ST Alpha - "I'm not entirely sure OnStar could've unlocked her car, even if they'd wanted to, given that she wasn't a subscriber. -- (link)" (Reading a Post)

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I'm not entirely sure OnStar could've unlocked her car, even if they'd wanted to, given that she wasn't a subscriber. -- (link)

Posted by znufrii Mar 26 '13, 12:06

(No message)

but if they could, it's not quite at the same level as the firefighters in rural Tennessee who watched a man's house burn down because he didn't pay the fee, but a similar concept. (consumerist.com)

Responses:

Speaking as a car owner ... I wouldn't be comfortable with the potential for social engineering to unlock my car. - Beryllium Mar 26, 12:34 1
- They can start the car up, shut the car down, locate it. - Spawn Mar 26, 12:42
tangent: Londynn? that's a name now? *smh* -- nm - znufrii Mar 26, 12:25 1
- Bright side: it's been taken now, so you can't use it -- nm - con_carne Mar 26, 12:30
I think the proper response should have been for them to request a police officer to attend the scene -- nm - zork Mar 26, 12:20 1
- police was on scene, they were just avoiding having to break a window -- nm - zeitgeist Mar 26, 12:24
It's not like they have to come out and do something to your car to activate the subscription, I wonder if they gave her the option of subscribing right then... -- nm - Ender Mar 26, 12:11 3
- would it have to be activiated with the OnStar button inside the car, perhaps? -- nm - znufrii Mar 26, 12:14 1
  - Maybe. -- nm - Ender Mar 26, 13:48
- she says her husband was the one that called, so she was relaying the info second hand. -- nm - colin Mar 26, 12:14
How do they know it's her calling? -- nm - mara Mar 26, 12:10 7
- The same types of questions a credit card comapny asks when you call them> -- nm - Spawn Mar 26, 12:12
- That could be something they could coordinate with an insurance company. -- nm - Max Mar 26, 12:12 3
  - In 2-30 minutes? Or do you mean ahead of time? -- nm - mara Mar 26, 12:15 2
    - It only takes 2 minutes for me to call my insurance company and have them confirm who I am, so I'm thinking conference call. -- nm - Max Mar 26, 12:17 1
      - Ah, I guess I'd have assumed you needed your account number or something. -- nm - mara Mar 26, 12:20
- because she promised it was -- nm - decline Mar 26, 12:10 1
  - "Nice try. We saw Die Hard 4, you don't sound like Bruce Willis." -- nm - Beryllium Mar 26, 12:11
"I'm sorry we let thieves into your car and they stole your stuff, but they *said* a baby was locked in the car" -- nm - zork Mar 26, 12:10
I wonder if amanda can use that radio-frequency-speaker trick to unlock cars. -- nm - Max Mar 26, 12:09
I have thought about this a lot. I really wish they had a Single Use Emegency Fee set-up. - Spawn Mar 26, 12:09 12
- I was thinking along the same lines as well. wouldn't even need to keep a credit card on file, they can trace your VIN and send you a bill. -- nm - znufrii Mar 26, 12:10 11
  - Yeah, I guess there could be levels of charges. - Spawn Mar 26, 12:12
  - to a person who declined to pay them something voluntary in the past? -- nm - zork Mar 26, 12:11 9
    - Yeah, that was why I envisioned a set-up where they could charge your credit card immediately. -- nm - Spawn Mar 26, 12:13 4
      - Hello, insurance company? My house is on fire. Can I get a policy now? - zork Mar 26, 12:17 3
        
        heh. Well, this does not cost them anything, so it is still a bit of win for them. -- nm - Spawn Mar 26, 12:48 2
        
        but eventually this would be the only calls they would get - zork Mar 26, 12:51 1
        
        Oh, there are people that use Onstar for calls, directions and crap. -- nm - Spawn Mar 26, 12:52
    - they declined to sign up for the service in the first place, not expecting to need it. - znufrii Mar 26, 12:12 3
      - Zork is right. This is like insurance. You pay for the coverage. There are costs to the company to maintain the service. They need to keep your - pmb Mar 26, 12:25 1
        
        Hello, insurance company? I just sold my house and it never caught on fire. Good thing I didn't give you any money. -- nm - zork Mar 26, 12:27
      - then everyone would decline and they would only get subscribers who actually needed it months later. - zork Mar 26, 12:14

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