XM Satellite Radio's Customer Service is Trying to Kill Me
Wednesday July 30, 2008
I have high blood pressure. I need to stay calm because it's healthier for me. Stress and frustration raise my blood pressure. Earlier this week, I'm pretty sure XM Satellite Radio put a hit out on me. Maybe not intentionally, but by the time I was finished dealing with them, my blood pressure cuff was more inflated than the Snoopy balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Read more. (Opinion)
Comments
I had very negative experiences with XM customer service when I first became a subscriber four years ago, but my last two have been satisfactory.
I got a gift card for $30 and scratched too hard on the serial number obliterating it. I called and after a very short time they just credited my account.
When I bought a new radio I was able to switch devices on the phone very easily. But that is a pretty routine request.
My biggest complaint was not with XM, but with Pioneer. I had an Air Ware for four years and it was a piece of crap. I finally bought an Inno and am quite pleased with its built-in antenna and ease of managing recorded programs. I miss the one touch station change, but I’m learning to adjust.
You are so right on with your service. I have spent the last few days upset with them over a billing issue where I am told I will get notified when my credit card is charged however that person was wrong.
You were nice and left out the fact that in the times I called 10-12 that not once did I have a person who spoke good english. All of their customer service is offshore. When I tell them I want to speak to someone in the US I am told that’s not an option.
I call their corporate headquarters. The operator their had the same poor service. I’m trying too cool down since I like my radio but if they give bad service why should I give them my money? I’m pretty sure I will cancel.
I bought an XM radio on 12/10/07 with a mail in rebate of 50$ for new subscribers, which I was.
I did everything I was supposed to,(copy of receipt,contract maintaining subscription for at least 6 months and maintain uninterrupted service-”Subscribed for a year”-. After mail back and fourth, calling back and fourth,Calling customer service(getting the same sales department trying to make me buy more without solving anything). I faxed a letter with a response that they received my complaint letter with a telephone number of their rebate center since its a rebate issue.Nothing what so ever got solved. After the ping-pong tournament, within all this, I was told by some sales employee that he will try to do something about it since I said maybe they could discount it when I renew again. After this never heard anything else till my contract was due. Again, a year later(like we say let the games begin in this new season). I ended renewing again for a year after their lowest price they could give for their service, and then again was told that my complaint was in their system but still nothing was done whatsoever. Now, July 18 2009 I decided to try again by writing this letter, maybe it will embarrass this big moneymaking corp. that can’t even comply with their end of the agreement. I will probably have to put some other means of pressure in a little way of the media.
They are not really worthwhile if they can’t even comply with their mail in rebate of 50$, which is a lot less than what we the customers have to pay.
I FEEL YOUR PAIN!! A cliff notes version of my dealings with XM…
I had the sevice for 2 yrs.The reception was poor at best. I get a letter saying my radio needs to be swapped for a different model that will end the issues. I called, a saleman told me I could use the same connection and cradle in my vehicle. Product arrives, and NO, it would not work with existing setup. I called and they THEN confirmed I would have to take it to have it installed. I screwed around with this issue until i just got toally frustrated. I called XM to cancel my service. It took 4 hours on the phone until they finally said I had to pay a $75 cancel fee and they would credit the balance for the monthly service. Relutantly, I gave my credit card Number, and made it clear I wanted it cancelled immediately, and never wanted to hear from XM again! The CS person told me to just keep it connected and let it go until it expired in 2 months……In July, I get a bill for $90 I called and this time was on the line with them for 7 hours!!!!!The final straw was when a credit department person refigured the bill and said I would only need to pay 6.99. FINALLY!!!…..BUT, he transferred me to the disconnect department and guess what??? the issue started from the beginning, They told me I owed $90 and would have to pay it if i wanted the service cancelled!!!!!!!!!! I almost had a stroke!!! I hung up and was so upset…. Now I am getting past due bills and calls from XM. I CANT DEAL WITH IT ANYMORE
I am very upset with XMRadio. Two months in a row now they have overcharged my account. In August my monthly fee went up due to the royalty charge,which by the way was never notified about. When I called about the overcharge in August, the girl I spoke with told me how very sorry she was that I was never notified and that she would credit the overcharge back to my account and then offered me a deal that if I signed up again for another year that I would only pay $12.80 per month. I said, O.K. that sounds good. Thought all was taken care of…..Wrong. My September payment time rolled around and I was checking my bank account on-line and what to my suprise I find a charge on my account for $128.00. That was 3 days ago. I called right away to get this reversed and credited back to my checking account. The woman I spoke with said her name was Justine and could help me. She offered me a free month for the inconvenience and gave me a refernce number for that. She then proceeded to process the credit to my checking account. I asked her how long it would take to go back into my account and she said it would be credited back to my account by Friday. I told her that I hoped so because I had a bill that was out there that was part of the money the had taken out of the account. (There is a bit of difference between $12.80 and $128.00.) She said no problem and that she was processing the credit as we spoke and also gave me a conformation number for that and said the money should be back into my account by Friday. Well, here it is Friday.
I checked my account and NO CREDIT. SURPRISE, SURPRISE. Oh, by the way,the check I had told Justine about went through my bank as of last night, and due to the money not being all there, I now have a $25.00 Returned check fee!!! I called XMRadio immediatly and spoke to a representive by the name of Arme. After I told her about my call to them 3 days ago and what was supposed to happen, she proceeded to tell me that the person I spoke with before never processed the credit. I told her that she gave me a confirmatin number. I gave Arme the number and she proceeded to tell me that there was no such number. I said, so she lied to me!..Arme said she was going to process the credit herself and then she gave me a conformation number. I asked to speak with a supervisor several times and was put on hold several times. Each time Arme came back on the line I was told the supervsors were very busy. I asked about another number I could call and she said that there was only the one I just called. I asked for a location that I could write to and she told me that I would have to send it to South East Asia. At this point I am about ready to boil over. I can not believe a buisness can be ran this way and continue to stay in buisness. I am considering canceling my subscription and writing to the BBB and FCC concerning their buisness practices. This is not right and from the majority of comments I have seen on here, there are a lot of unhappy customers.
XM customer service is the worst on earth! Hope and pray that you never have to contact them to resolve any billing “issues”. You will be yelled at, argued with, and hung up on. Rediculous!