by Editorial & Content team
Actor Richard E Grant thanks eagle-eyed Vodafone Automotive employee, George Taylor, for helping him find his stolen car.
When actor Richard E Grant had his expensive Land Rover Discovery stolen from in front of his house this week, he put out a plea for help on Twitter.
George Taylor, who works for Vodafone Automotive, spotted the tweet and realised the car could have a vehicle tracker installed. So George suggested Grant contact Vodafone Automotive to see if they could help.
Grant contacted our Burnley-based Secure Operating Centre, and, by pure coincidence, it turned out that his vehicle was fitted with a Vodafone Automotive tracking system that had been deactivated.
The Hollywood actor, star of films such as Withnail and I and Can You Ever Forgive Me, immediately paid to reactivate the tracker. The police were alerted and, within a couple of hours, the car was returned to its grateful owner.
HUGEST THANK YOU to George Taylor @GTVodaAuto for alerting me to tracking device on my car which was stolen & to Dan @metpoliceuk for calm & expert advice when he met me. Grateful to have my car back so soon, albeit a bit ‘bashed’! Darth Vader to Villainy. 😡😡😡😡😡😡 pic.twitter.com/c6T7FZvuvB
— Richard E. Grant (@RichardEGrant) November 26, 2019
“I had Tweetdeck open on my computer and I saw Richard E Grant’s tweet about his stolen car almost as soon as it was posted,” George tells Vodafone UK News. “It’s exciting when you’re able to reunite a customer with their pride and joy!”
“When I first saw the tweet, I thought we might be able to help – so I suggested he call in to our team – just in case – and it was pure chance his car was previously fitted with one of our tracking boxes.
“What isn’t chance is that, after making the box live again, we were able to find the car. I’m very proud that we have excellent recovery rates for the vehicles we track. It’s what we do, and we do it very well.”
Quick results
In the UK, Vodafone’s most popular car tracking model is the Thatcham-approved S5 VTS GPS tracker. As well as the protection of remote engine immobilisation, the S5 tracker box includes Automatic Driver Recognition (ADR). This means that the driver has a discreet pocket-sized card that they carry with them whenever they drive their vehicle. On leaving their vehicle, the system automatically arms itself. If the vehicle is moved without the driver’s card present, Vodafone Automotive’s Secure Operating Centre is alerted instantly to a potential theft. This means that even if a vehicle is taken using the driver’s own keys, the theft is detected immediately.
Vodafone Automotive, part of Vodafone Business Internet of Things (IoT), provides a range of hi-tech products and services that enhance security and efficiency in vehicle management.
Nearly 23 million vehicles worldwide use Vodafone connectivity
5,000 vehicle alerts handled every day across all markets
Installing a Vodafone Automotive stolen vehicle tracking system automatically gives owners access to our mobile and web-based applications. With My Connected Car, you can access and manage a number of vehicle security and safety functions remotely, providing easy access to vehicle information such as real-time vehicle location, directions to the vehicle, and a geo-fence facility, such that if your car goes beyond a certain geographical boundary, you receive an alert .
As Richard E Grant discovered, Vodafone Automotive has unrivalled expertise in vehicle security and telematics.
