Guidepoint Statement on Shaquille O’Neal Lawsuit

Several Websites have recently posted articles on Shaquille O’Neal being accused of using a GPS tracking system to monitor his wife’s vehicle. The articles mention Guidepoint as the provider of this service. More specifically, they state that he “hired 'Guidepoint,' a company to place a GPS tracking system on her car.”

To clarify, Guidepoint is a manufacturer and service provider and sells its products through resellers, which in turn service consumers. Guidepoint’s only direct contact with consumers is via its call center, which handles customer issues and manages service plans. Guidepoint does not perform installations directly for consumers, businesses or other entities.

Further, while our systems are certainly capable of tracking a vehicle via GPS, we certainly do not condone uses of this nature, or of any nature in which a device is added to a person’s vehicle without his or her knowledge.

Guidepoint Systems provides drivers with peace of mind through a three-pronged approach:

1) a state-of-the-art, GPS-enabled tracking unit that is installed in the vehicle, allowing the owner to be aware and informed of the vehicle’s location and movement to prevent or deter theft or vandalism; and

2) a comprehensive service suite—the center of which is a U.S. based call center—that provides Guidepoint members with roadside assistance, driving directions, concierge services and notification of emergency services in an accident. In addition, we work with police in the event of a vehicle theft to help them locate the stolen vehicle quickly and efficiently.

3) Finally, Guidepoint members receive discounts and benefits on travel, electronics and other services through our vendor partners.

It is our policy, as is the policy of our retail partners, to sell and install our systems on vehicles as requested by the vehicle’s owner, with his or her full knowledge. Retailers who violate this policy are subject to cancellation and/or consequences of any legal proceedings resulting from the inappropriate use of Guidepoint equipment and services.

Who Works With Law Enforcement? We do!

There are people who see what we do as buying insurance: something you feel good having but hope you never have to use. But when the unthinkable happens, and you really do need it, you're more than glad it's there -- and sometimes, even more good comes out of it than you anticipated. Take this story, which will appear in Guidepoint's Summer edition of its "To the Point" newsletter:

On July 8, Guidepoint Service Representative Charlesetta “Charlie” Smith received a call from customer Robert G., who said he was robbed at gunpoint that morning in Detroit, MI, and the thieves took his car 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix along with his wallet.

Charlie immediately called authorities and the case was handled by Sgt. Jim Vogler, who is part of the area's Stolen Vehicle Task Force. Charlie then activated the Guidepoint unit inside the vehicle and helped to guide officers to its location.

But due to the nature of the crime, instead of recovering the vehicle, the officers decided to watch it to arrest the suspects. Their patience paid off when the suspects appeared, got in the stolen vehicle and drove off.

Eventually, they led officers to a location where two additional stolen vehicles were found. Sensing trouble, the thieves left the original vehicle and took off in the other two cars in order to thwart capture. But multiple police units were able to follow both vehicles, and after a dangerous car and foot chase, the suspects were finally arrested.

Sgt. Frank Carroll, who was slightly injured in the chase with superficial cuts, thanked Charlie—and Guidepoint—for their assistance.

Not bad for a single Guidepoint unit, a caring call center representative and a proactive law enforcement team -- 3 vehicles for the price of 1!

We Triple-Teamed 'Em!

Hey Everyone,
We're happy to announce that we received a "Value Chain" Award from Connected World magazine! As a service provider to Chrysler, we were honored along with T-mobile in the Automotive Category of the award. It just shows that partnership pays off. Read the press release below.

Guidepoint Honored With Connected World Value Chain Award

Guidepoint, Chrysler and T-Mobile Team Up to Take Silver at Value Chain Awards Gala

July 1, 2011 – Madison Heights, MI – Guidepoint Systems recently announced it was recognized at the Value Chain Awards Gala, held June 16 at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort outside of Chicago. Connected World magazine, which covers connectivity trends and mobile lifestyles, presented the Silver Level – Automotive Category Value Chain Award to the team of Chrysler, Guidepoint and T-Mobile in recognition of successful adoption of “machine to machine” (M2M) and connectivity solutions for 2011.

“It’s a very cool award to receive,” said Tom Gafford, Guidepoint co-founder and chief technology officer. “We’re proud to be recognized alongside our partners, who enable us to provide safety, security and peace of mind to drivers of Chrysler vehicles. We look forward to continued innovations in the connectivity space and even more features for end users.”

Other categories for the award included Healthcare, Connected Home, Energy, Hospitality, Public Safety and Fleet Management.

