Parks GM, New Albany, MS

OnStar by GM

About a two years ago, we had a customer communicate a story of something that had personally happened to him in his use of OnStar. This customer was taking delivery of a new Avanlanche equipped with OnStar. He was trading us a used Avalanche. He and his wife were recently retired and were taking a long awaited trip to Alaska. They chose to drive so that they could spend as much time as desired at the various stops and sites. This trip was a driving trip made in their previous Chevrolet Avalanche. He had bought this particular vehicle used, and the OnStar subscription was expired. They did not renew the subscription after the purchase, so they began their trip without it.

Many of you know from personal experience that the roads in Alaska are rough, rough, and rough—lots of sharp rocks, little or no pavement, and perilous to drive. They arrived safely and successfully in Alaska; the truck was in tact without bending anything. After getting there, they visited the normal sites of Nome, Juneau, and other communities, as well as Denali National Park. While driving in Denali, they realized just how near they were to the Arctic Circle and decided to drive up to inside of the Circle Area so as to say that they had been there. While on their journey, the road got narrower and rougher in its surface with many more jagged rocks on the roadbed for the tires to have to contend with. As you might have expected, they soon had their first flat tire of the trip. Aftering changing the tire, they continued on their way and encountered a road crew doing work on the roadway. Since they were in a very remote part of the state, these guys were glad to see a couple of new faces. Being very friendly, outgoing, and talkative, these guys quickly struck up a conversation with their impromtu guests. One of the first questions from the road crew to the travelers was, “How many spare tires do you have?”

The immediate response was that they had only one but had already encountered trouble, and it was now on the ground. The road workmen responded with advice that nearly everyone in that part of the world knew that there were absolutely no service stations or tire service stores for literally hundreds of miles and for that reason, most all drivers carried at least three or four spares at all times. The crew also volunteered with the equipment that they had with them to repair the used flat so that a new spare would be available when it was needed. The travelers readily and happily agreed to get the repair done and were proud to pay the guys for their materials and time.

Some 15 miles or so up the road, a second flat was encountered and the recent repair was now put on the ground. This left our travelers with, yet again, no useable spare. A thought then occurred to the husband doing the driving.

He remembered that he had heard numerous stories about the merits of Onstar and wondered if he would be able to contact them from his far north location— even though he had no current subscription. He figured he could at least give it a try, so he pressed the blue Onstar button. Immediately, a polite voice came into his vehicle’s speakers. “This is OnStar. May we help you?”

Relieved, he responded affirmitively. He then asked if he could enroll his used vehicle with a credit card for immediate contracting and coverage with OnStar and he was told that he could enroll with no problem. His next question was if the coverage was immediate and if it covered roadside problems anywhere in North America. This question was met with an affirmative answer as well. He then gave the folks at OnStar his credit card information and was told that he was now fully covered and to call back if he had any problems or additional questions. But before ending the call, OnStar told him that they had one question of their own. Their inquiry was the exact location of his vehicle at that particular moment. He responded with Alaska, and the travelers then inquired what OnStar showed as their location. OnStar said that their GPS showed the Avalanche vehicle was only 20 miles from the Arctic Circle. The travelers confirmed that information to be correct.

OnStar then revealed some interesting news— the maps and GPS showed where they were traveling did not even show a trail, much less a road!

They were still able to reach OnStar and get coverage that lent great peace of mind for the balance of their trip. These folks knew that had they encountered additional troubles, help was within reach of what they could not do by cell phone or any other means.

Peace of mind is Priceless!

You may or may not know that nearly every new model of Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, and GMC that we offer for sale now comes standard with OnStar for the first year at absolutely no extra cost to the customer. Many of our program used vehicles have this service available as well. GM is the only manufactuer in the world that can make this claim of its vehicles. Whether you need a door unlocked, require roadside assistance, need to report a medical emergency, or if you have a collision, OnStar is there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to help you better.

We care about our customers, both at this dealership and at the manufactuer as well. Please visit with us in person if you have the chance; it would be our pleasure to get to know you better.

Parks GM, formally known as Parks Chevrolet, is located in New Albany, MS and is a family-owned small town store that has been serving since 1919.