Just got off the phone dealing with XM Satellite. I have the Zumo 550 on the Connie and quite enjoy it with the XM antennae (or used too...). Seems that the "what I thought" was a three year plan I purchased after buying the Connie turned out to be a two year plan.
Got a call from XM saying that my subscription had ended and that they already billed me for an additional 2 years at a cost of $440!!!!! I told him that was ridiculous and said that I would cancel if there wasn't a better priced plan. He told me that I had already been billed for this and he needed a credit card number. I said this wasn't happening and for him to cancel it now! He told me that he would still need the card number so he could make my account $0 balance, then he would work on canceling it!
The call got quite nasty, and he finally transferred me to customer support. After 30 minutes wait, a support guy came on and said he would fix it and cancel it for me. He said the collection division of XM really makes their jobs harder and they lose many customers because of it.
So now I have decorative XM antennae on the "faster-color for 09" Candy Red Connie!!!!! At least the antennae cover has sparkles on it!!!!!!
Any one else using XM? What kind of price do you pay?
Sad thing is, I have two other Sirius radios and even though XM and Sirius are the same company, they are separate when it comes to service. So no multi-radio discounts...
Rant done...
It is a pity that there is no real competiton in the XM/Sirius world of satellite comms. You would have thought that the FCC wouldn't allow this stuff to happen!What do you expect the FCC to do? I don't think there are any other companies that want to get into the market, so there isn't going to be any competition. And with various apps for smartphones out there, it isn't likely that satellite radio is going to gain in popularity any time soon.
When I bought my truck (used), XM came with it "free" for the first 6 months. When it was time to renew, I didn't like the plan they sent me in the mail, so I waited for the marketing phone calls to start. Eventually, they offered me $6/mth, 3 mth plan. I waited till that plan expired, waited for the phone calls to start again, and again was able to get them to set me up with a 3mth, $6/mth plan. I'll see how long I can keep the routine working. :-)
good luck
Mark
What do you expect the FCC to do? I don't think there are any other companies that want to get into the market, so there isn't going to be any competition. And with various apps for smartphones out there, it isn't likely that satellite radio is going to gain in popularity any time soon.
You make a good point about the FCC, but I would have thought some sort of price capping would have been initiated. With XM and Sirius merging ths really put custmers new and old even worse off relating to pricing etc.Price capping wouldn't work. How would they pay Howard Stern's salary?
Nitpicking -- but it comes with my career territory:
Inanimate objects have an antenna, or, if multiple, antennas. Insects have antennae.
Nitpicking -- but it comes with my career territory:
Inanimate objects have an antenna, or, if multiple, antennas. Insects have antennae.
Here's a picture of my XM antennae. Who's right now?!!!!!!
Sirius just sent me a questionaire asking me why I dropped my XM account. This could be fun!!
Haven't had the call-backs yet with any special pricing.
Now the original guy said he could authorize $3.00 off that $440 after I said their prices were ridiculous! How generous of him!!!!!
When I bought my truck (used), XM came with it "free" for the first 6 months. When it was time to renew, I didn't like the plan they sent me in the mail, so I waited for the marketing phone calls to start. Eventually, they offered me $6/mth, 3 mth plan. I waited till that plan expired, waited for the phone calls to start again, and again was able to get them to set me up with a 3mth, $6/mth plan. I'll see how long I can keep the routine working. :-)
good luck
Mark