Connected World Magazine presents these awards each year to companies and partnerships that have demonstrated successful implementation of M2M technology.

About GuidePoint Systems: Sold through more than 2,500 new and pre-owned dealerships nationwide, Guidepoint integrates GPS, advanced wireless technology, the Web and 24/7/365 response centers to deliver a variety of services to vehicle owners and fleet managers. Rated the #1 stolen-vehicle tracking solution in 2007 by international research firm Frost & Sullivan, Guidepoint also offers a variety of driver safety, convenience, fleet management and vehicle tracking services. Visit www.guidepointsystems.com or call 1-877-GPS-FIND for more information.

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Helio on Running

You'd probably expect Helio Castroneves to be interviewed about his feats behind the wheel, but in this interview, he's traded 4 "feet" on the asphalt for two: his own.

Castroneves, driver of the Penske Racing No. 3 Guidepoint Systems IndyCar, was recently interviewed by Runner's World on their Website, runnersworld.com, about his love for running and how he uses it to stay in shape for driving. But despite the focus on feet the site, an included video still manages to get some nice shots of the Guidepoint car. Talk about exposure in new places! Click the image below to go to the story.

Start Your Engines! (But Get a Tune-Up First)

Ready for summer? We sure are! Despite all of the rumblings about high gas prices, there’s something about a good old road trip that effectively cancels out pesky worries over fuel. Most people on a budget will simply scrimp on something else; say food, for instance, to fill up the tank and hit the road. If this is you, don’t listen to the naysayers: you’ll have a lot of company on the highway.

But before you head out, be sure to make sure your car is in great shape. (Mine is currently telling me, via an incessant yellow light on the dash, that the rear brakes are getting a little low – must have been all of those handbrake drifting turns I’ve been practicing!) There are plenty of Web sites that list the common parts and functions to check or have your mechanic check: here’s one and here’s another. Just Google ‘Summer Car Care Tips’ and you’ll find plenty more.

If you happen to drive an electric vehicle, be sure to carefully map out your drive to include charging facilities, and overestimate your per-charge traveling distance. Even though the age-old “Last Chance Gas” doesn’t apply to you, “Final Hour of Power” does.

So that’s it from a fellow road lover! Pack healthy snacks, bring iPods for the kids—and have a great time!

From Your Guidepoint Guy and Your Friends at Guidepoint

Rain, Rain, Go Away -- It's Time for Helio to Play!

What a drag -- in preparation for IndyCar's biggest spectacle--the Indianapolis 500--practice for Team Penske was cancelled for a second straight day due to rain, making it 5 straight days that practice has been adversely affected by weather. Here's to hoping the sun will shine soon. Press release follows.

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Bad Weather Cancels Indy 500 Practice for Team Penske for Second Straight Day



SPEEDWAY, Ind. (May, 18, 2011) – Team Penske was once again unable to get valuable track time when Wednesday’s practice session for the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500 was canceled because of rain.

The team’s three drivers – Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves and Will Power – will try again Thursday, when weather conditions appear to be more favorable.

“It’s kind of like the same story all over again,” said Castroneves. “We came close to getting on track today, but once again, Mother Nature had something else in mind for us. We’ll just work a little harder when we do get a chance to run – hopefully tomorrow. Things are looking good on the Shell V-Power Pennzoil Ultra Team Penske car and we’ll be ready to go as soon as we get the opportunity.”


The cars were pulled to the pits at mid-afternoon Wednesday, but a persistent mist kept the cars off the track.

“Unfortunately the weather hampered our chances of getting back out on track again today, which tests our patience with not being able get more laps done here in Indy,” said Briscoe. “It’s frustrating, but knowing we have such good data to fall back on here at Team Penske keeps us from getting too anxious just yet. Hopefully tomorrow provides better weather and we can get back to work in the No. 6 IZOD Team Penske car.”


This marks the fifth consecutive day in which practice was affected by poor weather. Sunday’s session also was rained out, and portions of Saturday, Monday and Tuesday were delayed because of bad weather.

“It was just a waiting game today,” said Power. “We almost had the chance to run. Two days in a row of not getting on track is kind of a bummer. The Verizon car is in great shape and I have every confidence that the team will give me a fast race car. It is definitely going to be busy when we finally do get on track. On a positive note, I’ve had plenty of time to meet with the media and our sponsors over the last couple of days. Let’s hope we can get on track Thursday for fans and drivers alike.”

Action is scheduled to resume at 12 p.m. ET Thursday. Pole qualifying is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET Saturday, with the race set for May 29.

