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Sirius XM Radio

Sirius XM Radio review: Billed for services which never received! 58

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Author of the review
12:00 am EDT
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This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

I, like others, have had the same story. When I called to cancel my service I was informed there was no problem. Immediately the radio stopped receiving service. I was unfortunately billed for an entire year before I caught the charge on my credit card statement after the cancellation. I have worked through their support personnel and their executive escalation points to very poor service and basically being told that they had my money and there was nothing they could do.

This is a company that cannot be trusted. The executive escalation number is [protected] although you probably will have about as much luck as I did.

Also do not expect calls back from support personal. This is a problem that I had ongoing for over a month with no resolution. Tickets 1-[protected] and 1-[protected] reference my troubles within the company.

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58 comments
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Shawn Watkins
, US
Feb 04, 2019 9:39 am EST

SIRIUS XM radio is a thief. Who handles class-action lawsuits? We were involved in an automobile accident March, 2018, at which time our car was totaled. We immediately contacted Sirius XM radio and notified them not to charge our account accordingly. They agreed and continued to charge our account. Upon continuous charges, we called again, at which time they promised to credit our account for the nearly 8 months of charges they fraudulently made against our credit card. As of February 4, 2019, they claim to have no recollection of these conversations nor record of escalation department resolution of our claim. They were only willing to credit our account $2.54! Someone has to stop SIRIUS XM radio's fraudulent and criminal acts. By the way, the escalation department was supposed to call us with our credit confirmation, but of course they never did! Ironically, there is no record of these conversations. Aren't all calls recorded!

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Michael Porter
,
Feb 14, 2008 12:00 am EST

Over the Christmas holidays I had to call XM to switch out a radio id. I lost a radio, bought another, and just switched the id’s. The operator asked me if I would be interested in purchasing their “special” deal on Sportcasters, which included 3-month service. I told her “NO WAY! I have to many radios as it is.” This operator decided that she would bump up her Christmas bonus and sent me 4 RADIOS! Then FRAUDULENTLY charged my credit card for all 4! I called XM and told them the situation. They told me I shouldn’t have signed for the radios. I explained to them that they were left on my doorstep and signing wasn’t an option. After hours of phone calls and being hung up on numerous times. I was finally told to send them back for a refund. UPS picked them up from my house and sent them back to the shop. Think my nightmare is over... not so fast! The shop not only didn’t refund me for the 4 radios. They sent me 4 new radios to replace them! And yes they added them to my account so I had to go through the process all over again of getting them removed! I was actually told that this time they would have to charge me a deactivation fee for the radios I didn’t order. Yes a supervisor also told me that. I called back and talked to another supervisor who was apologetic and told me that he would make sure I was issued a refund. No I am not holding my breath. And no I still haven’t got it. Oh and Shop XM still hasn’t sent UPS to pick up the four new radios from my house. I am considering lawsuit action and pushing a criminal investigation into XM. They fraudulently charged my credit card unauthorized and will not take it off!

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Sylc1971
, US
May 04, 2011 12:59 pm EDT

I bought a 2011 Nissan Rogue that was pre-installed with XM Radio. If I would have known the harrassment I would receive later, I would SERIOUSLY not have purchased the vehicle.

After 90 days of the 'free' service, it stopped working. I didn't use it, so it didn't matter to me.

I started receiving correspondence via mail, offering half off of the yearly service price - I recycled them. After a month of getting letters twice a week the phone calls started. The number they had was my landline, which I don't use that often, but they would hang up on the machine, so I would get that annoying fast busy as my message. This was happening 3 - 5 times a day, 7 days a week. After two weeks, I grew tired of it and decided to check my caller ID. I called the 877 number, and sure enough - it was XMRadio. I asked to be put on the Do Not Call List (DNCL). They asked for my number, which I gave them, and they said they didn't have record of that number. I assured them that they did, since they had been calling me for weeks. She kept denying they had my number. I asked to speak to a supervisor, and waited more than 20 minutes, a Supervisor came on and told me the same things. I told him they were most certainly calling me. He said it might be another department. I said I don't care which department it is, put me on the DNCL. He said he would.

THE VERY NEXT DAY, I had the busy signal messages again. I checked caller ID and they were now calling from an anonymous number. RIDICULOUS. I blocked anonymous calls and have been busy signal free for one day. Let's hope it sticks.

