispute. Have spent several hours getting bounced around from customer service to retention to billing. Placed on hold. Then hung up on. Thy are the absolute worst. I wouldn’t refer this company to an enemy.

So once again, I went to get my first recalibration and my Breathalyzer I was locked out. I called numerous times and it was sent to the credit department had no idea why I was being sent there when I was paying my bill on time or before due date. I was never explained that you were behind on a bill and had to pay two upfront. It was never explained to me every time I called in speaking again to another rude woman… I said, "I like you to listen to what I have to say," after they repeatedly spoke over me. I could not understand why I was being locked out. I was hung up on three times today. You would think at one point with my frustration if they had good customer service that they would’ve explained that to me. I’ve never been so disgusted and I’ve never ever been treated like that in any company that I’ve ever spoken to..

Terrible customer service. They will call you everyday and let you know you aren't in compliance and tell you to pay but when you call you get absolutely no help. I actually had someone there say "Is that it, because I'm going to have to let you go now," and we had barely been on the phone. All they want is your money. I couldn't even get the thing to work ever so I never used it and had a court order to get on something else. $300 waste of money to get installed. Don't do it.

The device was fine, I really didn’t have a whole lot of issues out of it, aside from the first couple of months the screen would shut off, I told them and they swapped it out for a new one. The device gets the star. It’s the customer service that gets zero stars. From the very beginning I noticed it was difficult to get a hold of anyone. They don’t give you a whole lot of information up front, which is stuff you need to know over the course of a year. I went out of the country for a week, of course it was the week my calibration was scheduled. I called them and tried to reschedule it several times, months in advance, kept getting the run around, then they tell me it can only be rescheduled up to five days before the appointment, which I was still already out of town, and told them this.

Biggest scam out there. As soon as you’re about done with the program, your device acts up. They set you to a couple of days before you’re released date so they can charge you more. 4 days from having it out and I get a violation. Thankfully, the shop can get me in right away. They overcharge and their blow devices are old. Intoxalock is the same. I’m praying someone starts a class action suit.

Smart Start is the most disorganized company I have ever seen. My car can't get worked on because the shop can't get the required override code from them. The mechanic called many times this week. Occasionally they actually get a human on the line. Then they get put on hold (3 times for 45 minutes each) then get disconnected. I'm being charged labor hours from the shop for all the time the mechanic has spent on the phone, and my car hasn't even made it into the shop yet to see what's wrong. The mechanic can't work on the car without the necessary code, but when he can't get any phone assistance there's nothing he can do. The Smart Start fees are outrageous and none of the phone "specialists" are any help whatsoever. They have no ability to transfer calls to the correct people, or even to reserve the mechanic's place in line to be called back.

The most horrible experience. If I could give then no star at all - I most definitely would. I have been on hold for over 2 hrs. There are double charges on my bill, and hidden fees. I don’t know how a company can take advantage of people the way this company does. I don’t understand how shareholders get any satisfaction when they get their earnings at the expense of abusing people with fees after fees and after fees. The lady in the credit department was extremely rude.

This company should not be allowed to operate in any capacity. The object of the court is to enforce compliance. The object of this company is to generate as many fees through ambiguity and deceit as humanly possible. ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!!

They are terrible. Once they hook you in, be prepared to pay twice as much as expected. They are deceitful and only care about the $. Even their installers will tell you how horrible they are.

Smart Start rep refused to provide me an "all in" price for 90 days of monitoring so I could compare to other offers without first signing up with the company. I do not know why they have high Google ratings.

Highly fraudulent in charging fees other than the expected bi weekly payments and calibration Appointments. Harassing auto calls and emails “we want to help keep you compliant”. Blood sucking business practice taking advantage of a mandatory based service.

This is an absolute scam. Nothing they say is accurate. Auto pay never draft right. Somehow you always owe them more and install was $325 not 120. Service charges change monthly.

If you give someone permission to install a device on a car you own, be prepared to have the hassle of your life if you ever want it removed. Your car will literally be “held hostage” if their client doesn’t pay. Try talking, emailing etc. and it’s a circular call tree that they will willingly put you back in or just hang up on you when you do get a live person.

All they do is lie about the price. $120 install? Yea right! It was $200. $44 bi-weekly is what I was told. The bill is $162 for the last 2 weeks. Bogus service fees. I wish there was a 0 star option. Nothing good to say about any of it.

If I could put 0 stars I would!!! I am being charged for 28 days of service when it's supposed to be 30! They said at shop it was due to short months, only have 1 short month in a year!!! I have repeatedly asked for a copy of the orders for device install since Oct 2024 and still NO RESPONSE!!! This is the absolute worst service out there!!! See less

Worst company I have ever dealt with. They lie and they do not do what they say they will do. I have done what I am supposed to do. If you call them you will never get anyone that you can understand or hold an intelligent conversation with. If you ask to talk to management or a supervisor they only tell you they are busy talking to other people and they will call you back in a day or two.

I am extremely disappointed with Smart Start and the way this situation has been handled. My son had a Smart Start ignition interlock device installed through one of their authorized service locations, Carphonics. Within about 15 minutes of leaving the shop, he blew into the device and passed, but the vehicle would not start. He was stranded about an hour away from home and needed help immediately.

