XM Radio Lessons Learned

[Fishindude77]

My latest pickup came with several months of XM radio for free when purchased and I have grown to like it. Do quite a bit of traveling 4-6 hour trips, so it gets some use and beats listening to regular radio stations.

When the free expired I was warned by the car salesman and others to not take their first price offer and do not give them my credit card as it's real hard to unsubscribe later. They started out at around $300 annually, then I finally bought for $99. Talked to a girl at work and she got it a little cheaper yet

Anyway, a year has gone by and I got a bill the other day from them for $235 for annual renewal. Called them up and said to either cancel my service or reduce it to substantially less, they went to $99 which I accepted again. Once again they try to get me to provide credit card, which I refused. He said then just cross out the $235 figure, write in $99 and mail a check.

They claim that you are agreeing to an auto renew policy unless you cancel in advance, but it would be difficult for them to get anything out of you without a credit card and I can't imagine they would pursue legal recourse.

Don't pay the first price they offer. Don't pay by credit card or they will auto renew and charge your card if you forget to cancel it in advance.

[disneysteve]

$99/year sounds pretty reasonable if you find value in the service.

Our van came with XM for a few months. I don't think we ever used it and obviously didn't renew it.

With Spotify and Pandora, as well as internet radio, I'm not really sure why we would ever need it. We can listen to anything we want at any time for free. That's good enough for me.

I can see that if you're driving by yourself, you can't be messing with your phone, but typically on long drives, there are 2 or 3 of us in the car so the driver doesn't have to do anything.

[bjl584]

They are offering 6 months for $30 on their website. (at least they were recently) Might be worth a call

[msomnipotent]

They are offering 6 months for $30 on their website. (at least they were recently) Might be worth a call

This is what I pay. Sometimes it will go down to $25. I tell them straight out that I just don't think that paying whatever price they offer is worth it since I can get all the radio I need for free. If that doesn't work, I just say that if they can't give me the $25 for 6 months, go ahead and cancel me. Sometimes they say the best they can do is $30, sometimes I get the $25 rate. I'm nice to them the whole time, and I really meant it when I say I will just cancel it. It is nice to have for our cottage because 3 out of the 4 stations available are country, but I don't really need it.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

We usually get it for a month we're going on a roadtrip. Nice to have it. $30 for 6 months sounds about right.

[JoeP]

Read the terms! My confirmation email has this:

Important Automatic Renewal Information

For your convenience, your subscription(s) will automatically renew for additional
subscription term lengths as stated below starting on 12/07/2017 at the rates in
effect at the time of each renewal. In order to cancel your subscription(s) you
must call us at 1-866-687-4213 prior to renewal. See our Customer Agreement
for complete terms. Below you will find a quote for a full term of service.

Renewal Charges				Estimated Charges
Package/Item	Subscription Term	For Full Term
XM Select		1 Month		$15.99
U.S. Music Royalty Fee			$2.22
Total Charges				$18.21

That's $18 a month after the promotion, which is whatever deal you made with them. Mine is $30 for 6 months, which is reasonable to me. I figure I don't buy coffee, or pop, or lunch...this is something I enjoy.

SET A REMINDER! I do this immediately after making the deal, and call them a few days in advance.

[kork13]

I'm with Steve ... Internet radio is/will be the down fall of satellite radio. I use Pandora all the time. My car is equipped with Android Auto/Apple Car play/etc to synch my phone to the car, so I can control Pandora, Overdrive, maps, phone/text, etc from my center console screen, all via my cell phone.

I've had XM subscriptions a couple times with cars, but never got much use out of it. Pandora & Overdrive (audio books) meets my needs/desires way better.

[disneysteve]

I'm with Steve ... Internet radio is/will be the down fall of satellite radio.

You would think that but the people who use satellite radio seem to think it's the best thing ever. The one possible advantage is if you frequently travel in remote areas where cell service is spotty, but those areas are fewer and fewer as time goes on. Also, if you have a really limited data plan, it may be cheaper to pay $5/month for satellite radio than overage fees on your cell plan.

[Fishindude77]

I use Pandora all the time at home where we have internet service, but go six miles one direction and you can barely text or make a cell phone call. Many of the rural areas I hang out in have sketchy or poor cell service.

[disneysteve]

I use Pandora all the time at home where we have internet service, but go six miles one direction and you can barely text or make a cell phone call. Many of the rural areas I hang out in have sketchy or poor cell service.

That's where satellite makes perfect sense. I live in an urban area. Dead spots are non-existent. And yet, I have people who are living paycheck to paycheck but still insist they "need" satellite radio.

[Fishindude77]

Got to have something to listen to when you drive out to supper every evening.

[kork13]

I use Pandora all the time at home where we have internet service, but go six miles one direction and you can barely text or make a cell phone call. Many of the rural areas I hang out in have sketchy or poor cell service.

That's where satellite makes perfect sense. I live in an urban area. Dead spots are non-existent. And yet, I have people who are living paycheck to paycheck but still insist they "need" satellite radio.

Yep, that's where I'll agree that it can make sense. Up here in Alaska, we have the opposite problem -- XM's satellites don't reach this far north, so anywhere north of about Juneau (tiny, isolated city on the southern peninsula that happens to somehow be the state capital) people have zero coverage. They'll make the entire drive up here with satellite radio, then partway through Canada it drops out entirely. XM has alot of dissatisfied customers up here. lol

The funniest part (knowing their highly-aggressive sales/retention tactics) is that they mostly just turn tail & run when people say they want to cancel up here. Though occasionally they'll try to argue that you can keep the service for "when you travel to CONUS" or "you can stream online!" ...

[FLA]

This is what I pay. Sometimes it will go down to $25. I tell them straight out that I just don't think that paying whatever price they offer is worth it since I can get all the radio I need for free. If that doesn't work, I just say that if they can't give me the $25 for 6 months, go ahead and cancel me. Sometimes they say the best they can do is $30, sometimes I get the $25 rate. I'm nice to them the whole time, and I really meant it when I say I will just cancel it. It is nice to have for our cottage because 3 out of the 4 stations available are country, but I don't really need it.

this is the rate I pay, if they won't do it, I cancel and within a week I get an email with the old offer

[Snicks]

I also recently had to re subscribe. They sent me a bill for $285 or so. I called them and said, no thanks. They offered it to me for $99 a year. I accepted that but only if i get a paper bill. I did that last year. Then i get a cashier's check from the bank so they don't have my cc or my bank routing info. lol

[Budget Kitty]

I can see that if you're driving by yourself, you can't be messing with your phone, but typically on long drives, there are 2 or 3 of us in the car so the driver doesn't have to do anything.

Over the summer we made the drive from NJ to the Outer Banks in NC and I just created a playlist on Amazon Music and streamed directly through my iPhone. It lasted the entire trip with no duplicates played, no commercials, and no breaks in service.

We actually just bought a new minivan and it came with a free trial of XM radio but so far I haven't heard anything that I'd be willing to pay for.