Hi guys,

My XM subscription is about to expire (I was the original poster who told everyone about the $60 a year deal) and I get a letter from XM saying they will renew me at $38.85 PER QUARTER. To me this is unacceptable and I would cancel at that price but I was wondering if anyone who is also renewing a subscription has been able to do better. I appreciate your input in advance.

 

they called me last week about renewing, i said i would if they would go cheaper. Their answer was have a nice day sir

 

I will probably get for this, but if you have a 35k car, an extra 155.40 per year is not a lot. Of course if you find XM useless, then cancel your service (you shouldn't want to pay even 60/year then).

And you can save money by signing up for a multiyear plan:
http://www.xmradio.com/service_subsc...bscription.jsp

Cancel any time and receive a prorated refund of the balance of your remaining subscription.

So sign up for a 5 year and cancel later if you don't like it.

 

Ouch. Sounds like they really don't want repeat business unless its on their terms. Guess I'll let it expire and perhaps get it for the $77 per year I've heard others pay as a resubscribe fee. I like XM but I can also live without it , particularly if it's only for 3 months.

 

I'm going iPod once my xm is done.
They play same crap over and over and over and over....

I think the radio plays lastest music more often.

 

it was nice when i first got it but it gets old fast. the stations do then to play the same things over and over again. plus more than half the stations i will never listen. it was a great deal at 60 bucks for the year but now since they jacked up the prices i don't see the point in keeping it. the cost is relatively low for the service but i just don't use it enough to keep it. mostly find myself listening to cd's instead.

 

I bought a pre-owned TL with an existing XM subscription. XM drove me out of my mind after two weeks of ownership. What worse, there was no reasonable MP3 option and I hate listening to radio. I finally broke down and spliced into the TL's audio system for MP3. Talk about a completely different attitude towards being in the car!

I won't miss XM one bit once the subscription goes away.

 

So by that logic, if you live in $500,000 house and the cable company decides to more than double your cable TV costs, you should just take it? It's about worth. For many, XM is worth $60 or $70 a year, but not $155.

 

Anyone paying the reduced price got a deal they weren't even supposed to have since they were new customers. You can't use your cable TV example because its not the same thing...its not like XM is doubling the price for everyone; as I said the 60/77 was a special 1 year deal that most weren't even supposed to have. Besides, lets say you pay 75/mo for cable, which is 900 a year, if they double it, that is a lot of money. But we are talking about 95 dollars in this case, and less if you do a multiyear.

 

UPDATE: Don't know if this will help anybody or if I did the best thing but they offered me a one-year subscription for $120 and I took it. $10 a year with uninterrupted service I was willing to live with.

 

I called XM several times this weekend and spoke to 4 or 5 different people trying to get the $77 deal - no luck. I finally told them to cancel my subscription (originally paid $60 a year in August, 2004). I am hoping I will get a better deal at a later time if they really want to keep me.

For me XM is worth $77 per year but not the $120 a year they offered me.

 

One, it doesn't sound like you even understand your own logic. And, two, you don't understand mine, either.

You said, "if you have a 35k car, an extra 155.40 per year is not a lot." I came back with, "if you live in $500,000 house and the cable company decides to more than double your cable TV costs, you should just take it?" Yes, doubling your cable bill is more money, but in relation to the cost of the house, it's nothing -- just like your analogy of a 35K car and $155 for XM.

Now, my point was worth or value, not whether one can afford the price increase. For many, it's not whether they can afford it, but whether it's worth it. For me, XM at $155/year is only slightly less than what I pay for broadband Internet. And my Internet service is infinitly more valuable than XM. I can, and probably most everyone on here can, afford to pay the higher cost, but, to me and many others on here, it's not worth the money.

 

Agree 100% I can pay $100/mo or more but I'm not going to under any circumstance. The value to me is maeby $10.00/mo maximum and I'd like to pay less. I've got lots of underused cd's and various free radio stations to choose from.