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VL71
, US
May 22, 2011 3:59 pm EDT

If XM Radio calls with a good offer...say NO! I was telemarketed on my cell phone and offered a deal on 6 months of service. I accepted and gave them a cc #. After 3 months my service ended. I tried calling twice, both times I sat on hold for over 15 minutes so I hung up. Then, 3 months later I notice a charge for $92 on my cc statement so I called again. The auto attendant said my call would be ansered in roughly 8 minutes...22 miinutes later I get an answer. The employee notes my story and asks me to hold for moment while he transfers me to a specialist. I held for an another 33 minutes until I hung up and called my credit card. Whats realy wierd is that they didnt recognize my cell phone # on the acct but thats where I was telemarketed. I had to cancel my credit card because its a reacurring charge and I cannot get XM to canel it! This has become a fraud company. Beware!

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geoffreycco
Nederland, US
Oct 24, 2007 12:00 am EDT

I had used the XM-Radio service for several years and had been satisfied. While on hold waiting to update my credit card info, I was intrigued by an advertisement for a receiver. Seeing as mine was old, I spoke to the operator about it. Based on the ad and what the operator told me about the product, I ordered it. When I received it, it was not as described. Furthermore, on the receipt it said returns were not accepted. That was never explained to me. I tried to return it anyway but XM Radio refused to stand behind their product. They said all sales were final. Yet again, they did not say that when they got me to order it. Disillusioned and in disgust, I then tried to cancel the service entirely and they became very nasty and said they would charge me an early termination fee. I said how as I was on a month-to-month plan! However another thing they didn’t tell me was that when they sent me the receiver, they put me into a year contract! I did not agree to that. I did not authorize that! The operator stated they would put these charges on my credit card. Isn’t this fraud? In the end, I have waited so much of my time with them and reading what is out there on the web makes me very skeptical that I’ll have a pleasant resolution. I only wish I had checked out XM-Radio sooner!

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Kim Chris
,
Aug 22, 2008 10:47 am EDT

I purchased a new car in which XM was offered for 90 days. I wish I'd had it yanked out of my car. Once the free 90 day sample was over, they called me almost daily. My phone rang in the morning and woke us up day after day. It rang and interrupted other phone calls and activities. I won't ever purchase this service because I do not want the harrassment when and if I have to cancel.

Be wise, don't ever let them have your phone number.

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RON ROGERS
,
Nov 13, 2007 12:00 am EST

I work for a chevrolet dealership as a finance manager. I bought a tahoe with xm radio. I subscribed on line for three months of service, $38.00 and 14.99 activation fee. I looked at my bank account 2 days later, they charged me $610.00 for a 5 year plan. I called them to correct the problem. They said i signed up for five years and that it was my fault. I told them i needed the money refunded. They said it could take 5 days to give it back. They are located in the carabeans.
They gave me a phone number in washington dc. Not much help. They cancelled my account with xm in three minutes. I work for general motors. Em radio is a rip off. Dont give them a credit card. Your asking for trouble. They are scam artist. Cheats. Some one needs to do something about it. If you cant walk into a store and speak with someone. Dont buy xm radio.

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Wayne P
, US
Jun 07, 2010 6:36 pm EDT

XM Radio Called me with an offer for 3 months after the compimentary period ran out on a new vehicle. I agreed to the 3 month trial period and paid the amount owed . At the end of the 3 month offer they automatically extended with no call or notice and sent me a bill. I refused to pay for service I did not want. The amount has been sent to a collection agency who refused to discuss, so I called XM. After spending an hour or so on the phone they refused to recall the charges. I didn't even know that the service was being provided that they were charging me for. This is only a portion of what I have been through. DON'T FALL FOR THE NICE PHONE CALL YOU RECVIEVE AFTER YOUR PROMOTION PERIOD ENDS ON A NEW VEHICLE, IT IS A TRAP.

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rfcalh
, US
May 13, 2011 10:24 am EDT

I just spent an hour and a half on 5 separate calls to XM's "Customer Service". My calls were dropped, and I had to go through a gauntlet to TRY to get to a supervisor. I wanted to get better pricing on my subscription, I won't pay retail prices, and I have had their service since XM got to California.
I never got anyone fluent in English, that could explain what they could or cold not do clearly, could help me with my account, or simply do as I ask and send me to a supervisor. Why do I pay these high prices when I can get better service on my cellphone for free?
I went through the same thing 6 months ago. I am not going to subject myself to this poor service any longer.

