Photo: Volkswagen | Edited
When a two-year-old child was abducted in a Volkswagen Atlas in February, America was shocked that a Volkswagen employee denied the police request to locate the stolen vehicle. The German carmaker promised to address the situation and now offers the Car-Net emergency services for free.
Modern vehicles come with connected tech able to offer a precise location in the case of a crash or when the car is stolen. However, this usually works when the owner pays a subscription. Many people don't feel paying the subscription is necessary once the free-trial period expires. Still, it can prove an important feature in life-threatening situations. Sometimes, it can also turn into a nasty case of bad publicity, as Volkswagen learned the hard way in a February incident.
Back then, a Volkswagen Atlas was stolen from a woman's driveway with her two-year-old child still strapped inside the car. The woman was seriously injured when the carjacker ran her over, but she still managed to call 911. Police contacted Volkswagen and tried to convince the representative at the other end of the line to locate the stolen vehicle. Their shocking reply was that the Atlas had ended its courtesy trial period, and the owner needed to pay $150 before they could locate the car.
A family member finally paid for the Car-Net subscription that would have allowed locating the Atlas, but precious time was wasted. Thankfully, police officers found the child abandoned in a parking lot, unharmed. Later, they were also able to locate the Atlas. In the aftermath, Volkswagen admitted to a "serious breach of the process" and promised to address the situation so it won't happen again.
"As a mom and an aunt, I can imagine how painful this incident must have been," said Rachael Zaluzec, SVP, Customer Experience & Brand Marketing for Volkswagen of America. "Words can't adequately express how truly sorry I am for what the family endured. Today, we are setting a new standard for customer peace of mind. As of June 1, we will make these connected vehicle emergency services free for five years."
The new offer applies to 2020-2023 model-year vehicles equipped with Car-Net, Volkswagen's connected vehicle system. Car-Net offers three plans: Safe & Secure, Remote Access, and Wi-Fi Hotspot, but only the Safe & Secure plan is part of the offer. Car-Net Safe & Secure allows owners to access Emergency Assistance through the SOS button in the vehicle, Automatic Crash Notification, Stolen Vehicle Locator, and Anti-Theft Alerts.
Car-Net Remote Access services are already offered at no additional charge for five years from the date of vehicle purchase on 2020 and newer models. This plan allows owners to interact with their cars via the myVW app. It also includes Family Guardian services (Speed Alert, Boundary Alert, Valet Alert) and Roadside Call Assist.
Interestingly, the offer Volkswagen made to gas-powered vehicle owners is much more generous than that reserved for ID.4 owners. According to the press release, ID.4 EV models include only Automatic Crash Notifications and Emergency Assistance with the free plan, with no word about vehicle location. It is unclear whether this means that Volkswagen EVs lack the hardware to support location services or it's another reason behind this limitation.
Back then, a Volkswagen Atlas was stolen from a woman's driveway with her two-year-old child still strapped inside the car. The woman was seriously injured when the carjacker ran her over, but she still managed to call 911. Police contacted Volkswagen and tried to convince the representative at the other end of the line to locate the stolen vehicle. Their shocking reply was that the Atlas had ended its courtesy trial period, and the owner needed to pay $150 before they could locate the car.
A family member finally paid for the Car-Net subscription that would have allowed locating the Atlas, but precious time was wasted. Thankfully, police officers found the child abandoned in a parking lot, unharmed. Later, they were also able to locate the Atlas. In the aftermath, Volkswagen admitted to a "serious breach of the process" and promised to address the situation so it won't happen again.
"As a mom and an aunt, I can imagine how painful this incident must have been," said Rachael Zaluzec, SVP, Customer Experience & Brand Marketing for Volkswagen of America. "Words can't adequately express how truly sorry I am for what the family endured. Today, we are setting a new standard for customer peace of mind. As of June 1, we will make these connected vehicle emergency services free for five years."
The new offer applies to 2020-2023 model-year vehicles equipped with Car-Net, Volkswagen's connected vehicle system. Car-Net offers three plans: Safe & Secure, Remote Access, and Wi-Fi Hotspot, but only the Safe & Secure plan is part of the offer. Car-Net Safe & Secure allows owners to access Emergency Assistance through the SOS button in the vehicle, Automatic Crash Notification, Stolen Vehicle Locator, and Anti-Theft Alerts.
Car-Net Remote Access services are already offered at no additional charge for five years from the date of vehicle purchase on 2020 and newer models. This plan allows owners to interact with their cars via the myVW app. It also includes Family Guardian services (Speed Alert, Boundary Alert, Valet Alert) and Roadside Call Assist.
Interestingly, the offer Volkswagen made to gas-powered vehicle owners is much more generous than that reserved for ID.4 owners. According to the press release, ID.4 EV models include only Automatic Crash Notifications and Emergency Assistance with the free plan, with no word about vehicle location. It is unclear whether this means that Volkswagen EVs lack the hardware to support location services or it's another reason behind this limitation.
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