The Left Hand and the Right Hand
This is Steven Petrick Posting.
A tale of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.
I had a 2004 Buick LeSabre. It was equipped to have "on star" activated. I decided to go ahead and have this done. Shortly afterwards the car was destroyed.
I purchased a 2005 Buick LeSabre to replace the lost car. It was not fitted for "on star," but was "on-star compatible," i.e., I could get the system installed. I choose to do so.
Having gotten the system installed, I then contacted "on star" to ask them to transfer the service I had purchased for the 2004 vehicle to the 2005 vehicle. This is something "on star's" own literature says can be done.
On contacting "on star" their personnel (clearly not American as first language) are confused. They cannot figure out how such a transfer is even possible. They finally advise me (after placing me "on hold" for a while as they try to find the answer) that the only thing they can do is cancel the current subscription and then have me re-suscribe.
Wait, it gets better.
After the service is cancelled, we contact another part of the service which says "oh yes, we can transfer that . . . but it has already been cancelled."
Better yet, since the original service had a three month free trial period, my first "year" of dues for the service was not supposed to be paid until September. Ah, but that service was cancelled, and I have to start paying for the new subscription right away (effectively I lost about two free months of service on top of everything else).
Oh, but it is still not done.
As they cancelled the previous service, I am due a refund for what I paid for it, which I can obviously (when I get it) use to pay for my new service (which is already paid for, I have not got the refund yet), so all should be hunky dory, right?
Wrong.
The refund cannot be sent to me (the guy paying for the service), it has to be sent to the dealership which activated the original service (they still have not received it).
And is the above the final point?
Oh, no.
Even though the service on the 2004 has been cancelled, "on star's" billing department just sent me a reminder that I have to pay for the service starting in September when my free three months is up. Understand, this is not a reminder to pay for the service for the new 2005, this is a reminder to pay for the service of the dead 2004.
The left hand of "on star" is clearly unaware of what the right hand is doing, and vice versa.
Given that the system did not activate when the collision that destroyed the 2004 happened (because, honestly, for some reason none of the airbags deployed in the accident even though the damage totaled the car and spun it nearly 180 degrees), I am really wondering if the system is worth it, or if events result in my needing it, will I be dependent on the left hand, or the right hand?
A tale of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.
I had a 2004 Buick LeSabre. It was equipped to have "on star" activated. I decided to go ahead and have this done. Shortly afterwards the car was destroyed.
I purchased a 2005 Buick LeSabre to replace the lost car. It was not fitted for "on star," but was "on-star compatible," i.e., I could get the system installed. I choose to do so.
Having gotten the system installed, I then contacted "on star" to ask them to transfer the service I had purchased for the 2004 vehicle to the 2005 vehicle. This is something "on star's" own literature says can be done.
On contacting "on star" their personnel (clearly not American as first language) are confused. They cannot figure out how such a transfer is even possible. They finally advise me (after placing me "on hold" for a while as they try to find the answer) that the only thing they can do is cancel the current subscription and then have me re-suscribe.
Wait, it gets better.
After the service is cancelled, we contact another part of the service which says "oh yes, we can transfer that . . . but it has already been cancelled."
Better yet, since the original service had a three month free trial period, my first "year" of dues for the service was not supposed to be paid until September. Ah, but that service was cancelled, and I have to start paying for the new subscription right away (effectively I lost about two free months of service on top of everything else).
Oh, but it is still not done.
As they cancelled the previous service, I am due a refund for what I paid for it, which I can obviously (when I get it) use to pay for my new service (which is already paid for, I have not got the refund yet), so all should be hunky dory, right?
Wrong.
The refund cannot be sent to me (the guy paying for the service), it has to be sent to the dealership which activated the original service (they still have not received it).
And is the above the final point?
Oh, no.
Even though the service on the 2004 has been cancelled, "on star's" billing department just sent me a reminder that I have to pay for the service starting in September when my free three months is up. Understand, this is not a reminder to pay for the service for the new 2005, this is a reminder to pay for the service of the dead 2004.
The left hand of "on star" is clearly unaware of what the right hand is doing, and vice versa.
Given that the system did not activate when the collision that destroyed the 2004 happened (because, honestly, for some reason none of the airbags deployed in the accident even though the damage totaled the car and spun it nearly 180 degrees), I am really wondering if the system is worth it, or if events result in my needing it, will I be dependent on the left hand, or the right hand?
posted by Federation Commander at 4:22 PM
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