Any Sirius/XM Gurus?

[shilala]

Heheh. Customer Service Cube Monkey. :

Best way I found to get past dealing with XM is to get Spotify.
I have 4 or 5 of us on a plan that I pay like 16 bucks a month for.
XM cannot compare to how awesome Spotify is. It truly is wonderful.

I have an Aetna story.
One of my pensions, and it's just an afterthought thing that amounts to a box of smokes a month, they insist everything is faxed.
Because I've climbed all the way up the bucktooth corporate structure a few times, insisting on another option that's more reasonable than the equivalent of smoke signals, they actually capitulated.
I got a phone call from the VP of something and he explained I can now email documents to expedite affairs. He was super thrilled about it.

So I call their girl to get an email address.
She explains that I can email the document, she can send this month's check to my new address, but I need to mail the actual document.
If it doesn't arrive before my next check is cut, they'll just hold them.
My head exploded.
I mailed the document 6 months later cause the kid wanted money.

The reason I go through this?
They have yet to embrace direct deposit.

[rwiiames]

I tried streaming a podcast on my phone into the truck radio and the buffering drove me nuts. Although the XM signal is occasionally blocked by terrain, it's way ahead of cellular data. I've found plenty of places where my cell reverts to analog on interstate highways. It seems that every time they upgrade the signal standard (3G, 4G, 4GLTE) they start all over at the population centers on the build out and abandon unfinished work, giving a reverse wedding cake profile like a TCA.

Just my $0.02, I yield the soap box.

[G G]

I wound up going with the 5 months for 33 ish. They agreed to paper bill me for that plan but not for the 60 for a year. I will have to possibly go through the same song and dance right before it ends.

[Bruins Fan]

I just go a 60 a year notice, but it does not say for which vehicle?
My wife only uses the radio in her car for a traffic report and that is on the am side.

[G G]

Originally Posted by Bruins Fan

I just go a 60 a year notice, but it does not say for which vehicle?
My wife only uses the radio in her car for a traffic report and that is on the am side.

I have tried my best and then some to get them to paper bill me for that plan and they just won’t bite. They will however let me have a paper bill for the 99 a year plan.

[dave]

Just got our 2018 letter...'this is not a bill', but a notification that we're going to be getting a bill; $218 invoice coming soon. I'll have to set aside an evening for negotiations. It's in my wife's car and she loves it so, into the fray....

[kydsid]

Originally Posted by Bruins Fan

I just go a 60 a year notice, but it does not say for which vehicle?
My wife only uses the radio in her car for a traffic report and that is on the am side.

They just emailed me and thanked me for renewing my subscription on what I presume is a vehicle I haven't owned anywhere from 3-10 years now. I don't know which one either. I just know the current one, and the one I just got rid of never had it. So it has to be two or three vehicles ago.

[dave]

Originally Posted by dave

No insight for you on that 'offer'. But, I've dealt with them enough years to know that it isn't likely a mistake, nor an ignorant salesperson. They have a different approach, that's for sure, but they are rehearsed and not accidental. I forget exactly what I pay, but it is around 40-45% of the renewal notice I get every year....paying maybe around $85? It takes about a half hour on the phone every year, but they always end up coming back with....'my supervisor will give you this rate for this year only'....or some such.

They've tightened up their sales folks, apparently. Annual bill was way north of two bills and even after multiple calls trying to haggle them down, I've been offered absolutely nothing less than full bill price. I don't use it, but since my wife loves it, I think I'm going to bite the bullet and pay the asking price.

[Chainsaw13]

Originally Posted by dave

They've tightened up their sales folks, apparently. Annual bill was way north of two bills and even after multiple calls trying to haggle them down, I've been offered absolutely nothing less than full bill price. I don't use it, but since my wife loves it, I think I'm going to bite the bullet and pay the asking price.

Damn, that's a lot of money to pay. But as they say "Happy Wife, Happy Life".

[Dave128]

We listen all the time in our car. We used to have a lifetime subscription, but as you stated, they have changed they're practices. We're hooked so we now bite the bullet and pay the yearly fee.

[icehog3]

Yeah, my bill is way up too. Still deciding.

[G G]

Originally Posted by dave

They've tightened up their sales folks, apparently. Annual bill was way north of two bills and even after multiple calls trying to haggle them down, I've been offered absolutely nothing less than full bill price. I don't use it, but since my wife loves it, I think I'm going to bite the bullet and pay the asking price.

Originally Posted by Dave128

We listen all the time in our car. We used to have a lifetime subscription, but as you stated, they have changed they're practices. We're hooked so we now bite the bullet and pay the yearly fee.

Originally Posted by icehog3

Yeah, my bill is way up too. Still deciding.

That five month deal is about to go out in May. So just for the fun of it I called a couple days ago to see what they offers were. They told me there were none for current customers. So I told the guy that was fine, when it ran out I would simply cancel. He then said that he could offer me a deal for 6 months at a little more than i paid for the 5 months. The total came to 45 bucks and he said that they would pro rate my month I had left and blah blah blah. I told him no thanks, I would wait til the current plan had a couple days left and call back. I am not sure at this point if I stay with it or just subscribe to apple music for 10 bucks a month.

[Brlesq]

Three weeks ago I did the semi-annual "dance" with them that we've been doing for 5 years, and when I told the gal that it was annoying to haggle so often because both know where the price will end up, she gave me a full year renewal for $60. I was happy!

[hotreds]

Again, as previously mentioned, go on EBay and get one with a lifetime subscription. It will pay for itself in a couple three years.

[dave]

Thanks, Hugh. I went back and read the earlier posts about the ebay radios. Seems perfect...IF...you need a radio. I don't imagine I could buy one and then transfer the lifetime account to my Tami's car?

[Ashcan Bill]

They sure don't update their database very often. I constantly get offers for a car that was totaled a year and a half ago.

[G G]

Originally Posted by Brlesq

Three weeks ago I did the semi-annual "dance" with them that we've been doing for 5 years, and when I told the gal that it was annoying to haggle so often because both know where the price will end up, she gave me a full year renewal for $60. I was happy!

I got that offer the last time but they wouldn’t invoice me for it. They would only do it if I gave them my CC info. I refuse and pay the invoice by using the prepaid cards for sirius. They would only invoice me for the $99 a year deal and I told them no thanks.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by Ashcan Bill

They sure don't update their database very often. I constantly get offers for a car that was totaled a year and a half ago.

They actually charged me for a truck that I had sold 3 years earlier. The coworkers who could hear my end of the conversation (the first guy wasn't getting it) said it was both hysterical and frightening.

[dave]

Originally Posted by hotreds

Depending on what you have, you likely can get a model with a lifetime subscription on Ebay. Basically, you buy it and don't ever have to worry about a subscription again. I have the now ancient SkyFy model, but it gives me the stations just as well as the newer models. Found a lifetime model on Ebay. Noticed they have about 1 page of lifetime models on Ebay now. There is no way to know for sure if the model is lifetime, you'll hafta trust your seller. You DON'T want to ask XM- the lifetime subscriptions were sold to one owner only. But, figure you make your money after three or four years, and you're good to go after that.

Most of the ebay ads now warn NOT to call Sirius to transfer subscription....I was hoping to buy one and transfer to Tami's car - Sirius' web site indicates it can be done...ONCE...for $75, but I'm wondering if they've found a way to screw that one down, too

[hammondc]

Originally Posted by shilala

Best way I found to get past dealing with XM is to get Spotify.
I have 4 or 5 of us on a plan that I pay like 16 bucks a month for.
XM cannot compare to how awesome Spotify is. It truly is wonderful.

Yyyyyyup.