Where Has Integrity Gone?

I try my best to avoid any subscription models for purchases. Always a PITA.

Back to the subject of XM radio stuff- i have yet to live in an area where I found it even listenable....always came across in my cars as the equivalent of RealAudio in the dial up modem internet days. Also, I really don't drive that much so just a waste either way.
 
I recall signing up to Direct TV many years ago. I called and gave them the referral info to get a very good rate for the first 12 of 24 months. First bill wasn't discounted. I called. They said I subscribed wrong, I had to initiate through the referral portal and the agent I setup with on the phone wasn't authorized to grant referral benefits, even though the entire conversation with them indicated otherwise. 24 months later I call up to cancel. They had like 10 "change my mind" offers. I eventually cancelled. 3 months later I get a bill. I call up. they said "we thought you might like this offer so we went ahead and activated it for you." I request to cancel and they wanted to slap me with an early termination but couldn't locate any signed documents. They finally refunded me 4 months later. I actually cancelled that credit card to avoid the account re-opening again.
 
I don't know what you guys are talking about. When has there been a time with integrity? We wouldn't have lawyers if people had integrity. Here's some random examples of lack of integrity from your fellow man:
  • Slavery
  • Corporate America has always tried to pay people as little as possible and treat people as bad as they can get away with
  • Ask people of color what they thought of the integrity of white America from the so-called "Greatest Generation" in the US
  • Was there ever a time where politicians were known to have integrity?
  • Those "buy 7 albums for a penny" type scams that were everywhere when I was growing up.
  • Monsanto, Waltons, Vanderbilt, Wall Street, etc.
These days there are additional attack vectors with so much happening online. So bastards running scams and other nefarious attacks have easier access to people to abuse. If Sirius XM existed 100 years ago they would be using whatever tactics were available to them to keep taking your money.
 
It appears integrity is like common sense now a days, it has become a super-human power, seen only in a very few.
 
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Why does it seem like everyone has no ethics anymore?

Just the latest nugget:
I get an email from SiriusXM that my subscription is due to renew. I see that they jacked the rate up to $500 for two years. Screw that, I want to cancel.

So I go to the SiriusXM website and select "Manage Your Subscriptions" and then "Cancel Subscription". It gives me two options: "Select a New Subscription" and "Transfer Subscription to Another Vehicle". Uhhhh, I selected "Cancel".

Then I see fine print down the bottom of the page that you either have to call or chat to cancel. So I figure I'll chat. It says chat lines are open 8am to 8pm EST. It's currently around 6pm. So I click "chat"... "Chat is unavailable. Please try again between 8am and 8pm".

So I get up this morning and try again... "14 people are ahead of you". Ugh. "4 people are ahead of you". Getting there. "9 people are ahead of you". Uh, what?

Finally get an agent.

Vin,
Hi, my name is Vin. Thank you for contacting SiriusXM.
How may I help you today?

You,
Please cancel subscription.

Vin,
I'm sorry to hear that you are considering cancellation.
May I know the reason for cancellation?

You,
Don't drive that car anymore, too old to get into it.

Vin,
Is there any certain reasons for not driving that vehicle?

You,
Please cancel subscription.

Vin,
Allow me 2 minutes to check your account.

Vin,
Thank you for details.
I see that the radio is active with Select 2 years plan on it.

We donot want to loose you as a customer as you have been the most valuable one for us. What Best I can do is I can offer a promotion which can justify the minimal usage you have .

For the next 12 months, you are eligible to receive our Select package at a promotional rate of $60, plus fees and taxes. That’s like paying $5 per month. Just like the previous offers, this plan will automatically renew and bill at then-current rates, and it will renew to the standard Select package which is $16.99, until you contact us to cancel, which you can do at any time.


You,
Please cancel subscription.

Vin,
Let me go out of my way and offer you the Most discounted offer . I can offer you All Access plan for $2 charge for 3 months .
I am sure you can afford this price.


You,
Please cancel subscription.

Etc.

It's sad you have to go through so much to get rid of something you don't want. What's worse is that they don't consider giving you the same discounts and treatment that new customers get, even after years of loyalty and paying them premium rates. I went through a similar thing with direct tv.
 
I recall signing up to Direct TV many years ago. I called and gave them the referral info to get a very good rate for the first 12 of 24 months. First bill wasn't discounted. I called. They said I subscribed wrong, I had to initiate through the referral portal and the agent I setup with on the phone wasn't authorized to grant referral benefits, even though the entire conversation with them indicated otherwise. 24 months later I call up to cancel. They had like 10 "change my mind" offers. I eventually cancelled. 3 months later I get a bill. I call up. they said "we thought you might like this offer so we went ahead and activated it for you." I request to cancel and they wanted to slap me with an early termination but couldn't locate any signed documents. They finally refunded me 4 months later. I actually cancelled that credit card to avoid the account re-opening again.
DirecTV is another one.

We have a vacation home and every year we put that account on hold during the winter. This year we noticed that they were still charging us. So my wife called them and after about two hours finally got someone who wasn't grossly incompetent to authorize a refund. Probably obvious at this point what happened... nothing, no refund.
 
I try my best to avoid any subscription models for purchases. Always a PITA.

