Comments on: The Satellite Radio Service that Won’t Die http://toughmoneylove.com/2009/11/11/satellite-radio-service-wont-die/ The Hard Truth about Money and Personal Finance Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:14:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Mr. ToughMoneyLove http://toughmoneylove.com/2009/11/11/satellite-radio-service-wont-die/comment-page-1/#comment-6560 Mr. ToughMoneyLove Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:07:51 +0000 http://toughmoneylove.com/?p=4908#comment-6560 Let me see if I have this right: XM can explicitly acknowledge receiving my cancellation request (which included my name, address, phone number, email address, and account number, but insist that I call them instead. You say no business would accept cancellation by email communications. What decade are you living in? I'm an attorney and 90% of our client communications are by email. The courts and government agencies communicate with us by email. Digital documents and signatures are now the norm with legal filings of all kinds. And you say a phone call is needed for satellite radio? WTF? I didn't request an account change. I told them I no longer wanted an account. So if I had died and couldn't call them, they would bill me for service indefinitely because "phone calls are their policy?" Seriously, what do you think creates a more accurate record of what has been communicated: a phone call or an email? I'm waiting... Let me see if I have this right: XM can explicitly acknowledge receiving my cancellation request (which included my name, address, phone number, email address, and account number, but insist that I call them instead. You say no business would accept cancellation by email communications. What decade are you living in? I’m an attorney and 90% of our client communications are by email. The courts and government agencies communicate with us by email. Digital documents and signatures are now the norm with legal filings of all kinds. And you say a phone call is needed for satellite radio? WTF? I didn’t request an account change. I told them I no longer wanted an account. So if I had died and couldn’t call them, they would bill me for service indefinitely because “phone calls are their policy?” Seriously, what do you think creates a more accurate record of what has been communicated: a phone call or an email? I’m waiting…

]]> By: MasterPo http://toughmoneylove.com/2009/11/11/satellite-radio-service-wont-die/comment-page-1/#comment-6558 MasterPo Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:11:07 +0000 http://toughmoneylove.com/?p=4908#comment-6558 Mr. TML - Exactly what kind of "communications" has XM sent you via email? Invoices? Notices of service payment? Announcements of new channels and features? A newsletter? I'm going to guess some if not all of the above. That's standard paperless SOP these days. I have to agree with Evan. You took it to mean too much. No business in it's right mind would accept an account change request via email. My insurance company wouldn't. My bank wouldn't. My broker wouldn't. My lawyer wouldn't. So I do think you're being a bit overly sensetive about all this. Mr. TML – Exactly what kind of “communications” has XM sent you via email?

Invoices?
Notices of service payment?
Announcements of new channels and features?
A newsletter?

I’m going to guess some if not all of the above.

That’s standard paperless SOP these days. I have to agree with Evan. You took it to mean too much.

No business in it’s right mind would accept an account change request via email. My insurance company wouldn’t. My bank wouldn’t. My broker wouldn’t. My lawyer wouldn’t.

So I do think you’re being a bit overly sensetive about all this.

]]> By: Mr. ToughMoneyLove http://toughmoneylove.com/2009/11/11/satellite-radio-service-wont-die/comment-page-1/#comment-6504 Mr. ToughMoneyLove Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:53:27 +0000 http://toughmoneylove.com/?p=4908#comment-6504 Evan - What's happening here is that I am a customer, not a slave. All I have asked XM to do is to cancel my account, using the same communication channel that it uses to communicate with me. It has acknowledged my requests but refuses to accept them. I have even offered to speak to them by phone, but all I get are robo-calls or once, a live person who then claimed not to have the authority to cancel my account. So yes, I am willing to escalate this if necessary to force XM to act reasonably. Evan – What’s happening here is that I am a customer, not a slave. All I have asked XM to do is to cancel my account, using the same communication channel that it uses to communicate with me. It has acknowledged my requests but refuses to accept them. I have even offered to speak to them by phone, but all I get are robo-calls or once, a live person who then claimed not to have the authority to cancel my account. So yes, I am willing to escalate this if necessary to force XM to act reasonably.

]]> By: Evan http://toughmoneylove.com/2009/11/11/satellite-radio-service-wont-die/comment-page-1/#comment-6503 Evan Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:40:07 +0000 http://toughmoneylove.com/?p=4908#comment-6503 TML, I really don't get whats happening here. You are willing to go through the time and hassel of a lawsuit; missing half of a day and the corresponding billable time because you don't want to sit on hold for 7 mins? I get battling the big company and their red tape garbage, but this has clearly turned personal when it should have stayed business. TML,

I really don’t get whats happening here. You are willing to go through the time and hassel of a lawsuit; missing half of a day and the corresponding billable time because you don’t want to sit on hold for 7 mins?

I get battling the big company and their red tape garbage, but this has clearly turned personal when it should have stayed business.

]]> By: Mr. ToughMoneyLove http://toughmoneylove.com/2009/11/11/satellite-radio-service-wont-die/comment-page-1/#comment-6501 Mr. ToughMoneyLove Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:31:42 +0000 http://toughmoneylove.com/?p=4908#comment-6501 Bill - I'm not sure how to take your comment but when XM began communicating with me by email at the beginning of our relationship, I somehow felt it appropriate for me to do the same thing. I will also point out that XM several times explicitly acknowledged receipt of my cancellation instruction; they just refused to accept it. When I tried to call as they demanded, I was always put on hold. Finally, if XM makes any negative move against my credit history, they will have bought themselves a lawsuit. Bill – I’m not sure how to take your comment but when XM began communicating with me by email at the beginning of our relationship, I somehow felt it appropriate for me to do the same thing. I will also point out that XM several times explicitly acknowledged receipt of my cancellation instruction; they just refused to accept it. When I tried to call as they demanded, I was always put on hold. Finally, if XM makes any negative move against my credit history, they will have bought themselves a lawsuit.

]]> By: Bill Collins http://toughmoneylove.com/2009/11/11/satellite-radio-service-wont-die/comment-page-1/#comment-6500 Bill Collins Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:51:54 +0000 http://toughmoneylove.com/?p=4908#comment-6500 You are incredibly naive (and arrogant) to believe an email is sufficient to cancel service. Corporations set their own policies and force consumers to abide. Know your place in a society ruled by corporate heavy-handed greed, and stop acting like you matter as an individual. Are you 22 years old, or something? This is how the world works, and this escapade of yours is going to ruin your credit score for the next five years. After exactly seven years, it will be an official "charge-off", which will hurt your score for another five years. You write blogs like you're an expert on finances...You should know better. You are incredibly naive (and arrogant) to believe an email is sufficient to cancel service. Corporations set their own policies and force consumers to abide. Know your place in a society ruled by corporate heavy-handed greed, and stop acting like you matter as an individual. Are you 22 years old, or something? This is how the world works, and this escapade of yours is going to ruin your credit score for the next five years. After exactly seven years, it will be an official “charge-off”, which will hurt your score for another five years. You write blogs like you’re an expert on finances…You should know better.

]]> By: MasterPo http://toughmoneylove.com/2009/11/11/satellite-radio-service-wont-die/comment-page-1/#comment-6455 MasterPo Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:36:13 +0000 http://toughmoneylove.com/?p=4908#comment-6455 Agreed. Even just as a practical matter I wouldn't accept a cancel or other request [supposedly] from a customer via email or form. Agreed. Even just as a practical matter I wouldn’t accept a cancel or other request [supposedly] from a customer via email or form.

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