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Sirius XM Radio review: Don't buy xm radio 29

C
Author of the review
12:00 am EDT
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I wish someone would have told me, "Don't buy XM Radio" last year. I post this for anyone considering purchasing their service.

The company has:

1. Charged me for service after notification that I had sold the radio six months earlier

2. Refused to allow me to speak to a customer service supervisor regarding my dispute

3. Promised a call back on my complaint and failed to follow through

4. Forced me to call through on their toll-free number and then sit on hold in order to cancel my account

5. Informed me they would be billing me until I proved that I had cancelled the service, even though the cancellation went via a form on their website of which a copy is NOT provided to the customer

It all started during the summer of 2005 when I bought and installed an XM radio in my vehicle. I then sold the car in January and contacted XM in February to notify them I no longer had the radio.

XM refused to cancel my service and refund the remaining portion of the year. I was sent an email telling me that I could switch the service to a new radio for the remainder of the year.

Months later, I received a telemarketing recorded message that XM had important information for me. I was surprised because I no longer had the service. Or so I thought.

I attempted to call their 800 service, but gave up after waiting more than 15 minutes on hold. I sent an email telling them that I had cancelled the service, but received an email back that I had to call them direct.

I called and spoke with some surly Customer Service Rep named Angie (employee number 38191) about my account. She attempted to sell me on buying another radio and I told her I just wanted the account cancelled. She snapped at me that she was merely trying to help me keep my account. No, she was trying to prevent a cancellation. She kept me on the phone for 10 minutes trying to sell me on keeping the service.

She then informed me that XM would be charging me an additional $12.97 for the amount used that month. I told her no, that I informed them I no longer had the service back in February. She said because the request came in on a web form, SHE COULDN'T SEE MY MESSAGE, so until I "proved" I had cancelled, she was charging me, even though I hadn't authorized the charge. She said only supervisors could see my email.

I demanded to speak to a supervisor. I was told I could not. I said, "Either don't charge me the $12.97, pull my email form, or let me talk to a supervisor."

This stellar employee actually said to me, "If we took our customers at their word, XM wouldn't make any money."

I can bet where she learned this charming attitude -- probably direct from the management of XM Radio. She told me -- repeatedly -- that a supervisor would call me within 48 hours to discuss the dispute.

I never received the call.

There is no way to contact anyone in charge, no method to dispute charges, and zero customer service at XM. To me, this smacks of fraud. Sirius is obviously the way to go.

29 comments
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Phil
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Jan 12, 2008 3:19 pm EST

Wow, this sounds like exactly what happened to me! Except mine was more convoluted because I bought a radio, it never worked, I returned it and called numerous times over a 4 month period and kept being told they would put a rush on it, that it had gone on the factory floor, etc. OK so finally after being without my radio for 5 months (and keep in mind I only agreed to a 6 month family plan for a total of 41.94!) I get a new radio... yep you got it... different ID that XM had apparently taken it on their own to activate for a year on my behalf and I never got credit for the 5 months I did without the original one! I called and called and got the same nutjobs this caller did apparently.. somewhere in India it sounded like, very rude, got to talk to a supervisor but when I talked to them they were just more rude than the customer service rep. Then when I asked for the manager, I was told none were available but if I left my number they would call back within 48 hours but of course they never did. Fast Forward 2 months from the time I get the new radio...I traded in the car and left the radio in it. Called to cancel the account and was told I couldn't without paying a penalty because I still had 10 months or so left on the contract (yeah that's right, the contract I NEVER AGREED TO and they just arbitrarily signed me up for on a new radio because they couldn't fix the one they sent that never worked). OK so I asked them to just transfer the service to the radio in the new car I got and the rep told me I should have taken the radio out of the old car to put in the new one...but wait...my new car came with XM radio that is far superior than the piece of [censored] they sold me but that doesn't matter to this customer service rep, I was obviously out of my mind for trading in the car with the radio in it. What was I going to do with a radio that was an aftermarket piece of junk...certainly not put it in my brand new Honda Accord! But I was wrong...

They ended up charging my debit card twice after I traded in the car and I finally had to go to my bank and cancel two debit cards to make it so they couldn't access my account. Now a month after the original account would have been a year old (yeah that's right, the one I only activated for 6 months!) they are calling me and their "collections" department is sending me notices that I need to pay up and that my debit card isn't working any more (Yay! finally I succeeded!). Even the manager of my bank had trouble trying to track these transactions but when I filed affidavits with the bank stating the withdrawals were not authorized, they finally agreed to reverse the charges. Apparently they couldn't and the bank manager finally just went ahead and refunded my money since he could see from all the emails I had exchanged with XM and the affidavits I filed that XM was clearly in the wrong.

