XM Radio Online continues to have problems - this time, it seems that a massive number of people are being affected. There's no solutions being presented, no word from the company. Nothing. The subscriber communications continue to fall apart, and we're left floundering.
Subscribers that do end up calling customer service get the "we're working on it" response. Which is fine, but a proactive communication would go a long way towards positive consumer sentiment.
It's more than disappointing, especially after price increases, that the company wouldn't simply notify subscribers of a problem. We get it, there are issues. That's fine. Just tell us. Don't make me work to get answers. All that does is aggravate me.
This is new age of social media. A shift in power has occurred. The influence, trust and control of a company's marketing message has changed hands from brands to consumers.
Sirius XM can't control the message anymore, especially by trying to keep it quiet.
If the company can put out the effort it has on lame marketing stunts like "Something big is coming" or emails about getting free XM (to people who already pay for it), then it can send out an email stating that there's a problem with the service.
Special thanks to rvin for the screenshot (I'm not at a place where I can take one myself right now)
UPDATE: It appears now that the service is back up and running. (But I think the concept on open corporate communications still applies.)
It's more than disappointing, especially after price increases, that the company wouldn't simply notify subscribers of a problem. We get it, there are issues. That's fine. Just tell us. Don't make me work to get answers. All that does is aggravate me.
This is new age of social media. A shift in power has occurred. The influence, trust and control of a company's marketing message has changed hands from brands to consumers.
Sirius XM can't control the message anymore, especially by trying to keep it quiet.
If the company can put out the effort it has on lame marketing stunts like "Something big is coming" or emails about getting free XM (to people who already pay for it), then it can send out an email stating that there's a problem with the service.
Special thanks to rvin for the screenshot (I'm not at a place where I can take one myself right now)
UPDATE: It appears now that the service is back up and running. (But I think the concept on open corporate communications still applies.)
Not very reassuring, considering they're going to ask me to start paying XMRO when my current subscription runs out.
And now I have to sit in a music-less cublicle, FML.
Slacker is working just fine. Rock on !
I've been having XMRO issues this entire week it seems. Today was the first day I got the "unavailable due to system maintenance" message. Frustrating!
XM?Sirius is run by losers who don't care about quality. They really don't care, it is so evident. Subs should wise up and cancel. Then XM/Sirius can go where they need to go, OUT OF BUSSINESS.
From XMFan.com...a few people have gotten a hold of executive customer service rep Joe Zarella.
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UPDATE!
I think everyone will be happy to hear this news.
I received an email from Joe Zarella last night in response to my email to Mel Karmazin. He apologized and said that everyone will get 128k for the service period that you locked in for and to give them another 24 hours to fix it all. Smile
Now, I know that XMRO is down this morning but maybe they are fixing the system.
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This is all seemingly linked to the uproar over the people who "Locked in" getting only 32kbps streaming instead of 128
Latest update. This post is verbatim from Scott Greczkowski of Satellite Guys via Xmfan.com
----------------------------------------------
GOOD NEWS
Got another reply from Joe.
Quote:
Scott,
thanks for your patience and understanding.
there are a couple of ways being assessed to implement this solution for those who locked in during the lock-in period. Ideally we would like to automate it, but won't have that nailed till early next week.
those eligible should contact XM Listener Care mid next week.
Thanks
So there you have it, for folks who locked in you should be able to call in and get upgraded to the 128k stream mid next week!
WE DID IT!
I would like to ask everyone that once your service is properly upgraded for you to withdraw your complaints that you submitted to your states Attorney Generals offices.
Working TOGETHER we turned a wrong into a right. I want to thank everyone that posted and stuck together the past few days. This proves that if people work together they can do all kinds of things.
Thanks again to everyone!
I will keep you updated when I hear back from Joe.
Thanks again to everyone including Ryan for giving us a spot to vent and work together!
Call me crazy but I think this a good thing. Both of my "locked in" accounts are getting the maintenance message. My trial account is still working. Maybe this means they are FINALLY fixing the 128K streams for actual customers?
Exactly. Then a sat company that gives a damn can come into existence.
