Texan Mosaic

Life can be very hectic at times, and having car issues can make it worse.

Having roadside assistance can help that, but it can be expressive. I like knowing that I have roadside assistance without breaking my wallet. But having the Hum with Verizon has saved me from getting stuck and saving money.

There are several different roadside assistance services that are offered, such as On Star, AAA and other companies that partner with the dealerships. But the difference between the Hum and the other companies is that the Hum is with Verizon. It has a piece that goes into the OBD reader of the car and Bluetooth speaker that comes with it. The Hum comes with customer service.

When using this, the consumer has many options for free. If a vehicle receives an error message and the consumer does not know, they can use the customer service on the Bluetooth speaker that tells them exactly what it is. On my car, I have had an error message about my “check engine” light coming on. The customer service agents were very helpful about finding a place that could fix it without breaking my bank account.  Another bonus with this feature is if something goes out on the vehicle, such as a headlight or a hole in the tire, customer service can be accountable to help get it fixed. Customer service will tell them the place that is the cheapest and reliable place to take it.

A bonus feature with the Hum is that it gives local and travel discounts. It suggests different food places around town that offer a certain percentage off, or a free appetizer or desserts. I personally like this one, because I have used it for several food places around Lubbock such as Sonic and Carino’s.  It also can help someone get discounts for hotels anywhere. It gives a decent discount than the normal hotel websites at a great price. The Hum comes at a price of about $10 dollars per month, while other companies may charge more.

Having a car can be a good and bad thing. The good thing is that it gets you to the places that you need to be, but the bad thing is everything adds up when you own one, such as having roadside assistance.

With the Hum, it can save you from getting stranded, because it has Bluetooth off of your cell phone. It also can detect where you are within 5 feet. If someone was to run out of gas in the vehicle, the Hum can notify roadside assistance to deliver gas to the person stuck. When I first got my car, I got a nail in my tire three days after I got it. I was stranded at my house trying to get to work on time. I had someone come to my house within 45 minutes, and they put my spare tire on quickly without a charge. The Hum also will make it cheaper to deliver the gas, charging $5 per mile. If it is within a 30-mile radius, they will not charge the person. With the other companies, they would still charge for it being within 30-mile radius and double the price.

Another cool feature about the Hum is if someone was involved in an accident, emergency personnel will be notified. The signal will be within 5 feet, versus it being pinged off of the cell phone towers and being a broad location.

The Hum can also allow people to track the vehicle as well. Using the app, it can let someone put the notifications on the app. I use this feature all the time, because I live in an apartment complex and it is a good feeling knowing that my car is right where I parked it. I also enjoy it when I go into a different part of town that I feel is sketchy and I’m not sure if I should park there. I also will be using it when I go to concerts or sporting events because of how many cars and people will be around.

If someone were to steal the car, Hum would get notifications and pinpoint where it was going. If a parent put it on their child’s car, they can add a boundary alert that will put a radius around the car on the map. If the child travels outside the radius, it will send a notification using the app and they can track them.

This also goes for speeding as well. If parents want to make sure that their child is not speeding or driving excessively, they can set a speed that they would like them to stay at. If the child exceeds the limit, the parents will get a notification about it.

Another feature that could be used to see how good a driver is doing is called a safety score. It tracks if someone exceeds the speed limit, takes sharp corners, breaks hard or accelerates rapidly. It counts how many of those happen and puts it in a percentage. It also gives the route that was driven and where the events happened. My safety score is terrible because I speed everywhere I go. I also use this at work because we all compare each other’s scores and declare who stinks at driving that week. This feature could be used to help with insurance to save money, if a company wants to track the locations and the driving of its employees.

As a college student, I recommend using the Hum because it is affordable. It has saved me in several situations where I could have spent hundreds of dollars but did not have to.