 

You deserve two thank-yous. First for posting the $60 deal, now for the $120 deal. Currently, $120 is the most I'm going to pay. I hope XM can build a business model that provides quality low cost service and profits.

 

Thanks. I actually meant to say $10 a MONTH. I think I could have done better had I let it expire and then tried to resubscribe, but it wasn't worth the hassle for me to wait. Did they give you the same deal?

 

Not yet, I'm just reading ahead. I have the $60 deal till Feburary 2006. Hope the dust settles and they come to their senses by then.

If they continue down the current road I think they will lose lots of us. I didn't want to pay for radio to begin with and I can live without it if necessary.

 

It alittle late now but maybe next time you should tell the dealer you want them to pay for it in the deal of the car at the beginning.

 

Thats what I got back in March, as a new subscriber.

 

Perhaps buyers of an 05 TL can work that out. However, at the time I bought my car in March 04 negotiations off list price were extremely difficult because TL's were sitting on the lots only an average of 7 days. I was doing good to get some money off plus the protection package for free and didn't want to push it. But then again, if you don't ask you already know the answer.

 

I don't mind paying for XM, I listen to it online while at work all day and I also enjoy the O&A show

 

I had xm in my 99 maxima the 2nd year it came out and always told my friends the dance stations alone are worth the monthly $9.99.

Eventhough i just got the $77 deal, i don't mind paying $120 next year.

Oh yeah, XM sometimes helps sooo much w/ old songs i like but never knew the artist/title

 

So is the $77 deal over for those of us who got the $60 deal last year? I am due for my renewal in about a week. Some of the more recent post make me feel that XM has caught on. Hmmm. Thanks for any help guys.

dsc888

 

on the dealer lot, wifey called to add the TL to my account under the XM family plan ($6.99 / mo additional to my already paid for 3 yr subscription)


the lady on the fone @ XM said... uh...."why would you do that? you have one year of free service"

the car had 9 miles on it - was never titled....


hrmmmmm



doug

 

is that a 2005 TL? 1 year free? 1 got 3 months free 1+ years ago.

My wife just got a TSX with XM. After her 3 months expired, we renewed her at $77/year. When my subscription expires in September, I'll switch to her account for the $6.99/month Family Plan. Not too bad. We both listen to O&A and then talk about the show in the evening.

 

bought my car in aug04 and my free xm trial expired last month, i guess it was because of some idiot on the board who ratted out to xm about his free long trial like mine.

I totally thught it was gonna be free for at least 3 yrs since my car was a demo.

 

That's a good question I don't have an answer for. If you let your subscription expire and wait about 3 months, they may call you back with the $77 offer. That's what I did when I got the $60. However, you have to go 3 months without and then reprogram everything once they reactivate it. I was willing to pay $120 without going through the hassle. Can anyone answer this more factually?

 

Thanks for the info, Oswald. I will never pay more than $10 for XM considering the fact that I have my iPod in my car. I got the letter from XM saying that they would renew my at their new higher rate so I will have to call either to cancel or to get a lower rate.

dsc888

 

UPDATE: I just got off the phone with XM and the CSR made absolutely NO attempt to offer me a better deal other that the standard multi-year plan pricing. I had told him that I had an iPod and didn't find XM to be of any value at $13 a month. I told him to take off my automatic renewal. I will simply let it run out and see if anything happens. My iPod is basically my main music source so I am really not missing out on that much.

dsc888

 

I had the same experience as dsc888. The CSR asked why I didn't want to renew. I said the price was too high. He said they can give me $10/month if I agree to a year commitment. I said I just paid $60 for a year, and doubling my rate is not a good deal in my opinion. I asked if they could do any better, he said "No, have a nice day sir."

I enjoy XM, and in all honesty if they don't offer me something better within a few months of letting my subscription die, I'll probably pay the $10 per month. But I figure I'll wait it out and see if they want to give me something better.

