Tell me about Sirius XM after $5/month deal is over

[Yoyodyne ArtWorks]

Why do business with a company whose entire operating model is based on jerking their customers around?

Life is too short...

[rgG]

Yoyodyne ArtWorks wrote:
Why do business with a company whose entire operating model is based on jerking their customers around?

Life is too short...

That's my problem. I don't want to deal with them, but other than streaming through my phone, which I don't really want to do, there doesn't seem to be another option.
Question is, is it worth the pain once or twice a year?

[Michael]

We've had it on the last 2 new vehicles we got. The first one the guy called and offered $5 a month. I told him I'd do it if they'd set me up with a 3 year contract. He hung up on me! The second one they didn't call but keep sending letters offering $5 a month for a year.

I'm not going to do it because I simply won't subscribe to anything that I can't cancel with a click online. As Yoyodyne ArtWorks said, life is too short.

Instead, we realized that we liked listening to The Bridge on Serius so I went to my computer where I had ripped a large number of albums and set up 400 songs consistent with The Bridge on Sirius and put them in a folder and called it The Bridge and put it on a flash drive. I also did folders for 60's, 70's, and 80/90's, and crooners. So we have a couple thousand songs on a flash drive in the vehicles and we just listen to those. I noticed this morning we're up to song 163 in the 60's folder.

[rgG]

Michael wrote:
We've had it on the last 2 new vehicles we got. The first one the guy called and offered $5 a month. I told him I'd do it if they'd set me up with a 3 year contract. He hung up on me! The second one they didn't call but keep sending letters offering $5 a month for a year.

I'm not going to do it because I simply won't subscribe to anything that I can't cancel with a click online. As Yoyodyne ArtWorks said, life is too short.

Instead, we realized that we liked listening to The Bridge on Serius so I went to my computer where I had ripped a large number of albums and set up 400 songs consistent with The Bridge on Sirius and put them in a folder and called it The Bridge and put it on a flash drive. I also did folders for 60's, 70's, and 80/90's, and crooners. So we have a couple thousand songs on a flash drive in the vehicles and we just listen to those. I noticed this morning we're up to song 163 in the 60's folder.

I probably need to do something like this. I
Maybe, I should tell my daughter she can make me a flash drive with all my favorite music on it for Mother's Day or as a belated Bday present.

[JoeM]

I have had a subscription going back to around 2005. I got rid of the charge card payments years ago and get them to send me an invoice. There’s a $2 fee for it but it’s worth it as I don’t want them having my card. I generally take it for 5 or 6 months and at this point when I call there is no silliness, no having to cancel, no gyrations. They just say we see you have been a long standing customer and they pretty much just offer to continue my plan. I’m off the phone in less than 10 minutes.

[N-OS X-tasy!]

Michael wrote:
Instead, we realized that we liked listening to The Bridge on Serius so I went to my computer where I had ripped a large number of albums and set up 400 songs consistent with The Bridge on Sirius and put them in a folder and called it The Bridge and put it on a flash drive. I also did folders for 60's, 70's, and 80/90's, and crooners. So we have a couple thousand songs on a flash drive in the vehicles and we just listen to those. I noticed this morning we're up to song 163 in the 60's folder.

You just described the majority of my Sirius presets. Take away the ‘60s and add Willie Nelson’s Roadhouse and a couple of soul stations and you’re there.

[Sarcany]

Will Collier wrote:
It's not difficult at all. Just tell them the renewal is too expensive and keep saying no until they offer the $5/month deal. Set a calendar reminder for the day before it expires and repeat then. They will offer six months, but if you ask they'll extend the price to a full year.

Back before I canceled, this happened:

Called for a deal 2 days before expiration.

Turned out they had auto-renewed and charged my card 2 weeks early. They charged a whole year at the full rate of around $21/month with taxes and fees.

I told them to give me the renewal deal and credit me for the difference. After being put on hold a half dozen times and spending an hour twiddling my thumbs, I told the rep to cancel and refund me the whole thing and he refused. Said that I'd have to call back after 10am Mountain Time or something like that and call another number to cancel. (Yes, I was speaking to someone in India. I guess he wanted me to speak to someone in the US to cancel so his office wouldn't get dinged.)

I then threatened to get my lawyer involved and register a complaint with the FCC and the Attorney General's office and miraculously, "the computer just updated your account information and I can give you that offer..."

...

...And did I mention that shortly before I cut ties with them I switched the subscription to a temporary credit card number because I was concerned about fraudulent charges, and then a couple of days after I canceled the subscription they re-opened the account and charged a card that I had used with them years earlier?

[Zoidberg]

As noted, bottom line is don't deal with a company where this kind of screw job is their modus operandi.

*(Unless you're stuck with a need and only-one-choice situation; e.g., Comcast/Xfinity)

[wurm]

My wife got her renewal notice in the mail the other day. I made the mistake of asking her if she was going to call in and battle for the $5/mo. deal but I already knew the answer. Unfortunately she likes having it, but she hasn't the patience or energy to play that game, so you wheeler-dealers can thank her for being one of the ones who goes along with the ripoff.

[rgG]

JoeM wrote:
I have had a subscription going back to around 2005. I got rid of the charge card payments years ago and get them to send me an invoice. There’s a $2 fee for it but it’s worth it as I don’t want them having my card. I generally take it for 5 or 6 months and at this point when I call there is no silliness, no having to cancel, no gyrations. They just say we see you have been a long standing customer and they pretty much just offer to continue my plan. I’m off the phone in less than 10 minutes.

I was actually thinking of doing something similar. I don't want them having any of my bank/CC info.