XM Radio Rip Off

[Denali132]

I just received my credit card bill and XM renewed my contract for another year but the kicker is they CHARGED ME $220 I also have The Best Of Sirius. I paid $180 the last time, so I called them and they told me that they now charge $21.97 for what they call "Music Royality Fee they have to pay for all the atrtists or some BS like that. I told them to cancel my subscription because its crazy to pay that much. hen they switched me to the cancelation dept. so he told me what if he gave me a year for $77.00 and I said ok but that is without the Sirius channels which I am fine with. How can they go from $220 and drop it to 77.00? It's crazy!!

 

[Yukon Joe XL]

I've done that twice already. Each time I call to cancel and am willing to back it up. They offer me a good deal each time ,so I am still an XM subscriber. A pain in the ass to keep calling but otherwise they will overcharge up the gazoo!

 

[Modded]

$220/year for radio is outrageous!!
Im thniking of when I get a DVD HU I will go Sirius, heard its better.

 

[Denali132]

Lifetime

They Told me they have a lifetime subscription for $499.00 with The Best Of Sirius or $399.00 for just XM. I wonder if it's worth it, I have had XM for awhile and I'm sure I have already paid more than $400.

 

[snowjay]

They Told me they have a lifetime subscription for $499.00 with The Best Of Sirius or $399.00 for just XM. I wonder if it's worth it, I have had XM for awhile and I'm sure I have already paid more than $400.

I believe the fine print states that lifetime is only good for the radio its subscribed to. So not like you can pay the $500 and move it from vehicle to vehicle.

 

[TAHOE FREAK]

I mostly listen to talk radio and my i pod, XM was great at one time, but I sometimes wonder why I keep it.

 

[emann_01]

Everytime they email me about the subscription ending I call. I have done this for the past 4 or so years.....Tell them that you want to cancel, they ask why, tell them their channel selection/service/anything is not worth the money charges. Then they magically will offer you some cheap deal. Works everytime!!!

BTW...this has also worked on my cable company and magazine subscriptions!

They will over charge as much as they can get away with so dont let them!!!

 

[02Lightning]

I think I paid $64 the last couple of times.

 

[Tonygxp]

I believe you can transfer the lifetime to other units for $75 up to 3x.. I have it in a sportster or something like that. It's paid for itself already over the last 4 years. IMO it's worth it. I'm glad to hear they have the lifetime for XM, I will probably transfer my lifetime to my truck.

 

[jeffbco]

I just received my credit card bill and XM renewed my contract for another year but the kicker is they CHARGED ME $220 I also have The Best Of Sirius. I paid $180 the last time, so I called them and they told me that they now charge $21.97 for what they call "Music Royality Fee they have to pay for all the atrtists or some BS like that. I told them to cancel my subscription because its crazy to pay that much. hen they switched me to the cancelation dept. so he told me what if he gave me a year for $77.00 and I said ok but that is without the Sirius channels which I am fine with. How can they go from $220 and drop it to 77.00? It's crazy!!

Never give them the CC number - just ask for invoice billing...and threat to cancel always results in lower rate. If rep says no, either ask for another rep or hang up and call again.

 

[daryl]

Good to know. I got the $77 deal last Nov. after my 3 month trial was up. I was afraid they wouldn't do it the second time around, when I threaten to cancel.

 

[gtbigup01]

I had XM for 3+ yrs for free because of XM screw up when I bought an 04 Infiniti G35 in March 05. It came with 3 months free, and I paid for only 3 more months because i was getting stationed overseas for a year and couldn't take my car with me. So In dec 05 I called and cancelled it, when I returned in the US in Nov 06 and got my car out of storage XM was still working. Instantly I checked my credit card, and no charge so I kind of went with the flow. 1 yr passed no charge, 2 yrs passed no charge, 3yrs no charge. Then in June this yr I decided I needed a truck to be able to tow my bike and traded my G35 in (lucky buyer whoever it is) so now I paid for 3 months again in my Denali since that all I was willing to pay for. Those 3 months went and these fkers automatically renewed me for another 3 months without even asking if I wanted it, so I just updated my profile with and debitcard that's been closed for months. Lets see what happens when these 3 months are up, maybe I'll get luck and get more free radio. Thanks XM. BTW it's not worth it for me they play the same shit everyday all day long.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

lol

u guys and your bills! $400 gets you lifetime XM... i did that paid once and done! never again! I plan to keep this tahoe for 14 years + like my old one...

