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I received a post card in the mail yesterday telling me that I needed to update the billing information on my account (credit card expiration date on a card) to avoid interruption of service. Why would my service be interrupted? I don't run out until April. It shouldn't need to be renewed until then and I didn't want them to auto-renew me anyway. I don't recall agreeing or opting into automatic renewal or ever being notified about automatic renewal. I have had the service for three years or longer and manually renewed until now. So I say "good," it makes my decision to leave that much easier.

I am NOT going to renew. But they better not cut my service off prior to the renewal date.

XM radio has gone WAY downhill since the merger and elimination of my favorite station. This price increase could not have come at a worse time with my own situation (feelings towards XM and the merger) and the economy the way it is for just about everyone. What are they thinking?

I have two radios and my wife and I occasionally listen to the online version. I am not paying $3 a month for something I may not use for three months and then use a lot for a few days or weeks and then don't use again for a while. At the very least they should give you like 10-20 hours a month free and then charge you $3 a month if you go over that for people that want it when they want it but hardly use it. A-holes!

I'm canceling soon!

Wow I was debating going back with Sirius for the home but according to some of the posters Sirius XM may not be here in long term. In a way it's too bad cause we need an alternative to FM. I think for now am just going to stream on line with aol radio powered by cbs radio. I do have Sirius with E was just listening to classic rewind with Kayla and she didn't sound very upbeat even magic matt this morning was not as upbeat as he usually is. How soon do you guys think we will know when Sirus XM tells everybody there done? I can't imagine them staying i buisness this long. I do have an hd radio picked out so i may go that route as well since we have a good lineup here in our area. Max.

As I recall, when it was first available online streaming had a $2.99 a month charge. Then I noticed the charge went away. I rarely have used it and only had it as a back-up if my reception went on the fritz. That used to happen quite a bit until I changed my Antenna a while back. I will just opt out of the service.

The second set is another story as I have it for my Stilleto which I only use when I travel (not that often). I may just cut it out as for the few times a year I use it, makes it over $100 a year. Or, maybe I will buy a home dock for it and eliminate my sportster from the deal.

With this announcement maybe the stock will dip into single digits.

XM Price Increase

Hey folks!

What a time for them to increase their prices, in the middle of a huge recession. I too listen to XM online a lot, but I guess that since it's part of my D*TV Subscription I can live without it. I'm turning off two other receivers (Car 2 and RV), and discontinuing the subscription I have through my home audio system. For everyone who was wanting to know the scoop on the price increase by XM Radio, here's a copy of their email to me:

XM Radio
reply-to XM Radio
to <email deleted>
date Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 7:35 PM
subject Immediate Action Required Regarding Your XM Service

Important Information Regarding Your XM Service - Immediate Action Required before March 10, 2009 to Lock In Your Current Rate

Account Number: <removed>
Dear <removed>,

We are offering select subscribers like you, who have multiple subscriptions, a special opportunity to lock in the current low rate on their additional radio subscriptions.

On March 11, 2009, the monthly rate for your discounted subscriptions will increase from $6.99 per month to $8.99 per month upon renewal.* You can lock in the current discounted monthly rate of $6.99 by choosing longer-term plans - but only if you act quickly.

And if you renew now, you can continue to listen online, FREE for the length of term you choose. 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.

Save with Longer Subscription Plans.
Depending on the Subscription Package and Plan you choose for each radio, you could enjoy an average annual savings of more than $90.00 with two radios on an Annual Plan if you act now. Save even more with two- and three-year plans. Rest assured, any credits on the account from payments made earlier will be applied to your renewal - you'll only be charged the difference.

Just Call 1-866-705-2846 to Lock In & Save.
Everything Worth Listening To Is Now On XM

If you want to call/fax/write to voice your complaints, here's XM's contact info:

XM Radio HQ and Programming Center
1500 Eckington Place, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 380-4000
Fax: (202) 380-4500

Most of the XM playlists are now over on Slacker.com, when the iPhone app was made available I sampled it, and liked it so much that I ponied up for the $47.88 a year plus subscription plan to eliminate commercials (one per half hour) and have unlimited skips and favoring/banning songs. Slacker is what XM should be, personalized music radio, songs you like more often, songs you don't like will never play again if you choose. And you don't need slacker's hardware to listen to the service since they have iPhone and Blackberry apps for free. All the talk content I listened to on XM (C-Span Radio/BBC World Service/FOX News Radio and Leo Laporte the Tech Guy) is available on other 'free' apps on the iPhone as well.

