This weekend I was starting to get calls regarding the delinquency–the lofty amount of $8 USD–of my XM Radio account. Apparently Ann had forgotten to send the full amount or something.
At any rate, it pissed me off. I’d been a loyal customer for years and now they want to start pegging me for a measly $8? Not only that, I had once called their so-called Customer Care line to pay for a year of service on two radios and they couldn’t even come up with the total. Evidently they don’t have calculators in India or Pakistan or wherever XM outsources this work. (I so wanted to ask them what they thought about the new Metallica channel and if they were going to buy the Death Magnetic when it came out.)
So in order to take care of my debt, I called their Customer Care line and waited for my options.
I was disconnected after speaking with one person that didn’t even handle my issue properly.
And the language barrier is always fun when you call them but at the same time, frustrating as Hell when you can’t make them understand what you want.
And that was part of my problem. For all the joy my XM Radio brings you, one call to their Customer Care line is enough to make you want to forget you ever had the service.
But this time I was on a mission: because they were after me for those stinking $8 when they weren’t eager enough to determine one year of service on two radios, I was going to cancel all four of my XM Radio accounts and just do without. That was really going to show them. Yeah, it was.
By Tuesday night I was online activating two of the four radios I had canceled on Friday night.
Face it, people. Terrestrial radio sucks ass–major ass. I mean, mondo-huge amounts of hairy ass. There’s so much garbage on it that the last time I listened to it on a regular basis was when I was using an empty FM frequency to transmit the XM signal to my car stereo (before I had a car with an auxiliary input). I had grown so accustomed to everything XM had to offer that living without it would be very difficult, especially when I had two unused receivers sitting around the house.
Besides, Anthony missed his XM Kids on Channel 116. (Note: SIRIUS’ KidStuff sucks. They only have something like 20 songs in their library and half of them are Dan Zanes.)
XM has had me and they still do. So I sucked it up and admitted defeat, but not before I went online and looked up a code for free activation and my first 3 months of service free of charge. Where’s your $8 now, huh?!
I’m once again proud to be part of the XM Nation and to pay for quality content, merger or not.
I just hope I never have to call them again for anything.
Holographic Meatloaf: The Official Blog of Some Guy Named Dave 
True, AM/FM sucks in terms of music selection and the abundance of inane chatter and stupid commercials, but give it time and satellite radio will follow suit.
The way I see it, I’m not paying for radio when I’ve got a CD collection and an iPod.
And Customer Care, an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one.
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I’ve got iPods and CDs too but there are times when my own collection becomes dull, and I’ve got a crazy selection of music. XM offers me a change from the ordinary, from talk to out-of-market MLB and NHL games to music from the 40s-90s (dedicated channels). In fact, at least 90% of my recent downloads have been songs I’ve heard on Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio, an XM exclusive program.
Then there are the features of my Pioneer Inno, the ability to drive cross-country with an endless variety of music, etc.
When and if satellite radio falls under the grips of uselessness, I will consider getting rid of it. Until then, that .75 a day (give or take for two units) goes a long way and is definitely is justifiable.
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My friend has Sirius radio and a last weekend we took a long drive to the shore with his dogs and let me tell you something, Sirius rocks. It made the ride so much better because there were so many music choices available. I’m not yet ready to pay for radio but I’m getting closer!
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What I’m about to say will be null and void once the merger is complete, but…
I’ve had 6-month SIRIUS subscriptions in a few cars I’ve purchased and honestly, I didn’t care for it. I don’t know if it was because I was already an XM subscriber but their music catalog seemed lacking, and I think they over-do it with their artist-dedicated channels (Elvis, Grateful Dead, etc.) . About the only station I listened to was 1st Wave Channel 22, and I still do on those occasions when I forget my portable XM unit.
I like XM because of their MLB and NHL coverage; I’m not too keen on (SIRIUS’) NFL or NBA, and I absolutely despise Howard Stern. And their catalog seems much more robust. No matter my mood, there’s always something on there for me.
Like you, many are still hesitant to pay for radio, but I’ve found it worth my money!
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