AwfulAwfulAwful service, ...it's really a disservice. They have screwed up my account and billing several times before, but that was before I had better choices in music availability.

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SikOfIt
Shelton, US
Mar 24, 2009 6:48 pm EDT

Unfair Trade Practice: I've been an XM radio customer for the last 4 years, and enjoying the online service for the last 3. I am taking issue with the fact that they DOWNGRADED my online bandwidth in the middle of my contract period. I had been receiving 64kbps for the last three years and was DOWNGRADED to 32kbps a couple of weeks ago. 'F' them. They want to charge another $2.99/month for 128kbps online streaming. Would anyone find it acceptable if your ISP suddenly DOWNGRADED your bandwidth in the middle of your contract? 32kbps sounds like the radio is playing over my phone. This is good economic climate to start charging people for something that used to be free with the radio subscription. I'll miss Little Steven's Underground garage, but screw XM, Siriusly.

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Tired of it!!
, US
May 26, 2011 3:36 pm EDT

I have had the trail XM radio twice when purchasing a new vehicle. Both times were a nightmare. Their customer service is all forein, can't understand them, they are dumb as rocks and any issue you have will continue as they have never resolved any. After the trail ran out that kept calling and sending mail with discounts on the service. I did purchase an additional 6 months and when that ran out, they automatically renewed the account with no authorization from me. When I found out, I called to cancel, they said they would take care of it and then sent me a bill for $38.00 for month of service. They need to stop putting these in the new cars until XM radio gets their **** together.

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Eric Gonzales
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Jul 02, 2007 12:00 am EDT

To Whom It May Concern:

I singed up for xm radio about 3 months ago and signed for a every 3 months plan. Im on financial diet and cancelled all of my credit cards. So the credit card they tried to bill did not work. This is the beginning of my 4th month and I asked them how much will it cost me if I cancel right now. They said $38.85, I asked if I could switch to month to month so I will keep my subscription for a month then cancel it. They said I cannot do date because the beginning of the first month of the 3month plan started already. So I cannot switch to month to month and If I forget to cancel on the exact date. Its better luck again next 3 months hoping I wont forget to cancel it on the right date. Please help me, are they breaking any law with this. Something anti trust or anti lemon law. Please help me.

Sincerely Yours,
Enrique Gonzales

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Jack Barron
Los Angeles, US
Dec 08, 2008 9:49 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Forced to pay for radio service for car that I have not had in close to 2 years. Only reason I paid was to protect my credit rating which is close to 800. This has now happened two times. After several faxes, emails, and more then 20 calls over the last couple of months choose to just pay these invoices ($40.85) and ($38.85) because my time is worth something. They make it extremely difficult to cancel sending me to several reps and putting you on hold a long time. Tonight it took (3) calls with 5 diff. people for 37 min. The other day it took (4) calls, 4 people and over one hour.

How do they get away with this? They will never let u speak to a supervisor and when they request you to fax your complaints they do not reply.

Someone should force them to answer customers complaints and allow consumers to speak to supervisors or managers to resolve problems. Consumers should not have to pay for service not rendered because XM Radio does not have a date when I called in to cancel service.

I rather not have Sat. Radio then to deal with XM Radio ever again. I will never to business with them, they are the worst company I have ever dealt with.

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BuffaloB
, US
Mar 07, 2011 9:29 am EST

The company made over $300 in additional charges to my charge card. A representative could not tell me what these charges were for. I requested the charges be credited to my account and was told billing would contact me. That never happened. I have made numerous calls to XM, many of which resulted in disconnects. I cancelled my service but have been unable to get a refund of the overcharges. They also have a practice of switching the radio ID. I purchased a new vehicle and called to request the old radio be cancelled. I was told the new vehicle had a 3 month free subscription. The old radio ID was transferred to the new vehicle so I did not receive the 3 months free service. This event has nothing to do with the overcharges. I would like to know if anyone has taken the company to small claims court, which I am considering.

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Dale Dale
Oxnard, US
Feb 16, 2011 2:01 pm EST

When my XM Radio receiver started having problem with signal strength in Dec 2010 an XM radio tech said my receiver was broken. Purchased new receiver but same problem. XM radio techs never resolved issue, never returned calls, and their customer service charged me for switching service to a new receiver without telling me about the charge. When I called to cancel service XM Radio they told me my contract renews automatically (apparently perpetually) and there was nothing I could do. Oh yeah? I called the bank and had them issue a new credit card. Customer Service is miserable. Could not understand what the reps were saying most of the time and the background noise of the call center doesn't help.

