AppleFan1

I encountered a bad experience several days ago. I had purchased the minimum package for MBrace for my 2014 S550. As you all know by now, I purchased a new 2019 S450 which was delivered on September 28. Sometime last week I saw an MBrace charge of $296.80 on my credit card. I had a double take. The full service is suppose to be free for quite a long time (don't remember how long) for the new car. So I called MB Customer Service. I was told that I need to call MBrace and the rep tried to connect me with them. But it was closed as of 5:00 PM and he suggested I call them Monday. I got the impression that MBrace is a separate entity from Mercedes. I called yesterday and after some phone BS I got ahold of MBrace. The lady told me that the service renewed as of Nov. 5 for the 2014 S550 which I no longer own. By now I was getting quite ticked off. She said that the charge will be prorated. I said, "what do you mean "prorated. Why"? She said MB was suppose to notify me that I needed to deactivate MBace on the 2014 S550 when I registered the new 2019 S450. I said that's nuts. I never was notified by anyone. I asked to speak to her supervisor. She said the supervisor would call me at 1:30 PM Central. I waited until 2:00 PM and no call. I called back. This time a guy said supervisors are in meetings and that I would get a call within 24-36 hours. I won't hold my breath. No call back yet. Obviously, I'm not doing this to save $10-15 but I'm doing it for the principal. Disgusting customer service by MBrace. Is MBrace still affiliated with Mercedes? Thanks in advance for any feedback on this.

MTrauman

obwielnls

Mbrace has made me so mad I'll never use them again. I can't even say why without my blood pressure going up..

MikeAtLincoln

I cancelled all the MBrace extras after the 6 month free trial. They tried to sell me on the fact that if I needed help on the road (breakdown, flat, or accident) they could send assistance right away. They only provide the location info to the vendor but I still have to pay for the assistance.I did not think that was a very good deal. A smart phone and AAA membership is all you need and it's a lot cheaper!

steveb9771

Call your credit card company and dispute the charge. This will get their attention and most, if not all, of the time you will win.

AppleFan1

I do remember your trials and tribulations with them a few years ago. How can they get away with crap like this? Very disgusting!

listerone

When I bought my Bluetec a few years back the basic MBrace included,among other things,stolen vehicle tracking and emergency response. IIRC I paid $200+ for a three year plan.One day,while driving in central Quebec (well north of Montreal) at -25F I hit some black ice at an intersection and rear ended a guy stopped at the light.The airbag deployed (I was alone) and,stunned,I heard about 10 seconds later "Sir,are you OK?" It was MBrace. They had my GPS coordinates and they sent an ambulance.Since then I've made sure that my car has had MBrace or BMW Assist.

AppleFan1

I called my credit card company to dispute this charge and the nice lady I spoke with called MBrace and connected me with them. I had to go Now they say I would receive a call from a supervisor within 24-48 hours from early yesterday afternoon. First, it was going to be within 2 hours, then 24-36 hours, and now 24-48 hours. I'll believe it when I actually hear from them by tomorrow afternoon (48 hours). What an embarrassing service!

MTrauman

I agree with you on the base security features but not on the MB Apps portion that includes internet radio (MBrace's service is horrible on the apps piece).

My experience on my totaled by insurance '14 S550 4matic is similar to yours as a positive. A person side swiped my car on an interstate highway and I hit a tree at 60mph with the car entangled in the tree suspended off the ground. MBrace came on and kept me calm when I was in shock. So this part is wonderful but don't ever ask them to help fix the internet radio or the wifi/apps in your car.

Wolfman

+1
That is my value proposition for Mbrace. Their add-on services are crap.
While I agree with their lousy customer service and processes, I don't expect them to know when the car changes owners. Even if they are MB, they would only know if it is a new-car lease. How would they know about a change of ownership? Trade-Ins are made anywhere. Maybe at the CPO conclusion but that's a dealer-level program.

I remember having to go to court for a traffic ticket (red light camera) for a car we had traded several months earlier at the dealer. Besides the waste of time we had to prove to them that we didn't own the car anymore.

AppleFan1

AppleFan1

Well, no one called me from MBrace. In checking my Capital One Visa account, I see that my account is being credited a total of $282.52. I don't want to spend any more of my time on this. So, I'm donating about $15 to the MBrace idiots. I have already stated my feelings on the customer service of MBrace.

Wolfman

The 2014 was a lease or the new one? Either way, I would never wait for those guys to contact me. Lost cause. They are in the subscription business; I expect them to be as bad as Directv or Comcast when trying to cancel an account

jbanks

I'm reviving this post because the exact same thing just happened to me....and I'm pissed. Turned in a Leased 2015 S550 and replaced it with a 2019 in late October. How in the hell am I supposed to know there is another new service provider for this type service. How am I supposed to know to cancel the service from the previous company. Dealer didn't notify me and that is something I'm counting on from them. I called the salesman I have bought 4 S-class from and gave him a piece of my mind. For all I knew they changed the name from Mbrace to Mercedes Me. I was able to get back $293.99 of the $303 but I'm still pissed that I could have got back $125 of what I paid last year.

I did call Mercedes Me to cancel their service with malice. But, they told me they don't have my credit card to auto bill me. The basic service is included covered for 3 years and some other part of it (maybe the concierge) is covered for 1. They say they will send a letter when it's time to renew.

AppleFan1

So, is MBrace the same as Mercedes me? This is SO confusing. I do have the Mercedes me app on my iPhone. Over 2 months ago now, I found out that the car would not lock, unlock, start the engine, or stop the engine remotely using the app even though it was working just fine prior to that. So I called them to address the problem. The young lady I spoke to told me that she would find out more info and get back to me. Several days later, she emailed me and instructed me to delete and download the app again. It didn't make any difference (still didn't work). I emailed her back and she again told me she would check with the supervisor. She got back to me and asked me to take a screen shot of what the app was doing on the iPhone. I did and emailed the screen shot to her and again I was told she would check with the supervisor. I waited and waited for weeks and nothing. I then called them using the Mercedes me phone in the car. I talked to a guy and filled him in on the history and he looked it up and found out the history of the problem. Then he tells me that he would need to get a hold of the German Headquarters. I said are you sure you need to do that? He then said that he would inform his supervisor of the problem. I came back into the house and just for kicks I decided to try and unlock the car about 10-15 after I spoke to him and bingo, the app now worked. I emailed the guy and he said that the supervisor reset the app and that's why it now works.
This was about 2 weeks ago. Can you believe this? All that was needed was for them to reset the app when they could have done so the first time I called them over 2 months ago. Incredible!!

Corey140

It's a whole thread in the W213 forum about the issues with Mercedes Me App.

Mbrace and Mercedes Me Connect are slightly different. Mercedes Me Connect is the new service that is prepaid from when you purchase the vehicle then they begin charging for various features once your trial is over (10 years for SOS, 3 years for remote access, 1 year for Concierge services)

Mbrace is the old system that you would pay monthly on after your 6 month or 12 month trial. Mbrace is run by Verizon Telematics.

I'm still not 100% sure who is behind running Mercedes Me Connect. Data is via AT&T though.

DABRONX

You can tell its a failing system as they pretty much negotiate with themselves in regards to pricing. I have never heard a rep basically tell me that if you pay for one year they will give you several of coverage. Its a waste of time as it does not work well. Some of it should be free when you but a car of certain value.