CE750

I am trying to get a feel of how many of use use Teleaid (after the free 1 year) or plan to re-subscribe. And also how many use the additional cost concierge with the free phone calls out bound.

I for one use both, and plant to continue. I especially love the calls outbound.

CE750

Wow! This thread is on fire.. I better turn my subscription notices off before my email inbox gets full!

I guess nobody cares..

aintME

can you elaborate on the free calls? :p

CE750

IF you have concierge services, you can ask them to connect you to any number and talk over the speaker phone system for the Teleaid for free. Unlimited. You just can't receive calls. They'll also look up the number for you, so you don't need to spend $.75-$1.50 on a 411 call.

aintME

Thanks! Interesting, I'm going to need to look into this more. TeleAid was never used the year I had it. Pretty sure most of the "free" 1/2 hour was used up during the initial set-up call.

adv074

Since we're on the topic of tele-aid. What is the cost for subscription? I heard that it's another $70 (I think) on top of the basic subscription for the concierge service. Couldn't find any of the information on pricing on the tele-aid website. Thanks.

CE750

I think it's $200 for Teleaid, $200 for concierge, and $229 for DVD Nav.... so all told about $700/yr for me to keep up with all of the services. I wish they could cut that in 1/2, but I am using the concierge a lot, and the Teleaid (which should be free) is nice for safety reasons.

adv074

Ah I see. Thanks for the quick response. I don't know where I got that $70 estimate from. I plan to sign up for the service soon because I agree that it is great for safety.

CE750

no problem...

I'm just trying to figure out how 31 people viewed this thread, and only 2 voted.. I guess I should have added an option for "not equipped" and "don't care"

vraa

Neither on any of the Mercedes'
Neither on any of the BMW.

Jayhawk

I paid for the service for the first four years (actually the first year was free) after I bought the car (W220/S500) in 2000, but I think I used it only a couple of times. I believe I was charged $250/year for it, so near as I can tell it cost me about $400/use. Thankfully, my credit card expiration date changed, and they couldn't keep charging it! I have not missed it at all.

Ted Baldwin

........wow! I see you are in Lawrence, KS. I went to school at KU. Go Jayhawks!!

Ted

CE750

Interesting, doesn't seem very popular.. from this tiny poll.

TMans

I didn't keep either and cancelled the service after my free first year was up. The only good thing about Teleaid is that they call you if your car alarm goes off. The concierge (I think) was worthless. After trying to find a restaurant that didn't come up on my Nav, I contacted the concierge, but they couldn't find it for me either. The sad thing was that it was a burger chain, not even some hole-in the wall place.

Trekman

I was thinking of doing it but I bought a phone system on my car. I wish there was a pay per use on the tele aid so I can have it active and just pay when I need it! they should charge $50 a year then $5 everytime you use it. I think thats fair.

taroliw

I recall reading elsewhere that MB is completely dropping the option in some parts of Europe (esp Germany) because of lack of buyer interest. I would tend to agree that for most things -- accident assistance, car theft tracking, door unlocking, technical assistance -- it should be very low usage, and may not appear to justify the renewal fee. If they set the fixed cost lower and charged based on actual usage, that would be easier to swallow.

revstriker

I had tele-aid for the first year and paid for an additional year. During the second year, I witnessed a car accident. I pulled over and pressed the "help" button on my car. I got the "connected" message on the radio, but no one ever came on. When the ambulance arrived (someone else called), I drove away. After about 5 minutes, the teleaid lady finally came on. I rudely told her I needed her attention 40 minutes ago, and no longer need it. When I got home, I promptly called and placed a complaint and requested that my service be discontinued when my current subscription runs out. What good is having teleaid if they are not reliable?

My wife's suburban has Onstar. They are much more reliable, and they have more options as well.

MDCLS

May keep TeleAid probably because I will get sidetracked(or too lazy )to cancel it.
Are you talking about the SOS? That is not good, if that is the case.
When my mother got her '06 E350. It took forever for it to connect to intiate service. When I took delivery of our CLS, I could not get anyone to answer to initate service.Did not know how to clear the "connected" off the screen.Called the phone number listed and got a recording.Tried again Same deal. Went to the dealer which is only a few blocks from the house. We tried a 3rd time and it worked as advertised.

CE750

you and I have more in common that aviation... I too got my mom an '06 E350.. the Teleaid is a must for her (75 years old).. Though she lives in the SF Bay Area and I'm sure she would get public help, I will take no risks with her for a lousy $200 savings per year.