OnStar fees out of sight

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jake75
Posts: 4792
Joined: Sun Feb 09, 2003 1:33 pm
Location: Columbus, OH

OnStar fees out of sight

Post by jake75 »

I have this monthly fee automatically charged to a credit card. Sometime ago it went up from $12.95 to $14.95. I thought that was still reasonable. Then this month I noticed it was $24.95. Looking back I see that a few months ago they had earlier increased it from $14.95 to $19.95. They do all of these increases without any notification. I called and cancelled it today effective Aug. 2nd. I would not even listen to what she had to offer. [In case I lose it my cancellation number was 1226633283 so I can find it here.]
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
Caretaker

Re: OnStar fees out of sight

Post by Caretaker »

agreed. That is outrageous. I think they are pricing themselves out of business, which disturbs me because I have a lifetime subscription. I paid $425 after tax back in 2009. At this point I'm at $5.90 a month and falling. I won't give up on the Vibe until I get it below $3 a month. :lol:
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ColonelPanic
Posts: 8419
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2003 8:48 am
Location: South Central Indiana

Re: OnStar fees out of sight

Post by ColonelPanic »

They didn't send you a letter explaining the changes, jake75? Got one of those a few months back for the account tied to my Sonic.

They kept my Directions & Connections plan as-is (~$30 after tax) long enough to make me question whether I might be grandfathered in. Of course the other day I was billed $36 and some change for the new Guidance plan. :shock:

Aside from the alerts if the theft deterrent system was activated (if my car supports that,) the other new items are of questionable value for me. At least they can finally stop bothering me about adding those calling minutes as 30 are now included. Not like I can't already do that with my phone through bluetooth for free. And they'll find coupons for stuff for me! :lol:

I'll need to drop down a plan, eliminating the turn-by-turn navigation (which is a feature I actually use) to get in the same ballpark of what I was paying prior. I hate to do that as this is still our go-to car for road trips due to its 40+ MPG, but on the other hand the car also can sit for a week without being driven now. I always have the 3rd party smartphone nav app that interfaces with MyLink as a backup. While it's a great idea in theory for getting navigation on the dash screen cheaply, far too often it's barely functional. OnStar was always there and reliable.

I'm not giving them up though, they have me where they want me. As someone with OCD issues and never believing that I locked the car when leaving, remotely making sure my car is locked when it is out of sight using the phone app is valuable to me. Being able to unlock the car from the app when the keys are locked inside has made the service pay for itself a few times. I could live without this but it's still neat how I can start it up in the winter from my office well out of range of the keyfob and let it warm up. And I check my oil life, mileage, fuel economy, and tire pressures daily with the app. Good racket they have going here. :lol:
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

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tpollauf
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Re: OnStar fees out of sight

Post by tpollauf »

OK ... Don't even get me going on this topic! Them greedy bastards who will not budge on any pricing or packages. A few years ago when I finally decided to cancel my wife's G8Gt coverage, there was no remorse or attempts to keep me. a few months later I get a "we miss you" offer in the mail for the basic OnStar package for $149/year. I decided to jump on it and possibly even use it as leverage to extend one of our other GM cars. After 30 minutes of back & forth chatting with several OnStar advisers & managers, I finally had to scan and e-mail a top level supervisor for proof that I actually got this offer addressed to me in the mail. He said "it must have been a mistake" the fact that I got it. He then went to say that only OnStar employees get that special pricing. Needless to say I was able to secure that offer for my son's Vibe also.
Caretaker wrote: I think they are pricing themselves out of business, which disturbs me because I have a lifetime subscription. I paid $425 after tax back in 2009. At this point I'm at $5.90 a month and falling. I won't give up on the Vibe until I get it below $3 a month. :lol:
Proof or it didn't happen. I numerously asked and looked into a lifetime plan for OnStar and was repeatedly told that they do NOT exist. Hell I even offered to pay up to $1000 or more up front just to have the lifetime plan. No go is all I got. Now Sirius radio is different and they do offer lifetime plans. Currently only our newer Silverado and my son's Vibe GT have active OnStar subscriptions.
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2009 Vibe GT (manual), 2009 G8Gt, 2009 Vibe GT (auto)
2014 Silverado, 2004 Vibe GT

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ehoff121
Posts: 756
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 12:19 am
Location: Conn.

Re: OnStar fees out of sight

Post by ehoff121 »

When I have called to renew in the past, I'll ask them for a discount due to the fact that Vibes are unable to use the diagnostics feature.

Also, I'll ask them to throw in some minutes, "just like last year."

This year was a tougher negotiation...

Because the Safe & Sound plan has been discontinued, you have to purchase the Protection plan.

The annual charge is $199.90 plus tax, but I was able to get $20 off by mentioning how high the increase was, the lack of diagnostics, and questioning whether I should renew. I had to purchase 60 minutes of phone time for $4.99 + tax to rollover the expiring minutes. All in, $197.50 this year.

I've paid less in past- $179.73 last year and $158.46 in 2013.

I'm not sure I'd pay any more than this without getting the full benefits of the service.
2005 Pontiac Vibe AWD - Platinum
Caretaker

Re: OnStar fees out of sight

Post by Caretaker »

Proof or it didn't happen. I numerously asked and looked into a lifetime plan for OnStar and was repeatedly told that they do NOT exist. Hell I even offered to pay up to $1000 or more up front just to have the lifetime plan. No go is all I got. Now Sirius radio is different and they do offer lifetime plans.

...he, he, he.....me so sorry......I thought the thread was about XM. :x I'll put two hands back on the wheel now. :roll:
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ColonelPanic
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Location: South Central Indiana

Re: OnStar fees out of sight

Post by ColonelPanic »

ehoff121 wrote:When I have called to renew in the past, I'll ask them for a discount due to the fact that Vibes are unable to use the diagnostics feature.
It's nuts how they would charge Vibe owners the same rate while having less functionality. :?

What functions does OnStar perform in the Vibe these days anwyay?
03 Vibe base. Born 10/14/2002 06:07 AM
Auto, Moon & Tunes, power package. 143k
Neptune/dying clearcoat/primer grey. :lol:

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'21 Elantra Limited - 2.0L/IVT
'15 Escape SE - 1.6L EcoBoost (hers)
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ehoff121
Posts: 756
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 12:19 am
Location: Conn.

Re: OnStar fees out of sight

Post by ehoff121 »

ColonelPanic wrote:What functions does OnStar perform in the Vibe these days anwyay?
The basic Protection plan for the Vibe looks like this:
  1. Automatic Crash Response
  2. Emergency Services
  3. OnStar RemoteLink® Mobile App with new Vehicle Locate feature
  4. Hands-Free Calling Minutes
  5. Automatic Crash Response
  6. Roadside Assistance
  7. 24/7 access to Advisors
The Security plan adds Stolen Vehicle Assistance.

The Guidance plan adds Navigation, OnStar AtYourService, & 30 Hands-Free Calling Minutes.

You may also add OnStar Family Link to track the vehicle.

The features you can't use are:
  • 4G LTE with Built-In Wi-Fi® Hotspot
  • Advanced Diagnostics
  • Dealer Maintenance Notification
  • Theft Alarm Notification (Security plan only)
You cannot use add-on data plans.
2005 Pontiac Vibe AWD - Platinum
jake75
Posts: 4792
Joined: Sun Feb 09, 2003 1:33 pm
Location: Columbus, OH

Re: OnStar fees out of sight

Post by jake75 »

Just got an email offering on star for $12.95 a month for 6 months. I am going to pass.
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
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