# Anyone know about Immobitag?



## BusDriver (14 Mar 2008)

Has anyone used an Immobitag on their bike. I've been on Immobilise.com and had a look. They fit into your frame and if your bike is found, the police do a quick scan and your details come up. I've just ordered one for a tenner. If you don't fancy paying you can register your bike frame number for free and add pictures. If you bike is nicked you can login and report it with one click. You can also add other property such as phones and jewellery.

What do you think?

More info on Immobitag here


Simon


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## trustysteed (14 Mar 2008)

i think calling it Immobitag was a mistake. it sounds like it would immobilise your bike like a car immobiliser. but it doesn't.


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## BusDriver (14 Mar 2008)

I't would be nice if it could immobilise a bike. Something along the lines of shooting 4,000 volts up the arse of the chav nicking it. However it does make it easy for the police to trace the owner if and when it's recovered. You don't have to buy the immobitag. You could just register your bike frame number and add a few pics for free if you like.


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## Dave5N (16 Mar 2008)

I do love the independent reviews here.


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## byegad (16 Mar 2008)

However little it may cost if it relies on the Police doing anything it won't work. They are not interested in stolen bikes and IF they recover them they just want shot of them. This they tend to do in a sale after they've been held the requisit time. 
You'd do better to use the money on a higher quality lock.


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## Arch (17 Mar 2008)

trustysteed said:


> i think calling it Immobitag was a mistake. it sounds like it would immobilise your bike like a car immobiliser. but it doesn't.



I thought it sounded like a cure for the trots....

I have something similar in my FCR, put in free when the police were offering the service one time. For free, it's gotta be worth a try. 

I'm afraid I also have my doubts about the ability and willingness of the police to bother scanning every nicked bike. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say it's probably because they are so busy... I suppose if they thought a bike was worth a few grand, thay might, but your average copper is not going to know much about bikes - I watched with amusement as they noted my Compact Road frame down as a Ladies Frame.


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## Tynan (17 Mar 2008)

do half decent bikes ever turn up again?

perhaps mtb that kids nick to ride round on


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## Berserka (11 Jul 2008)

*ImmobiTag how it works*

I bought Immobitag and fitted in the hope that if this one gets nicked the police may recover it. 

For the benefit of the those interested in bicycle security...

If a theif steals an expensive bike I would assume they'll remove/replace the frame number. This leaves no identifier for the Police to trace the bike back to you, if registered... The good thing about the Immobitag gizmo is that once inserted into the frame of your bike its impossible to remove unless of course you deconstruct the bike and weld it back together again...yer right! Once the identifier - Radio Frequency Identification number (RFID) is registered on Immobilise.com the details are linked to Police National Computer Database and CheckMEND (I understand this is the database of stolen goods that the people like cashconverters check before buying dodgey stuff). If your bike is nicked you go to your account and flag it as stolen/lost which notifys everyone concerned. You can also create an official certificate of keepership with pics , receipts etc. Pretty useful for insurance claims. Regarding Police checks on recovered bikes I believe there has been a big initiative by the police recently to deal with bike theft. They're equipped with RFID scanners and use them not to just check bikes, some people even get that kids RFID'd these days...

Useful links...

https://www.immobilise.com/immobitag.ikml

http://www.immobitag.com/uk/index.html


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## johnmacintyre (30 Jul 2008)

*immobitag*


You can use a whole host of identifiers on property but having a national database which is available to the police is the winner in this case. 


www.immobilise.com- a National Property Database. Anyone can log on, open their own account and register any item of property (including cucles) and photos of the item. The police when searching for an item which has an identifier such as a serial number search via the NMPR (National Mobile Property Database). If it is recorded as stolen then the details come up. If it isn’t reported stolen but it has been registered then it will give the police the owners details so they can check with them. There are 22 million items of pre registered items on the immobilise database and 26 million items of stolen property on the NMPR. A similar system has just gone live in the USA, www.immobilize.net. Log on and have a look.



www.immobitag.com An electronic tag in a shuttlecock shaped housing is inserted into the cycle frame and once in it is difficult to remove. Each tag has a unique code number. Once fitted the owner registers the cycle, their details, the tag number and the number on the hi visibility warning label onto the immobilise database. The police forces in the UK have scanners that will read the tag. A quick check on the MNPR via their control room or hand held PDA will tell them if the cycle has been reported stolen or if not who the registered owner is. It is quick and efficient. Tagged cycles are 10 times less likely to be stolen. Log onto the website and see for your self.

There are 35 separate tagging schemes being run by police forces in the UK. They are successful, cutting cycle crime by up to 35% but more importantly bring the public face to face with officers where they can discuss other crime issues.