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efleisch
Chicago, US
Nov 22, 2010 5:27 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I was billed for my xm radio then received a phone call from XM saying the sales person took my information incorrectly. I then was refunded that amount and charged a new amount that was $9 more expensive. 3 weeks later I never received my radio (which was a gift for my husband that was already late), so I called and was told that the radio was shipped to the wrong address and that I should call UPS. I explained to the person that UPS will not speak to me since I am not the sender and have no tracking information. She said she would take care of it and after still not receiving the radio, I called again this Saturday. I was on 2 phones for a total of 1 hour and 25 minutes. I was never put on the phone with a supervisor and they continued to tell me they could not find my account, when just a week earlier they were able to find the account. Now I am left with no radio and a credit card charge dated 10/27 for the radio. I had to tell my husband about the gift since it is now 6 weeks late. I am FURIOUS! This is the worst customer service I have ever experienced. All of the people are not located in the United States and simply read off scripts etc. There is no customer service about these interactions. In fact, they tried to send me to technical support 3 times, which makes no sense considering I purchased the radio over the phone and never received it. The people who answer these calls cannot comprehend that I do not have an account number since I never received my radio. It truly is unfortunate that XM and Sirius hold such a large market share. WORST COMPANY EVER!

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joe 2010
beverly h, US
Jan 18, 2011 1:15 am EST

XM Radio has absolutely ATROCIOUS customer service. They will lie to you, overcharge you, and dismiss any complaints. If you doubt me, do a quick Google search for XM Radio Customer Service and read the thousands upon thousands of disaster stories. After too many years of trying to make it work with this relatively new company, I've given up after they recently overcharged me and refused to refund my money, and instead just decided to credit it to my next year's bill (a bill I won't be paying). Three calls all netted promises of refunds, but none came. I sent an email, and received a 2 word response -- "Assume resolved." Of course they never resolved anything. Stream Pandora or another phone-based radio system into your car or home, but avoid XM at all costs.

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Icepik88
Nacogdoches, US
Jun 01, 2011 2:25 am EDT

I am having issues with cancellation as well and after reading all these reviews the only thing I can feel that will entirely destroy their image is hitting them on Facebook. This year Facebook have/already surpassed the outreach of Google. With that being said, when word gets out and more and more people have this issue the page will go viral !

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cdwr
Aubrey, US
May 24, 2011 10:31 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

In my case they just charged me 6 months before the subscription expired. I complained & they refunded my money & in 3 months they charged me again. I continued to scream & they refunded my money again after much aggravation to me. Just getting to a live person to complain to is a major accomplishment. They will put you on hold & leave you because they expect you to get tired & hang up. If you get to talk to someone, in most cases they just tell you what they think you want to hear & then do nothing. The AG's office needs to investigate this corporation. They have a good product so I don't know why they have to steal from & lie to their customers.

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ceubanks
, US
May 24, 2011 8:21 pm EDT

HONEST MISTAKE. Call me unobservant, ignorant or worse, if you wish. I decided I no longer wanted XM radio in my car. Unaware of AUTO RENEWAL policy, I just stopped paying, figuring since this is a pay in advance service, you don't pay, you don't get service. Right? Wrong. Got a collection notice from 3rd party. Called XM and acted like an idiot and got nowhere, naturally (duh). Learned that it is the customers responsibility to CANCEL. All the responsibility was put on me. Per XM (Ann), "It wouldn't be fair or reasonable to the customer or to the company to just stop the service."

Fair. Reasonable. Hmmm…. Surely, I am not the first who has failed to cancel, and I certainly won't be the last. It took XM less than 40 days to send my account to collections after they shut off the service and they did not try to contact me. No email, no phone call and no bright colored envelope. Reasonable goes two ways, especially since failure to pay on a pay in advance service results in collections. It would be reasonable to contact customer shortly after missed payment to see what the issue might be.

Reminds me of Blockbuster and it's unfair late return policy. Class Action anyone?

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Spotclinton
Jackson, US
May 20, 2011 1:00 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Worst customer service on the planet! After my fourth call trying to receive stations that I'd always had, that mysteriously disappeared after their 5/4 channel lineup change, I was offered a $5 credit for my "inconvenience", which was an insult. Still wanting the service, which we've had in multiple vehicles over the years, I attemted 3 more phone calls, was offered a service credit of 3 months, and told that my issue would be "escalated" to the back office, and I would receive a call back in 7 - 10 business days. I cancelled both radios. Hello AM/FM! I will enjoy reconnecting with normal radio sans sleazy ads.

