# Slashgear: Sirius XM to raise some rates March 11



## FTA Michael (Jul 21, 2002)

According to the report, base accounts will stay the same, but additional subscriptions will go up by $2/month, and the previously included online option will become $2.99/month extra.

Full, short article here: http://www.slashgear.com/sirius-xm-...ed-extra-stations-9-as-of-march-11th-2131391/


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

So let me get this straight - my family account radios will now cost what a standalone subscription cost 2 years ago?


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## reddice (Feb 18, 2003)

Greed plain and simple. Looks like I will be finally canceling my second radio. I will tell my uncle that the price went up and I can't afford it anymore even though I can I refuse to pay extra even for the online streams. He can live without his southern gospel music.

This is what sucks about this economy. People are losing jobs hand over foot and they are trying to cut expenses and what do these companies do they raise prices instead of making it more affordable.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

It's not greed, it's desperation. :eek2:

Funny I just got a postcard in the mail today offering to reinstate my canceled subscription for $6.48/month for the first year... if I pay it all upfront. No thanks.


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## VaJim (Jul 27, 2006)

djlong said:


> So let me get this straight - my family account radios will now cost what a standalone subscription cost 2 years ago?


...if I understand this correctly your 2nd and other radios will go from $6.95 to $8.95. I can alsmost deal with this, it's the extra $2.95 to listen on-line that pisses me off. Another case of paying for something that was 'free'.

What was it Jim Morrison said...."...this is the End".:nono:


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## Dolly (Jan 30, 2007)

I thought as part of the merger agreement prices were not supposed to be raised  I guess may be they are getting away with it because it is on additional radios on the same account :whatdidid But I still think even this goes against the principle of the merger agreement. I don't think the online service was ever part of the merger agreement in any way, but I could be wrong about this.


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## chevyguy559 (Sep 19, 2008)

Looks like I'll be cancelling my wife's radio in her Tahoe in November and just be updating her ipod more often since she only has a 5 minute commute to/from work  I am in my truck ALL day so I won't be cancelling my radio, but if we take a trip in her Tahoe I'll just put my XM box in and be good to go  Good thing I wired both vehicles to allow for an easy transfer


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## sum_random_dork (Aug 21, 2008)

I have become more and more disapointed in XM/Sir after the merger. I am an XM sub since Dec 02 and always paid ontime and never had an issue. The first day the "best of" package came out I signed up (for the NFL). Not long after that they started to give away 3 months free. I have never once called to complain about a single thing, but hearing all the ads for free 2nd radios or free service for 3 months made me rather mad. I tried to get in contact with them and it went nowhere over the phone so i sent an email which said I should call them....rather frustrating. I love all that satellite radio does offer when you travel but it seems like they have lost track of their customers and what they want. I could care less about Howard, I listen(ed) to XM for the music and sports it offered no matter where I was. 

As for the online sub, I think that is a rip-off. Years ago XM did charge for the online sub but that was when their price was 9.95 a month (I think), when they raised the fees they gave us online streaming for free. They also use to have the radio that worked in concert with your computer, only issue was people had learned how to record the streams off of it and then put the music on their mp3's. Needless to say the recording indstury put a stop to that radio pretty quickly.


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## Jin So (Aug 2, 2008)

i have the online sub, when i signed up yrs ago, it said i was opted in and there was no charge, but i do pay for 1 radio, which is like 12.95/month, this is through xm

I do agree Sirius XM has is not what it use to be. To many chatty dj's.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

I think this is a big mistake...the IP feed is sometimes the only way we can listen as the satellite signal is just a pain to get in Florida. I think they're desperate.


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## Stryker412 (Jan 22, 2009)

Slacker Radio FTW! I got tired of my favorite channels after the merger and have no switched over to Slacker.


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

They'll be losing one, possibly two of my subscriptions. The one in my car stays. My girlfriend's Inno stays. The SkyFi2 in the bedroom might go dark and the not-used-very-often PCR will definitely go dark.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

The "rumor" mill has this price increase as mandatory for the company as part of the financing packages they're trying to negotiate. It looks more and more than the NAB succeeded in their efforts to cripple/kill satellite radio by extending the merger approval so long.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

The merger approval rightly took a long time because they were asking to do something that they legally were forbidden from doing, and had agreed never to do.

The companies were also in violation of other startup requirements (such as the dual-service radio) and technical regulations (with the overpowered RF modulators,) and things like that look bad when you ask the FCC for help.

