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OnStar

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OnStar • OnStar Owners Bristle at Loss of Service • OnStar Goes in Pursuit of Bad Guys • Lower Insurance Rates for Some OnStar Customers • GM Promises "Star Treatment," Dumps Old OnStar Subscribers • OnStar Goes Digital, GM to Drop 500,000 Subscribers • Consumer Complaints --- • More about GM ...

Cathleen of Litchfield OH (04/11/07)
I am one of the people that had a 2004 GMC with OnStar. I converted to the digital at my cost in preparation for the change over that was going to occur. I chose to front the money myself hoping to get good service and share those services with my VerizonWireless Cell phone, and either/or product which would have been a real benefit to me. After the change over, my OnStar quality degraded. Remember this is using the same technology as my handheld cell phone and it's quality remained top of the line. My OnStar would reset itself with a loud boom, lose all it's memory and has been returned to the dealer 3 times with the explanation of it being the responsibility of VerizonWiress, Onstar division. I contacted them.

The GPS failed to even pinpoint my location. They ran diagonistics, filled out a report, sent to the dealership. Vehicle returned for service and again told me that it met specs and they could not find anything wrong. GPS for them checked out just 'fine'. I lived with the poor quality service again for a couple of months, and on the next return to the dealership for another GMC warrant problem again, mentioned that they needed to recheck the OnStar as it was no better. Resets even upon dialing out this time, and many more reset problems of the entire memory of the OnStar/VerizonWireless service itslf.

At this point in time, I purchased an extended warranty on my vehicle becausae of other constant unresolved issues. I have been very patient, very professional and very distraught with the upgrade. At this point I have no faith whatsoever with the Onstar digital but am now stuck with it (I should clarify faith in Verizon, but none with GMC), and the prior expense of the upgrade and the necessity of over 1K in purchasing an extended vehicle warranty for other ongoing issues.

I ended up paying 200 for the upgrade, more for my VerizonWireless on a shared plan just to have the shared minutes conveninence. The hassle of having to cancel the shared plan recently and still locked into the upgraded plan services because of making the change to the services a new 2 year contract which really is no hugh deal because I will probably keep VerizonWireless as my provider forever anyway.

It was all just a very big inconvenience after the monetary investment in order to keep the technology the same when it went to digital. I hope other consumers have more success with the upgrade than I did. It was truly a very big disappointment. My last GMC vehicle identical to this one provided very good OnStar voice quality so I have had a comparison and this one literally does not perform the best it can, nor does it perform like the vehicles I was given to drive that also had identical service.

Carl of Denville, NJ April 10, 2007

Carl & Marie of Denville NJ (04/10/07)
GM (Buick) refuses to install new OnStar digital radios gratis to replace old abandoned analog service.

Loss of consumer loyalty. GM can go broke like Ford. We have always been AMERICAN GM loyal, but we'll start looking at the Mercedes' or BMW's We've always admired.

Don of Long Beach, CA April 9, 2007

Don of Long Beach CA (04/09/07)
I purchased a 2002 Tahoe on October 11, 2001. The vehicle I purchased already had the OnStar by GM system which I was charged for. I was told I could also connect the already installed phone with OnStar and pay for minutes to use at my leisure. Before I drove off the lot, the salesman assisted me to set up my OnStar system with OnStar by GM. I did not set up the phone at that time due to my wanting to leave the lot with my new vehicle.

Later I called OnStar to set up my in vehicle phone. I was told that it was not offered in Texas at this time, but should be available at any time soon. I kept calling every several months, until finally, 2 ½ years later, I was able to do so.

Everything was going fine with the phone system and the OnStar system that was offered to me when I purchased the vehicle. I paid off my vehicle a year and a half early. I was excited that I finally paid off my vehicle and would not have a car payment any longer. Much to my surprise, I received a letter from OnStar by GM in March 2007,indicating the analog system that OnStar by GM used in my 2002 vehicle is obsolete and will no longer operate in 2008.

I was told that GM chose not to offer an upgrade but I was Invited to purchase a new car!!! No discount on the car, but 2 years free of OnStar by GM. WOW, 199 a year, that's a total of approximately 400.00. What a slap in the face. I paid 695.00 just for the system in my vehicle, plus I have been paying a service charge to have the OnStar system each month.

I have contacted GM, the FCC and OnStar by GM. The FCC provided me with the ruling which allowed GM and OnStar by GM to chose if they wanted to support the analog system. Now that GM has changed to digital, they chose not to upgrade the old vehicles. Now, my car will depreciate in value and will have components on my dashboard that will no longer work. Lexus and Mercedes provided an upgrade for their clients. I want something done about this. This is unfair and I will not be sucked in by GM, due to this ploy, to purchase another vehicle. My vehicle is only 6 years old!!!!

Lisa of St Louis, MO April 3, 2007

Lisa of St Louis MO (04/03/07)
Received a letter indicating as of January 1, 2008 the factory installed OnStar in my 2001 Buick Regal will no longer be functional because they are upgrading their system. I purchased this car because of this feature and now it will no longer work and they will not upgrade it to work. I have 45,000 miles on my car with a extended warranty for 100,000 or 10 years which ever comes first....what do I do now? I still want OnStar but cannot have it!

The resale value of my car has now been lowered due to this feature not working any longer....the only thing they said is that they will give me 500 towards the purchase of a new car....I don't want a new car, I just want my existing OnStar service to work. From what I understand they would just have to install a new digital radio for this to work, but they are not willing to do so!

Mark of Kings Park, NY April 3, 2007

Mark of Kings Park NY (04/03/07)
In January 2007 I received a letter from OnStar saying that the OnStar System on my 2002 Buick Park Avenue would no longer be active after Dec. 31 2007 because it uses an analog network and the new system uses a digital network. Newer models with the new digital network capability will continue to operate. My complaint is that I was told that the OnStar system would be a safety item on my car that would help protect me and my family for as long as we owned the car and paid the monthly premium to keep it activated, witch I have. I have been a long time General Motors customer and a loyal subscriber to the OnStar Service.

I feel that GM and OnStar should be able to come up with a way to updat my vehicle to the new digital network at no cost to me to insure the continued safety of me and my family and the resale and trade-in value of my car. I have written to both OnStar and to GM who have replied that sorry, but there's nothing that can be done!

Due to GM's inaction, I will lose an important safety feature on my car at the end of this year. In addition, the non-functioning OnStar system will also increase my insurance premiums, and will likely lower the resale value of my car.

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