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Rondo11
, US
May 18, 2011 9:21 pm EDT

I had a very similar experience with XM. This company has a complete disregard for customer service and their cancellation policies are nothing short of extortion. I would advise anyone looking at XM service to reconsider. It is certainly not worth it.

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Had enough in NJ
, US
Mar 10, 2011 9:16 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

This company need a class action lawsuit against it. They overcharge, then refuse to refund your money, saying you have a "credit". I don't want a damn credit, I want my money back!

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cdwr
Aubrey, US
Dec 06, 2010 8:43 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Last year XMRadio charged me for a renewal that I did not authorize. I called & after talking to many people that were difficult to understand & being hung up on multiple times I finally got my money refunded. At that time I told them never to charge me again. I wrote a letter with the same instructions. Today I learned they have charged me another $47.93. I now have to cancel my credit card & get a new one in order to stop this. I called again & after going through several reps & being hung up on several times I contined to call. I finally was transferred to a man who says he has taken my card # out of their system & my money will be refunded. We will see. I will be checking daily for my refund. My recommendation is either not to do business with this company or arrange to send them a money order, cashier's check or personal check. They cannot be trusted with your credit card info & they are liars. I am sure they train their reps to argue & hang up. I liked the XMRadio but their customer service is non-existent so I will live without it as I have done in the past.

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kris1086
Needham, US
Dec 02, 2010 8:02 pm EST

This is my letter to the Attorney General that I believe is worth sharing:
Hello. I just wanted to inform the Attorney General about XM Radio. My radio stopped working in October of 2010. I looked back in my Discover Card records to check when the last time I had paid to make sure my subscription had not run out. I have been a customer of XM Radio for 5 years. Looking back in my records I found that I had been charged twice in one year of a one year subscription.
After I discovered the double charge I called XM Radio to straighten out my issue. I have never received such horrible customer service in my entire life. I have spent over 5 hours on the phone attempting to resolve my issue. During one of my many phone calls I was told to fax over my credit card information to resolve my problem. I blacked out all the credit card information and left visible the charge from the company in question. After the promised response within a 24 hour period I never heard back from the billing department.
In the mail I received a letter saying that XM Radio was going to reactivate my account for free for two weeks. I then received a letter from XM radio informing me that I am a valued customer and to call their customer hotline if I had any further problems. The new problem was that the two letters had two different Radio ID #’s and two different account numbers.
I then called for the third time to ask why I was told my account was still active when I got a piece of mail saying that they were going to reactivate it for free. I spent an hour and a half with a woman from the “Corporate” office. Cheryl was unable to figure out what was going on and why I had two different radio accounts #’s when I had the same radio for over 5 years. At the end of our phone call when she was unable to resolve my issues which were a broken radio and being double charged, she promised to call me within 48 hours with a resolution to my problems. I never heard back from her.
I called Discover today 12/02/10. I had placed a claim back in November to dispute the double charge. They were able to talk to XM Radio and get my money back. I then was informed by Discover that XM Radio had double charged me in 2009, once in December and once in July. XM Radio has no records of me being charge in July 2009 or July 2010. Discover found that XM Radio issue a refund for the double charge in July 2009 on their own. However this July I did not receive a refund until I contacted Discover.
Today when I contact XM Radio to cancel my account again I waited over 10 minutes to actually talk to a person. When I canceled my account I was told there was no confirmation number but they could send me an email to confirm that my account was canceled, and again it could take up to 24 hours. When I asked why there was no confirmation number and that I found it strange the response was “well sorry I can’t just make up a number to give you.”
I looked up XM Radio complaints on Google and found this link XM Radio — Billed for services which never received!
Many people experienced the same problems. I thought I should make you aware of the problems before more consumers are ripped off. Thank you for your time and consideration it is greatly appreciated.

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jillmay
Bellingham, US
Nov 17, 2010 3:46 am EST

Please do not sign up with XM. It is a nightmare. Don't, just don't.

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jillmay
Bellingham, US
Nov 17, 2010 3:43 am EST

NEVER NEVER NEVER deal with XM, they are AWFUL! They put a bogus account into collections and I am so furious. Never again.

