Sirius XM Bait & Switch?
In a past episode of “The Satellite Dish” I posted about a problem I was having with Sirius XM over my “Lifetime Subscription” to XM Satellite Radio. Come to find out that this is a problem for “thousands” of XM customers.
I want this problem fixed and I want it fixed for all the other thousands of XM customers out there who are as upset about this as I am.
So for some of the readers out there I would like to say I am sorry for rehashing something so soon, but to those other out there I hope I am able to use this blog entry today to to a wrong and make it right for all.
So here is my story & it’s kind of long, but I hope you do read through it, the emails back and forth between XM and myself kind of paint a picture of some of the management issues at Sirius XM.
On January 29, 2009 I receive an email from Sirius XM Radio notifying me of an upcoming price change.
Additionally in this email they let us know that online streaming (be able to listen online to XM) was no longer going to be included in the base price instead it would be available for an extra charge of $2.99 a month.
However Sirius XM wanted us to “lock in” our old rates by subscribing to a 1 year, 2 year 3 year or lifetime of XM service by March 11th and if we did that we would be able to keep the free online streaming for the length of the term we chose.
Here is a quote from the email from Sirius XM
“And if you renew now, you can continue to listen online, FREE for the length of term you choose.”
Now up until March 11th the XM online streaming offered to online listening stream speeds. 32k and a higher bandwidth 64k stream. Remember this because it is important!
In the same email from Sirius XM it also stated (immediately after the previously quoted line) the following…
“Effective March 11, 2009, the online listening platform will be upgraded to a higher quality digital audio and no longer included as part of a base subscription at no charge.”
To many including myself this made it sound that by renewing now we can listen for free and in addition for locking in we would be getting the higher quality upgraded streaming service.
I called XM about renewing my service and was talked into becoming a “Lifetime Subscriber” on the call with the XM Customer Service rep I was told that by locking in I would soon be enjoying the new 128k higher quality stream. I was told I was wise to lock in on this lifetime deal. For the record the cost for the lifetime subscription with the “Best of Sirius” package also included was $499. I have been a XM Subscriber since 2001 and felt it was a good deal in the long run.
Anyways March 11th rolls around and I log into XM Radio Online to listen and I find out that they have removed the 64k streaming, and the only thing available to me is the terrible sounding 32k stream.
I then went to the setting to turn on the new 128k stream and get a message stating ” Your package does not include premium online listening. Upgrade now.”
I call XM to find out whats up and the CSR tells me that they had trouble with the upgrade and the new stream should be available to me hopefully within a day or so. She once again confirmed that my lifetime account was going to get the higher quality stream.
A few days go by and still only get the crappy 32k stream. I call XM again and get the same story. They are working on it and you will get it when its fixed.
Now a few weeks later I got mad and wanted to get things in writing… (I should also note that MANY other XM customers were / are reporting the same issue at fan sites such as XMFAN.COM.) So I shoot off an email to XM.
Here is a copy of the email I got back.
“Dear Mr. Greczkowski,
Thank you for contacting XM.
We sincerely apologize for the difficulties that you have encountered when trying to listen to XM Radio Online. Please log out of your Online Listening Account and log in again. Your account will be sent for an update, and you will begin receiving the premium service within approximately four to six hours.
If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to send an additional email or you may contact a Listener Care Representative directly at 1-800-XM RADIO (800-967-2346). Our Listener Care Center’s hours of operation are as follows:
Monday - Saturday: 8 AM - 11 PM ET
Sunday: 8 AM - 8 PM ET
Thank you,
Donya”
So I check my online account the next day and still only the 32k stream. I replied back to the above email that I was still only getting the 32k stream.
The next day (this past Sunday) I got another email from XM that made me shoot fire out my ears.
Here it is…
“Dear Mr. Greczkowski,
Thank you for contacting XM.
We are sorry for any inconvenience you may have experienced while attempting to listen to XM Radio online (XMRO). We are more than happy to assist you.
Our records indicate that you have the free XM Radio Online service. Therefore, you will receive the 28K streaming. You will receive 28k streaming once you have the $2.99 per month online service. Please let us know if you need further assistance.
If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to send an additional email or you may contact a Listener Care Representative directly at 1-800-XM RADIO (800-967-2346).