If you would like any more information please let me know. By the way I am a retired police officer and sell the tags to police forces and retailers- and carry out the role of police liaison. It’s a great system which is very popular with the public. 
Regards

John Macintyre
0044 1469533130
0044 7779097991


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## johnmacintyre (30 Jul 2008)

Tynan said:


> do half decent bikes ever turn up again?
> 
> perhaps mtb that kids nick to ride round on


Yes they do turn up but many owners do not have the serial numbers etc so in the end the ones that do not get identified are sold off. Froim the research I have done about 50% of the 400,000 stolen bikes each year are recovered but only about 5% are ideniified. 
The database www.immobilise.com will allow anyone to register their bike free of charge and for the first time will provide a National Database for bikes (as long as they are regisiterer). It only takes a few minutes.
The immobitag gives the police a greater chance of identifying the bike should the serial number be removed, and ffinally your bike is 10 times less likely to be stolen if tagged.

John Macintyre


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## Twenty Inch (30 Jul 2008)

Any of these will depend on police officers having the equipment, training and time to spend scanning stolen recovered bikes. 

John, you may want to take your phone numbers off your post, plenty of scammers looking for personal info use automated search programmes for that sort of thing.


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## adrianportlock (9 Oct 2008)

*Immobitag update*

Hi, my name is Adrian Portlock and I am the MD of Recipero Limited who provide the ImmobiTag product and also host the Immobilise National Property Database which is supported by all the major UK Police forces - do a google search on immobilise to see for yourself. 

Just to clarify - Immobilise is the largest regsiter of its type in the UK if not the world of property recorded before loss or theft with over 20 million UK members with over 24 million items recorded. The service is free of charge and allows people to record their ownership information of any item of serialed number of property, bikes, phones, laptops, cameras etc and photos of any item can also be uploaded.

In the event of loss or theft the item can be reported to Immobilise via the members account and this then means the item details, the registered owners details and any information about the loss and theft can be viewed by the Police via their own systems, Immobilise does not rely on Police ringing anyone up or emailing people etc, they can view the information via their internal system called the NMPR. As a result thousands of checks are run a day on the system and the hit rate on the NMPR is about 20%

So what about ImmobiTag? A lot of cycle owners have told us that they dont have serial numbers or frame numbers etc on their bikes or they are easily ground off by thieves so working with the bike community we developed the Immobitag which means the bike has a unique identity and can be registered on Immobilise. Feel free to ask any questions I will return and do my best to answer them, thanks


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## fossyant (9 Oct 2008)

Got my commuter done for free - didn't bother with the label as I'd rather the thief didn't know it was tagged.

PS My bike was registered via the police, how do I set an account up on the net for my other bike's references and link it to my tag on the commuter...... do I just need the tag number ? Wasn't clear on the site.


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## Gerry Attrick (9 Oct 2008)

johnmacintyre said:


> You can use a whole host of identifiers on property but having a national database which is available to the police is the winner in this case.
> www.immobilise.com- a National Property Database. Anyone can log on, open their own account and register any item of property (including cucles) and photos of the item. The police when searching for an item which has an identifier such as a serial number search via the NMPR (National Mobile Property Database). If it is recorded as stolen then the details come up. If it isn’t reported stolen but it has been registered then it will give the police the owners details so they can check with them. There are 22 million items of pre registered items on the immobilise database and 26 million items of stolen property on the NMPR. A similar system has just gone live in the USA, www.immobilize.net. Log on and have a look.
> 
> www.immobitag.com An electronic tag in a shuttlecock shaped housing is inserted into the cycle frame and once in it is difficult to remove. Each tag has a unique code number. Once fitted the owner registers the cycle, their details, the tag number and the number on the hi visibility warning label onto the immobilise database. The police forces in the UK have scanners that will read the tag. A quick check on the MNPR via their control room or hand held PDA will tell them if the cycle has been reported stolen or if not who the registered owner is. It is quick and efficient. Tagged cycles are 10 times less likely to be stolen. Log onto the website and see for your self.
> ...



There are many different schemes out there which promise to return your bike, car, clock, motorcycle etc. However, I cannot picture the brave boys in blue taking the time to check each and every website which promises the return of your stolen property. Sure, if it's free, then nothing lost or gained, but I am perennially sceptical of the sites that charge good pound coins for the service.