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DMD88
King of Prussia, US
Sep 22, 2010 12:38 pm EDT

Here is my experience in an email I sent to XM today. I will be canceling ASAP and trying to get my $627.88 back!

I am writing to report the TERRIBLE service (if you can call it service) that I received from XM regarding a billing issue that I am having. As of the writing of this email this issue has yet to be resolved and I was told 26.5 hrs ago it would be taken care of in 24 hrs.

I found that I am being overcharged for my 3 yr XM Everything Plus Best of Sirius Subscription and called to resolve the issue. So far I have paid $627.88 for a subscription that cost me $511.40.

I called on 9/21/2010 around 8:20am EST and spoke to a women, explained my situation to her, had to tell her the payments I made (she couldn’t see these?) then was put on hold and after 2 minutes disconnected.

I called right back and got Dean at Station 931 on the phone. I spent 25 minutes on the phone with Dean trying to get this situation resolved and he was absolutely NO HELP to me at all. He asked me 4 times to tell him the days and amounts that I paid, then I could hear him trying to add the amounts together (I didn’t want to be put on hold because I knew I’d just be disconnected again) to try to see if what I was telling him was true. He could not seem to add together $105.74 + $105.70 + $209.28 + $103.58 + $103.58 to get to $627.88 nor did he understand that this is GREATER THAN $511.40. I asked repeatedly to be forwarded to a supervisor and he refused saying “she is taking her own calls”. He did NOTHING to resolve this issue on the phone and said he needed to submit a problem report regarding my account. And then he GUARANTEED me I would receive a call within 24 hrs regarding the resolution to this issue. Again, its 26.5 hrs later and no resolution. I also asked him to remove my credit card from my account and change me to Invoice Billing and he did not do that.

I was a Sirius subscriber until Feb 2010 when I purchased a 2010 Toyota Prius that came with XM. Subscribing to XM was the BIGGEST mistake I have ever made. Your customer service is HORRIBLE, the people you speak to on the phone are complete idiots and I am still out $116.48.

Any thoughts on how we should resolve this issue? Beside canceling and going back to Sirius?

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nmh
, US
Aug 03, 2010 10:19 pm EDT

When I first learned that XM was threatening collection action over amounts I did not owe, I made several calls to both XM and their collections agency without success. I faxed and mailed XM and their fake collection agency a letter disputing the amount, filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau http://www.bbb.org/ and filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Protection Agency https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/. The FTC does not respond to individual complaints, but tracks patterns and will respond if enough people complain. If you'll notice on the BBB site, literally thousands and thousands of people have filed complaints against XM.

The phone calls from the fake collection agency stopped immediately. Today I got a notice from the BBB that XM realized their "billing error" and that my account balance is now zero. I am posting this so everyone knows that you do have options and do not have to pay XM for fear of harm to your credit rating.

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Keit
Maryville, US
Jul 11, 2010 3:15 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Unethical Billing and Hard to Cancel Service
First called back in Dec. 2009 to cancel the radio. They said they will give me 3 Months free. I told them I really don’t want it, but they would give it to me any way.
Called Back in Feb, called XM Radio [protected] to cancel both radios.
Thought the madder was done, but in April I had a $75.00 charge on my credit card. I Disputed that charge a credit was given back and then came back saying you only charged $17.50. Again thought the matter was done, but not,
Received a bill in the mail on 6/24/10 Statement Date. Account summary for billing period 04/26/2010 – 06/24/2010 for $75.00. Keep on mind, I had canceled and could not even use the radio. No signal. Called back why am I still getting charge for service when I can’t use it or want the radio?
On 06/30/10 called back about my bill. She said she would take care of it, and disregard that bill. There will be no charge and balance would be $0.00. If this madder wasn’t taken care of. I would have to call the District Attorney Office and report XM.
Thinking this madder was taken care of. On 07/10/10 I received a letter dated July 6, 2010. From their collection agency. Past Due Balance for $75.00.
6 Months latter and still dealing with this company in trying to get my account canceled.
When there is a Class Action Suit against XM Satellite Radio. Include me in.