Our Listener Care Centers hours of operation are as follows:
Monday-Saturday 8 AM - 11 PM ET
Sunday 8 AM - 8 PM ET
Thank you
Kerry-Ann[/quote]
With that on Monday Morning I filed a complaint with the State of Connecticut Attorney Generals Office.
After I filed the complaint I emailed Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmizan an email saying that if he cared at all about his company that he would get in touch with me and I would give him a copy of the complaint I filed with the states AG office.
Within 5 minutes of sending the email to Sirius XM’s CEO I received a reply back from Joe Zarella who is the Chief Service Officer for Sirius XM.
He said he wanted to help me with my concern and wanted to know what my issue was. And I pointed out everything I mentioned above. I told him that I wanted the 128k stream free for life as I was told on the phone and as was hinted in the email, but I even went out on a limb and said I would be happy if they added the 64k streaming back which was the exact service I had when I locked in.
I received this reply from Mr. Zarella
“Scott,
I apologize if the agent did not represent that correctly…or if you
feel the email was not clear.
The wording in the email “…and if you renew now, you can continue to
listen online, FREE for the length of term you choose…” intended to
communicate that you can continue to listen online for free, to the same
level you had, by renewing prior to 3/11..
Let me back up… We had to implement this streaming fee, due to the
Copyright Royalty Board imposing an unconscionable fee in webcaster
rates 2 years ago. Webcasters have sought amendments to the law in
Congress and many have cut back service or gone out of business
altogether. The two most notable are Yahoo!’s abandonment of
launchcast and AOLradio’s combination with CBS radio.
There was no intent to bait and switch…what we are trying to do for
our subscribers is ease the impact of this fee by offering a way for you
to defer the fee by renewing/lengthening the current subscription prior
to 3/11 and continue to the receive the same on-line access you were
receiving free for the length of that subscription term.
Please reply with your Radio ID or account number as I want to make this
right for you.
thanks
Joe”
To which I quickly fired back this reply to Mr. Zarella (and also CC’ed it again to Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmizan)
“Mr. Zarella,
I think your missing the point here… on March 10th XM customers received a 32k stream and a 64k stream. They were told they could keep it if they “locked in” by renewing their subscription before March 11th.
But as of March 11th, those who locked in before that date woke up and found that their online steaming was cut to only 32k. The 64k option was gone.
No where in the letter from Sirius XM did it say if you locked in you would get less service then you did.
That is the problem.
If the lifetimers got 128k streams that would be great, however what they should get is the same service they got before, 64k no more and no less.
I think any judge would agree with that.
As far as The “Copyright Royalty Board” I don’t buy that argument, as one who broadcasts on the internet the fees are a flat fee and are the same if your broadcasting a 32k stream or a 256k stream. In fact I am hosting a live national call in show tonight at 8PM ET. This year your rate from the Copyright Royalty Board is $.0014 per listener and again it does not matter if they are on a 5k stream or a 328k stream.
But all things aside you even make my argument for me when you say… “and continue to the receive the same on-line access you were receiving free for the length of that subscription term.” as subscribers are NOT getting the same online access they were getting. Bring back the 64k stream and your problem goes away.
The other issue here is your CSR’s are still telling people that the Premium Online service is included with the lifetime plans. Then others are telling callers its a glitch in the system and all people who locked in for a year or longer will have the 128k streams by the end of the week.
Do you see the issue here and why its causing so much anger to your loyal customers?
My radio ID is ********* and I do thank you for taking your time to address my concerns.
Best,
Scott”
This morning I received another email from Mr. Zarella actually admits that they overlooked things and trys getting me to shut up by offering me a year of the 128k stream for free.
Here is his email to me.
“scott,
one thing that was overlooked in this recent implementation was that
some (a few thousand) xmro listeners had on their own selected 64K…
and there wasn’t any
visibility to those prior to the switch over.
We eliminated 64K service…but I want to recognize your loyalty and try
to make this right for you…so l’d like to give you 128K for free for a
year.
I hope that works?
joe”
I don’t want 128 free for a year, I want it free for life as was promised by XM’s CSR’s, or at least give me back the 64k streaming which I had before XM did their upgrade!
Here was my reply to Mr. Zarella.
