Thread: The Ice Register

Definately sounds odd.....almost sounds like they want you to register your hardware in hopes of stealing it from you?

I mean, how easy will it be to

'allowing potential buyers to check the authenticity of a piece of kit before buying it.'

Are they going to search for a description of the item or something? I mean, how many units of each major piece of 'ICE' are there? I guess the original owner could some how scratch a serial number in their 'ICE'. But the seller wouldn't provide info like a serial number scratched into the part.

In terms of making it

'make it so hard for thieves to sell stolen equipment, that your valuable audio and navigation equipment becomes much less of a tempting target.'

I don't think that's possible. Look at cell phones.....when one is reported as stolen here in the states, it's still easy to get one reactivated. They have their own system of tracking stolen goods, which doesn't work well.

The website sounds like a great advertising ploy, just falls short on the effectivity of it's aim. Personally, there's no way I'd register there if I could.....sounds more like a scheme to get my address and info, to sell it to others to steal my stuff or something.

I wonder if they'd sell me back my stolen stuff? lol?

Hi Snyperbob,

The ICE Register was my idea, so I was asked to come over and clear up a few points raised in this thread.

First things first - I'm very definitely not out to steal equipment from anybody! I've been a member of the Talkaudio forums over in the UK for over four years now, and it just seemed like we were having threads appear about thefts on an almost weekly basis, which is quite gutting, especially when you've seen someone ask questions about their install...save up for the kit, install it and be over the moon with how it sounds...only for an opportunist thief to send a brick through the window, and in the space of a few minutes, undo months of work.

The majority of equipment you can buy will ship from the factory with a serial number. Every head unit I've seen has a unique serial stamped onto it...same applies with amplifiers, processors and even some subs as well. Some kit doesn't ship with a serial, which is why we provide a unique ICE Register identification number that people can mark their equipment with, allowing searches to be carried out on a wider array of kit.

Over here in the UK, mobile theft is quite common, but once a phone is stolen, it is locked from all networks. I can't be sure of the facts, but as I understand it, stolen phones are generally sold on, and then vanish into Europe where they can be reactivated. Not the same with ICE kit - something stolen in Leeds can be sold on in Birmingham the next day, in perfect working order.

I'm sorry to see that you think this is all a huge marketing ploy - and even more saddened to hear that you think we're somehow trying to make it easier for equipment to be stolen. The reason we're doing this is because - to the best of my knowledge - it has never been done before, and to my mind, if just one person gets their stolen kit back because of our site...or even if one potential thief is put off because he thinks he won't be able to sell on someone's audio equipment, then the whole venture has been entirely worthwhile.

Despite your concerns, why not have a read of the site anyway and see if you can get a feel for what we're trying to achieve. It won't be easy, and there's no guarantees it will work at all, but there's the chance that it might make a difference, and that's why we've launched it.

Cheers
Ben

It's a good idea, but good luck with convincing people to use it, let alone the thousands of people who buy

Originally Posted by Benny79

I'm sorry to see that you think this is all a huge marketing ploy - and even more saddened to hear that you think we're somehow trying to make it easier for equipment to be stolen. The reason we're doing this is because - to the best of my knowledge - it has never been done before

Hey Ben,
I do agree it's a great concept. However, it seems my notion about your site being a marketing ploy is true. You have two banners for other sites on your homepage alone. On top of that, you offer a pay-for service.

Looks like the site is starting to pick up - hope it proves to be a successful business

If people choose, they can also become an Advanced Member. This costs just £5 per year

Nothing stops ebay.........

Originally Posted by mbkowns

Nothing stops ebay.........

Exactly, that's what I was talking about in my original post.

But the seller wouldn't provide info like a serial number scratched into the part.

Not to mention what they do with your personal info, rofl...

We may need to pass your information to third parties who help us to maintain, administer or develop the Web Site, and to collate data to assist in identifying high risk equipment but, if so, that information is only given to those third parties for that limited purpose.


The Ice Register reserves the right to access and disclose personal data or information to operate its systems properly, or to protect itself or its users.

And so on....

ya sounds like a thieves network to come own our ****.. aka take your sats and shove it

Fishy at least.... scam for private info is almost certain!!!

No way would I use that. Even if you paid me.

Well I'm sorry to see there is still negativity surrounding the site.

We do take banner adverts, because we need to cover our costs...while I'd like nothing more than to see theft reduced in the UK, I'm unfortunately not rich enough to do everything off of my own back. The banner adverts aren't making us a huge amount of money...they bring in just about enough to pay for the hosting every month. If you can think of a better way to do this, then please do let me know.

There's nothing I can do to convince you that we're not "on the take" and I'm genuinely sorry about that. Luckily, there are people who do believe in what we're trying to achieve, and so far, they've been fantastic, providing constructive feedback about how we can do things differently.

We have had several major developments in the last few weeks, all of which will hopefully have a positive impact on the community as a whole. We've also got some good press in an industry magazine called In Car Nation, which you can go buy from your local car audio retailer.

There's really not a whole lot more I can say to reassure you that our intentions are good. Hopefully - if the idea does take off - you'll one day realise what we're trying to do by doing this. Incidentally, we're a UK based website, so MBKOWNS - you can sleep safe at night in the knowledge that if I wanted to steal your equipment, I'd have to buy myself an airline ticket first...hardly worth the hassle, don't you think?

Ben