MSN Direct Scheduled To Discontinue Service For GARMIN NAVI Units (SI-0004)
Publication date: 2011-06-07Reference number: SI-0004
MSN DIRECT SCHEDULED TO DISCONTINUE SERVICE FOR GARMIN NAVI UNITS
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
| SUZUKI: | 2008 Model Year SX4 Cross Over; 2008 Model Year SX4 Sedan; 2009 Model Year SX4 Cross Over; 2009 Model Year SX4 Sedan; 2010 Model Year SX4 Cross Over; 2010 Model Year SX4 Sportback; 2010 Model Year SX4 Sport Sedan; 2010 Model Year Grand Vitara |
SERVICE INFORMATION
Please be advised that effective January 1, 2012 Microsoft will cease operation of their subscription based traffic service that supports the MSN Direct feature option available on some Suzuki Trip Navigation systems through model year 2010. Customers that own Suzuki vehicles equipped with these Garmin Navi units that have enabled the subscription service, may bring the vehicle into your dealership seeking to have this condition repaired, unaware that the service is no longer offered. If this is the case after the scheduled shut-off date (1/01/2012) please advise the customer of the situation and refer to the attached Accessories Bulletin for further information, including the FAQ's portion to help them recover any portion of unused subscription fees that they may be owed by Microsoft.
The attached Accessories Bulletin also includes a listing of all Suzuki vehicles that were equipped with these systems. Please use caution when addressing any concern with a Garmin Navi unit that might involve the MSN Direct subscription feature, and Do Not replace the unit, it is not a defect or failure within the unit, and is not a warrantable item.
Last year, Microsoft made the decision to cease operation of their subscription based traffic service called MSN Direct which is a feature on some Suzuki Trip Navigation systems through model year 2010.
MSN Direct will cease service on January 1, 2012
See attached list of models equipped with the Suzuki Trip Navigation affected by the discontinuation of MSN Direct. Please note that not all models equipped with the Suzuki Trip Navigation System included the equipment necessary to activate the MSN Direct feature. Note that no 2011Suzuki models have MSN Direct as this feature has been replaced by Suzuki's Trip 2.0 (Garmin NuLink).
The Suzuki Trip with MSN Direct provided 1 year free service for MSN Direct upon activation. Customers who activate MSN Direct and/or have renewed their subscription do so primarily through the MSN Direct website and register with an email address and have most likely received a notification on the discontinuation of service or have seen it on the MSN Direct web site (a notice is prominent at the top of their web site).
To help you in addressing any customer questions that may arise, attached is a list of FAQ provided by MSN Direct to address the most common customer questions and concerns. While this is not specific to Suzuki, it is relevant to all their products; it should adequately address any question that may arise. For the latest information on MSN Direct, please refer to their web site at www.msndirect.com
If you have any questions please contact your District Operations Manager
Dealership Circulation - Initial and File
| Parts Manager | Parts Department Staff | Sales Manager | Sales Department Staff | F&I Department | |||||
For information purposes only, chart below shows which Model and Trim Levels came standard with MSN Direct. Please note, other trim levels may have had the MSN Direct Module installed as a dealer option or customer installed.