 

[gtbigup01]

u guys and your bills! $400 gets you lifetime XM... i did that paid once and done! never again! I plan to keep this tahoe for 14 years + like my old one...

The lifetime member is worth it, problem is, if this is not transferable (IDK) then you'll run into a prob when you sell or trade a vehicle. You said you'll keep your for 14 yrs and that's good but what about the folks who change vehicle every 4-5 yrs

 

[Denali132]

why won't they transfer it to a new vehicle? That's BS if they don't because I do not keep cars for that long

 

[daryl]

I never gave them my credit card when I took the initial 3 months free. I somehow got a month free out of them from when I signed up to when my paid subscription started. Yes, they do repeat music, but not to the extent regular radio does. I'll take the XM any day.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

lifetime

The lifetime member is worth it, problem is, if this is not transferable (IDK) then you'll run into a prob when you sell or trade a vehicle. You said you'll keep your for 14 yrs and that's good but what about the folks who change vehicle every 4-5 yrs

I would not suggest lifetime then... although $120/year vs $400 = pays for its self in 4 years... (3.3 to be exact)... so even at 4-5 its cheaper...

and, no unless the unit fails through no fault of your own (not a crash), possibly stolen, etc it is not transferable...

 

[Mauro]

Those of you who called and got a cheaper rate, do you have multiple radios? I have 2 and they just sent me a letter saying my renewal was coming up and it would be $273 for both radios Was anyone able to get a better rate for 2 radios? Or will they actually cancel me if I say that I'm really considering cancelling if they won't cut the price, its just too much

 

[jerryp]

XM renewal for multiple radios

I have 2 XM radios, 1 in my Yukon and another in my wife's Honda Odyssey. Just went through this process a couple of weeks ago--it's the same game every time you come up for renewal.

Just call (800) 967-2346 and tell the automated system that you want to cancel until you get to talk to a live person. When you do, they'll ask why you want to cancel. Say “It’s too expensive. I don't listen to XM often enough to make it worth [insert whatever the list price is].” They’ll offer something like $23.05 per radio for 5 months of service, so it works out to less than $5/month per radio.

I'm sure that they'll have a similar offer in 5 months--previous ones have been for a year of service for $77. The whole thing takes 3 or 4 minutes if you say the right things--the people on the phone need to hear that you want to cancel because the price of service is too high--that's their cue to offer a lower-priced service plan.

Good luck.

 

[randyfaz]

My XM experience

Guys,
This was my experience with XM radio. I got the 1st 3 months free with as will most new car purchases. So when that was up I renewed it somewhere in the $70 range. When that years was up I used the not happy and too much argument and got another years for $77. That years was up this back in June and I decided it wasn’t worth it any longer. So I just let it run out. Service stayed on for a couple of months. I received a couple of call from a 888 number asking to call the about my account (never stating what the account was for) just to call a 1-888 number. Then a couple of months later I get a letter in the mail from a collection agency stating they were collecting for a past due amount of about $40.
I called and asked what the collection was for and was told it was XM radio.

Supposedly the agreement is that I must cancel the subscription. And since I ignored the vague calls about my mystery account number, I’m liable for the amount. They said they automatically extended my subscription for 3 months as a “Courtesy”. I told them I never agreed to that and it’s a subscription is not a contractual agreement. Just like a magazine. If I don’t want it after subscription expires, I don’t renew and I’m not obligated to notify anyone. The person on the phone got nasty and I hung up. I’ve checked my credit report a couple of times since then and nothing has shown up. I Google the credit agency and found pages of complaints for the same thing.

So I would be cautious of XM radio, seems the only way they can get or keep customers is by deception.

I use my Ipod regularly and would never consider XM again.