Anyone know if there's a class action law suit against these ###s? If so, I would sure like to sign up for that! If there was ever a case of total incompetence, this is a perfect example of it!

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David
Send a message
Aug 28, 2008 9:50 am EDT

Ya hey you MUST called in to cancell your service, i work for xm and you are so stupid look if you read the customer agreement it stats if you dont call in to cancell then you will still be charged and thats final if you cant understand that concept than stay to AM/FM radio. we cant tell if you still own your car or not. we are not mind readers nor your mother we dont follow you around.

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Anthony Sullivan
Hollywood, US
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Apr 23, 2009 12:13 pm EDT

I had service with XM Radio for several years for three radios. In February of this year I rang them to cancel.
I was charged for the service again this month. I called them to try and remedy this situation. After talking to one person and putting in my request and being led to believe that my request had been taken care of, I found myself transferred to another person who I realised was employed to frustrate an unhappy customer and to frustrate the payment of refunds.. You know the type I am sure, a parrot who repeats her/himself ad nauseaum rather attempting to communicate as a rational human being. I don't know what kind of person who would do such a job. At this juncture I do not know how this matter will turn out. We will see. In the meantime I would like to state that XM is just another of those companies whose behaviour has caused us to hold American business in contempt. Like Phil I would be happy to see a class action against them.

Anthony Sullivan (Disgusted)

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Hot Rod
US
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Apr 27, 2009 9:06 pm EDT

My experience is even worse. I tried to cancel on two occassions. After being offered all sorts of incentives to remain a customer, I simply stated, "No, please just cancel the service." Click. Dial tone. This had to be an error, so I tried again. "No, please just cancel the service." Click. Dial tone.

I contacted the credit card company and had the charge reversed. I then started getting bills in the mail. I sent them a letter explaining the issues and informed them in writing to cancel all service. I'm now in "collections" with them for $61.

Hell will freeze over before I pay.

Rodney in Georgia

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Rachel
Kalamazoo, US
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May 07, 2009 3:06 pm EDT

Well I fell into the xm trap also..I bought two radios a few years ago, I paid them every month, last Janusry I called to cancel and of course like everyone else said they tried to sell me more. I had to tell them no several times...I said my account is at a zero balance and they said yes, and I would not be charged for anything else do to me canceling.
Just to be safe I changed my debit card so they couldn't get anymore money (thank goodness) cause I had them take it right from my acct every month.

Well in April I get a bill in the mail saying I am way past due and neeed to pay them...I figured this would just take a phone call to get it straightened out and I would be done with it...NOOOOOO They said I never called to cancel my acct so I have to pay them for this bill... Then I asked for a higher up and they said the same thing, they said they will do some investigating and will call me back within 7 days.

Guess what they never did...I get a call today from a "collection company" Oh was I pissed...I called xm again, had to explain the whole story again... they said they did call me back and left a voice mail...and they did not I am the only one that uses my cell phone...so again they are calling me a lier... Now I am waiting for another call, I told them to call me TODAY... I bet they don't...

You know I always press one for english and always get the person that just started learning english that day... So I guess my next stop is the BBB and then the Attorney General...

Rachel

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cadilactr75
Hillsville, US
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May 31, 2009 9:52 am EDT

i have worked for xm for years please people read the cust agrement before u go with service it is on the web site www.xmradio.com it tells u that all services contu if u use a credit card or debt card then they dont have to have your permission to charge it when it is do again if u buy a radio it has to stay on contract for 1 year and about the cancling thing good luck that is the tactics we use if we cancling or if we did everything the cust wanted they would not call back and we would not have a job as cust service reps i know that sounds bad but it is the same thing your doc or dentist does they do just enought so you have to come back and they can make more money that is how it goes in this country it is all about money and if you have triple a and think u get a discount on xm radio thing again we affore no discount to triple a members miltary gm emeplyoees hell i dont even get a discount on service but of course i dont want the service u could not pay me enought money to have there service b/c u we never get rid of xm once u start

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can't believe I was such a sucker
Palm Coast, US
Send a message
Aug 31, 2009 4:46 pm EDT

I don't want to repeat the same horror stories and waste more time with XM. Suffice it to say that every contact I have had with XM has resulted in a different story. For me, no radio is worth their bad customer service as much as I enjoyed listening. I'm not sure if they are unprofessional and incompetent or plain dishonest.

