Sirius XM experiences..

[opus1]

if you have it for a long time you will hear the same songs at the same time everyday. They haven’t changed their tapes in years. That’s why I am canceling.

LOL, you reminded me of something that happened to a local radio station many years ago. The station was sold and the on-air staff walked because they didn't want to work for the new company. Until the sale went through, they couldn't have dead air so one of the engineers created a 6 hour loop which was called "Radio Bill" in honor of the creator. For several months they broadcast the same loop every 6 hours and once I learned the pattern, I knew when to tune in if I wanted to hear a specific block of music.

I'm a subscriber to XM and have no complaints. With having to WFH the last 6 months or so, I've gotten more use out of the streaming on my computer than I have in the car.

 

[CharBaby]

We have decent radio channels in my are for my listening pleasure including Talk Radio. So my wife & I don't feel the need to get Sirius.

I've only had Sirius XM in my car when I first purchased it and when Sirius offers it for FREE for a week or two. And also when my dealer sends in my car ID # to Sirius for a FREE 3 month trial which I am on right now till the end of OCTOBER.

Otherwise, I never purchase it and I don't care how little they want per month. I've seen it as little a $5/month but, they have your CC# and I don't want them to have that.

 

[gregk24]

We had Sirius XM in both of our cars for year. I always missed the cut off time and got charged full price then had to call them back and threaten to cancel unless they would give me the price I was previously paying. Every time I had to jump though hoops and talk to at least 3 different people to get the deal I had before. Then you have to sit on the phone while they read you the terms and conditions.

This past time I decided enough was enough. They told me they couldn't give me a full refund once the coverage lapsed, and I explained to them I have done this for years and if they wanted to keep me as a customer they better oblige. Well, the customer service "lady" was very rude and I had enough. I cancelled and haven't looked back since.

Very sleazy company.

 

[CKN]

I had them in 2003 when Sirius was still around; on couple occasions I had them again in certain vehicles after that; they claim they have digital sound that sounds a bit better than AM radio imo, go figure

nowadays YT and TuneIn app is all that I need in my cars for the entertainment purposes

They used to sound like "near-CD quality" quality. However-they compressed their wave length to make room for more stations. (Bandwidth is not unlimited). So yes-their sound quality is down-but out west it's still better than nothing-which is what you get for up to two hours at a stretch in many locations. Let's face it-East of the Mississippi there are very few "in the middle of no where" areas. It's funny-I always find in these SAT radio discussions that most anti SAT Radio-hate- comes from east of the Mississippi because you have options.

 

[dareo]

They emailed me a satisfaction survey. Had fun with that one!

 

[Greggy_D]

I always use a virtual account number to sign up when I get the $5 a month deal. When it renews at normal prices ($16 or $17 a month), they can't charge my card and they usually take 2 months to shut off the service. I don't pay for those 2 extra months. And like clockwork, about 2 or 3 weeks later I get the offer in the mail for $5 a month. We start the cycle all over again.

 

[RitcheyRch]

@Greggy_D Please explain the virtual account number. I'd like to do that to accept the new $5 per month deal but don't want to give them my credit card information. I thought about getting a Visa Gift Card and using that.

I always use a virtual account number to sign up when I get the $5 a month deal. When it renews at normal prices ($16 or $17 a month), they can't charge my card and they usually take 2 months to shut off the service. I don't pay for those 2 extra months. And like clockwork, about 2 or 3 weeks later I get the offer in the mail for $5 a month. We start the cycle all over again.

 

[GON]

They used to sound like "near-CD quality" quality. However-they compressed their wave length to make room for more stations. (Bandwidth is not unlimited). So yes-their sound quality is down-but out west it's still better than nothing-which is what you get for up to two hours at a stretch in many locations. Let's face it-East of the Mississippi there are very few "in the middle of no where" areas. It's funny-I always find in these SAT radio discussions that most anti SAT Radio-hate- comes from east of the Mississippi because you have options.

Before being transferred to Utah, I lived in Pillow, PA. In Pillow we had one radio station, and zero broadcast stations. The area was largely Amish. The hardware store closed Saturday morning at 1130, and reopened Monday morning.

I drive from Midway UT, to SLC daily, and even that stretch has very limited radio options, so I subscribe to Sirius. on weekends often off to Denver to visit our Grandchildren, and yes I80 through Wyoming has very limited options. Cell coverage is spotty Utah to Colorado on ATT.

With the above said- Sirius XM has very shady business practices and for a FCC licensed business, I am amazed they get away with how they treat their subscribers.

 

[Greggy_D]

Please explain the virtual account number.

It depends on your credit card issuer. Some offer it, some don't. Essentially you can generate a virtual account number that is good either for one use or for a set time period (a month). Here's how it works for Citibank: https://www.cardbenefits.citi.com/Products/Virtual-Account-Numbers

 

[Wolf359]

We had Sirius XM in both of our cars for year. I always missed the cut off time and got charged full price then had to call them back and threaten to cancel unless they would give me the price I was previously paying. Every time I had to jump though hoops and talk to at least 3 different people to get the deal I had before. Then you have to sit on the phone while they read you the terms and conditions.

This past time I decided enough was enough. They told me they couldn't give me a full refund once the coverage lapsed, and I explained to them I have done this for years and if they wanted to keep me as a customer they better oblige. Well, the customer service "lady" was very rude and I had enough. I cancelled and haven't looked back since.

Very sleazy company.

Yeah, you just need to be firm with them and tell them that you know they can do it. I never get the run around with them when I say that and we're done signing up for the $60/year deal in 10 minutes with 5 of those being the reading of the terms/condition. I always wonder what they do when they put you on hold. It's always fake because they know they can do it. They're just pretending to get authorization. I always think they must be looking under the desk for the supervisor or checking a closet, checking the fridge or just using the bathroom while you're on hold. So I nip that right away by tell them not to put me on hold and let's just do this deal and get off the phone.

 

[RitcheyRch]

Good information and thanks. I will see if Wells Fargo offers this.

It depends on your credit card issuer. Some offer it, some don't. Essentially you can generate a virtual account number that is good either for one use or for a set time period (a month). Here's how it works for Citibank: https://www.cardbenefits.citi.com/Products/Virtual-Account-Numbers

 

[BHopkins]

They used to sound like "near-CD quality" quality. However-they compressed their wave length to make room for more stations. (Bandwidth is not unlimited). So yes-their sound quality is down-but out west it's still better than nothing-which is what you get for up to two hours at a stretch in many locations. Let's face it-East of the Mississippi there are very few "in the middle of no where" areas. It's funny-I always find in these SAT radio discussions that most anti SAT Radio-hate- comes from east of the Mississippi because you have options.

I agree with those that have mentioned that it is nice to have Sirius XM while traveling across vast expanses in the West are correct. Sirius XM is better than nothing . . . but only for so long. For me, the sound quality is a real downer. The compression removes all brilliance from the music. My wife and I can only take the sound quality of Sirius XM for so long. Then it gets to the point that silence sounds better.

I don't know which is more aggravating, their billing/sales practices or the sound quality. But between the two, it bothers me enough that I only subscribe to them during the months when we do most of our vacation travel.