Sirius Radio - Think Twice!

There is talk on other forums about how to get about 75% off a Sirius Satellite Radio subscription, but be careful!

I signed up for Sirius in my wife's new Audi and managed to eventually get about 75% off the normal rate. (We were wishy-washy about getting it - my wife has a profound hearing loss.) I explicitly stated that I didn't want a subscription and was clearly told that there would not be any automatic renewal. The satellite service stopped after about nine months and we thought, "close enough."

Then I see a $155 charge on my September AMEX statement. I call up Sirius and after being on hold for 20 minutes, talk to a nice representative who agreed to reverse all of the charges, except for a $25 prorated charge because I didn't call in soon enough. I explained that the recurring charge was never authorized and that I should actually be entitled to a prorated refund because the first year of service was shortened to about nine months.

So, I get transferred to a supervisor who doesn't bend an inch even though I'm as pleasant and reasonable as possible. (Most of the time, my disputes end with the CSR thanking me for being nice - they have tough jobs!) Anyway, the supervisor takes a firm stand and even tells me that if I dispute the charge through AMEX, Sirius will pursue their claim through a COLLECTIONS AGENCY!!!

I finally called AMEX to make sure that my card wouldn't be used for any more recurring charges and the card company rep told me that she gets lots of calls regarding unauthorized Sirius charges, perhaps more than for any other "legitimate" company.

My advice, stay away from Sirius unless you think their service is worth full price or unless you have the tenacity to follow through with disputes.

Next time, call AMEX first.

Guys like Sirius and other satellite providers make a good bit of money on people who don't pay attention to their credit card bills.

Wish I had called AMEX first; I just didn't realize how unreasonable Sirius would be.

Whatever happened to the "disposable" credit card numbers for online purchases? I just spent a few minutes researching and it looks like everyone except for MBNA and Discover have discontinued the programs.

Anyone here use MBNA's ShopSafe or Discover's Secure Online program? It sounds like a great idea; when you want to buy something online you are given a one-time-use credit card number for that specific transaction. Then there's no chance of fraudulent use or unauthorized recurring billings showing up later.

IMHO, those one-time use card numbers are nothing more than a band-aid. It just prevents a vendor from charging your card, it does not stop them from thinking you owe them money. Many vendors have been known to report negatively on your credit or send you to collections because they were unable to put the charge through.

I'd rather know about the BS they are trying to pull and get it resolved from the start.

My $.02.

I've had Sirius for several years without issue — until recently. My old Starmate player died (it was seven years old, a decent life I suppose), so I got a new one. I setup the player at Sirius' website, which was fairly hassle free in and of itself. However, I discovered the following month that my old player was still being charged! I was being charged for two players although the old one was inoperable.

Sirius told me that I was responsible for stopping service on the old player, since they "can't tell if a player is receiving or not." Fine, shame on me I suppose, but they really should have had some sort of caveat when adding a second player, i.e., that your other player is still being charged!

Other than that, I've been very pleased with Sirius' service. I just wish they had a hassle-free way of installing a compatible head unit without having to buy two expensive devices just to do so.

I used to have them in my old car, but what I did was that I mailed in a money order for the annual service, that way they have no way of charging my credit card at the end of the year.

I still use "disposable" numbers on my Citi-issued MasterCard from time to time.

Agreed, probably not a perfect solution, but it still seems better than giving online vendors you haven't used before, etc. access to your real number and its real credit limit.

ToddR wrote in post #11040200
I still use "disposable" numbers on my Citi-issued MasterCard from time to time.

What does this mean?

duane0524 wrote in post #11040730
What does this mean?

Old article but explains...

http://www.washingtonp​ost.com …9/30/AR20050930​01679.html

merlin2375 wrote in post #11040876
Old article but explains...

http://www.washingtonp​ost.com …9/30/AR20050930​01679.html

Never heard of it, thanks.

i have had them since howard stern signed. i've had pretty good luck w/ them.

cacawcacaw wrote in post #11039500
Whatever happened to the "disposable" credit card numbers for online purchases? I just spent a few minutes researching and it looks like everyone except for MBNA and Discover have discontinued the programs.

FIA is still doing it (they called it ShopSafe).

Whenever I get a treat like this, I start laughing and dare them to try to make a mark on my credit. I remind them that my home is paid for and paid cash for the last three cars that I bought. I don't need no stinking credit. Then I invite them to discuss this matter with the attorney general in my state and remind them that I can file the complaint and make that happen. That's usually all it takes.

Ha ha we call this the "baller effect" brilliant!!

friz wrote in post #11041085
Whenever I get a treat like this, I start laughing and dare them to try to make a mark on my credit. I remind them that my home is paid for and paid cash for the last three cars that I bought. I don't need no stinking credit. Then I invite them to discuss this matter with the attorney general in my state and remind them that I can file the complaint and make that happen. That's usually all it takes.

A company can't do anything to your credit without a signed contract. Not renewing a pay-for-service would most likely not qualify for any collections. Now the THREAT of collections can scare people and that is what they count on.