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Originally Posted by sgcrockett1
You obviously have a great deal of knowledge and expertise regarding this issue. I can't fault what you have written and the decision tree is logical. I only wonder as to how much notice BMW has had about this issue. If the company knew in 2012, I would have liked to have some information about the potential. At least now I have some understanding as to how the SOS button communicates. If you don't mind my asking, how did you become so informed about these issues?
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21 years in the automotive industry as an employee of OEM/Dealers, consultant to OEM/Dealers, and assembly manufacturer and supplier to OEM and Aftermarket. It's the latter position where I use examples of supplier shortfalls to demonstrate not only to my employees, but to our clients what our philosophy is, and how our operations are conducted in comparison.
With electronic systems like these however, the time lines aren't generally favorable to incorporate rapid change. In 2012 when you acquired your car, BMW would not have known what the wireless service provider would be doing in 2014 when the announcement was made, let alone the 3-5 years prior when the hardware was developed. Because these components are supplied by outside vendors, vehicle OEM's are at their mercy just as the hardware suppliers are at the mercy of the service providers.
I don't believe the wireless carriers envisioned a >400% user increase in just over 3 years combined with an unimaginable use of streaming media services. Where as the dismantling of analog was purely a financial decision for wireless carriers, this recent issue is that the available frequencies simply cannot handle the amount of usage in a reliable manner with 2G, 3G, and soon 4G devices. The faster a device can transmit and receive data results in more available space on the network. LTE obviously is better and should last a bit longer, but eventually it too will no longer suffice. Until such time as it's safe to make an official announcement, the proprietary information will be closely guarded by those with the most financial gain at stake.
I can completely understand anyone's frustration over communication with Customer Service not having concrete answers. They shouldn't be bashed however, as they're faced with a wide range of inquiries every day. It would be akin to you having sufficient knowledge of every legal system, by memory, as to allow you to represent a party at any given moment, multiple times per day in varying jurisdictions, with nothing more than cliff notes available as a reference.
As unfortunate as this situation is, it could be far worse. I went through the Audi/OnStar debacle with not one, but two A8L's (over $240k out of pocket for the cars) simultaneously. The 4.2 was $5395 to have phone/media integration and handset, with the W12 "only" $895 for the phone handset, combined with service plans for both that were roughly double a standard device plan was. The moment the plug was pulled, no phone or media device could be connected, there were persistent warning messages along with a lovely bright red light constantly illuminated, and to put the frosting on the cake, Verizon wouldn't release us from the contracts. It was either keep paying for an unusable and unnecessary plan, or pay $500 each to early terminate.