Don't give XM access to your credit card. Write down every word they say and repeat it back to them. Record all dates, amounts, and promises. Get the person's name and, better yet, record your conversation. If your offer has an expiration date, write it on your calendar. Even if they promise, don't depend on them to send statements or not to charge your card.

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r pringle
Henderson, US
Send a message
Sep 01, 2009 3:58 pm EDT

i have a bad radio that i just got about 3 weeks ago, i tried to get them to exchange, but just the run around, they say it is something

iam doing. and is not i can`t hear it the control does not work volume so i called the manufacter on it and they said it was defected

don`t know what to next stopped the credit card account on them till something from xm happens and if i knew this i would not bought

this, and i will not have anything to do with xm radio from this day forward

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chris28645
bsg, US
Send a message
Sep 06, 2009 4:50 pm EDT

full of crap. if you cancelled the service then how did they contiue to chatge you? if they charged your credit card then that mostly your fault dude. you get a credit card statement every 30days. if you don't recieve one then thats your and the card compaanys fault. so you should've checked it every 30days and noticed the chaged. and the called the card company and stopped xm from chargeing it anymore. that was lazyness on your park. and if it were me they would've cancelled my radio keep calling til they do it and don't leave thelm alone. also they do have a corp number get it call it when you get there use ext.0

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acollector
Norwell, US
Send a message
Nov 07, 2009 9:15 pm EST

i love the people who say, i cancelled my credit card or reversed the charge and now they are mad they got a bill? are you that stupid? you stopped a valid payment from going through, what did you think would happen ? think they would just say, oh well give him a break and dont charge him any money?
weird

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fgarvin
Pittsburgh, US
Send a message
Apr 06, 2010 7:02 pm EDT

If you buy a new vehicle, don't give them your real phone number because the Ftards a XM Radio will constantly call your house with abandon calls - Contact FCC.

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Jeffr6596
Saint Clair, US
Send a message
May 19, 2010 7:20 am EDT

When I bought my new Chevy Impala I activated the radio on free trial. I then chose to extend the free trial through the first year. They wanted a credit card but I told them no. I clearly told them I wanted to purchase 1 year of service and no more. I told them at the end of the year I would determine if I wanted to renew or not. After 1 year I decided not to renew. They sent me a bill. I called and told them I didn't want to renew and wouldn't be paying the bill. The customer no service rep tried to talk me into renewing which I expected. I then spoke with a supervisor who told me he would take care of it and they hoped I would return. 8 months later I get a collections letter for the month of service I had been billed on. They used the "Read the cust service agreement" line. I told them I didn't get a copy of the service agreement and if they could show me a contract I had signed, I would gladly pay. He then tried to convince me that by receiving the radio, I automatically agreed to the service conditions. NO WHERE in business have I ever seen this tactic. Simply having their service agreement online does not IMO bind a person to a contract they have not seen. I am waiting for a class action law suit to bankrupt this company. I know I would only get about $1.50 and some lawyer would get millions but Oh, well. Please someone file a suit against this dishonest practice. I also will be contacting Chevrolet to let them know that XM is hurting their reputation due to the fact that it was in a brand new chevy that I encountered this sleezy practice.

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JuanitaZ
Addison, US
Send a message
Jun 18, 2010 11:27 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

This company needs a customer service overhaul!
After half an hour on the phone they told me to call back since my account was in a "pending" mode.
I will just call my credit card and cancel the charge. It will be quicker.

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james j mallett
Pensacola, US
Send a message
Jun 19, 2010 2:39 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

After much trouble renewed five year plan for two vehicles. Conversations with several reps, but only one had any idea of how to do his job and you can never get back to that individual in the anthill style system they have. The idiots have turned off service now for both radios after I have paid nearly $1500 for five years, two vehicles. Any way, suggestions for dealing with these idiots?
JJM

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Mary Reiley
US
Send a message
Dec 11, 2010 1:23 am EST

I have been trying to cancel myself... I paid 20.44 for 2 weeks of service just to get these people off my back and or phone. They call me constantly, even though I was put on their do not call list. I have had enough!

