A person claiming to be a former Cartrack employee has made a series of allegations against the company, claiming that customers were unfairly charged and that staff were subjected to a hostile work environment.
Cartrack specialises in vehicle tracking, stolen vehicle recovery, fleet management and asset monitoring solutions. Using GPS tracking, telematics and data analytics, it helps businesses and motorists improve vehicle security, operational efficiency and driver safety.
However, the company headquartered in Rosebank, Gauteng, has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. On Monday, Cartrack rejected the claims that an employee who passed away at its offices was denied the opportunity to go home.
Scripts for Cartrack call agents
On Wednesday, an individual claiming to be a former Cartrack employee made numerous allegations on the social media platform X about what is happening inside the company, including allegations affecting customers.
The individual alleged employees at the company are trained to push back against clients’ objections. For example, if a person says they are not interested in a product, the agents are trained to persuade them.
“There were scripts for every scenario: if a client said they were not interested, there was a scripted response. If they said no, there was a scripted response.”
Cartrack devices don’t work
Another concerning allegation made by the individual was that many of the company’s devices do not actually work.
“Clients are paying a significant amount of money under the assumption that their tracking devices and cameras are functional. Many are not,” she alleged.
“The cameras in particular were a known problem. In an emergency, clients have discovered that their tracker does not work, and their camera does not work. Clients are paying for a security service that fails precisely when they need it most.”
When asked for comment, Cartrack told The Citizen it will not reply directly to the publication’s questions but will instead release a statement during the course of the day. However, the media statement released by the company on Thursday afternoon did not address the allegations raised by the publication.
“Over the past few days, the family of Geina Dhladhla has taken the time and space to grieve the unimaginable loss of a beloved daughter and family member. Yesterday, the family and representatives from Cartrack met to speak openly, share information and discuss the way forward,” read the joint statement between the company and the family of the deceased.
“Both the family and Cartrack are united in wanting the facts to be fully established through the ongoing independent investigations and are committed to fully supporting those processes.”
Customers are never assisted
Another allegation is that customer complaints are rarely addressed because the client services department is overwhelmed. “The client services team is overworked and under-resourced. Clients wait. Problems persist. Nothing gets fixed.”
Cartrack has also been accused of debiting deceased clients, despite being informed that the individuals have passed away. “Family members had called to notify the company, to request a payment plan, or to cancel. It did not matter. The debits continued. Cartrack was aware. They did not act.”
The individual has alleged that Cartrack calls itself the “Best in the Industry at vehicle recovery”, but what that means is “if your car is stolen and the thieves remove the tracking unit and leave it on the side of the road, Cartrack will go to where the unit is. They will recover the unit. They will call that a success,” she said.
“Your vehicle may still be gone. The unit is theirs. Your car is yours. They found the unit.”
Unable to retain employees
On allegations of a hostile work environment, the former employee alleged that the company fails to retain employees, resulting in the need to hire in bulk on a recurring basis. The individual has suggested that this speaks volumes about the working conditions
There are also allegations of racism within the company. “Black employees were told they had to accumulate leave days before they could take leave. Meanwhile, white management took the entire month of December off and returned in the second week of January,” she said.
“Black employees worked Christmas Eve until 17.00. We worked New Year’s Eve until 17.00. We are not emergency services. No one’s life depends on a tracking sales call on New Year’s Eve. We worked anyway, while management was on holiday.”
Employees not allowed to use elevators
Another allegation that has been made before is that employees are not allowed to use elevators. She added that she developed a knee condition as a result of having to climb several flights of stairs to reach the fourth floor.
“There is an elevator. It is locked. To use it, you need a specific person, believed to be a handyman, to come and unlock it,” she said.
“He is often on the other side of the building. You wait. But at Cartrack, every minute counts. If you are not seated and have not made your first call by 08.00 in the morning, you are declared late. Not if work starts at 08:00. You have to be seated and dialling before 08.00.”
Fired for not wearing black or work uniform
She further alleged that some employees were fired for not wearing black or the company uniform on the day the CEO visited the offices.
“When the CEO visited, everything changed. Employees who were not wearing black or the company uniform had to borrow something to cover up. People have reportedly been fired for wearing the wrong colours when the CEO was present,” she said.
“What he saw on those visits was not how the office operated on any other day.”
She included that they were not allowed to keep snacks on the desks, and there were also no fridges available to employees.
“If you had anything beyond a notebook, a flip file, water, and your computer, it was taken and thrown in the bin. Cups were taken and thrown in the bin. Bags had to be hidden under the desk.”
Forfeiting commission
She added that warnings cost employees their commission. “There was an officer who monitored the hallways and stairwells. If you made any noise, including giggling, answering a phone, or footsteps on the stairs that were deemed too loud, you received a written warning.
“Warnings meant no commission. People walked in silence, afraid to breathe too loudly. This was the environment.”
Another allegation is that employees were monitored by cleaners for how long they spent inside the bathrooms. “This is the level of surveillance and control that employees were subjected to on a daily basis.”
Water outages and mobile toilets
She alleged that during a water outage, employees were not sent home. Instead, the company hired mobile toilets.
“Two mobile toilets for an entire building of thousands of employees. You were expected to use them or be marked absent. Refusing because you were uncomfortable meant it went on your record, regardless of the circumstances.
“I want to speak to this directly as a woman. A woman’s pH balance is sensitive. Mobile toilets in those conditions are a health hazard. I got an infection. This was not a one-off emergency that the company was unprepared for.
“Employee health was not the concern. The targets were.”
Cartrack and family stand united
In the joint statement released on Thursday, Dhladhla family representative, Thamsanqa Mbuli, said, “We’d like to thank Cartrack management for their cooperation, allowing an organic first discussion that was open and transparent. Our intended objective of clarifying the sequence of events leading up to our beloved daughter, sister and colleague’s passing was achieved. This is one of many other important steps in the healing process for the family.”
“Our colleague was a valued member of our team and this loss has been deeply felt across the organisation. We remain deeply committed to supporting the family, cooperating fully with law enforcement and the Department of Labour, and ensuring that every fact is uncovered and established through the appropriate processes,” said Joshua Victor, CEO of Cartrack SA.
The statement said “the heart of this tragedy is a much-loved daughter, family member, friend and colleague. Everyone affected by her passing is grieving and searching for answers, and both the family and Cartrack believe that those answers should come through a careful, fair and evidence-based process.”
“We want Cartrack to feel welcome to attend the funeral and to show their support,” said Phumzile Dhladhla, aunt to Goina.
“Cartrack is deeply grateful for this kindness and the opportunity to pay our respects,” read the statement.
