WARNING: Mazda Mobile Start Owners

[Speedie95]

I'm somewhere beyond fuming right now. I bought a 2016 CX-5 GT back in 2015, and it came equipped with Mazda Mobile Start from the factory. I activated the trial subscription but felt that it wasn't worth the ongoing subscription fee at the time. Therefore I didn't renew.

Fast forward and my needs have changed. After going round and about with Mazda USA about why I couldn't log into my MMS account to renew the service, they told me that it had been deactivated. They pointed me to this buried in their Terms & Conditions:

https://www.mazdamobilestart.com/terms/index.jsp#terms_of_use09

Specifically:

"We may remotely deactivate the accessory if the Mazda Mobile Start account associated with the vehicle remains closed for one month after the end of a subscription term or no account is registered within the thirteen-month period following date of a new vehicle purchase.....WARNING: AFTER THE MAZDA MOBILE START ACCESSORY IS DEACTIVATED, IT CANNOT BE REACTIVATED. TO ACTIVATE SERVICES, A NEW MAZDA MOBILE START ACCESSORY MUST BE PURCHASED BY YOU AND INSTALLED AT YOUR EXPENSE."

Sooooooooo despite it being a $550 option at the time, Mazda USA feel that they're well within their rights to disable the whole thing if you let your subscription lapse for more than a month. I now have a completely useless $550 option that they refuse to reactivate.

I totally understand that the MMS service would cease to work at the end of a subscription period, but where do they get off feeling that they have the right to render the hardware non-functional? It's corporate arrogance that's beyond belief.

I'm done with Mazda at this point. Strongly considering putting an attorney on this.

 

[shadonoz]

You could try to reason that since you only activated it for the trial period and never paid for a subscription [is that accurate?]... I dunno.
Could be that there is a hardware/software reason they can't reactivate, but that would be poor design.

Sucks regardless.

 

[Speedie95]

You could try to reason that since you only activated it for the trial period and never paid for a subscription [is that accurate?]... I dunno.
Could be that there is a hardware/software reason they can't reactivate, but that would be poor design.

Sucks regardless.

There's no hardware or software reason at all. You'll note in that section of the Ts and Cs that this deactivation happens if 1) a subscription lapses for more than a month or 2) the device isn't activated on a new vehicle within 13 months of purchase. It can't simultaneously be that the device can't sit inactive for 1 month or 13 months without becoming useless. This is Mazda USA holding you hostage to keep subscribing to the service or they'll throw a temper tantrum and not allow you to renew.

My suspicion is that all they do is blacklist the 25 digit device ID in their systems so that the service account associated with it can never be reactivated if you dare to not subscribe for a while.

 

[Sig cx-5]

This seems stupid from a business perspective. It's literally free money for them. The only thing I could see is if the technology changed and the HW was now obsolete.

 

[Young-nyc]

man that's pretty unfortunate. on the bright side, MMS is really not worth the renewing it's very outdated, i had it installed and had them remove it and refund me. I now have a MUCH BETTER remote start system that works with the OEM keyfob and smartphone/ smartwatch. Compustar system https://www.compustar.com/systems/mazda-remote-start-system/

the deactivation really makes no sense at all....so this means that whoever owns your car afterwards WILL have to purchase another MMS system...weird!

 

[wlong01]

That's really stupid. What happens when you pay for the option of XM radio. Stop it after the trial period and a year later you want it reactivated. S/XM will reactivate it within minutes.

 

[Speedie95]

man that's pretty unfortunate. on the bright side, MMS is really not worth the renewing it's very outdated, i had it installed and had them remove it and refund me. I now have a MUCH BETTER remote start system that works with the OEM keyfob and smartphone/ smartwatch. Compustar system https://www.compustar.com/systems/mazda-remote-start-system/

the deactivation really makes no sense at all....so this means that whoever owns your car afterwards WILL have to purchase another MMS system...weird!

Exactly. And it means that having paid for a $550 option, they now expect me to have it ripped out and a get new one installed (another $650 - $700) because I let the $65 annual subscription expire. There is literally no good reason for this at all other than misplaced greed. They'd apparently rather have $0 and a customer who will never buy a Mazda again rather than $65 and a happy customer.

 

[Avoidin Deer]

This seems stupid from a business perspective. It's literally free money for them. The only thing I could see is if the technology changed and the HW was now obsolete.

Excepting that if the h/w became obsolete, a continuously-active subscription would make no difference and they'd be cancelling the service until he upgraded the h/w.

The whole thing's strange. But there's an "Intended by design" side to it, since this scenario is specifically cited in the Ts & Cs. Maybe it is greed. I don't know.

It sucks horribly.

 

[Sig cx-5]

Excepting that if the h/w became obsolete, a continuously-active subscription would make no difference and they'd be cancelling the service until he upgraded the h/w. ...

