VW apologises for refusing to track kidnapped child in stolen car with expired Car-Net

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VW refused to track car with kidnapped child unless police paid

Volkswagen (VW) has made its connected car safety service free for five years after enduring heavy backlash for refusing to help track a stolen car with a young child on board unless it got paid for the service.

The incident occurred in February 2023, when a VW Atlas SUV was stolen from its 34-year-old owner's driveway in Libertyville, Illinois.
 
But Car-Net refused to provide information on the whereabouts of the stolen car until a payment of $150 (R2,788) was received to reactivate its tracking device.
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So the owner declined to continue the service, but suddenly VW must help track the vehicle just because?

Seriously? What is this South African townships not paying for electricity they use?

If you want the cover, pay the subscription of GTFO..
 
So they were tracking the car, even if a person didn't have a subscription to the service?

On February 23rd, a Volkswagen Atlas belonging to a pregnant mother was stolen from a driveway in a violent carjacking in Libertyville, Illinois, with her two-year-old child still inside the car. When local law enforcement contacted VW’s Car-Net service to obtain the vehicle’s tracking information to find the abducted toddler, a representative informed the police that the vehicle’s free trial had lapsed, and refused to help until a $150 fee was paid to restart the coverage.
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https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/8/23630262/volkswagen-vw-carnet-free-vehicle-tracking-carjacking

And I would bet that they will continue to track the vehicle even when a subscription lapses, they will just deny the customer access to the service.
edit: and I was right:
Until you explicitly request that the Services be fully activated; that is, provide a valid Method of Payment, if required, and otherwise complete the subscription process, or request that the Services be disabled, some emergency services may be active for a limited period following delivery of the Vehicle to you. Additionally, certain other services (i.e.,: vehicle tracking) may be enabled for the benefit of VWoA and VCI until you explicitly request that the Services be disabled. Unless the Equipment is completely disabled in the vehicle, it may be possible for VWoA and VCI to determine the car’s location if required to do so by law, court order, subpoena, or other legal requirements.
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https://b-h-s.spr.us00.p.con-veh.net/securecontent/tos/primaryProgTOS.html
 
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Nerfherder said:
should rather just bill for the service as needed.

Just like an ambulance call.
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Solves the problem. I can see both sides here. If it was only used when needed it would not be financially viable. But on the other side there's a humanitarian issue that a child can be saved.
 
konfab said:
So they were tracking the car, even if a person didn't have a subscription to the service?


https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/8/23630262/volkswagen-vw-carnet-free-vehicle-tracking-carjacking

And I would bet that they will continue to track the vehicle even when a subscription lapses, they will just deny the customer access to the service.
edit: and I was right:

https://b-h-s.spr.us00.p.con-veh.net/securecontent/tos/primaryProgTOS.html
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Well yes. There isn't a way not to track it. The satellite receives the signal for all devices transmitting and can't overlook some of them. It's only a matter of what you do with that information and what you keep.
 
Now to tackle those insane prices on spare parts.
 
Swa said:
Well yes. There isn't a way not to track it. The satellite receives the signal for all devices transmitting and can't overlook some of them. It's only a matter of what you do with that information and what you keep.
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Doesn't tracking information get sent on the GSM network?
IE the GPS satellite basically sends its own location which the device uses to triangulate its own position then sends to a local network with cell towers.

They need a package for situations like this where you can activate the device tracking at any moment but will be billed a fee which balances out potential losses. Anyone with half a brain could've predicted a situation like this.
 
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Moosedrool said:
Doesn't tracking information get sent on the GSM network?
IE the GPS satellite basically sends its own location which the device uses to triangulate its own position then sends to a local network with cell towers.

They need a package for situations like this where you can activate the device tracking at any moment but will be billed a fee which balances out potential losses. Anyone with half a brain could've predicted a situation like this.
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It could be either. High end devices rely on satellites receiving the position. Relying on GSM is poor security as you can then drive into the middle of nowhere and the signal will be too poor to pick up.

And this is where they've been short sighted. You can already activate it when needed and only pay a small activation fee. If they had business sense they'd price it into a package with no monthly fees where you only pay when needed.
 
grok said:
So the owner declined to continue the service, but suddenly VW must help track the vehicle just because?

Seriously? What is this South African townships not paying for electricity they use?

If you want the cover, pay the subscription of GTFO..
Click to expand...
This was a request from law enforcement not the owner of the vehicle.
 
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