I dumped XM a long time ago when Music Lab and Luna went away. I've been looking all this time for a suitable replacement, Slacker is that replacement.

good price on renewal, why?

skottey said:

I received a post card in the mail yesterday telling me that I needed to update the billing information on my account (credit card expiration date on a card) to avoid interruption of service. Why would my service be interrupted? I don't run out until April. It shouldn't need to be renewed until then and I didn't want them to auto-renew me anyway. I don't recall agreeing or opting into automatic renewal or ever being notified about automatic renewal. I have had the service for three years or longer and manually renewed until now. So I say "good," it makes my decision to leave that much easier.

I am NOT going to renew. But they better not cut my service off prior to the renewal date.

XM radio has gone WAY downhill since the merger and elimination of my favorite station. This price increase could not have come at a worse time with my own situation (feelings towards XM and the merger) and the economy the way it is for just about everyone. What are they thinking?

I have two radios and my wife and I occasionally listen to the online version. I am not paying $3 a month for something I may not use for three months and then use a lot for a few days or weeks and then don't use again for a while. At the very least they should give you like 10-20 hours a month free and then charge you $3 a month if you go over that for people that want it when they want it but hardly use it. A-holes!

I'm canceling soon!

Click to expand...

Per my earlier comment (above), I was going to cancel and called them yesterday. I actually received a snail mail mailing with a pretty good deal for the first radio, including the online and $6.99 for the 2nd radio if I acted by 3-10 or whatever the date is around the corner where the price increase is supposed to hit.

So I called the number on the mailing and got a disconnected message. I thought, "this is Vonage, this has happened before with toll free numbers" and picked up my cell phone. Same thing, number disconnected. So they published a marketing number that is either disconnected or was a misprint. So I called the number I have used in previous calls and it worked.

I hit zero and got somebody almost right away. I told her about the offer and that I really planned on canceling if they cannot give me a steal. Well, she said that the deal on the paper was no good and before I could get mad, she said they had a better offer.

I asked a few questions. "What if I renew and you guys go under? Is my money lost, partial refund, what? She told me they are told to say that no matter what happens there will be no interruption in service. OK, whatever... so by my renewing it is taking a chance. But anything you do now days seems to be taking a chance.

So she gave me a rate of about $100 less than I paid a year ago for 1 year, 2 radios, and online access. She also merged my renewal dates, which were for some reason still about a month off. Now they will renew together, a year from today.

So, I think they are desperate and offering big deals in retention. I don't get it. They jack the rate way up and then offer discounts deeper than last year. Maybe they are hearing the feedback from those of us that are unhappy with the music changes.

I basically only listen to talk now and get my fair share of commercials. But I think the lower price is fair. I paid $12.xx broken down per month for two radios and the online. We'll give it one more year and then revisit both service and offered plans. What really saved me as a customer, since I lost my favorite station The System, was Fox News Talk. I enjoy Brian and the Judge, John Gibson, Tom Sullivan, etc, while in the car. Especially now, with all the uncertainty in the economy. I hardly ever turn on the music channels anymore. The System was so much better than Area, but seriously, I have to let it go. My psychiatrist tells me just "let it go, it isn't worth it." So, I will let it go and move on. I'll heal with time and get over the music situation. Maybe talk will help heal me up. And heck, I still have tons of MP3 CDs, playable in my car, with tons of good stuff if I want music and cannot stand whatever XM is playing.

Anybody else 99% sure they were going to cancel end up changing their mind? For me, it wasn't me being suckered into it. I've spent the last few months rediscovering talk radio since the music channels merged and found value in XM again. I really would have canceled, had they not given me a good deal, but I was sort of hoping they'd talk me into staying with a deal.

Now is the time to call for a deal with bankruptcy talk and this disturbing economy. I wouldn't renew too far ahead (3 years), but 1 year perhaps.