Back in the early 2000's, GM had OnStar, which was an analog cellular based safety system. When they switched to digital, the upgrade was covered if you had an active subscription. It was easy money, so a no brainer for GM.

 

[Avoidin Deer]

Back in the early 2000's, GM had OnStar, which was an analog cellular based safety system. When they switched to digital, the upgrade was covered if you had an active subscription. It was easy money, so a no brainer for GM.

That's a great analogy.

I worked for a company that installed access control/security systems in office buildings at a very reasonable rate because the monitoring fees were pure gravy. Same as giving away razors in order to sell the blades/cartridges.

When I read this story, I thought of the infotainment system and all its shortcomings. Mazda's mechanical engineering and their computer technology seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum. Having this known inability to reactivate an account drive a contract clause rather than drive a fix is horribly irrational.

 

[Chocolate]

I'd move it up the chain before you give up. No reason the policy can't change, or even allow an exception. Don't talk with one of the customer service grunts, email one of the higher ups your story. Tim Olson is probably the guy you want to speak to.

 

[Speedie95]

I'd move it up the chain before you give up. No reason the policy can't change, or even allow an exception. Don't talk with one of the customer service grunts, email one of the higher ups your story. Tim Olson is probably the guy you want to speak to.

Oh I'm far from giving up. Next step is to follow their own beloved Ts and Cs and give their legal dept 30 days to resolve this issue, citing the fact that this "subscribe continuously or we'll disable your $550 hardware" is not disclosed anywhere during the purchase of the vehicle or on the Mazda USA website. It's buried deep in the Ts and Cs for the subscription service, by which time it's too late - you've already bought the hardware.

If they don't want to play ball, then again, I'll follow their Ts and Cs to the letter and haul them into small claims court seeking the $550 that I paid for the hardware that they have now disabled.

Just wanted anyone who has, or is considering buying, a vehicle with MMS to know that Mazda seems to think they have the right to brick their expensive hardware if a subscription isn't maintained indefinitely.

 

[Speedie95]

That's a great analogy.

I worked for a company that installed access control/security systems in office buildings at a very reasonable rate because the monitoring fees were pure gravy. Same as giving away razors in order to sell the blades/cartridges.

When I read this story, I thought of the infotainment system and all its shortcomings. Mazda's mechanical engineering and their computer technology seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum. Having this known inability to reactivate an account drive a contract clause rather than drive a fix is horribly irrational.

See, I think they absolutely can reactivate the device. My belief is that they simply blacklist the 25 digit device ID in their systems if you don't maintain a continuous subscription / activate it within 13 months of purchase. In the previous section, section 8, of the Ts and Cs they state in part that:

"Upon termination of the Terms or cancellation of the Services, you must immediately stop using the Services and your license to use any of the Services is automatically and immediately terminated. All provisions of the Terms that by their nature survive termination or expiration shall survive termination or expiration of the Terms.

We may, in our discretion, allow you to renew your subscription after cancellation of the Services. You may be required to pay reactivation fees"

So we have one section stating that hardware can't be reactivated, and the prior section stating that it can if they, in their discretion, allow it and you pay a reactivation fee. Why would that be in there if the hardware itself is rendered permanently useless upon deactivation?

 

[Unobtanium]

Um...wtf?

Mazda made a huge fail, here.

 

[7eregrine]

I'm trying hard to see it from Mazda's side here... I can't.
They aren't making much money on it, but to force people to keep it forever or lose it forever is just crap...

 

[Kaps]

Something similar happened to me as well. My electric parking brake would disengage automatically when I pressed the throttle, after a TSB Mazda took away that feature. I can rev to 6000 rpms without the brake disengaging.

 

[Clint]

Exactly. And it means that having paid for a $550 option, they now expect me to have it ripped out and a get new one installed (another $650 - $700) because I let the $65 annual subscription expire. There is literally no good reason for this at all other than misplaced greed. They'd apparently rather have $0 and a customer who will never buy a Mazda again rather than $65 and a happy customer.

this is their way of screwing you, I just bought a cx5 4 days ago & sales told me I need to get something installed... bull.. it’s already there, they want me to install a part that’s there already.

 

[Mazda-Life]

This is an ideal case for a starving Class Action law firm. The firm gets $1m and we all get the fruits.

 

[RiCX5]

For every Mazda feature, there is a disadvantage to getting it

 

[hal2]

this is their way of screwing you, I just bought a cx5 4 days ago & sales told me I need to get something installed... bull.. it’s already there, they want me to install a part that’s there already.

Unless your CX-5 is different than my 2020 I didn't think there was anything "already there". As Randy Newman sang "I could be wrong, but I don't think so".