To me there are "server issues" and "system maintenance." System Maintenance to me means it was planned, such as an upgrade. If thats the case they should warn people ahead of time. If its technical difficulties it should be worded differently. Either way bad communication
It's really unfortunate, because I really like XM/Sirius, but XMRO keeps shitting the bed. I don't know if anyone from the company is actually reading this, but if they are, Ryan is correct. Don't give me the usual bullshit. I know the "we're working on it" line is really all you can say, we're not expecting you to be able to snap your fingers and get it working again, we're not expecting miracles here. But if it's gone out, and we're following you on a site like twitter, you can let us know that the service has gone down, and when it comes back up you can tweet about it again. Don't make me call you and talk to some CSR who only knows what they're being told to say, that's not very re-assuring. and don't offer me free time if I want to cancel my subscription, for Christ's sake I want to leave if I want to leave. If you're having a party and someone wants to leave, that's like shoving more food and other stuff in their face to make them stay. If I'm calling you to cancel, then goddamn it, let me cancel and just do it and say we're sorry to see you go but we hope you'll try us again soon. Offering me more free time isn't going to make me recommend you to my friends, it's just going to make me tell them that I tried xm/Sirius out and I didn't like it. and when I wanted to cancel, you know what they did? They offered me free time so I would stay. That's not how you do it. I like the service but come on guys get a clue how to market to your listeners!
I wouldn't know what's going on online. I know I used to get a free high-speed connection from XM included in my $12.95 monthly fee but since the merger and the promised price freezes/reductions, I can't listen online as I now have to pay. So now I don't go online.
Lost my free online stream. Paying more for family plan radios. Complete disaster with the music channels. Recording device restrictions.
How again was this merger in my interests? Why should I be excited about SDARS anymore?
Apparently its back up and working again.. Was able to listen starting about 5 minutes ago
I've really grown to dislike XM/Sirius. I loved them when I first got the service 6 years ago. Now, I only have them for Opie & Anthony, and even my love for them is being questioned at this point. I receive a ton of spam from them and they took away XMRO... forget it.
"I would like to ask everyone that once your service is properly upgraded for you to withdraw your complaints that you submitted to your states Attorney Generals offices."
i wouldn't. had there not been a large enough outcry, you'd all still be listening to 32k feeds. sure, they righted the wrong. but the wrong never should have happened in the first place. keep letting them off the hook, and SXM will continue to screw you. keep the pressure on and let them know people w/ influence are watching, and maybe they'll straighten up and fly right.
Yup, seems to be working just fine now. Now XM Sirius, do the right thing and upgrade everyone who locked in before March 11th to 128k streams. You'll have happy subscribers.
As 'ol Ollie of "Laurel & Hardy" used to say:
"Well,Well,Well"
Looks like that NO MORE "gloom & doom" & "support SiriusFM/XM no matter what happens" mindset went out the window pretty damn fast..........
That the present management team JUST DOSEN'T GET IT as a whole bunch of SatRad subscribers has been saying...
THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING.
I get no pleasure in posting this and I truly hope things get worked out with everyone having problems but untill Mel & his minions get fired more of this bullshit is sure to follow. It really pains me to post that.
XMRO may be back up, but I am STILL only getting 32k and a message telling me that I have to update my account to get the premium service. Suffice to say that they had an outage, this wasn't maintenance. If this was maintenance I would have figured that they were fixing the Premium Service (128k) for the existing customers that were supposed to be getting it and are not. More than two weeks since the launch and it still doens't work.
BULLSHIT!!!
you can download torrents of O&A online. I cancelled my 2nd radio, and now just have one main radio in my wifes vehicle. my myfi only worked half the time, and I was listening less and less so I just cancelled my radio and started downloading torrents of O&A onto my ipod, and i have a better music selection on my ipod.
Peculiarly, my free XMRO ran out today with my regular account, had to up the +$2.99.
Perhaps this is what they were shoring up?
Keep the O and A faith man!!!
You really should check the news before you bash the company.
http://www.multichannel.com/blog/The_Satellite_Dish/11674-Some_Sirius_ly_Good_News.php
my xmro is up now but i do not see any of the rock stations. it goes from channel 34 to 60!
Enough Doom & Gloom -- It's time to Make a Difference!!!!
What happened to that??
"Don't give me the usual bullshit. I know the "we're working on it" line is really all you can say, we're not expecting you to be able to snap your fingers and get it working again, we're not expecting miracles here."
So do you want them to tell you what you wanna hear, or do you want them to tell you what they're doing?
"Don't make me call you and talk to some CSR who only knows what they're being told to say, that's not very re-assuring."
Wait, so you don't like them telling you what's going on? Make a decision dude.
"don't offer me free time if I want to cancel my subscription, for Christ's sake I want to leave if I want to leave. If you're having a party and someone wants to leave, that's like shoving more food and other stuff in their face to make them stay. If I'm calling you to cancel, then goddamn it, let me cancel and just do it and say we're sorry to see you go but we hope you'll try us again soon."