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bigrandy54
Imperial Beach, US
Send a message
Dec 31, 2010 1:34 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

We were happy XM customers and had signed up for a 3 year renewal with the easy pay plan ( 5 payments of $77.00). We called to make the first payment and they took $20 and change. The next payment they took was for $480 the very next day. I called customer service and tried to speak with a supervisor to get things straightened out, the first time I was hung up on by a lady that did not clearly speak English. The second call of the day I spoke with a gentleman named "Greg", even though he had an extremely heavy accent of some kind. I asked for a supervisor and was on hold for over 40 minutes. Greg came back on and advised that he would file a report and I should get a call within 24 hours. I am not holding my breath! I had to call my bank to cancel both transactions. We will now definitely be cancelling our XM account. What inept customer service!

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Anthony Spriggs
US
Send a message
Aug 15, 2022 9:50 am EDT

My sirius xm is not working at all /I would like to know what’s going on I pay my bill/it’s been out for two days please get back to me at your earliest convenience

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Heather31
Santa Clarita, US
Send a message
Oct 10, 2022 9:14 am EDT

Please don't cut a Walker Hayes song short to put on a Megan the Stallion song. That's very upsetting. You went from awesome to trash!

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wilfont12
Saint Gabriel, US
Send a message
Nov 12, 2022 7:00 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Haven't been able to access app in days. First noticed the problem on 11-3-22 and it still persists on 211-5-22. It's an issue limited to the SXM app on my phone since all lother apps are in fine working order..

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Bjorn Bjorkman
US
Send a message
Dec 06, 2022 7:16 am EST

I enjoy listening to the music On this channel But I want to listen to music and not commentary. Seriously sick of the gossip. Baack when Martina McBride Used to do a show the commentary was interesting now it's just Plain Gossip like I'm in high school again ughhh! Not going to renew if this keeps up

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Linda Fershtman
US
Send a message
Dec 25, 2022 6:38 pm EST

Moving the Hanukkah station only to the app?

Very, very inconsiderate and hurtful Sirius XM!

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

You still have eight days to add a channel. It’s not too late to redeem yourself.

Please consider.

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September23
Somers, US
Send a message
Jan 07, 2023 10:52 am EST

Although I just listen to 50’s gold. I feel we need a DooWop station from 50’s. 50’s gold now reminds me of your Hit Parade which was on the tv (ask someone who is old) I want the old Rock&Roll Moonglows, Channels, Turbans, Platters, Chimes, Penguins, Chantels, Marcels, Jackie Wilson, Fats Domino. etc. Thank you. Happy New Year!

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Carla Roe
Laguna Niguel, US
Send a message
Jan 16, 2023 5:56 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Today I get a notification that this is one of your channels...Really?

That is so wrong in so many ways...Are you desperate just trying to get more listeners making more money you get bring in that crowd and kids can listen to this...it is so wrong. Take it off all my family friends say the same thing.

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Bonnie Corvino
Easton, US
Send a message
Jan 21, 2023 5:50 pm EST

If you aren’t able to work with me on this issue, I unfortunately will have to cancel my subscription. Please let me know the outcome of this situation.

Thank you

Bonnie Corvino

bgcorvino@hotmail.com

[protected]

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sthnreb
Lilburn, US
Send a message
Apr 02, 2023 6:37 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I cancelled unless the matched the previous price of a year before. I guess they refused. Now they are still billing me. They want to rip subscribers off. Then they overcharge and bill to bank. Poor communication, no email. They called and once again I told them to cancel because of price increases.

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Nothaappy12
Barre, US
Send a message
Jun 04, 2023 1:09 am EDT

Not a Free Preview. You don't just turn on the knob. You have to buy a subscription! I am tired of getting junk mail from them...nothing is free with them turned the know and no you have to buy a subscription.

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Dan Bilbo
US
Send a message
Nov 19, 2023 11:50 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have 3 accounts - 2 car and one portable radio. Deep Tracks is my favorite and now I cant receive it on any of the radios. I am not happy !

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Amy_Williams6966
US
Send a message
Dec 25, 2023 10:53 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Why? Accessing online is a poor substitute. The purpose of Sirius is primarily LISTENING IN YOUR CAR. Hundreds of stations but NOT ONE devoted to opera? What am I paying for?

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Tjcardwell
Jamestown, US
Send a message
Nov 04, 2024 2:19 am EST

For the past two years I have had a recurring charge for $29.12 and I have had nothing service in my car I didn’t even know I had Sirius xm but yet I still get charged for it this whole time

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