 

I guess it boils down to the representative you talk to as far as the dealing goes. When I called about renewing mine I didn't even have to mention that $155 was too much. She noticed that I had renewed at $60 and automatically gave me the $120 per year price. She also told me it was the best she could do at the moment. It might be worth calling back to see if someone treats you differently and maybe even at the end of the month in case they're on a sales quota?

 

I too got the $60 after about 3 months of not having Xm on my 2004TL (after the 3 free months). XM called me with the deal. And initially told them no. But, figured I spent more then that the night before on dinner and drinks. I would never have paid $120 a year for it and after having it around 9 months I still will not pay $120 a year for it. I find they play too much 'B side' stuff. Sirrus to me has better music but, I am not hacking up my dash or having an ugly wall wart type thing on my dash just for that.

XM also took away one station I liked. It doesn't work all that great when there are leaves on the trees around here. On my daily commute from the gym to work it cuts out so much on two roads it is all but useless. Many people I know with XM (aftermarket or factory) have the same issues around here. Its almost perfect in the winter.

I also don't think it sounds that great on the TL. Its ok but, not super.

Maybe they will call me in Jan or something and see if I want to come back at the $77 price. If not maybe I will look into that mod people are doing to get their IPod to work on the Aux button.

 

I dont think paying twice the amount I paid last year is a good deal. I can live with $77 a year, unless the gas goes over $3.00 a gallon for regular.

 

Thanks for the month end quota tip. My contract ends on the 29th of this month so I won't miss out all that much if I do renew on the 31st. Like most folks, $10/month is all that it's worth to me. The guy I spoke too sounded like he got off on the wrong side of the bed that day. He could care less and didn't seem intrested in keeping me as a customer. Hope that was one of those calls that they DID record and play back for "training purposes" ! I'll give it a shot in 2 weeks.

dsc888

 

All righty then. Keep us posted as to what happens and good luck.

 

Just received the notice of the expiration of the XM trial in email.
I just called (1-800-443-6454, 8/17 12:20PM CST) listened to the sales pitch offering me 3 years at $359.00. I told they guy that I had read on the internet that I could get a year extension for $77 dollars ( did not mention the WINBACK code or anything ) if I let the thing expire, and he just gave me the $77.00 deal.
No arguement at all.

 

That's great! Makes me wish I had pushed for that offer myself. It will be interesting to see how others do if they make use of this information. Thanks for sharing it.

 

So is yours the initial 3 month trial that is expiring? Some of us here are actually done with our first year's paid membership at $60 and are hoping to get a better deal. I am just trying to understand your situation better.

dsc888

 

Good point, dsc888. I reread his post a little more carefully and noticed he was on trial. Has anyone paid for a full year already and done better than $120/yr?

 

Yes, I was at the end of the trial period. That may make the difference. Kind of like a crack dealer. Keep the newbies comming back, but once you have the habit, make em pay.
;-)

Might also be an issue of where you call from and which call center that you arrive at when you call. I don't know how XM does call receipt.
Lots of companies do this stuff regionaly, and use 3rd party companies to do the work.
Good luck. I think that if they really want to grow this buisness they need to make it about $120 per year for two receivers, one mobile one table top. I also think that Honda needs to wise up and offer both systems. Infinity offers Sirius or XM.
When I was shopping, I was down to those two cars, and Howard Stern was getting me to lean towards that G. But in the end I picked the TL on price and the fact that Chicago weather make good use of FWD, and I commute in this car. Plus my 01 CLS was flawless until the day I traded it.

lilfeat
05 Red/Camel/Nav/Auto

 

I received my notice several weeks ago that my original $60/yr subscription was about to expire. I called up the XM rep. and mentioned the WINBACK offer. The lady gave me the $77 price with no questions asked. Obviously she knew I had the older offer and appologized that the price increased $17/yr. I guess it depends who you get on the phone as to which price you're going to get.