Yes, and then you'll go on XMFan and Orbitcast to complain about the "terrible service" that you recieved and how the "big corporations don't care about the little guy" and all that bullshit. Please spare us.
"Offering me more free time isn't going to make me recommend you to my friends, it's just going to make me tell them that I tried xm/Sirius out and I didn't like it. and when I wanted to cancel, you know what they did? They offered me free time so I would stay. That's not how you do it. I like the service but come on guys get a clue how to market to your listeners!"
I disagree with you there. Offering free months gives you one less thing to complain about on the satellite radio messageboards, and it gives the cheap creeps that hate spending that really expensive $12 a month something to feel good about.
Oh wait, freeloaders who are basically stealing the service while people like me pay for it actually appreciating something? That's right....that would never happen! What was I thinking?!
Sure, you can download torrents of O&A if you are a thief. But some people aren't into stealing things you are supposed to pay for.
thanks for your patience and understanding.
there are a couple of ways being assessed to implement this solution for
those who locked in during the lock-in period. Ideally we would like to
automate it, but won’t have that nailed till early next week.
those eligible should contact XM Listener Care mid next week.
Thanks”
As soon the one year $72 deal I made to return to XM expires, I am so out of here. Between Slacker on my iPhone and the MLB At Bat iPhone app that will let me listen to all MLB games the same way that XM does, my iPhone will give me everything I need.
thanks for your patience and understanding.
there are a couple of ways being assessed to implement this solution for
those who locked in during the lock-in period. Ideally we would like to
automate it, but won’t have that nailed till early next week.
those eligible should contact XM Listener Care mid next week.
Thanks”
@Mike C,
See ya ifag, don't let the door hit you on the way out. one less whiner.
Why is it that Sirius lifetime are only getting the 32K stream? I got the same email as everyone else, and locked in my lifetime sub prior to the "upgrade" to 128K. My impression was that there would only be 128K and you had to pay for it, if you wanted it.
How many XMRO listeners do they have to care about out of 19 million subscribers?
Everything man-made has problems; I think we can all accept that. The real problem here is that subscribers -- their lifeblood -- are told nothing. I was never officially notified that the price of extra radios would go up, never notified that I'd lose the online stream without paying for it, never notified of the channel changes. I wouldn't expect to be notified of the XMRO service disruption since I no longer am eligible to receive it, but apparently those who do subscribe to it weren't notified of that either.
Yet, I do get at least one promotional email a week from the company, so I know they have my contact info correct.
As Ryan said in the original article, companies just can't operate this way anymore. If they don't fill in the blanks with valid, timely information, other people fill that void with whatever they want to say, and the company's image ratchets downward another notch.
bunch of cry babies is what you all are...
like your cell service or internet service or power service has never gone out...
but a luxury service such as internet streaming of satellite radio, and you all go into a sihtfit...
If it was created by man it can be solved by man.
Tim "The Bulldog" Sabean
You will all be happy to know that this was an NAB tactic designed to get to Xm subscribers.
The blogger that started this fiasco has a giant ad running on his blog. Here's his sponsor.
http://www.nabshow.com/?utm_source=mediapartner&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=reedbusiness
why are you censoring postings?
i just realized that i still can listen online for free. I thought I was getting screwed out of that, but apparently the lifetime subscription includes the online listening.
Yeh, but at what data rate. How are people determining the data rate they have?
I am still a subscriber, hence I am still paying for it. I could listen online, but I would only catch half the show if that, and since my myfi recorded only half the time, and I was listening to xm less and less it wasn't worth the price increase to keep a second radio, and I sure wasn't going to buy another xmp3 player to record the show and take it to work when my ipod would work just fine. besides...my ipod has a lot more depth and less repition than siriusfm.
Wow, Are you guys bitching about 2.99 a month!
How much are you paying for internet access on the I-phone?
Do yourself a favor and cancel the service, you may need the extra money for lunch tomorrow.
Have fun with testicle radio and all the commercials.
What a bunch of whiners!
I just set up a SKFI3 today and got a one (1) year subscription for $64.05. Makes it $5.34 a month. What a deal, and I talked to a real person in West Virginia that I could understand. There might be hope after all.