“No Joe,
But I am sorry that does not work. With your own words just admitted you downgraded the service for thousands of XM Customers who called to “lock in.”
That is 100% unacceptable.
No where in XM’s emails to customers did it say that by locking in customers would get downgraded service.
The only thing I am hearing is yes we downgraded our service, but if you want the better service you need to pay $2.99 for it. This again is legally defined as bait and switch.
You need to return the 64k streaming for all listeners who “locked in” as it was before March 11th or you need to step up and do the right thing and give those customers the 128k stream as your way of saying “thank you for your support of Sirius XM.”
Anything less then that is bait and switch and is violation of the law.
I now know of four states where complaints against Sirius XM have been filed to the states attorney generals office. And I know more will be filing soon.
Another issue you have to address is your customer service operations. I have just had a co worker who “locked in” for 2 years call in and was told that he will be getting the 128k streaming as he locked in and that the issue is there is a technical glitch that XM is working on fixing and he should have 128k XMRO streaming shortly.
You Joe are the Chief Service Officer for Sirius XM, it is your job as CSO to prevent these issues from happening and if they do happen then its your job to fix them.
I have been in touch with the nationally syndicated “Clark Howard” radio show about this issue and I have a feeling they are going to run with this one. You said this problem only affected “a few thousand” of your customers, why do you want to upset these customers and get all the bad press? Why not make “a few thousand” customers happy and do the right thing?
No one forced Sirius XM to give all these great deals for us to lock in. The “XM Nation” got behind Sirius XM to support the company and lock in what they had and you then took away what they were getting. If Sirius XM is going to lose money on these accounts then that is a sign of poor management, don’t blame the customer for taking advantage of the deal YOU offered them.
Again do the right thing.
Best,
Scott”
To which I have not received a reply to yet nor would I be surprised if he did not reply.
I don’t think I am asking for too much, do you?
Dan commented:
I have two words for you: CLASS ACTION
Jason commented:
Call 877-967-4672 and explain the situation, they will credit you accordingly. This is executive service, and will get you somebody based in the US.
Scott in CA commented:
Any updates, Scott?
Rich commented:
I have a call in to the CEO today with the same issue. I was clearly promised the Premium Internet service for life, but am now told I need to pay an additional monthly fee. The poor customer service makes me a very angry customer and one who will be sharing my bad experience with others.
Orlando commented:
I am on the warpath and hope that you (Scott) will continue your pursuit as well! I knew nothing of this until yesterday, and I too had upgraded my subscription to keep free XMRO.
chase commented:
I\’m in the same boat, except I re-upped 2 years instead of the lifetime plan. When I called they offered a pro-rated refund, which would give me the option of canceling my service or switching to a monthly plan at the new increased rates. I haven\’t decided what to do yet, but they are seriously doing nothing to keep customers happy. Total BS.
Fredo commented:
No offense, dude, but anyone who locks in for a lifetime on a provider whose financial condition is so shaky needs to have his head examined. Paying loan-shark prices for debt is no way for a company to survive in the long term.
See if you can dispute the charge on your credit card, and, if you must have your Sirius/XM fix, go back to monthly.
Ben commented:
I\’m so relieved to see someone pick up this cause. I\’ve subscribed to XM for four years and was also flabbergasted by this desperate grab for some extra cash.
Adam commented:
Because it was unclear from the e-mails whether the 128k stream would be included in the lifetime subscription, *I specifically asked the rep and the rep told me that it was*. So as a result I bought a lifetime.
If there is going to be an organized movement to fight this, I hope you will post about it so all affected can be involved. Thanks.
Scott in CA commented:
Thanks for taking charge of this! I just found this site after doing a search to see if I was the only one experiencing this SCAM! I am as hot as fish grease right now.
I went to listen to XM this morning (after locking in for 2 years \”just in time to continue my online listening at no additional charge\”) and was disgusted to see I was being asked to pay another $3/month to get decent sound quality.
I\’m tired of them nickel and diming me for EVERYTHING!
Want XM channels and Sirius channels?
Extra charge!
Want family programming?
Extra charge!
Want commercial-free programming?
Extra charge!
Want on-line listening?
Extra charge!
Want music?
Extra charge!