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## adrianportlock (10 Oct 2008)

*You are all missing the point!*

Sorry to harp on but you are missing a major point here! When you get stopped in your car what do you think happens? the police use their systems to check your car registration number before they even speak to you, they do not ring up third parties for information or drop them an email and wait for the answer, and this is why Immobilise is different and unique. 
Immobilise is checkable via the Police systems via their comms desk or directly from their PC's and they do checks thousands of time a week on mobile phone IMEI numbers, laptop serial numbers, bike identifiers including Immobitag, ipods etc when doing stop and search, execute a warrant on dubious second hand shops, check prisoner property etc.
The result rate is over 20%. I have spent 8 years of my life as the MD of the company that run Immobilise and it is this spade work that has made this a reality and that is why it is different from any other pre loss pre theft registration service.
Hope this helps


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## standard-issue (10 Oct 2008)

I spotted this in C+ the other week and was wondering whether it was worth a punt?

My bycicle lives in my bedroom at the moment while I'm back at the 'rents. So any thief is going to get clobbered with a couple of kg of cast iron! But for the future this scheme looks like it's worth investing in.

If I understand correctly, the 'ImmobiTag' is a passive RFID chip and the plod have a scanner, nothing new there (tried and tested; proved principle), the clever bit comes in with the database and infastructure behind the product?

Questions.

1. Once a chip is reported stolen, when scanned, does the scanner automatically 'scream thief', giving the PC the information needed to seize and arrest the individual, at least for possesion of stolen goods? 

2. Is the scanner carried by the local beat bobby, or does the bike have to be seized prior to being scanned?

3. Do you offer RFID stckers for other products such as mobile phones, laptops, etc.

Dont get me wrong, I love RFID and think its a great system, it just seems with a little more R+D, it could possibly be much more.

If you employ your own designers, have them look at ImmobiTag Mk2, (taking into account CC's coments, I think the people on here represent a broad spectrum). If not, then I'm currently freelancing at a very reasonable rate


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## mickle (10 Oct 2008)

Are my Datatags obselete? 

I have to say that at two recent events we attended in Wimbledon and Greenwich, the local polis were promoting Immobitag very heavily. In London at least the polis are on side.


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## domtyler (10 Oct 2008)

I think they charge you a hefty fee to reunite you with your bike if it is recovered, so not really free after all!


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## domtyler (10 Oct 2008)

> I'd appreciate an answer to my questions, which you invited.
> 
> Thanks.



It may not be on his sales script.

CycleChat, a friendly place for everyone with an interest in cycling cyclists wallets.


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## standard-issue (10 Oct 2008)

domtyler said:


> I think they charge you a hefty fee to reunite you with your bike if it is recovered, so not really free after all!



Adrian, can you clarify this?

Is there a charge for the recovery of goods? On top of the taxes we pay for the Contabulary?

It's a NO GO for me if this is true!

You can record S/N's, take photo's and store them all on your computing device, where thay can be backed up in various ways all for the cost of maybe a c.d.

This will satisfy insurance companies, if the local beat boby doesn't carry a scanner with them then your bike has to be recovered before the RFID can be scanned then your photo's serial number/ description will surfice in identifying the bike as yours. If the bike has been taken for parts, then what use is a RFID in your seat tube it's not going to get your Dura-Ace or Campy grourset back!

Could it possiblby be a problem designed for a product?

On the other hand, if its free then like sombody mentioned earlier, nothing lost nothing gained.


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## John the Monkey (10 Oct 2008)

There's no mention of any fee being charged for reunitiing you with your kit in the T&Cs - where did you hear that there was, Dom? And was it the constabulary or the company that was charging?

My bike's registered, and was tagged for free by GM Police at one of their occasional crime prevention events.


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## adrianportlock (27 Oct 2008)

*Sorry!*



> I'd appreciate an answer to my questions, which you invited.
> 
> Thanks.



Hi sorry seemed to miss these! There seems to be a lot of different questions from people so I  hope its ok if I answer them all at once.

Re the Police or us charging for recovering lost or stolen property - We work with the Police across the UK and provide a whole range of services to them not just Immobitag, I have never known or heard of them charging people to have their property returned. Lost Property office's on transport systems etc do sometimes make a charge of a couple of pounds, but this is nothing to do with Immobitag they do it for all property. We certainly do not charge anything to anyone except the one off charge for the tag in the first place.

Re Scanners. All forces have the scanners to read the tags but not every officers has one, the scanner is normally located at the property office where the recovered or suspicious property is checked. Please note when you register Immobitag you also register all the other numbers the bike may have as well and normally these are checked first via the NMPR as descibed in my earlier posts so even if they dont have a scanner to hand when they first check the bike they can still see your registereed information and any report you have made on Immobilise that the bike is missing. If you add photos on Immobilise they can see these as well which is a great help.