Are you attempting to feed the egos of those who are unsatisfied with Internet SAT radio? I can find better from a host of other internet radio stations. It's one thing to be bone headed about the auto situation, and another to expect that folks are willing to pay for something which is way poorer than free (Slacker.......). But, again when you have customers buying crap, why not expect they would buy more crap. Karmazin thinks of his customers the way that he thinks of his employees, his employees have another choice, to go work for FM. Oh wait maybe not, since the FM DJ has been replaced by a HAL 9000 computer with Clear Channel programming.
Yea keep the 0.0 faith. 14 stations lost because of crappy ratings. O&A really means DOA. Game over boys..... 0.0
WTF - This shit still doesn't work. Not a single update from Sirius/XM. I am so glad that I shelled out a few hundred dollars to lock in the old rate and get free 128k streaming of XMRO. This is blatant neglect of the customer. Really frustrating. Really disappointing
E...
14 stations lost due to crappy ratings before and after O and A, never during. If they didn't already switch formats
come back after you finish your Hoo-Hoo Kool Aid and had a chance to read the ratings during the times they were on versus the rest of the day.
Hey it's mid-week and this still doesn't work. SHOCKING!!
Can you believe this fucking response that I received from XMRO technical support. Now they are saying that if you "locked in" you can get XMRO, but only at 32k. Unreal. I was told, as I am sure everyone else who locked in was told, that you would be receiving XMRO Premium if you locked in before March 11th. Yeah, let's stop the hating, the company is doing great. Fucking Assholes!!! Is this how XM is going to deal with the fuck up of the Premium Online launch. Make the customer think that they were mistaken and that they were only going to get 32k if they signed up for longer terms before March 11th. I can't wait for the person who posts trying to explain this away and tell me to stop crying.
Dear Mr. Baxter,
Thank you for contacting XM.
We have received your email and we are sorry to hear that you are still unable to get XM Radio Online at 128kbps. Our records indicate your radio KERJ020Z is on a 1 year subscription with free online listening because you locked in before 3/11/09. Free online listening is streamed at 32kbps. The Premium stream of 128kbps is for subscribers that are paying the additional fee of $2.99 per month. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause.
If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to send an additional email or you may contact a Listener Care Representative directly at 1-800-XM RADIO (800-967-2346). Our Listener Care Center's hours of operation are as follows:
Monday - Saturday 8AM - 11PM ET
Sunday 8AM - 8PM ET
Thank you,
Glen
XM Radio Inc.
1500 Eckington Place NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
www.xmradio.com
XM Listener Care: 1-800-967-2346
Here's the latest from XM. Now they are sticking with the story that if you locked in prior to March 10th, you will have 32k not 128k. You'd still have to pay for the upgrade. I can only guess that they really just don't care. Has anyone that was an existing subscriber and extended thier contract prior to 3/11 getting the 128k as no charge?
Dear Mr. Baxter,
Thank you for contacting XM.
We understand your concerns as it relates to the implementation of an XM Radio Online service fee.
In response to your email, the XM Radio Online service fee was explained in the offer which is paraphrased below:
"On March 11, 2009, we will upgrade the online listening experience to near CD-quality digital audio. Satellite radio subscriptions will no longer include internet radio at no charge. If you upgrade your monthly, quarterly or semi-annually subscription to a 1 ? 3 years annual savings plan, prior to this date, you will continue to get online listening for FREE for the length of your subscription.
This is your chance to keep listening online at no charge. After March 11th premium online listening will cost $2.99 per month".
If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to send an additional email or you may contact a Listener Care Representative directly at 1-800-XM RADIO (800-967-2346). Our Listener Care Centers hours of operation are as follows:
Monday - Saturday: 8AM ? 11PM EST
Sunday: 8AM - 8PM EST
Thank you,
Nadine
XM Radio Inc.
1500 Eckington Place NE
Washington, D.C. 20002
www.xmradio.com
XM Listener Care: 1-800-967-2346
I am having the same issue on March 25 my account showed XMRO Premium now as of April 5 it dropped to XMRO Basic my emails are no longer being replied to, called listener care and basically was told nothing can be done, this takeover or merger whatever you want to call it is basically screwing xm listeners, I threatened to cancel my account and the woman could have cared less.
Haven't had service since March 25 for XMOnline. Customer service is terrible... I had this account for only two weeks, got a lifetime subscription and when I indicated I was going to cancel the account the representative on the phone actually told me I can't cancel a lifetime subscription account. PLEASE... When you ask for a supervisor or management no one is available. Seems like they have a staff of two people for this company.
I will be cancelling if not restored today. They promised me it would be LOL.... I have been promised this several times over the last 10 days
SELL YOUR STOCK