I called customer service to demand a free upgrade and she misunderstood my complaint the first 5 times. She thought I couldn\’t access my online listening at all, and she tried to get me to sign-up for my account again!!! I explained I can listen, but the quality is crap and I want what I had before, which is what I was promised before making the decision to renew!!!
Finally, she put me on hold and came back and said she would upgrade me for free within the next 15 minutes. Well, 2 hours later and still NOTHING! Obviously, she is a bold-face liar who just wanted to get me off the phone. The most insulting and frustrating part of the whole experience is that she repeatedly tried to sell me stuff during the call!!! Good ol\’ XM nickel and diming!!!!
It\’s all about the principal. Don\’t tell me one thing to get my money, and then not deliver. I might have even renewed still if I were clearly told I would only have the crappy sound. The whole point is that you told me something and you need to stand by it. That is how I do business.
WE NEED A CLASS ACTION!!!
Sirius Customer commented:
I had a Sirius radio for over 3 years now (actually 3 of them) and today, two of my radio\’s monthly fees went up by $2 per month, and I lost my 3 internet radio accounts!!! Now I have to pay $2.99 to listen online.
So effectively my bill went up by $13 / month just to have the same exact thing I had before!!!
I know I am not a lifetime customer, but one of the \”promises\” or \”arguments\” of the merger was that they would be able to lower prices… What a lie! I love Sirius, but I am not sure if I want to be a customer anymore…
The merger, another joke - why were they allowed to merge? Its a complete monopoly of the satelite radio service. This is the same reason Dish and DirectTV were NOT allowed to merge years ago. Why is Sirius different? They claim that they have a lot of competition (like terrestrial radio, iPod, etc) - so its not a monopoly, but then doesn\’t Dish / DirectTV have the same argument? There is terrestrial TV, cable TV, VCRs, DVDs, I can go on…
What a mess - I hope they do go out of business.
Annuvin commented:
Yep, I am yet another one who signed up for a lifetime sub for exactly this reason. And in the same way, I have received emails saying conflicting things. So far it looks like to me that it is still a technical issue that has not yet been resolved. I say this because if you try to click on \”Upgrade to premium\” - you have no option to do so. It is not possible to add the $2.99 option online, I have tried it every way possible. In any case, the communication by the company and customer service reps has been ridiculous at best. I still love XM programming, and if they can get it right within the next couple of weeks, I will overlook these horrendous shortcomings. Let\’s just hope it gets there soon. -NJL
bigdave commented:
If you want to listen to good quality online radio, go to slacker.com.
jpn commented:
I didn\’t lock-in a rate, but I agree 100%. I have XM Commander in 2 cars, it cannot be removed to use in the house. I will not pay $2.99 for webcast until it is the full EverythingXM slate — including the sports channels and MLB package.
Dwayne commented:
Sirius has completely destroyed XM in my opinion. They stink as a company, they have taken off good programming. It is pathetic. Wish they could have left the good XM service alone.
Combined Traffic and weather feeds, removed channels, combined channels, crap!
I'm waiting to see if they restore Bruce Williams another month or so then they can kiss my tail. I'm fed up with Sirius/XM
RS commented:
If you want to see the kind of company they are, just TRY to cancel your service with them. It is nearly impossible!
thomas j commented:
let it go! Just a good co. trying to live.
had some bad hits, gov., etc.
if you want the service keep it, if not, do not pay, move on. donn\’t waste your time slamming it.
XMIowan commented:
This situation is extremely framiliar. I was told by the customer service reps today that they received an \”update\” and that I would have to pay more for the 128 service. When I asked to speak with a manager he said he would go find one. 15 minutes later I still am on hold. I will be initiating a complaint with the Iowa AG as well as my local BBB. I also plan to send written complaints to XM\’s corp. offices outlining what will be provided to the AG and BBB.
James B commented:
You know, I read the advertisement and was skeptical. I feared they would pull this kind of thing. When they began streaming a few years back, I had problems getting it to work on my MAC, I would call and they would tell me it was a glitch and to give it a couple days….truth was I needed to install flip4Mac.
Joe commented:
another issue that was overlook is the additional radio plan. They state if you act now they will lock you in @ the 6.99 plan as well. I upgraded to the lifetime plan on my primary radio and they are charging my additional radio @ $8.99 $2 for the Sirius package.
