 AnClarPremium join:2003-07-31 Belton, TX | And what NO ONE has mentioned thus far is that VOLVO (Ford) similarly screwed their On-Call (their version of On Star) users last year, and seems to have totally gotten away with it.
I bought my wife a 2004 Volvo S80 with On Call service because she frequently drives alone, is not very tech savvy, and wanted the additional security of automatic emergency dispatch on air bag deployment. Volvo WITHOUT ANY WARNING WHATSOEVER cut off all their On Call users at the end of last year. The way I found out about this was that we had activated the built-in cell phone (for hands-free safety reasons) this is before the advent of Bluetooth enabled cars, and when we moved, I wanted to get a new local number for the cell phone. The Verizon operator told me that it would be impossible to get a new number as the on board phone and On Call unit was analog and the On Call service would be terminated as well.
When I confronted my dealer about this he was clueless. I then called Volvo North America customer service and asked them about the situation. The customer service rep was sympathetic and told me that there were many unhappy users in the same position as I was. He informed me that Volvo had NO plans whatsoever to retrofit any of their On Call equipped vehicles and that, basically, we were SOL. He said that "as a courtesy" the Volvo dealer would remove the now useless phone and On Call unit and replace it with a nice storage box. 
Because of the callous disdain with which FORD/VOLVO treated me and their other On Call customers...I will NEVER buy another FORD or VOLVO product again. I refuse to spend my money on products from companies who do not give a damn about their customers. I would have been unhappy, but a lot less angry if someone at VOLVO/FORD would have taken the time to warn me and the other defrauded On Call users about the impending shutdown. The absolute corporate indifference is what made up my mind for me. I seriously considered initiating a class-action lawsuit against FORD/VOLVO for the way they went about this, but, frankly, I have more important ways to spend my time. -- When in danger or in doubt run in circles, scream and shout! |
 SnickerdoPremium join:2001-02-28 Niagara Falls, ON | Oh come on now I wouldn't call what you had happen fraud, but a letter informing you that the service was being terminated would certainly have been a nice thing on their part, especially if you are relying on this for safety reasons. |