OT: Note to XM Satellite Radio users
I called XM Radio today to cancel my subscription. I listen to Channel 42 Liquid Metal exclusively and some of the ESPN radio channels every now and then. I just couldn't justify paying 16 dollars a month for essentially one radio channel.
They offered to keep me subscribed for 5 months at $3 dollars a month. I declined.
They offered to keep me subscribed for 3 months totally free. I declined.
Basically I just wanted to tell XM users that if you are looking for a few months of satellite radio at a discount or free, call and "cancel". In this economy, its nice to gets things cheaper so thought I would just pass it along.
Why would you do that if you're not really interested in canceling? Seems dishonest to me...
Sorry, I'll banish myself to hell.
Do me a favor. Punch Woody when you see him.
thnx.
Yeah. Honesty. What a far out idea.
If you want to get technical, I called with the intention of canceling and I did in fact do that.
What the rest of the forum decides to do is up to them. I really hope you repay every record label for every single MP3 you illegally downloaded, whether past or present. Just out of curiosity, do you use a ladder or pulley system to get on your horse?
I know, I wasn't criticizing what you yourself did in the transaction, but rather commenting on this part of what you said:
Basically I just wanted to tell XM users that if you are looking for a few months of satellite radio at a discount or free, call and "cancel". In this economy, its nice to gets things cheaper so thought I would just pass it along.
In my opinion it is completely dishonest, and in very bad taste, to publicize and encourage people to do what you suggest.
Oh, and it's a pulley system. The ladder certainly would be easier, but the pulley system gets far more traction with the ladies.
I'm not sure. I'm walking a very thin line between whether I flat out don't care what your opinion is or I think you are a douche.
I like the idea of the pulley though. I understand that the ladder would be easier for setup but after initial installation of the pulley, imagine how simple it would be to ascend/descend to and from the horse. The ladder would just be tiring. I'm also imagining a horse the size of a parking garage so if you have a smaller horse, the ladder would be adequate.
the company is not being dishonest by doing this?
With a full year subscription, I'm paying about $10/month.
I'm on my 2nd renewal of 5 months for $19. They got me in with that around Christmas, and then I called to cancel on my expiration date, and they gave me the same deal again, so there are definately good deals. Before that I had gotten 3 months for free twice (when I was going on road trips) just by stating that I was interested in trying XM out for a couple months and they obliged. XM isn't something I can't live without, but it does have value if you are going to be traveling from city to city and want radio coverage. It is also nice living in AZ, because I can get the ESPN shows live vs. 3 hr delayed.
My wife called to cancel XM and the exact same thing happened. She took the 3 months for free because she was tired of them trying to talk her out of cancelling. So, we'll call back in Sept to cancel.
Same thing happened when I went to cancel Charter cable. They wanted to give me extra services for less money on my total bill. That irritated me. Why not do it initially rather than just when I call to cancel. I didn't take that deal because Charter does not compare to DirecTV.
two years ago when I pulled out -- like you, I declined the offers because I didn't want to revisit the should-I-cancel question three months hence.
that is all
You guys are nuts. XM/Sirius is the greatest. I've been a subscriber since early 2004 and absolutely love it. We have four units (two for the cars, one for the house and one in my office at work).
I'd rather stick a fork in my eye than have to go back to terrestial radio. Great AOR programming, good jazz options, XMPR, Howard Stern, the comedy channels, the sports channels, the college sports, the NFL, the NFL network and the MLB network...makes listening to MLB games a breeze.
One of the best inventions of my lifetime.
Its a nice luxury but I think your description is a reach.
Its especially difficult for me to justify paying that bill each month when I listen to metal only and don't spend 80% of my time in the car. I can listen to one channel that I love but am really playing for a million channels of garbage like Lady Gaga or Beyonce. I just don't like that.
I'll take my iPod + AUX input all day. Clearer as CD and the music I want to hear.
Satellite radio is nice but its just not for everyone.
The description isn't "a reach". Everything he's saying is true.
Your problem is simply what you stated: you listen to metal only.