XMmeyvn commented:
\”one thing that was overlooked in this recent implementation was that
some (a few thousand) xmro listeners had on their own selected 64K…
and there wasn’t any
visibility to those prior to the switch over.
We eliminated 64K service…\”
Anyone, and I mean anyone who has used the online player has seen the settings button and clicked it. And everyone who has done so has selected 64K and left it there. I think \”a few thousand\” is a gross underestimation of the number of people effected. I would hazzard to guess that everyone on the XM side that accepted the opportunity to \”lock-in\” the price to retain the online stream for no additional cost was not anticipating that they would be restricted to the 32K stream only. The offers for online streaming currently on Sirius XM\’s site tout the 128K only. They don\’t even mention the 32K speed. The only people that will be restricted to the 32K speed will be the loyal customers who were drawn in by this bait and switch. Unless, of course, they relinquish the $2.99 a month they were told they didn\’t have to spend.
dweller commented:
This is funny.. Scott himself is complaining about the "bait and switch" Something he does regularly on his own website. "We dont delete threads" yet poof they disapear.. Wheres the pit scott? Oh ya, you "moved" it to CrazyAmerica.org ..
So much for being so different then DBStalk....
Another Lie commented:
AGENDA 101, You are not targeting Satellite Radio, but with the article you are? Why??
WHO YOU ARE, and WHO your readers are….
The Cable Industry Book-of-Record
multimedia networks,pay tv industry,cable television business,cable television industry,cable television operators,cable tv business,cable tv industry,cable tv operators,cable operators,internet video,online video,cable tv networks,cable multimedia,cable telecommunications,cable telecommunications industry,internet protocol tv,iptv news,iptv business,iptv technology,iptv platform,kevin martin,fcc,federal communications commission
Multichannel.com covers cable television, telecommunications, internet video and multimedia network news and business analysis for the cable tv industry and operators.
Not ONE mention of Satellite Radio.
Agenda 101.
(Note from Scott Greczkowski: You should really research before posting, We talk about Satellite Radio all the time in “The Satellite Dish” in addition if you read my columns you will find out my feelings about the NAB. Thanks for reading!)
Aaron commented:
I'm in the same boat. I've been told in 4 separate phone calls over the last few weeks that I'll be getting the upgrade... but that they're still "upgrading their systems" and it probably won't be ready until the end of the month. I feel like they just keep telling me "1 more week" every time I call.
Lyn commented:
Hey Scott… I am so grateful you posted this. I\’m curious to know the complaint you filed to the State of Connecticut Attorney Generals Office… I\’d like to file a similar one to mine in NJ and I could use a template to follow, clearly stating the issue. (I had a traumatic brain injury and have a really hard time making ANYTHING clear and concise.)
Thanks for keeping us posted, here and on Twitter.
xmguy commented:
I agree 100%. I did not lock in a rate. Though I DID pay the upgrade cost of $2.99 and still I\’m not getting what I paid for. I had to set up a free trial account using a OPRAH code for 30 days to get the Hi Quality stream. So not just lock-in\’s or lifetimers were affected.
Chas commented:
I have been with XM for over 5 years now and I also own a few thousand shares of XM. I have always been impressed with the service, but lately stories like these, and I have had a bad experience too, and the poor performance of Mel as CEO are starting to make me question whether this company will make it. I suppose when a company is in as bad as shape as this it is hard to hire good help. It shows…
John.. commented:
Actually 64 is a tolerable compromise for us who are barely allowed to listen at work. Not having that option could post bandwidth problems.
John.. commented:
I don\’t know what the problem is. Don\’t you love the sound a transistor radio makes when you put it inside a tin can, inside another tin can. Sheesh…i can\’t even listen to it.
NotThatSirius commented:
I think you misinterpreted his comment on the \”few thousand.\” Look, \”(a few thousand) xmro listeners had on their own selected 64K…,\” doesn\’t this imply most were listening to 32K by default, not by knowledge because of the \”on their own.\” They felt they could make the default stream the only free stream and the majority wouldn\’t have the knowledge to know what they were listening to versus what they have now? They didn\’t realize people paid enough attention or had enough savvy to know their stream had been decreased. Sounds to me like they are going to have to offer 64K or better to anyone who wants or had a prior availability to to keep out of trouble. However, I don\’t know that it was their intention to abandon you a service they had previously offered and instead charge you for it. They may have just merely overlooked the technical knowledge of some of their listeners in attempts to become a profitable, and not bankrupt (in which case you\’re point is meaningless) company. I do feel you should get the 64K though, you were given that option, used that option, and now it taken away and offered for a price. I\’m sure they will take care of it.