Back to the subject of XM radio stuff- i have yet to live in an area where I found it even listenable....always came across in my cars as the equivalent of RealAudio in the dial up modem internet days. Also, I really don't drive that much so just a waste either way.

Yeah they keep adding channels and increasing the compression. Certain channels are okay and others are horrible. Cymbals start to sound like trash can lids.
 
It's because nobody ever is sent to prison for this in our days. Before the industrial era one could get hung for such practices, not a solution of course. As long as financial crimes are not punished like all other crimes nothing will change. It's too easy actually to do this. If at least all the bankers of the subprime crisis would have been jailed that would have given some stuff to think about before stealing "electronically".

Regrettable that some kind of honesty only can be obtained by severe constraints. Will stop here because the only ones who can change this are politicians and this forum is not the podium to discuss politics.
 
I recall signing up to Direct TV many years ago. I called and gave them the referral info to get a very good rate for the first 12 of 24 months. First bill wasn't discounted. I called. They said I subscribed wrong, I had to initiate through the referral portal and the agent I setup with on the phone wasn't authorized to grant referral benefits, even though the entire conversation with them indicated otherwise. 24 months later I call up to cancel. They had like 10 "change my mind" offers. I eventually cancelled. 3 months later I get a bill. I call up. they said "we thought you might like this offer so we went ahead and activated it for you." I request to cancel and they wanted to slap me with an early termination but couldn't locate any signed documents. They finally refunded me 4 months later. I actually cancelled that credit card to avoid the account re-opening again.
DirecTV are scumbags. I signed up for CenturyLink a few years back because they claimed to offer fiber optic internet, and got DirecTV bundled with it at a discount rate. Turns out, the CenturyLink tech arrived and was going to install DSL, because the advertised fiber optic was not available in my area. I cancelled, and he left. DirecTV then tried to force me to honor the contract for a year's service, and at the non-bundled full rate due to cancelling CenturyLink due to the fiber/DSL bait-and-switch. I had to threaten them with a UDAAP suit to get them to remove my subscription and the bad marks on my credit from not paying it. It should have been cancelled (or at least cancellable) at the same time as the CenturyLink, being part of a 'bundle', but, because they are separate companies, they operate separately when it suits them, and they would not let me cancel.
 
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It's because nobody ever is sent to prison for this in our days. Before the industrial era one could get hung for such practices, not a solution of course. As long as financial crimes are not punished like all other crimes nothing will change. It's too easy actually to do this. If at least all the bankers of the subprime crisis would have been jailed that would have given some stuff to think about before stealing "electronically".

Regrettable that some kind of honesty only can be obtained by severe constraints. Will stop here because the only ones who can change this are politicians and this forum is not the podium to discuss politics.
Hanging is too polite and not mearly messy enough for financial criminals. Give them the full William Wallace treatment.
 
Sonically Sirius blows. Sounds like a fucking cracked wah. Hate it and would never pay for it. With podcast, Youtube and Apple Music.....I could care less about it.
 
I have lost SO MUCH money from having integrity it sometimes hurts to think about it.
Thanks
Pauly

Why does it seem like everyone has no ethics anymore?

Just the latest nugget:
I get an email from SiriusXM that my subscription is due to renew. I see that they jacked the rate up to $500 for two years. Screw that, I want to cancel.

So I go to the SiriusXM website and select "Manage Your Subscriptions" and then "Cancel Subscription". It gives me two options: "Select a New Subscription" and "Transfer Subscription to Another Vehicle". Uhhhh, I selected "Cancel".

Then I see fine print down the bottom of the page that you either have to call or chat to cancel. So I figure I'll chat. It says chat lines are open 8am to 8pm EST. It's currently around 6pm. So I click "chat"... "Chat is unavailable. Please try again between 8am and 8pm".

So I get up this morning and try again... "14 people are ahead of you". Ugh. "4 people are ahead of you". Getting there. "9 people are ahead of you". Uh, what?

Finally get an agent.

Vin,
Hi, my name is Vin. Thank you for contacting SiriusXM.
How may I help you today?

You,
Please cancel subscription.

Vin,
I'm sorry to hear that you are considering cancellation.
May I know the reason for cancellation?

You,
Don't drive that car anymore, too old to get into it.

Vin,
Is there any certain reasons for not driving that vehicle?

You,
Please cancel subscription.

Vin,
Allow me 2 minutes to check your account.

Vin,
Thank you for details.
I see that the radio is active with Select 2 years plan on it.

We donot want to loose you as a customer as you have been the most valuable one for us. What Best I can do is I can offer a promotion which can justify the minimal usage you have .

For the next 12 months, you are eligible to receive our Select package at a promotional rate of $60, plus fees and taxes. That’s like paying $5 per month. Just like the previous offers, this plan will automatically renew and bill at then-current rates, and it will renew to the standard Select package which is $16.99, until you contact us to cancel, which you can do at any time.


You,
Please cancel subscription.

Vin,
Let me go out of my way and offer you the Most discounted offer . I can offer you All Access plan for $2 charge for 3 months .
I am sure you can afford this price.


You,
Please cancel subscription.

Etc.
 
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