BMW starts selling heated seat subscriptions for $18 a month. The auto industry is racing towards a future full of microtransactions

[John Ranalletta]

https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/12/23204950/bmw-subscriptions-microtransactions-heated-seats-feature

 

Coming to a motorcycle near you soon....

[mickeym3]

I thought BMW had backed away from this but in any case I can live without such.  Any manufacturer that does this can pound sand.  Consumers need to make a stand on this nonsense.  If not the pampered can have it. 

[John Ranalletta]

I’d offer this subscription service will replace buying the “packaged” options.  Easier IMO  for car makers to standardize electronics they afix to a new car and just turn stuff on/off by subscription.  

[Hosstage]

When do I have to pay to have the air conditioning and steering work?

[John Ranalletta]

9 hours ago, Hosstage said:

When do I have to pay to have the air conditioning and steering work?

Oh, you wanted what?  A key? 

 

When I was travelling on the client's tab, I stayed in expensive hotels.  The more expensive the hotel, the more likely the hotel charged for wifi when the cheapest hotels provided it free.  Same with breakfast.  This will be a differentiator.  The Koreans and other econo box car makers will offer features for free while the stuffed shorts paying $100k+ for vehicles will ante up.  Knuckle heads.

 

Soon, you won't own anything and you'll like it.

 

 

[Rougarou]

4 hours ago, John Ranalletta said:

Oh, you wanted what?  A key? 

 

When I was travelling on the client's tab, I stayed in expensive hotels.  The more expensive the hotel, the more likely the hotel charged for wifi when the cheapest hotels provided it free.  Same with breakfast.  This will be a differentiator.  

 

 

Yep, the more expensive hotels, the less freebies you get.  Sheratons, Marriotts, DoubleTrees, Omnis, for the prices being paid, those items should be a given.  It's bad when a higher end hotel doesn't offer free breakfast or wifi.  I was at an Omni a few years ago, didn't know that the breakfast wasn't included, sat down, waiter said "ya know, our coffee is like $6.00 and breakfast isn't free",......I thanked him and hit a slopchute next door.

 

So I choose carefully depending on distances from work sites and the "givens".  I try to pick within two miles of work sites from a hotel so I can walk to the work site.  That eliminates the need to get a rental car and pay the parking fees (ya, I know the company pays, but still, a hassle).  Luckily, my hotel status gives me the enhanced wifi and some "gimmees", but it's still odd that the more you pay, the actual less you get,.....and not every hotel has a concierge floor.

[John Ranalletta]

13 minutes ago, Rougarou said:

 

Yep, the more expensive hotels, the less freebies you get.  Sheratons, Marriotts, DoubleTrees, Omnis, for the prices being paid, those items should be a given.  It's bad when a higher end hotel doesn't offer free breakfast or wifi.  I was at an Omni a few years ago, didn't know that the breakfast wasn't included, sat down, waiter said "ya know, our coffee is like $6.00 and breakfast isn't free",......I thanked him and hit a slopchute next door.

 

So I choose carefully depending on distances from work sites and the "givens".  I try to pick within two miles of work sites from a hotel so I can walk to the work site.  That eliminates the need to get a rental car and pay the parking fees (ya, I know the company pays, but still, a hassle).  Luckily, my hotel status gives me the enhanced wifi and some "gimmees", but it's still odd that the more you pay, the actual less you get,.....and not every hotel has a concierge floor.

When I had several hundred thousand Hilton points, I had no qualms stopping by a Hampton for a cuppa and and roll even if I wasn't staying overnight.  Also, we take most of our rest stops at hotels as their lavs are always much cleaner.  

[John Ranalletta]

Dr. Pippa:

"

Consider a car with over 8000 chips. These sensors track everything. That means the car company can charge you much more than ever before. BMW is now selling access to the heated seats by subscription. Having a heated seat for your bum will cost you $18 a month. You can guess what’s coming. You get charged whenever you touch the brakes, open a window or change gears. You paid for the car and expect these things to be included in the price. But they aren’t anymore. Now you face hidden price hikes. These are sneaky ways to raise the price of the car and generate ongoing cash flow and recurring revenue for the car company.

These sneaky price hikes, or sneakflation, is hidden in a series of microtransactions. This term has typically referred to the gaming industry where game developers charge users for access to in-game currencies or items or to unlock secrets. Expiration charges can be paid if you want to keep playing. Today GM is happy to charge you $135 a month for emergency assistance, enhanced maps, and faster acceleration.  As the transportation industry moves away from ownership toward charging per inch, per minute, and per mile, we can expect lots of sneaky hidden charges to appear.

[TEWKS]

I could be wrong but BMW will lose 50% of their customers if they implement this. I’m at a loss on how they figure a customer would accept this unless there was “no charge” for the heated seats at purchase time and you’re only charged per use.  Stupid idea no less, I’ll drive a Ford. 

[BamaJohn]

On 7/13/2022 at 5:37 AM, John Ranalletta said:

Soon, you won't own anything and you'll like it.

Sorry to disagree...but I disagree....won't like it!  

[MichiganBob]

All of a sudden, I'm feeling very pampered in my Hyundai Santa Fe. 

[John Ranalletta]

14 minutes ago, MichiganBob said:

All of a sudden, I'm feeling very pampered in my Hyundai Santa Fe. 

 

My '15 335ix and '17 X3 will outlive me; so, I'm good.

[John Ranalletta]

3 hours ago, BamaJohn said:

Sorry to disagree...but I disagree....won't like it!  

[BamaJohn]

14 minutes ago, John Ranalletta said:

I need something to de-sensitize my BS alarm....Native Americans had it; Hippies in the 60's had it; Calif/Colorado legalized it.....

(for the record...never tried it...gonna go ride now!)

[John Ranalletta]

On 7/23/2022 at 1:41 PM, BamaJohn said:

I need something to de-sensitize my BS alarm....Native Americans had it; Hippies in the 60's had it; Calif/Colorado legalized it.....

(for the record...never tried it...gonna go ride now!)

 

[EffBee]

They are the BORG.  They did it to us with TV.  They'll figure out how to do it to us with this.  They already have the research on how long until assimilation.  Resistance is ultimately futile.

[BamaJohn]

Not calling bs on John R, but on the overwhelming amount of bs flying at us these days in general.

[Rougarou]

The "not owning it" mentality screams HOAs across 'merica. 

 

Oh, but wait, "I should have known the agreement when I bought the house that I couldn't fly an American Flag",......well, "gee Mr BMW buyer,.... after six months of ownership, you should have known the agreement when you bought the car in that hot butts were a subscription offer".  

[lkraus]

A new bundle of kindling shipped to your door each month.

[John Ranalletta]

Can we hitch a ride in your limo?  You will own nothing and you will like it.

Never heard of WEF?  Same outfit that convinced Dutch officials to put farmers out of business and WEF said, "We'll buy the farms when farmers go broke."  I wonder, what will WEF do with the farm land?

WEF prize student is Justin Trudeau who announced a 30% decrease in nitrogen fertilizer utilization.  Will WEF buy all those farms from bankrupt farmers too; or, will Bill Gates?  Canada is a major exporter of grain globally.  Who will feed the people dependent on those exports.