Richard K. commented:
I am in total agreement with your comments. Between this fiasco and the fact that I hear more and more commercials slipping into XM channels, I feel like canceling my service and just listening to my Ipod. They are a profitable company (once startup debt is retired) but this kind of crappy service may be their downfall.
ralston3057 commented:
That\’s a whole lot of information. I am a loyal SIRI listener and shareholder. I believe in the comapany and I know you do too, as you have been a member since 2001.
I agree with you, you deserve the 64 and not 32. Management should look to see that they keep their loyal customers happy. You are asking for what is fair (not for free service).
Mobius commented:
You had my support and sympathy until you called the Government to solve your problems for you.
It matters very little. Only a matter of months and there won\’t be anything to listen to anyway.
Dunno how long you had the lifetime service, but I\’m betting it\’ll work out to a lot more than 9 bucks a month.
TVL commented:
I have made my opinions known at the following site: siriusbuzz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1582
Sirius customer service reps. are clueless as to what service they REALLY offer and that is pathetic. I thought these reps. were supposed to be \”representing\” Sirius ………….. who do you trust nowadays!
Eric commented:
I am a lifetime sub on Sirius and XM. Yes, that's $1000 in sub fees, plus the cost of a Stiletto and XMP3. In all, I'm in over $1600 (accessories, etc).
Yeah, I'm super pissed at this bait and switch. Just give the lifetimers the damn high quality streaming. Seriously, we invested our hard earned money in confidence in this company, give us something better thank swishy junk for online audio.
Tony commented:
I think this is a great story about a customer's crusade against injustice. I also have a story about injustice by sirius, and I didn't even get a response to my angry email. But all this talk about cancelling subscriptions and them driving the company into the ground is just way too dramatic. The product (which does feature more metal then just the Metallica channel) is awsome. It is so much better and more entertaining then free radio. Cut them a little slack!
Steve commented:
I feel totally ripped off ....and I don't even subscribe to Sirius xm
robrogerspa commented:
siri is getting money and will be getting money. The only thing we need to assure is that the iphone app is decent quality and .36 cents will turn into 3.60 while you blink and balk and complain about why you cant sit on the internet all day getting great quality streaming music. . . . get a life and get money, buy siri.
jscott1000 commented:
I feel your pain as the XM portion of the company has screwed up my order every single time I have talked to them.
In fact this is more of a tirade against bad customer service and bait and switch versus the $2.99 a month they are trying to extract from the \”lifetime\” customer.
Yeah it\’s probably a bad idea to create customers that you have to service until the end of time that don\’t generate any revenue.
WingmanLaws commented:
I too locked in thinking I was going to be getting the 128k bit stream and was very disappointed in the downgrade. I\’ve been a shareholder since 2001 and am not happy to see this.
Bob commented:
I agree that it sounds like there are customer service issues. They need to get thier act together. I do know that the company was ready to go under but was able to save themselves and stay in business. Unfortunately they are now the only major provider in the country and in this economy we don't have much choice. I am glad they stayed in business but wish they would get thier information right and we can all know exactly where the rates stand...and then either drop our service or pay and move on.
Mike commented:
I got a lifetime subscription recently mainly because I wanted to keep the 'free' stream. No where was it implied I would get a lower quality stream and I have been ticked off about it - I called Xm this morning and I was given a song and dance about 'technical issues' which I know is complete bull. Can we get a class action suit or something going? I fully expected to, at the very least, keep my 64kbps stream.
mike123abc commented:
Yet another way they are running the company into the ground. I will not do business with them any more. I had a 3 year prepaid subscription, sold the car and they \”curtesy renewed it for 2 months\” for $20.37 in case I did not want interrupted service. I did not find out until they had sent it to a collection company. They refused to remove the charge. 3 year prepaid subscription customer rewarded with a bill collections hassle. Well I guess I will never activate again, how many hundreds or thousands did they just lose because of this? You can tell they are a company on the brink trying to extract as many fees out of their customers as they can.
