Intoxalock Terrible product, terrible customer service, captive customer base Des Moines Iowa

This product is TERRIBLE.  First of all, it is unsafe.  The amount of times you need to blow, while driving, in traffic, cannot possibly be any less dangerous than texting and driving, or driving drunk in the first place!

Second, this product is a ruiner of car batteries.  I am on a second battery, both of which have were tested and confirmed as totally fine by AAA battery service, and both of which have been killed by Intoxalock.  The first time the battery wound up dead, I called Intoxalock and asked what I could do to fix this.  I live in a city and maybe drive a handful of times a month.  I was told by Intoxalock customer service, rather rudely, that that was my problem and I would need to start my car and sit in it every morning if I did not want the battery to die.  After arguing that this seemed unreasonable, especially for a FOR PROFIT business that is gladly raking in my money, they told me I could get a battery conditioner.  So I spent $60 on a battery conditioner.  Two weeks later, the battery was dead again.

Because the battery was dead, and as mentioned, I never drive the car, I never got the warning that I needed a recalibrated unit.  So, as I called AAA for the 3rd time to come jump my dead car, they arrive on scene, and I can't even jump the car because the Intoxalock unit won't allow me to start the car.  I apologize to AAA and arrange to get the car towed the prior week.

I ordered the replacement unit and have the car towed to Car Toys.  Because my car is in a parking garage I needed a small truck to tow it out of the garage, then a larger truck to tow it to Car Toys.  This took about 5 hours and it was 9 o'clock at night before the car was finally being towed to Car Toys, so we decided to go take care of it the next day.

I took an hour bus ride, and my girlfriend left work early and also took an hour bus ride the next day to get to our dead car that had been dropped off at Car Toys.  Upon installation of the new recalibrated unit, the car wouldn't start again.  The technician had me call customer service.  I was understandably frustrated at this point, and spoke with Theresa on the phone.  Theresa made it very clear to me that this was my problem, not hers, and insisted it was my battery (despite the fact that the technician had hooked a jump box to the battery and the car was getting power).  She also was very short and rude with me on the phone, at which point I reminded her that she is just doing her job, I am the one who is being inconvenienced by their product which I am paying handsomely for.  After about an hour on the phone, we determined that it was in fact a faulty unit, and I was then told by Intoxalock that I would need to leave my dead car in the Car Toys parking lot, in a bad part of town, for two days until the replacement part arrived.  Unless of course I wanted to pay to have my car towed back home, and back out there again.  Theresa eventually informed me that they might reimburse me for the tow if I filed a complaint.  I then had to take the hour long bus ride back, and I still don't have an operational vehicle.

All I've asked Intoxalock to provide me with is a functioning product that I am paying a lot of money for.  Luckily for them, I am a captive audience.  Yes I made a mistake and got a DUI, but they are a FOR PROFIT business, and they treat their customers like an inconvenience.  They have a product with technology from the 80s that they are charging top dollar for, and it does not work.  I have done everything that they have asked... battery conditioner on the car, towing the car all of God's green earth to get the replacement parts, and each step of the way have been met with more fees, more charges, more dead batteries, and rude and condescending customer service.  I have already filed a complaint with the better business bureau.  All I want to do is put this behind me, Intoxalock is certainly making enough money off of me and all of the other customers they rip off to make this happen, and yet they have a terrible product and terrible customer service.  My next step, at further cost to my time and money, will be to have the unit uninstalled, go with a different provider, and take legal action.  I highly recommend that if you do need an alcohol monitoring system in your car you look elsewhere.