Complain about a product or service

XM Satellite Radio

Llewellyn of Salamanca, NY February 6, 2010

In April of 2008 I purchased a new car. The dealer said it was equiped with a 1 year free XM Radio I never used this as i don't often turn the radio on when driving. I am now receiving dunning letters telling me that I must pay 36.90 for their service. When I called the colection agency they said I was supposed to call XM and have it turned off. They called me several times just before it was to end and told them I did not want to have it. Now they are going to ruin my good credit over something I didn't want to begin with. Can you help?

Ramesh of Dublin, OH February 5, 2010

I got my company car in March 2008. It came with 3 months of XM free trial. In June '08. I subscribed to 1 year, and paid with my AMEX, and was cancelled in in June 2009. In November, my AMEX statement indicated that was a charge from XM for 222.78. I immediately called XM and disputed the charges. They admited that it was an unauthorized charge, but was not able to issue me a check quickly. They advice me to dispute the charge with AMEX. AMEX investigated, and in Jan. 2010 found in my favor, and credited the full amount my account.

However, on Feb 1., 2010 I received a statement from XM that I owed them 52.03. I called XM again, this time they said that I had not terminated the account. When I pointed out that I my service was terminated in June, they then said that my wife had reactivated my account in November '09. My wife has not called XM, Sirius, or any other satellite provider in her life. Besides, this is my company car, and my wife does not have access to my credit card or my car. Since XM can't tell if I had listen to Satellite Radio during that time (they assume I did), they refuse to take the charge out. I asked to speak to the complaints department, they said it did exist. The only recourse was to issue a dispute in writing to their billing department. I told them them I'll make a copy to the FCC, and BBB about this.

Christopher of Simi Valley, CA February 4, 2010

In November I received an invoice from XM Radio saying that if I wanted to renew my subscription to their car radio service that I needed to pay their invoice. Since the service came with the purchase of my car it isn't a service that I used. In the beginning of December I called them and told them that I was not interested in renewing their service.

In January I received a bill from a collection service saying that I owed them 35.82. Apparently they claim that I didn't let them know in time that I didn't want their service. They claim that when I purchased the new car that I agreed to apparently a lifetime commitment to their service. These types of business practices should not be legal.

Jason of Virginia Beach, VA February 2, 2010

Today I spoke to XM Satellite Radio about services I was billed for but did not authorize them to charge for. I received the notification from their collection agency two days ago that stated I owed approximately 40 dollars for the 3 months they billed me for. Around last August I called them because they had charged my card for service that they renewed unexpectedly and caused my account to be overdrawn. The guy I talked to then said that he could set it up to not automatically bill me and that I could pay for 3 months in advance and if I wanted to keep using XM I could call and renew for another 3 months. He said that I would not have the service automatically renewed and that I would have to give them notification that I wanted to keep using the service by making a payment.

I have made the payments for the last few periods but this time I decided not to continue paying for services. They decided to renew the service anyways and this led to the collection notification. The first person I spoke to today was a representative that kept telling me that there was no option to not automatically renew. They said I was wrong and the person I talked to before told me wrong information. After continually asking how I was responsible for the false information they gave me and how they could justify the charge she continued to answer me same. I asked to be transferred to the supervisor.

The supervisor also proved to be of no use because he just referenced the Subscriber Agreement and the fact that service is automatically renewed per that information. I told him that the person I talked to told me otherwise so I assumed he could do what he said. The supervisor told me I was wrong for believing him because I should have known he was wrong and that what was written in the agreement trumped any other conversations I had with XM.

It did not help that the conversation I had was conveniently not annotated in their system and this again was my fault. He had no reasoning for me being responsible for them not properly documenting our discussion, but again this was my fault. I gave up the fight to have the charges removed, because he just continued to repeat the terms of the agreement as if that was the only thing he knew. I asked to get written documentation that my account was closed for good and I would no longer be charged and he directed me to the web to make a request using their contact form. I have not received that Email yet. I have paid the collection agency to close the account and to avoid any damage to my credit.

Henry of Akron, AL January 30, 2010

I can tell you all the things I read about XM Radio being bad is true. They make unauthorized charges to your credit card and that is stealing. I am cancelling my credit card. I served in the military and I have PTSD and this experience has made me worste.

Jennifer of Denville, NJ January 28, 2010

I canc my service when I returned my leased car in October 09 and still getting billed in January 10. Called and spoke to Brooke-Supervisor and she claims NO refunds.

Gary of Jasper, FL January 27, 2010

I received a statement in October 2009 for 1 year. i PAID IT BY CHECK. In January they said they had been authorized to charge 45.72 for usroyalty fees. We were not notified before this charge was charged to our Sears credit card. My husband called sears and told them we didn't authorize it and to cancel this number and issue us another one. They did and the next time we received a bill there was a late fee of 15.00 added. They had transferred that amount to the new card. We again called the sears company that we will not pay this. XM radio said they had auto authority to do this because we gave them this number the first time we took out xm radio and we were not going to get the money back. 1/27/2010. I am sending this to you to clear the air. XM already has their money from sears, so they do not care. WHAT A COMPANY. How can this be cleared so our credit is blemished?

Dana of Lavinia, TN January 27, 2010

XM Radio debits your credit card a month in advance. I cancelled my account 12/22/2009 as I traded my auto 12/21/2009. After at least a dozen hour long phone calls and literally hundreds of emails, they finally cancelled my account 01/25/2010. They refuse to refund my account in full from 12/22/2009 to 01/25/2010 (which would actually be two months as this account is advance-pay). After multiple emails back and forth and multiple phone calls, I still do not have my money refunded. They refused to put a supervisor on the phone. They refused to give me their corporate attorney information. Then they hung up on me. I want to know what legal action I can initiate. I want to know what publicity I can initiate. I do not want anyone else dealing with what I have had to deal with. Do not give XM Radio your credit card or banking information!!!!!

Lynda of Rockville, MD January 26, 2010

I'm reading all the compliants about XM and their customer service and I have also found it very frustrating and cannot believe the poor customer service. I would love to know who to really talk to so I can get my money back. They have charged me for TWO lifetime subscriptions for one person. Now how on earth can someone use TWO lifetime subscriptions for ONE car. How dumb is this. I wish I never activated my radio....

Sam of Mason, OH January 25, 2010

In Nov. 2009 I ordered an XM Satellite Radio package for my vehicle. I purchased it as the result of an advertised "special rate deal" and was supposed to receive 16 months for the price of 12. When I received the contract, it was for only 12 months. I called to get it corrected but received no satisfaction. They supposedly record their sales transactions made via phone. I requested they go back and listen to the tape from my transaction. Again, I received no satisfaction.

Additionally, I specifically told them not to put my account on automatic renewal, as I do not do that. When the contract was nearing maturity they called my home and were told I would not be renewing the contract. It apparently renewed on an automatic basis and now they are billing me for 47.32 because they left the service on after being instructed not to, and automatically renewed it when they did not have authority to do so.

Now they are threatening to send it to a collection agency. I am furious with their dishonesty and trickery. They flat out lie to get business. I can't possibly be the only one this has happened to with this company. "unpaid invoice" sent to collection agency

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