| 2008 Model Year | SX4 Cross Over |
|---|---|
| Trim | FWD Convenience/FWD Touring 2 Road Trip Edition |
| Equipment | Navigation with MSN Direct |
| 2008 Model Year | SX4 Sedan |
|---|---|
| Trim | Sport Convenience/Touring 2 Road Trip Edition |
| Equipment | Navigation with MSN Direct |
| 2009 Model Year | SX4 Cross Over |
|---|---|
| Trim | FWD & AWD Technology & AWD Touring |
| Equipment | Navigation with MSN Direct |
| 2009 Model Year | SX4 Sedan |
|---|---|
| Trim | Sport Technology/Touring |
| Equipment | Navigation with MSN Direct |
| 2010 Model Year | SX4 Cross Over |
|---|---|
| Trim | AWD Touring |
| Equipment | Navigation with MSN Direct |
| 2010 Model Year | SX4 Sportback |
|---|---|
| Trim | Sportback |
| Equipment | Navigation with MSN Direct |
| 2010 Model Year | SX4 Sport Sedan |
|---|---|
| Trim | GTS |
| Equipment | Navigation with MSN Direct |
| 2010 Model Year | Grand Vitara |
|---|---|
| Trim | Special Edition/Xsport/Limited |
| Equipment | Navigation with MSN Direct |
Dealership Circulation - Initial and File
| Parts Manager | Parts Department Staff | Sales Manager | Sales Department Staff | F&I Department | |||||
SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FAQ
- I paid for a subscription to MSN Direct. Will I get my money back?
Current customers do not need to do anything in order to continue to receive MSN Direct service. MSN Direct annual subscribers will continue to get service through the remainder of their subscription. One-Time Payment customers will continue to get service until 01/01/2012. One-Time Payment customers on the service less than 3 years as of 01/01/2012 will automatically receive a prorated refund for any unused service. Customers wishing to cancel their service can contact customer service at 1-866-658-7032 for details and refund eligibility.
- How are you issuing refunds?
Refunds will be issued to the credit card on file that was used for billing your subscription. Please visit https://billing.microsoft.com to update your billing information. Eligible customers purchasing subscription cards from retailers, not directly from Microsoft, may receive a refund by check.
- I just bought an MSN Direct enabled navigation device, what do I do?
MSN Direct service will continue to be available until 01/01/2012. New subscriptions will continue to be offered. If service beyond 01/01/2012 is a concern, please see your retailer for information on their device return policy.
- Can I still sign-up for MSN Direct service? How long do I have to activate my device?
Yes. New subscriptions will continue to be available. New devices, including trial subscriptions, can continue to be activated until 01/01/2012. Service will, however, no longer be available after 01/01/2012.
- How long will I continue to get support for MSN Direct services?
Support for MSN Direct services will continue until the service end-date of 01/01/2012.
Dealership Circulation - Initial and File
Parts Manager Parts Department Staff Sales Manager Sales Department Staff F&I Department - How long will products continue to be on the market that support MSN Direct?
Customers will still be able to enjoy all the benefits of MSN Direct service until 01/01/2012. Products on the market supporting MSN Direct will continue to be available for some time.
- Will my product still work?
Yes, until 01/01/2012. There are no planned changes to the service until 01/01/2012. After 01/01/2012, navigation devices supporting MSN Direct will continue to be operational as navigation devices but will no longer receive MSN Direct services such as traffic, weather, fuel prices, etc.
- Why is Microsoft ending MSN Direct services on 01/01/2012?
The delivery of location-based services in the U.S. and Canada has evolved since Microsoft began offering MSN Direct in early 2004. Leveraging unused FM radio spectrum to broadcast data represented a step forward in 2004; however, many choices today including Wi-Fi, Cellular, FM RDS and other digital networks are now readily available and are continuing to grow in popularity. Despite good initial MSN Direct adoption, these alternatives have significantly reduced demand for MSN Direct service. As such, Microsoft has made the decision to focus future U.S. and Canada investments on these existing network connections and discontinue the MSN Direct services business. Microsoft will continue to explore new ways to leverage the efficiencies of FM digital broadcast in other applications and markets going forward.
- Why haven't I been notified by Microsoft about this change?
12 Month subscription customers will continue to receive their service through the end of their current subscription. One-Time Payment customer notification is beginning 10/27/2009 via email and is expected to be completed within two weeks.
- What happens to my personal information provided to Microsoft?
Microsoft is committed to protecting your privacy. To learn more, please read the MSN Direct Privacy Statement .
Dealership Circulation - Initial and File
Parts Manager Parts Department Staff Sales Manager Sales Department Staff F&I Department