I can't help but think that several people made a mint off satellite radio and left the shareholders and public holding the bag. I may cancel my second subcription as a result of the increase, also.


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Wow, I keep hating this merger more and more. I just found out that they are taking the Dialed in Nascar talk show that has run on XM for years and putting it on the Sirius Nascar channel, which, even though they mergerd 90% of the lineups, is still in the "Best of Sirius" package for extra money. Now, I can understand that having all Nascar stuff on teh Nascar channel is logical, they promised not to do this kind of stuff. So, inspite of all the promises, they are taking programming from one service and putting it on the other to scrape more money off people.


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

...and the government took over a year to rule on the merger proposal which is against THEIR regulations (was supposed to be either 90 or 120 days).

Sirius/XM did nothing wrong. They asked permission to merge. They waited until they got permission.

The government (the FCC) DID do something wrong and they have yet to be called on the carpet for it.


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## pigskins (Sep 8, 2007)

Cancel while you can still get a refund!!!


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## Dolly (Jan 30, 2007)

djlong said:


> ...and the government took over a year to rule on the merger proposal which is against THEIR regulations (was supposed to be either 90 or 120 days).
> 
> Sirius/XM did nothing wrong. They asked permission to merge. They waited until they got permission.
> 
> The government (the FCC) DID do something wrong and they have yet to be called on the carpet for it.


Well the guy with the FCC that signed off on the merger is no longer with the FCC. And I believe the person that casted the "swing vote" in favor of the merger is also no longer with the FCC.


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## richzilla (Jan 18, 2008)

reddice said:


> People are losing jobs hand over foot and they are trying to cut expenses and what do these companies do they raise prices instead of making it more affordable.


I 100 % agree with this post.

These companies need to wake up if they hope to survive.

If the business model is upside down they need to look at cost they control internally.

Passing cost on to the consumer at this time should not be an option.

This is a non essential. When the price goes up I'm dumping it.

They killed the main station I listened to. Buzzsaw.

I'm sorry but Boneyard is way too much like my local station.

Way too much Led Zep.......lol

I liked the on air personalities on Buzzsaw better as well.


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## Terry Kennedy (Apr 6, 2008)

Dolly said:


> I thought as part of the merger agreement prices were not supposed to be raised  I guess may be they are getting away with it because it is on additional radios on the same account :whatdidid But I still think even this goes against the principle of the merger agreement. I don't think the online service was ever part of the merger agreement in any way, but I could be wrong about this.


Find the FCC merger approval here. In particular, this part:



FCC said:


> · The Commission accepted the Applicants' voluntary commitments to:
> o Cap prices for 36 months after consummation of the transaction, subject to certain
> cost pass-throughs after one year. In addition, six months prior to the end of
> commitment period, the Commission will seek public comment on whether the cap
> ...


If you feel that this price increase violates what Sirius and XM Radio promised the FCC and their customers, I urge you to file a Form 2000F complaint with the FCC. You can do this online by clicking here.

As always, polite, well-reasoned complaints work better than rants. For example, here is the text of my complaint form to give you some ideas (but don't just cut-and-paste):



Terry Kennedy said:


> As one of the conditions of the FCC approving the merger of Sirius and XM, I believe they stipulated that they would not raise their rates for three years from the effective date of their merger.
> 
> The merged entity, Sirius XM Radio, has announced a price increase of $2.00/month for each additional receiver on a customer's account.
> 
> ...


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

That is the thing. The whole merger and all the promises made to get it was all smoke and mirrors. They never intended to dio what they promised. I doubt the FCC being all new will do anythign about it. Heck, you are talking about 2 companies that already directly flaunted the spirit of the original license by claiming the rule only required them to come up with a design for an interoperable player and not to actually sell them. I liked the programming side of XM, but that is now long gone too.


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## tedb3rd (Feb 2, 2006)

Businesses these days have no interest in satisfying customers. The model is, "How much can we charge (raise prices, carry just enough products) so you won't cancel or walk out and go somewhere else." Then they make canceling such a hassle that some just don't bother. (I've been battling with XM since Dec 5th '08 when I canceled and they still keep hitting my credit card.) Another example: Have you been to Wal-Mart lately?--checkout lines suck, but people keep coming back. Minimal cost. Maximum profit.

Lee: Re your comment: Bingo! It's politics and "hangin' out in the lobby!"


