Once XM Radio gets your credit card there is no telling what they will do with it. Their constantly changing terms and conditions of service allow them to invent new services and charges and then automatically deduct the money from your credit card.
My advice: as soon as you can, tell them to remove your credit card from their database and then don't buy anything else—a shame because even as their service has deteriorated I still prefer satellite radio to broadcast.
Specifically:
Once they have your credit card they will automatically renew your account. They sent me an email saying that my account was expiring and that if I didn't update my credit card information then I would lose my service. I let the service lapse. Then I find that they had used my expired credit card, chased down American Express, and charged me over $300 for 3 more years of service.
If you are trying to replace a broken or defective radio, good luck. They only provide for obtaining brand new accounts via telephone or on line. So lets say you have a radio with a 3-year plan that breaks the first year. You call them up and say you need a replacement radio. They say you have to get a brand new radio and commit to a year's service agreement on it. Then they say you need to call back later and plead with them to let you switch out the radios and combine everything into one service term. Does this mean you are committed to 4 years? Maybe. Does this mean you have to pay a $75 radio switch out fee? Maybe. They say, "Just buy the new radio and service and agree to onerous terms and conditions and then call later and surely we will take care of you." Do they make a note that you are just buying the radio to replace an old one?"No sir we have no way of doing that."
Also, note their "lifetime plan" is only good for three radios, and to use it for three you have to pay at least $75 twice to switch out radios. Try figuring that out by reading the website. Possible but very difficult.
These guys run a sloppy business, maybe because they are out of cash and now a penny stock, or perhaps it works the other way around. Hopefully they will fix their business side and not let their service side deteriorate too much more.
I for one will hang in there for a few years more with them, then we will see.
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