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Joe Patterson
Glen Mills, US
Jun 20, 2010 12:49 pm EDT

I'm Having billing problems to with XM .the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing. Its a crap outfit.
I hope ill get the problem straight but by the looks of this Complaint board its probably a lost cause and i'll get screwed out of my 300 bucks.
JP Pennsylvania

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CarmaDogma
Tustin, US
Jun 07, 2010 10:29 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

This isn't just an XM thing. Any time you give a company your credit card as collateral for a service with recurrent fees, especially when it is a free or a promotional price offering, the burden becomes yours to call them at the end of the promotional date to cancel the service. They are not obligated to call you to renew at the end of the promotional period because it is considered a recurrent billing.

Here is what I do to avoid that: The bank I have my credit card with has a feature called "virtual card." You can log into your account and generate a credit card number, of which you can specify the dollar limit and expiration date. If I want to take advantage of a subscription based offer, I use one of these virtual card numbers. At the end of the promotional period the virtual card is then expired (since you put that end date on the card), and any liberties the company may try and take with the card after that point will come back "DECLINED."

If there is no contract and they try to go to collections, my virtual card's expiration date showed my intent to discontinue service at the conclusion of the promotional period.

Alternatively, when you are initially signing up for a service that includes an automatic renewal without notification of cancellation, send your letter of cancellation effective (end of current subscription date) and include it with your sign-up paperwork. That way you're covered in case you forget.

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bbrousse
Fort Pierce, US
Mar 10, 2010 10:04 pm EST

I canceled my XM radio service on 12-28-09 and was told when I called that my credit card would be credited within7-10 days.

To date - 3-10-10 I have no credit. I have called them over and over and repeatedly get told that my credit is processing - then I was told there was a problem and the credit would be forthcoming. Still not receiving it I called again - they credited me - but to my XM account, not to my credit card.

How are they allowed to operate like this?

I hope everyone reads these comments - no one would ever do business with them.

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aphil02
d, US
Feb 13, 2010 6:41 pm EST

I've had the exact same experiences as everyone here. I had not official contract with XM, but had their service for years. My fees were billed automatically to a credit card number and I honestly didn't even really know how much they were. I grew tired of the service after discovering I could get music just as good streamed to my Blackberry -- so I stopped using it. Then, my credit card number changed, the service stopped, and I didn't think anything of it.

Fast forward 8 or 9 months (but who really knows when the service stopped working, I almost never used it) -- I just opened a bill from a collection agency! XM bills in advance and I had no contract -- so why do they think they are legally entitled to bill me for service I never received? I've also never received a bill from them -- just a collection notice.

So... the consensus is... they suck.

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Lobster66
Knoxville, US
Jan 11, 2010 8:34 am EST

01/11/10
We have a similar situation. More than a year ago, I contacted XM to start a subscription for two radios. Our original 1-year payment was placed on a credit card that has since expired. We decided not to renew our service so there was no reason to contact XM – so I thought. My service ended in December.

I am now being contacted by rude representatives from a "collection agency" for $28.00 for the last month's service. They claim I owe for the month of November 2009. I stated I never authorized anyone to continue the service. They claim it is part of their terms as stated online. Bills will automatically renew when you have a credit card on file.

I never received a bill directly from XM for the $28.00. My first notice for the $28.00 was from this collection agency.

I’ve contacted XM customer service twice today. Both times the representative eventually hung up on me. I only tried to explain my situation – there were never any harsh words. They know their practice is not ethical.

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sho2009
, US
Dec 30, 2009 3:34 pm EST

I HAVE TRIED ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS TO CANCEL MY SERVICE AFTER I RECEIVED A BILL
SAYING THAT MY SERVICE HAD GONE UP TO $345.00 FOR THE YEAR. THEY HAD TRIED TO
CHARGE MY CREDIT CARD BUT IT DID NOT GO THROUGH (THANK GOODNESS). I WENT THROUGH THE
NORMAL CHANNELS TO CANCEL MY SERVICE, BUT AFTER BEING PLACED ON HOLD FOR OVER
AN HOUR, 2 TIMES, I TOOK IT AS XM RADIO REFUSING TO TAKE MY REQUEST TO CANCEL MY SERVICE.