The First (But Not Last) Post About Guidepoint's #3 Car

As many of you know, Guidepoint has entered into a sponsorship agreement with Penske Racing, which means the No. 3 car, driven by Helio Castroneves, will be adorned with Guidepoint black and red for several races this season.

Helio is a seasoned driver and former Indy 500 champion, and probably one of the most personable and enthusiastic guys you'll ever meet. We got the opportunity to chat with him at the Toyota Grand Prix on April 17. You could see his passion for the sport as he talked about the ins and outs of his car, racing style and tactics. We couldn't have picked a better spokesperson.

Unfortunately, his racing day didn't mirror his "impact" (no pun intended) on fans as he accidentally ran into a team member's car during the race. And while Guidepoint wasn't the title sponsor for this particular race, we certainly wish him luck in all his outings.

That said, when he does cross the finish line in first place--which he inevitably will--we hope to see the Guidepoint logo across his chest!

Exclusivity? It's a Good Thing

We're all jugglers. Every day we have to prioritize and re-prioritize to get stuff done, and by the end of the day, we're lucky if we got two things finished on our seemingly unending to-do lists.

But what if you could just concentrate on one task, and not have to worry about other things competing for your time and attention? Think of how much better the results of that task would be.

Essentially, that's what Guidepoint has done in its recent agreement with Micorp, a product distributor in Auburn, Mass. Micorp will be the exclusive provider of Guidepoint products to retailers, dealerships and expediters in the New England area.

Both parties agreed to the arrangement in order to spend less time worrying about competition, and more time building the product's name--and as a result--Micorp's Guidepoint sales.

Click here to read the complete press release at Guidepoint Central on Facebook.

Guidepoint and Galpin: Together at Last

It's amazing what a trip to California can do.

Rand Mueller, Guidepoint's president and CEO, recently flew out to visit Galpin Motors, the world's largest Ford dealer. He went to meet the man who runs it all--owner Bert Boeckmann--and finalize what will be a great deal for both companies.

In the meeting, Bert was kind enough to pen a testimonial to attest both Guidepoint's products and business practices. "Guidepoint products are easy to sell, easy to install and easy to use,” he wrote. “That is critical in today’s fast-paced environment where customers frequently do extensive research on cars and accessories before they visit the dealership, and transaction times are half what they used to be.”

Galpin has actually been selling Guidepoint stolen vehicle recovery systems for about a year, which is what makes this meeting all the more impactful. First meetings are often highlighted by the hopeful promise of the working relationship, but in this case, both parties could talk about actual results.

"By selling Guidepoint through our F & I offices, we offer customers a highly valued, competitively priced product that can protect the investment they’ve made in their vehicle and, more importantly, their passengers and loved ones,” continued Boeckmann. “Just as importantly, Guidepoint is customer focused and does business the same way Galpin Motors does – by doing things right and treating people the way you want to be treated.”

In Japan, Not All Can be Swept Away

Working for a company that provides peace of mind to thousands of people nationwide, it's always disturbing to witness or experience an event in which the devastation is beyond our control. Seeing the infrastructure of a country--and all of the elements of the lives within it--washed away like toys in a bathtub, only brings this point home.

Yet, despite all the physical damage, the stories that will ultimately rise to the top are the personal ones, in which family members lament the loss of loved ones or rejoice in reunion. This also tells us something: that the connections we make--not our properties, salaries, experience or accomplishments--are our true value, and cannot be dissolved by disaster.

The Guidepoint family sends its heartfelt thoughts and prayers to those affected by the tragedy in Japan. And as we all hope for news of more lives saved and a full recovery, let's also hug our loved ones and tell them how much they mean to us.

If Your Engine Sounds Louder All of a Sudden ...

Can you imagine? You get into the front seat of your smart, economical, stylish sedan, insert and turn the key (or press the button as is the new fad on cars these days) ... and VROOOOOM!
Not the usual vrooom! you're used to hearing, but one reminiscent of a Harley-Davidson firing up right next to you. Well, if this happens, it probably means some thief just took your catalytic converter.

Insurance company GEICO reported today that stealing catalytic converters is the new "thing" as the components can be used in drug production and therefore have a high street value. What's worse, the theft is not as complicated as it sounds: a guy cuts it out with a handheld power saw and he's gone.

So what kind of precautions can you take against this growing threat? Park in well-lit areas or areas with protection or limited entry. Add this extra step to avoid becoming a victim ... and a noise menace.