1. Once a chip is reported stolen, when scanned, does the scanner automatically 'scream thief', giving the PC the information needed to seize and arrest the individual, at least for possesion of stolen goods? 

Answer: When your bike is stolen or goes missing go to the Immobilise account you created when you regietered the tag and on your account you can make a report, when the Police scan the tag the information you have entered about the bike, your contact details and the report all show up on the Police systems, they can then contact you to take the matter further

2. Is the scanner carried by the local beat bobby, or does the bike have to be seized prior to being scanned? 

Answer: As mentioned above some forces carry the scanners, some have them at their property offices, but if there is suspicion the officer will normally check any numbers on the bike first, frame, wheels, parts etc on the NMPR they can do this over the radio, when you register the tag you are also asked for this additional information about the bike.

3. Do you offer RFID stckers for other products such as mobile phones, laptops, etc.

Answer: We dont do RFID products for other items of property at present.

Hope all this helps

thanks
Adrian


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## inaperfectworld (3 Nov 2008)

i was going through leeds station returning from a tour last august and the police were fitting immobitag on the spot and for free. i asked for another for my audax bike which they gave me for free too. so it seems the local police here have a serious interest in it


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## master_grunthos (7 Nov 2008)

Hi

I have been looking at immobitag for my bikes and have bought two which I'll install at the weekend.

Having read the claims on the website about every Police force in the Uk using them I emailed the Gloucestershire Police (where I live). The call centre responded that they knew nothing about it but would pass on my enquiry. This result didn't actually surprise me.

Soon after at a "cycling event" where I work the Police Crime Prevention Team were security tagging bikes for free, I asked them about the Immobitag and they instantly knew of it and immobilise.com. Their opinions were that there's no reason not to register with the website as they always use it for stolen bikes however scanning is less likely unless the bike is perceived as high value or distinctive for the simple fact that they don't have many scanners and these are mainly in use by traffic officers who scan things like suspect motor bikes and caravans. My bikes are expensive and distinctive and they said I should probably get the tags as the cost is so small, so I have. If I report a theft I'll be sure that they know it's tagged.

Of course this applies only to Gloucestershire, by the sound of it other Police forces are more engaged as they are giving out the tags.


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## master_grunthos (7 Nov 2008)

One question that's a matter of opinion I guess. Perhaps the MD has real guidance on this

Is it best to put the sticker marking the bike as tagged on the bike or leave it off? Do I really want a thief to know it's there as a deterrent or will they then think they can (and perhaps successfully) remove it if they know it's there? 

What do you reckon?

i also don't want to spoil the look of my bikes, though naturally them being stolen is a worse look...


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## master_grunthos (7 Nov 2008)

my thoughts were more along the lines of either having no deterrent such that you rely on the tag as merely a means of retrieval or add the deterrent factor as well but running the risk of the tag getting removed. Which is best? lower risk of theft or greater risk of non-recovery?

This is probably mostly a silly question as I'm assuming the thief has a lot of consideration for labelling of bikes and/or ability or motivation to remove them or that the Police would scan a bike with no label.

Of course if they know the frame is tagged they could just sell all the components on eBay, these are totally untraceable tagging or no tagging.

I am I think allowing my intense paranoia about bicycle security eat away at me...


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## Matt B (28 Dec 2008)

Hmmm, another spanner in the works.... just reading all your posts. Would it be worth purchasing both systems? I can't make up my mind which one to have. Also possibly a stupid question, but is there any kind of GPS tracking system available for bicycles? If I could actually follow the b*st@rd who stole my bike, it would be infinately more satisfying than just maybe recovering it, possibly damaged.


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## barnyingram (7 Jun 2009)

*What if I want to sell my bike?*

Does anyone know how the immobitag works if I want to sell my bike? ie Can the ownership details stored on the database be transferred over to someone else or does it not work like that? 

I don't want to fit a tag and then find it impossible to sell in a few years time if I wish to do because it's registered to only my name.


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## vorsprung (25 Jun 2009)

I have another question about the rfid in this device


> Passive RFID chips contain no internal power supply. They contain an antenna which is able to have a current induced in it when within range of the RFID reader. The tag then uses that electricity to power the internal chip, which bounces its data back out through the antenna, where it will be picked up by the reader.


 ( see http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-blockkill-RFID-chips/ )

The metal tubes of all my bikes are effectively a faraday cage which will block the current inducing signal. So how will this system work at all? Or would the bike have to have the seatpost removed first to expose the device in the seattube?