ON MY THIRD ATTEMPT I SELECTED THE PROMPT FOR NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS AND AMAZINGLY GOT
RIGHT THROUGH TO SOMEONE. WHEN I STATED WHAT I WANTED SHE TOOK DOWN MY INFORMATION
AND GOT ME THROUGH TO A VERY RUDE GENTLEMAN. I WAS TOLD I HAD TO PAY MY BILL FOR THE
EXTRA MONTH THAT THEY ELECTED TO "KEEP MY SERVICE ON". I THEN ASKED TO SPEAK TO HIS
SUPERVISOR WHICH WAS JUST AS RUDE AND WAS TOLD AGAIN THAT I HAD TO PAY FOR SERVICES
THAT I HAD NOT ASKED FOR. HE JUST TOLD ME THAT MY ACCOUNT AUTOMATICALLY RENEWS EACH
YEAR AND THAT I NEEDED TO READ MY TERMS. I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD TO CALL EACH YEAR TO RENEW MY SERVICE. AS A MATTER OF FACT IT STATES, IN THE TERMS, THAT THE CHARGES ARE ONLY FOR THE PLAN THAT THE CUSTOMER AGREES TO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SERVICE, AND I DO BELIEVE THAT
ALL SERVICES ARE PAID IN ADVANCE.

I AM VERY UPSET THAT XM THINKS THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO BILL CUSTOMERS FOR SERVICES THAT THEY DO NOT WANT AND MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTACT THEM. I HAVE NOW RECEIVED A
COLLECTION LETTER AND I AM FILING A DISPUTE BUT I DO NOT THINK IT WILL DO ANY GOOD.

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D.E.C
Salisbury, US
Sep 04, 2009 4:52 pm EDT

After too much time on the phone. Run-arounds, being disconnected more times then I can count I am too exhausted to go into detail my whole experience with XM Radio and trying to cancel my subscription.

I had already thought that my subscription was canceled more than a month earlier when a lay off gave me no choice but to discontinue. My 1 year subscription that I had paid ahead of time had come to an end. I asked to be canceled 10 days before the closing date. Everything should have been all set.

I even got an email from XM saying they were sorry that I was canceling. Only to find a month later that they didn't go through with the cancelling. When I called the cancelation number to again cancel, I was passed around from person to person, given the run-around and even go hung up on.

I asked to speak with someone from corporate as I wanted the balance of the bill for the time that I was all ready supposed to be canceled, removed. They gave me the telephone number [protected]. When I called that it took me a long time before a person answered. When I told the person that I had an issue with a bill for during a time that I was supposed to already have been canceled, the first time getting through the person hung up on me. The next two times I was put back into the basic customer service recording cycle.

Don't subscribe to XM Satellite Radio. Once you do you will be owned by them, it will be very difficult to end your contract! Frankly not worth aggravation!

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TDezomits
Weatherford, US
May 13, 2009 10:41 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

EXACTLY what they did to me. I traded a car in and called them from the dealership to disconnect the service on the car I traded in. They CLAIM they never got a call and continued to bill me for the service on the vehicle traded in- so whomever bought the car got a year of free service. They actually opened two accounts in my name (one for each radio) I made a complaint with the customer service supervisor who assured me he would open an investigation into the matter and I NEVER recieved a response or a refund. This is the worst customer service center i have ever dealt with. I will never have an XM or Sirrus radio again just because of this. If they owe you a refund, it is like pulling teeth to get it!

Toni
Morrisville, NC

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XM-eatmine
, US
Apr 09, 2009 3:16 pm EDT

XMRadio story: entire 2008 all I was doing is I was begging XMRadio (on my knees with tears in my eyes) PLEASE send me a NEW CHANNEL LINEUP booklet with colour in it. They said look up online (and chopped my head off), but I asked for a single piece of a colourful booklet the way they used to send in [protected]. They promised me the booklet, which never arrived. Then I started making records: Nov. 21, 2008 they state the booklet will be mailed to me. That was my second call that autumn. When I called first time (in October) they hung up on me. Nothing arrives by Christmas and I call them again. They promise with all their feet and hands on a table. Nothing arrives again. On January 24, 2009 I talked to SARAH (activity ID 1-3UDAA9N or I-3UDAA9N). The time was 7:10 to 7:16 PM on that day. Called 1-800-XM-RADIO. She promised me the final undeniale undoubtful surely arrival of my BOOKLET in just (just) 7-9 days. I waited until APRIL 9, 2009 (today) and nothing! Was I not patient enough? Oh yeah, they just canceled my XMRadio Online. Now I can listen to XMRADIO only in my car. Still got charged same $40+. Nice company that XMRADIO is. They can go to CUBA and be blood brothers with FIDEL!

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jsfl
Miami, US
Mar 24, 2009 11:26 pm EDT

That's not fair. Did you check with your ISP to see whats going on. All these companies are doing whatever they can to make some extra money. It aint fair.