Sirius Xm to raise rates another $2

[gfearz]

I have been a Sirius customer for several years. This will be it for me, to much for to little. Back to the free airwaves. Until they figure out a way to charge (tax) us for that! Woops, they already do..our taxes pay for all the Gov't regulation. FCC etc.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Looks like I quit Xm at a good time. Dropped them about 3 or 4 months ago when they went up on the second radio fee. I loved having sat radio but all this extra increases in fees continuing to go up is stupid. They must want Sirius/Xm to fail really bad. It's really a shame though, the concept of sat radio is a good one , but as usual GREED for $$$$$$ has to bear it's ugly head. I've said it before in regards to DISH; that all those extra fees add up and people will decide in bad economic times -LIKE THESE- that they can do without it . After all Sat tv and more important Sat RADIO is a luxury , not a neccessity.

 

[DefDude]

I didn't see anywhere in that document what to say when people call in and say they want to cancel as their first statement, only stuff that would be from people who didn't here about it until they see it on there bill. Ive been trying to cancel my subscription for 2 radio's since dec each time I try they offer me a 2 or 3 month credit. I'm good till mid july so I 'll try to cancel then, again. This is no way to run a business. I had only started a subscription in sept, added another radio in nov and called to cancel in dec. Either they really really like me or there business plan is to raise rates ,see who pays and give credits to cancels and keep there subs numbers high. This is what you do when your going out of business and looking for a buyer....Oh they already got bailed out by liberty so I don't think I'll get anymore credits

 

[tedb3rd]

Not to offend anyone, but you had to be pretty crazy to think that XM/Sirius merger was for the customers. It's good ole' USA business practices: Screw you whenever possible.

One day, when XM/Sirius is so (further) in debt, they'll cry. The government will throw a few of your $Billions at them. Then, they'll file for bankruptcy and the government will own 60% of it. Then it will be no better than anything else that is government.

 

[12Toes]

And so ends XM/Sirius as a viable company. Early adopter here, too much increased too soon. Can't trust or anticipate when the next 'you've got to be kidding me' moment comes from this company. Here's something to think about: a company this size had to do sample testing running various price increases through their test groups (if they didn't, the company's worse off then any of us suspect). You know those tests came back negative for this (thus the 'it's not us increasing your bill; it's the MAN') cheat sheet fed to the CSR's. And they decide they have to do this now, not after xmas, but now.

Time to sell what stock you may have left in this, Mel's not going to pony up another infusion.

What a shame. I'll miss much of the talk, having more than one public radio channel especially.

 

[butzchan]

How is the merger working out now? Oh to pull the wool over one's eyes.....

The continued unfortunate outcome of the Sirius/XM merger will hopefully be something that people don't forget...but probably will.

 

[chiodo]

This one will finally put the nail in the coffin for me. See ya Sirius...it isnt worth it to me anymore after this.

I agree 100% I have 3 sirus radio's (1 for each vehicle & home) I will cancel them all if there are anymore rate increases because it's not worth it.

 

[seminole2001]

What will this mean for E* and D*? Will the providers raise our rates in January?

 

[mwgiii]

Sirius has been paying these rates all along. And the 6.5% is no where near the $1.98 they are charging customers for these royalty fees.

I could see if Sirius dropped its rates and then added in the royalties again, but to charge the royalties then keep the price the same is nothing more then a rate increase no matter how you look at it.

This is complete and total BS! I was an early adopter of XM and a huge supporter, but they have just about beaten me down.

While I do agree with XM passing on the additional royalty rate increase to the customers, I don't agree with the amount they are passing along. The additional fees are 6.4 cents.

Even if they were to charge us the full 6.5% royalty fee instead of just the increased amount, that still only comes to 84 cents per month. They are pocketing the remaining $1.14, which is NOT a tax or fee. They were authorized to pass along royalty rate increases, not additional fees.

I don't see how they can charge extra.

 

[JustWil]

Musicians wanting a bigger piece of the pie. Not shocked since no one buys albums anymore. They have to get revenue stream somehow.

 

[tomcrown1]

What will this mean for E* and D*? Will the providers raise our rates in January?

Yes not January it will be in Feburary

 

[Jerry1Gman]

I dont think its the Musicians. I belive its the major Labels who are greedy and corrupted. And dont forget the RIAA.

 

[Weezknight]

This is a shame, as I've always loved my Sirius subscription. I'm still looking at keeping it, though, since it's the only place I can get live Champions League & Premier League soccer, plus other out-of-market sporting events. If my iPod could somehow provide that, then I'd be out the door.

 

[snidely]

I never got sat. radio. In the past month I have become addicted to Pandora (via internet on my Blackberry) You can customize music to be played anyway you want (fav. artists, genre etc.)
It is "free" altho i assume there will be ads at some point. You can avoid ads by paying $36/yr. I pd.just because i think it is well worth the money. I think a provider of a worthwhile service i use should be paid.

Slacker radio is also a good alternative for music. I think you can also add conventional radio stations.

You can't customize sat. radio to your ind. tastes.

...mike

 

[commodore_dude]

Damn. I wish I'd bought the lifetime subscription 3 years ago when it was something obscenely cheap like $299 with a new vehicle, but at this point I'm not going to sub lifetime because I don't think they'll be around much longer with crap like this... guess I'm canceling when my prepay runs out in July.

 

[hwkn]

I'm going to keep XM at least for another year[at least] and see what transpires.

 

[BrianMis]

This is it for me, 4 radios I'm going to cancel them all. This increase will mean my bill went up 10 bucks in the last couple of months.

By-By Sirius/XM, I'll just load up my IPOD with more music.

 

[M Sparks]

Hey Sparks...maybe you out to add Mel to your Avatar....

Good idea...at least Charlie has been trying to improve DISH lately, if a bit haphazardly. He's not actively ruining a good product.

Time to look at a Rhapsody to Go or Zune Pass.

 

[mikew]

I called to cancel yesterday and decided to stay. I was offered $77 for a year on the primary and $4/month for 5 months on the second.

I guess this will just be my June ritual. I'll check back in 2010....

 

[dlsnyder]

Internet radio is still years away. I'm not a believer in this technology.. coverage is too spotty.

Agreed. I gave up Sirius last November, and have been listening to streaming internet radio from my cellphone in my car almost exclusively since then. Since I commute through an urban area my experience has been pretty good. The few times I have left Sprint's EVDO coverage area I have found myself listening to my MP3 collection, FM, or a low-bandwidth streaming station. Not too bad overall, but true nationwide wireless broadband is still several years away, and is essential for mobile streaming to become widespread.