My experience with Smart Start was extremely disappointing. I found the company’s pricing and fee structure to be unclear, with additional charges appearing that were not fully disclosed upfront. The overall cost ended up being significantly higher than expected. Customer service was also frustrating to deal with. Communication regarding billing, service requirements, and account issues lacked transparency and consistency. I felt that important information should have been explained more clearly before services were started. Based on my experience, I would encourage potential customers to carefully review all terms, fees, and service agreements before committing. I believe the company needs to improve its transparency, customer support, and business practices to better serve its customers.

We have had numerous issues with this company over many years. We have issues with their equipment malfunctioning and end up having to pay either lockout fees or trouble shooting fees-most of the time both. You call to discuss and they tell you file a complaint/claim/incident report online. You fill it out and submit all documents and it says they will be back within 7-10 days. You don't hear back from them so you call again and they tell you to fill out another form but the person you are talking to can't help. You ask for a manager to see if we can discuss further and they either say no one is available or I've even been put on hold until it actually hangs up on me because I sat so long waiting.

I have to agree with so many people in here that they suck. Costing me over $500 a month when it should only be 130.. and then their machines malfunction all the time and then they blame us for it being our mistake. I had to change everything that I ate, drank and take.. I carry a backtrack breathalyzer in my truck and have one in the house that I blow into all the time.. and when I do get a violation after five minutes of blowing in and it approving me saying that I pass it’ll violate me saying that it gave a positive sample.

Smart Start is a scam. Smart start is a scam and fraudulent company, who offer poor customer service. Smart start only cares about billing you without even explaining what they are billing you for. They have refused to merge my smart start and low cost account, therefore, I cannot access my current account to navigate my payments or files. Please choose any company that isn’t smart start.

WORST COMPANY!! Appointment changed 3 times due to no part or camera at installation Center. Then had to leave at installation center cause it is hybrid and mechanic told me himself he has never installed one on hybrid. The next week when went in to pick up vehicle, we were not trained like shown on video. The person who came out to train us insisted that only the violator had to breathe in device so they did not train my driver, nor did they have us sign paperwork that we were both trained properly, which is a requirement in Pennsylvania (I found this out afterwards). Then we start down the road, and I watched it go from Violock 05DAY to Violock04day.

So I had the Smart start installed, I was quoted $60 every two weeks, I been paying $96, this month alone I had two malfunctions and I ended having to pay $186 for their equipment malfunction. I would not be telling people to go to smart start for the ignition interlock, find another company to sign up with and the customer service is another big issue.

The whole company is scam. The garage where got installed are on drugs or drunk. They take money and schedule me for service twice a month and have 90 day payment schedule from 90 days ago and refuse to send any of my documents. So I would give them no stars. Don't even want to leave this but have to and they are closed when I'm scheduled so now they will charge more money.

The handset I got 2 months was faulty. It would constantly tell me I wasn't humming hard enough, or it would just randomly go into Initializing mode and reset itself when I was trying to give a sample. I got stuck multiple times after work because I couldn't start my car and had to call a $40 Uber to get home then have my wife drive me back to work the next morning. It frequently took 10-15 minutes and 10-15 tries to get the thing to accept an initial startup test.

I am not a customer but I am so upset as if I was. My husband is going thru a lot with this company and their customer service. MVA say 1 thing and they say another. It's never a supervisor available. They installed this device in August 2025 and to this day May 7th they have not sent the form to MVA that this device has been installed. But yet monthly take our money for this installation. This is the worst company ever. DO NOT use them ever. They need to be out of business.

I have to honestly say that Smart Start has been one of the most difficult companies I’ve ever dealt with. Trying to reach the correct person for assistance feels nearly impossible, and unfortunately the customer service experience across multiple departments has been consistently unhelpful and rude. I understand these situations can be stressful for customers already, which is why professionalism and communication matter so much. Instead, I’ve repeatedly felt dismissed and bounced around without real resolution.

I had an extremely frustrating experience with Smart Start. This company charges multiple fees that feel completely unjustified, especially for customers who are fully compliant and following all requirements. The biggest issue is the excessive delay in processing compliance paperwork. I’ve been waiting over two weeks just to get a compliance form completed so I can have the device removed. In that time, I’ve had to go to the DMV twice, only to be turned away because Smart Start failed to provide the proper documentation. Other companies in this industry do not take nearly this long, which raises serious concerns about their processes.

My experience with this company has been horrible. I would never recommend this company to anyone. I had the NC DMV operator in my vehicle with me and she saw how they ruined my car because it would not start even after passing the test. She agreed that that had indeed ruined my car and also stated she definitely would never recommend this company to anyone in the future. They blew a fuse on my headlight while installing the machine. I've had to replace my battery and alternator because of improper wiring. Unfortunately I didn't see the BBB reviews and Consumer Affairs until it was too late. It clearly states that Smart Start is known for battery drainage and it's so true. I had been driving around for over two hours blowing in this machine every 45 minutes and then suddenly I get a violation but exactly 32 seconds later it beeped again and I passed.

I would never recommend Smart Start to anyone. They totally messed up my Volvo. It won't start and it's killed my battery repeatedly I had to replace my alternator and they blew a headlight out when installing it incorrectly. The NCDMV licensed operator was sitting in my car with me and she agreed that they screwed my car up and also said she would not be recommending this company to anyone in the future. It is the worse service I have ever experienced in my 54 years of life. You cannot get anyone on the phone and they also falsely bill you for charges that are not true and then don't won't to remove the equipment until you pay a fortune. It is awful that this company remains in business. They should be shut down!