OnStar Can Suck My Cock
The background to this post is the Batmobile came from GM with every option the General had to offer on the 2003 Pontiac Bonneville including OnStar which is GM's hands-free cellular/GPS/emergency/concierge service. OnStar was, until the start of 2008, an analog cellular based system. Starting January 1st of 2008, the FCC no longer requires cell service providers to maintain their analog networks allowing them to go all digital, which is a more efficient use of the available broadcast spectrum. For analog OnStar equipped vehicles, this means no more service, nada, zip, nothing.
It turns out the OnStar in the Batmobile is analog based, but capable of being upgraded to digital with a GM provided kit. The kit is $15 bucks along with a one-year prepaid OnStar subscription costing $199 for a total outlay of $214. Now, $214 for something that I think would be neat to have, that I might use from time to time seemed like a good deal, plus it might backdoor me into getting a cell phone (don't laugh, I have never had one), because there is a Verizon plan where I could tie my cell phone and car together and share Verizon minutes. This whole scenario reminded me of the old Batman OnStar commercials and since you can never have too much Batman in your life, this kind of appealed to my inner twelve year old.
So I ordered the upgrade from our Rockville Pontiac store, and here is where OnStar can get slobbery for manmeat -- the sevice writer calls me today to inform me there is a $100 activation fee on top of the $214. The reason for this, per the two OnStar drones I talked to, was the digital upgrade is happening after a February 20th 2007 deadline. The fact I did noT own the flippin' car until a few months ago and had no way to upgrade a car I had no idea I would be owning, didn't cut any ice. This means my $214 fun purchase gets larded up with $100 of fuck-you-money, and this annoys me enough to drop the decision to purchase from "fun, who cares if I need it" to "do I need this enough in my life to drop $314 on it." The voice in my head responsible for speaking the no-fun says the smart thing to do is pass on the silly OnStar gizmo and use the money to buy a normal cell phone, or just to buy more beer, an option which the voice in my head that speaks the fun likes.
Comments? Suggestions? Derision?