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## mr nobody (1 Aug 2009)

*immobitag removing ???*

I just got one of these out in 30 seconds, what complete nonsense and a waste of money.


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## classic33 (1 Aug 2009)

Had a "real-time" tracking system fitted to one of these: http://www.pashley.co.uk/products/classic-no-33.html

Last seen by me at a house on the outskirts of Doncaster. Went posing as a buyer, "asked" to leave when the reader started beeping. Lat known location was on the island of Holyhead, frequent trips having been made to the North Wales coast prior to this. 
My problem was getting the police interested. They saw it as only a bike, not worth bothering about. 
Didn't work too well if stored in the newer type of industrial estate, metal sides & roofs, blocked the signal.

For smaller items you could always consider http://ww2.trackitback.com/gb/
Again though it depends a lot on the person who finds it. Have they got the time/equipment to check it.


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## triptix (1 Aug 2009)

I put one in along with the stickers and then registered it all online. In my view it's better than nothing and along with the locks I use and the fact I have drops on the bike I feel I have made it as unattractive to the casual thief as possible. 

At the end of the day though if someone really wants your bike it's going to be knicked.


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## mr nobody (2 Aug 2009)

Surely if you put the sticker on then it is telling peope where to look for the device as they can check what it is online. Don't put it on and they won't look for it. Maybe remove the name immobitag and leave the rest of the warning would be the best bet.


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## StuartG (5 Nov 2009)

Got given one for free by PCSO when entering East Finchley tube last night on my Brommie. Appears it won't work with a brommie or, at worst, really immobilise it one put it in the seat tube and it got stuck!

Am I wrong or should there be a warning not to try?

Re the sticker - On balance it is probably better to put it on. It may deter and if it is recovered then it reminds the plod to use a scanner. Most thefts are by amateurs/chancers so even if they can read they may not have the nous to remove. As for professionals - I would think they routinely scan anyway so it doesn't matter - they are probably the same guys who also do high value motorbikes which have a high probability of being tagged. 

IMHO the real gain from this is not the tag itself but just encouraging people to record their frame numbers!


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## John the Monkey (5 Nov 2009)

StuartG said:


> Got given one for free by PCSO when entering East Finchley tube last night on my Brommie. Appears it won't work with a brommie or, at worst, really immobilise it one put it in the seat tube and it got stuck!


Could it go in one of the frame tubes (ahead/behind the main hinge)?

I agree it wouldn't be much use in the seat tube!


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## StuartG (5 Nov 2009)

Thanks for advice but I thought it might be good for my road bike.

I am really having a senior moment with this device or the instructions & website are terribly confusing. The instructions say go to www.immobilise.com and click on the immobitag icon. There isn't one!

Created an account to see whether there is a place when registering any product. I can only find a generic 'marking'. No advice as to whether to enter the tag or seperate & different barcode number or both. As the barcode is sticky too - is this supposed to be stuck on the bike. 

Help!


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## Tollers (8 Nov 2009)

StuartG said:


> I can only find a generic 'marking'. No advice as to whether to enter the tag or seperate & different barcode number or both. As the barcode is sticky too - is this supposed to be stuck on the bike.



I entered 3 numbers seperately:
- Barcode number
- Tag number on the big sticker
- Frame number

I know what you mean though as it doesn't let you identify which is which, but in the comments i mentioned the numbers and what they related to.

I stuck the barcode on too, but on the underside of my top tube so not overly visible. The main label is visible on the seattube.

Tollers


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## Pleiades (8 Aug 2016)

Tollers said:


> I know what you mean though as it doesn't let you identify which is which, but in the comments i mentioned the numbers and what they related to.
> 
> Tollers



Just necro-ing this thread to say that they really haven't made the process any more user-friendly IMO (ie just click an icon and put in the number)...


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## DeanPorter (2 Jan 2017)

Has anyone actually baught one of theses, Had their bike stolen whilst the track is attached to their bike and experienced what it is like to try and retrieve the bike bike and what they felt the experience was like from the service provider and police? it just seems everyone is offering conjucture rather than actual experience of having the service?


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## HLaB (5 Jan 2017)

I had my old commuter tagged by the police for few a few years back. Well I think they tagged it they said the corresponding stuff would be sent out in the post and neither me or my mates received anything.


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## mjr (6 Jan 2017)

Immobilise is the 'Burglar's shopping list' which was vulnerable for over a year. I don't understand why anyone would still promote registering your things with such a service before they're stolen.


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## lpretro1 (6 Jan 2017)

All of ours are Datatagged - its easy to do and only requires a simple UV touch to read the markings (invisible under normal light) so no complicated or expensive detectors required


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