Marsha commented:
This was a good post; very funny stuff, but also outrageous. I happen to own many shares of SIRI, and need to make some of my money back. Can we just let Sirius make some money before we talk about suing their pants off? PLEASE…
Joe M commented:
Scott, thanks for sharing your experience. That\’s one more reason \”NOT TO GET SIRIUS\”.
Very Respectfully
Joe
Vince commented:
I am 100% with you on this... I fell for the same bait and switch tactics, and I want my money back if I am not going to get my 128k stream.
Ex Sirius Subscriber commented:
Sounds like Sirius XM is just like the old Sirius. The use a lot of bait and switch and outright lies on the phone to me. I finally canceled last October and haven\’t looked back.
bobojay commented:
Didn\’t subscribe to either before or after merger, and probably never will, (not worth the cost to us).
But love reading about stuff like this. It\’s like management is trying to put the company out of business isn\’t it?
LIFER-SIRI-XM-BestOf commented:
If this is true across the board it can hurt the company real bad. People paying $10-$30 per month have to feel they are getting good, honest service. It is certainly optional in today\’s digital world. They have had enough bad luck, they do not need to create their own.
Gary commented:
I'm a huge metal fan, and I subscribe for the metal station alone. I made the huge mistake of locking in my subscription, only to have XM cancel all metal except for a promotional Metallica channel. Now I'm "locked in" to Metallica around the clock. Oh yeah, at a cheezy-sounding bitrate.
Sam commented:
I have a similar situation with my Sirius accounts. I was paying the extra $2.99/mo for premium streaming, but dropped it because I was told by the cust. service rep that I would get the premium quality stream for free after the change. They do need to "do the right thing" and fix this. There is nothing that upsets me like deception; it is just another form of dishonesty.
Paul commented:
Good job Scott!
I 100% agree with you. In fact, I am going through the same thing on the Sirius side. Although they did not have a 64k stream before that they took away, I do have 3 different Customer Service agents recorded (which I told them I was doing at the start of the call) telling me that if I locked in that I would have the Premium Service.
SiriusXM was doing this as an "Easy Money Grab" but in turn they have or will be losing many many loyal customers.
Paul
PS - I love these people bitching about you, me and the rest that have a complaint being anal. Quality of stream aside it is a true "Bait & Switch" like you have pointed out. Once again, good job!
Jon commented:
My email to \”lock-in\” was different since I don\’t have multiple subs, but it pretty much implied that I would be getting the higher quality streaming for free if I lock-in for extra time on my subscription.
I called them about this and was told that I have pay $2.99 a month to get improved quality. OK fine, but what happened to the 64k stream? hey never told us it would be down-graded.
XMfan commented:
Mark, if quality has improved for you, you must be getting the 128kbps (which is weird to hear, after reading all the complaining posts on the fan websites), but MOST of the customers who locked in got screwed, including myself.
This needs to be corrected.
Thanks Scott!
Loco N Indy commented:
I completely agree with your statements. I read my offer the same way, and wanted to do the lifetime renewal, just never got to that point. I come from the Sirius branch, and I did not renew as of yet, and after your explanation, I may have been fine with that.
As stated earlier please keep us informed of the status of your XMploration. I love the music and stations I have, but is 24$ a month worth it? And I am one concerned with the additional $3 a month to hear the internet play the stations, with so many free stations out there!
Joshua commented:
I totally agree with what you did. Please let us know what happens please.
Zarella commented:
I agree with you. If you think the 32k stream sucks and they cannot offer the 64k stream anymore, then you should be able to get your lifetime subscription fee back and cancel your service.
StevenCravisCom commented:
Thank you for detailing this so well, Scott.
HR commented:
If prior to locking in for life something states that you were to receive 64k streams then I think your arguement is valid. If you didn\’t receive anything stating such then I think you are really trying to over reach. I understand your arguement….but I think if you don\’t have anything in writing that stipulates a 64k stream before the lock in, that you need to either get a refund on the for-life subscription, or accept dear Joe\’s offer.