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## Terry Kennedy (Apr 6, 2008)

Well, Sirius wrote back (in response to my feedback form) and pretty much said "Don't let the door hitcha on the way out":



[email protected] said:


> Dear Terry,
> 
> Thanks for contacting SIRIUS regarding price increases for multiple receivers. We are always here to assist you!
> 
> ...


Here is what I wrote back:



Terry Kennedy said:


> First, I'm suprised that you're willing to lose a long-term customer (5 years or so) on the annual payment plan. Given that market research puts your cost to acquire a new subscriber at over $100, that would equal 4 years of the extra receiver price increase on my account ($2/month * 48 months = $96). And that extra subscriber might only have one receiver on the account, increasing your loss.
> 
> Second, Sirius management should have considered the promise Sirius and XM made to the FCC regarding not raising prices for 3 years *before* trotting out the "we've never had a price increase" as justification to have one now.
> 
> Lastly, while I understand that Sirius XM needs to become profitable, you should consider the effects of comparable offerings on your pricing plans. As I mentioned in my original message, DirecTV charges $4.99/month for an extra receiver. As I only use my home Sirius receiver to listen to one channel as background music, and DirecTV offers that channel, I could save $2/month (current price) or $4/month (new price) by adding a DirecTV receiver. However, as I already have a DirecTV receiver in that room, I could drop the extra receiver and save $6.99/month now or $8.99/month after the increase. Once I drop that receiver, I need to consider how much use I've made of the primary receiver in my car - my total Sirius listening time in the car over the last 6 months is less than an hour. So there isn't much value in keeping that receiver, either.


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## Terry Kennedy (Apr 6, 2008)

Since this forum doesn't get the number of views that other Sirius / XM forums might, I explicitly grant permission for anyone to post my comments to other forums, as long as they're un-edited and you PM or email me here (see my profile for email information) so I know where my words are going and can follow up to any responses.


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## Dolly (Jan 30, 2007)

What really suprises me about this whole thing is the timing of it. First Sirius XM merges their channels causing A LOT of people to get very mad with people cancelling their service because they were so mad. And now that the initial uproar over the merged channels has died down somewhat Sirius XM starts in with price increases to make MORE people mad  I know they need money badly, but I don't think the way to get more money is to cause yet more people to cancel


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

Dolly said:


> What really suprises me about this whole thing is the timing of it. First Sirius XM merges their channels causing A LOT of people to get very mad with people cancelling their service because they were so mad. And now that the initial uproar over the merged channels has died down somewhat Sirius XM starts in with price increases to make MORE people mad  I know they need money badly, but I don't think the way to get more money is to cause yet more people to cancel


It's called desperation. Their ship is sinking quick and they're bailing water with any vessel in arms-reach to keep from going under more quickly while someone tries to patch the hole.


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## full moon (Sep 3, 2007)

Switch to Slacker!!!


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## Dolly (Jan 30, 2007)

tcusta00 said:


> It's called desperation. Their ship is sinking quick and they're bailing water with any vessel in arms-reach to keep from going under more quickly while someone tries to patch the hole.


It sounds like to me they are helping to sink their own ship before anyone can try to patch the hole


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## Stryker412 (Jan 22, 2009)

full moon said:


> Switch to Slacker!!!


I did. I just wish they'd come out with a car dock.


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## deltafowler (Aug 28, 2007)

Just got an e-mail from XM on the upcoming rate increase.
I've had four vehicles on them for 6 years, but I'm considering dumping all of it.

Dear Deltafowler, 

We are offering select subscribers like you, who have multiple subscriptions, a special opportunity to lock in the current low rate on their additional radio subscriptions. 

On March 11, 2009, the monthly rate for your discounted subscriptions will increase from $6.99 per month to $8.99 per month upon renewal.* You can lock in the current discounted monthly rate of $6.99 by choosing longer-term plans - but only if you act quickly. 

And if you renew now, you can continue to listen online, FREE for the length of term you choose. Effective March 11, 2009, the online listening platform will be upgraded to a higher quality digital audio and no longer included as part of a base subscription at no charge.

Save with Longer Subscription Plans.
Depending on the Subscription Package and Plan you choose for each radio, you could enjoy an average annual savings of more than $90.00 with two radios on an Annual Plan if you act now. Save even more with two- and three-year plans. Rest assured, any credits on the account from payments made earlier will be applied to your renewal - you'll only be charged the difference.


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