End of XM trial

[waveman]

My XM trial subscription was due to end on March 25. I'd read posts that said that this might cause problems with voice commands, but I'd also read that some people had their XM service continue beyond the end date without re-subscribing.

I decided to let the date pass without doing anything to see what would happen. So far, no malfunctions, but my XM service has ended. However, there are still two active channels that advertise XM, so maybe that's what's preventing any other problems from appearing.

I'm still trying to decide whether to re-up. I did get a few mailings from XM, but the prices were way beyond what people on the 'net say they're paying. I've read ~$77 for one year and ~25 for five or six months. If I do start it again, I think I'll skip traffic. Around here, the traffic display never told me anything I didn't already know and was often flat out wrong for some roads. I'd pay for the service if it were accurate, though.

 

[msitter]

I have been an XM subscriber for years. I almost never listen to the local stations because of their weak signals and spotty reception. I have two accounts so my portable goes into my shop, my second car and on my motorcycle for trips. I don't however use XM traffic beyond the 90 day trial with the new car. If you are a traveling salesman or live or routinely travel to large cities, the XM traffic might be useful. I live in a relatively small town and am retired so I know the traffic patterns and can avoid rush hour and accidents so XM traffic is useless to me. My son has it on his Sonata and lives in Denver so he gets more use from it and actually likes it.

 

[chilly mac]

I just bought a lifetime subscription to XM Everything for about $650 after all royalty fees, taxes, etc. I had them invoice me rather than give them a credit card number of the phone due to all the poor reviews I read online about them charging more than the quoted amount. Lifetime subscription is transferable to new owner, but not to your own other radio when installed initially on a vehicle OEM system such as this. That's cool though -- In the event I change my mind and sell this car before the wheels come off, I see a lifetime XM subscription as a not insignificant carrot during the negotiation process. (I triple-checked with the XM folks, and they guarantee me that any new owner will be able to retain service and still expect tech and other support as required.)

 

[mikec]

However, there are still two active channels that advertise XM, so maybe that's what's preventing any other problems from appearing.

It's normal for XM radios to leave the lowest two channels operating when the subscription is expired. One is to let you see your radio's ID number that you'll need to renew/re-start a subscription... and the other is basically a 24 advertisement trying to get you to re-up.

As for the deals on the net: they're rarely advertised by XM and rarely on XM's website; most folks that get those deals got them by telephoning XM and saying something like "make it worth my while to remain a subscriber." They've got nothing to loose by giving low prices - and everything to gain. A low paying subscriber is still infinitely better than no subscriber since XM's costs are basically fixed; adding a subscriber doesn't require actual hardware (wiring, etc) so it costs them nothing to add one more subscriber. In the business world XM basically has lots of fixed costs (staff and satellites) and almost no variable costs (i.e. hardly any cost is a function of number of subscribers).

When the XM subscription expires the typical Genesis issue is voice commands fail to operate. Within a minute or two of starting the car, after the Nav system has completed its normal power-up "wait" process, press the voice command button on the steering wheel. With XM active, you get the quick "beep" tone and the system responds; with no XM many owners instead get a long (20-some minutes) delay in the system. It acts like it's locked-up/hung for quite some time. Eventually the Genesis systems seem to learn "XM is gone for good" and the voice stuff self-fixes and starts working normally... until just before Christmas when XM starts allowing unsubscribed receivers to receive many channels as a free trial again... that re-screws many Genesis cars. Of course it shouldn't be this way... but so far Hyundai/XM haven't issed a TSB or proper fix for everybody. One owner had a dealership & Hyundai techs really go through his car (posted elsewhere on this forum) and, after swapping lots of parts, the voice command stuff magically started working on his car. And when his original parts were swapped back in... voice commands still worked. ?? They said it must have been a loose/bad connection someplace... my theory is, while moving various A/V system modules from car to car, those modules were disconnected from the battery for several minutes and actually reset. The A/V amp (which also contains the XM receiver) is never OFF in a Genesis... it just goes to a standby/inactive state if the main "head unit" portion of the A/V system is OFF. So if the amp/XM module gets "confused" when XM expires, it'll stay confused even with the A/V system OFF or the car OFF. Unplugging it for a while perhaps allows a real reset to occur.

mike c.

 

[nearwater]

I just bought a lifetime subscription to XM Everything for about $650 after all royalty fees, taxes, etc. I had them invoice me rather than give them a credit card number of the phone due to all the poor reviews I read online about them charging more than the quoted amount. Lifetime subscription is transferable to new owner, but not to your own other radio when installed initially on a vehicle OEM system such as this. That's cool though -- In the event I change my mind and sell this car before the wheels come off, I see a lifetime XM subscription as a not insignificant carrot during the negotiation process. (I triple-checked with the XM folks, and they guarantee me that any new owner will be able to retain service and still expect tech and other support as required.)

Very smart move on having them bill you instead of giving your card info.
Their billing practices have been horrible.
They charged me additional monthly fees after my 1-year 1 time payment of $77.
During the recording/billing info process, I even specifically told them and made clear that it was going to be a 'one time only payment, non-recurring'.
Those SOBs still kept charging afterwards.
NEVER EVER GIVE THEM YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBER!

Dan

 

[waveman]

Great point about the credit card - never would have occurred to me, since I usually pay for subscriptions that way. I'll probably re-up if I can get the $77 deal, and I'm not going to pay the reactivation fee they talk about.

 

[Onedurwho]

I tried to get the "lower price to stay" but as of yet have not. Told them I'm not renewing at expiration, do not bill me. Well...got the bill that has ALREADY gone "to collections" (within just a month). I paid the $30+ to avoid problems but will not be going back. Droid-X + Pandora = no SatMusic fees!