HR commented:
If prior to locking in for life something states that you were to receive 64k streams then I think your arguement is valid. If you didn\’t receive anything stating such then I think you are really trying to over reach. I understand your arguement….but I think if you don\’t have anything in writing that stipulates a 64k stream before the lock in, that you need to either get a refund on the for-life subscription, or accept dear Joe\’s offer.
play2k commented:
Right you are… Sirius should replace the 64k and offer the 128k OR Give the 128K and charge for some other upgrade in the future.. before you know it this might turn video for example - well worth the 2.99 or 4.99 a month?
Larry commented:
Scott, I completely agree with you, and unfortunately Sirius XM as yet again dropped the ball. I was with this company a long time and only recently cancelled my subscription. I think they have a lot of potential but continue to miss the opportunities. Good luck to you and as much as I hope this company succeeds, sometimes enough is enough.
- Former Sirius XM Customer.
Rick B commented:
I\’m glad I\’m not the customer experiencing this. I\’ve had my password reset and everything else — it\’s like they don\’t even read their e-mails.
I just filed a complaint with the BBB to get this resolved. I\’m tired of calling and e-mailing, getting promises and them not following through.
You're an idiot commented:
If you took the time to read the add you received about the online listening, you would realize that you would need to pay for the online service or have a downgraded version. Because you assumed you would get the better version for a limetime subscription doesn\’t meant that Sirius XM owes you anything. I have had lifetime Sirius since 2005 and I didn\’t complain when Sirius and XM combined and I still only got just Sirius channels. Do the logical thing and pay the extra if you want it. Your story sucks. My 1,500 shares are moving up in price (over $0.36 today) so write some good articles that continue to push that up so I can recover my costs of buying the stock and buying the radio and service, thus making my sat radio FREE!
You're an idiot commented:
If you took the time to read the add you received about the online listening, you would realize that you would need to pay for the online service or have a downgraded version. Because you assumed you would get the better version for a limetime subscription doesn\’t meant that Sirius XM owes you anything. I have had lifetime Sirius since 2005 and I didn\’t complain when Sirius and XM combined and I still only got just Sirius channels. Do the logical thing and pay the extra if you want it. Your story sucks. My 1,500 shares are moving up in price (over $0.36 today) so write some good articles that continue to push that up so I can recover my costs of buying the stock and buying the radio and service, thus making my sat radio FREE!
Jbradley commented:
you get what you pay for
Jon commented:
I\’m a subscriber and got the same bait. Fortunately I didn\’t bite.
Keep us posted on how this progresses. It sounds like class action lawsuit material if it\’s not addressed.
Dave commented:
I have been calling customer service regarding the same issue for the past week. I was told specifically that I would be getting the premium stream if I locked in for the life plan. I too have been told it was technical difficulties and that I should be getting the better stream shortly. Customer service stated that there was only the premium service now and did not know why my streaming service sounded worse than before. Customer service does not know what they are talking about or they are misleading. I have had XM since 2004 and enjoy the programing. I was hoping that with the merger, talk radio would have better sound quality (be less digitized) traffic and weather sound quality is awful. No complaints with the music though. At least now I know why streaming radio sounds crappy, thanks for the info. I will be calling them again armed with a bit more knowledge.
mark commented:
funny cause the streaming for me is better than ever, i think you are being a bit anal. Is the sound clear? yes. Its perfectly fine in fact alot better than it was before the recent changes.
Matt commented:
Thanks for all the detail--definitely an interesting read! I'm a lifetime subscriber on the Sirius side of the house and completely share your frustrations with not being able to get consistent answers from corporate. It's like they created a monster when they began offering these lifetime plans--great piece of point in time revenue but bastard children from that point forward since there's no chance for additional revenue. At the moment I'm just thankful my online service even still works!! Please keep us posted!
John commented:
No, your argument seems pretty darn good. I applaud you for standing up and not taking their sh**! I hate when there is a discrepancy between what the cust. service reps say and what the policies actually are and the company doesn't do anything to fix it.
Dennis commented:
An excellent read. Agree with you 100%. Please post updates to the saga as they become available.
James commented:
I think you will be ok...
They are trying to get themselves to be profitable, they will give you 128k if you upgrade right? I heard something about 196 anyway...
politicallore.com/economy/stocks/its-a-bear-raid-time-to-take-out-the-rifles-a-sirius-siri-bounce/692