In other words, you can get what you want without subscribing to the service. If I only watched one TV show, I probably wouldn't subscribe to cable, but buy the DVD or watch it online, instead.
For people who have the opportunity to listen to the radio a lot, like to listen to sports and music and/or Howard Stern, then satellite radio is worth having.
I should have been more specific: I think calling it one of the greatest inventions of our lifetime is a reach.
Sirius/XM is something I can't live without- I even have the iPhone app so I can listen at work (plugged into a speaker dock).
I am with Noahdb. I love my XM. I actually cancelled my service for a year and then found myself going back the next year and resubscribing. Everyone has their own preference but I just cannot handle terrestial radio anymore. Plus, I love being able to listen to almost all of the major football conference games every Saturday no matter where I am. The absolute best is to bring the XM "boombox" with me on the golf cart on Saturday's, the other golfers love it too I am sure...
To have to listen to testicle radio again. I don't even bother with ESPN radio now, too much other good sports coverage (Paul Finebaum excluded)
+1 for the use of 'testicle'.
But I get withdrawal symptoms when I miss Bill King's show.
I did the same thing with the same result. Calls and letters offering it free for 6 months. Too bad they won't make a concession until you actually terminate it. By that time you've already mentally checked out. Cable is exactly the same.
If they offered a cheaper option while I was a subscriber I would still be one - maybe I'll revisit it.
E Street Radio.
I love the service, and for a small fee you can get it streaming online (so you don't need a receiver).
If you ever go on a roadtrip, it is a godsend.
Dave Marsh hosts a show in the evenings that's really good for Bruuuuuce fans. The "college radio" stations are really good too. On my way into work the other day, I heard Killing Moon and The Mayor Of Simpleton back to back.
If I had to listen to local radio, I'd be stuck listening to 45 minutes of commercials. Our local college station gives you the choice between speed metal and thrash metal. Our local AOR station is a clearchannel joint...so it's: Skynard, Zep, or Boston. And the other choice is traditional latino music (complete with accordions and three-part harmony).
My iPod is fine...but I like to get exposed to new stuff and that's where the deep playlists come in handy.
that gets my stamp of approval
i seriously could not take the long drives to and from aa without xm ... if you like variety in your music it is great ... i mean every decade (even the 30s), pop, rap, metal, sick ass techno stations, and great selection of sports radio (might be an oximoron but the live games are great)
and somehow I have a credit of $300??? I got sirius when it first came out and they had a deal of buy a yr get a yr free. So I kept it for now for what seems to be 2+ years free. Good place to find tons of content, commercial free radio, news, stand up comedy, and of course Howard Stern.
had XM for about as long as it has been around, and I couldn't even imagine having to drive around listening to 'Super Wacky Zany Afternoon Drivetime DJ Guy.'
Certainly not the greatest invention of my lifetime, but all in all I think it is pretty awesome, and well worth the price.
For those thinking about satelite radio, you'll notice most of the posters here who love it listen to news/sports/Stern/comedy, i.e., spoken word. It's true sat radio has copious amount of high-quality content for that area.
However, when I had it last summer (bought a new GM car, so got for free for 3 months), I was really surprised with how poor the music sounded. I loved the increased variety, but the high-end on pretty much every music channel sounded tinny and thin. And I'm not an audiophile - I thought "all digital" radio was supposed to sound better than FM, but for me, it was actually a bit worse.
I thought it might be my average speakers, but a quick search around the web showed this problem has been around for years. (See here, http://www.satelliteguys.us/sirius-xm-radio/161090-sirius-xm-sound-quality.html, for example).
So I think it's important to realise that, depending on whether you're a "talk" or a "music" guy, the same sat radio subscription can be worth a lot or basically worthless, b/c for music, quality of the sound matters more (which is why AM migrated to mostly talk and FM, which has higher fidelity, took over music for terrestial radio)..
Thanks for the link.
I haven't had a problem with fidelity either. I've got the roady unit, so maybe it's the head unit? I've always had excellent quality...certianly better than FM.