Email: SiriusXM for a Fee

Old Aug 24, 2015, 8:51 am
  #31  
 
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Originally Posted by gooselee
Hmm...I may sign up for a trial.

Did you happen to notice exactly how much data it was using, say, per hour of streaming? Even if I have to up my data plan a bit, might be worthwhile.

Man, I miss those unlimited data days...
It's not a lot. Around 50MB per hour, at most.
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Old Aug 24, 2015, 12:59 pm
  #32  
 
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
Does XM limit the number of times you can update the radio ID on your account? If this turns into a trend, I am thinking about signing up for the 6m/$25 deal and just adding the radio ID to my account each time I get a new rental, then updating it when I pick up the next car.

If this is not possible, I will get the $10 monthly music service (I only listen to one channel anyway) and streaming it from my phone to the car.

No way I'm giving National one red cent for this "service".
boca,

From what I could glean from a call to Listener Care, the subscription update option either, is not offered, or, is $ 15 per update - which may make the Trial Subscription worthless. Got an associate who apparently was relatively new (associate was double-jacking or seated within earshot of a supervisor - could hear the second party in the background).

I agree with the sentiment upthread - have a Road Warrior option to allow user to update in each vehicle. But, probably not going to happen - call it SXM Monetization - it's all the rage

Lastly, at the very least, could National offer the option to pay the fee independent of the rental fee...for many, sure there is no way it's going to make it through expense reporting, so I'd rather just pay it upfront and be done with it.

I wonder if this also applies to all EHI fleets?
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Old Aug 24, 2015, 1:08 pm
  #33  
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Originally Posted by nycatl
boca,

From what I could glean from a call to Listener Care, the subscription update option either, is not offered, or, is $ 15 per update - which may make the Trial Subscription worthless. Got an associate who apparently was relatively new (associate was double-jacking or seated within earshot of a supervisor - could hear the second party in the background).

I agree with the sentiment upthread - have a Road Warrior option to allow user to update in each vehicle. But, probably not going to happen - call it SXM Monetization - it's all the rage

Lastly, at the very least, could National offer the option to pay the fee independent of the rental fee...for many, sure there is no way it's going to make it through expense reporting, so I'd rather just pay it upfront and be done with it.

I wonder if this also applies to all EHI fleets?
If that's the case, I will just stream from my phone. I read the quality of the stream from the satellite is not that great anyway, and I might get better quality through the phone. Either way, National won't see a dime for XM from me.
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Old Aug 24, 2015, 4:09 pm
  #34  
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
If that's the case, I will just stream from my phone. I read the quality of the stream from the satellite is not that great anyway, and I might get better quality through the phone. Either way, National won't see a dime for XM from me.
Yeah, I think the streaming subscription is the de facto Road Warrior option.

I got a trial and tried it last week. Used about 40MB/hour from what I could tell on the default settings. Still debating whether it's worth it - most of my work sites are in or near cities, so I don't spend THAT much time driving.

The only thing I don't like about the streaming option is I have to fiddle with my phone to change channels, which obviously doesn't work well while driving. I've been noticing that USB ports are as ubiquitous as bluetooth on fleet cars these days...maybe I'll just load a bunch of music on to a jump drive and come to terms with not having live sports/news other than local radio...
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Old Aug 25, 2015, 5:53 am
  #35  
 
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Originally Posted by Coastercameron
Dwbf11, I would agree that this would seem like an exaggeration except it is becoming clear that National is actively canceling the free trials. My friend got a Dodge Journey with 4 miles last week. The Sirius worked for 6 hours then deactivated. If this was only to supplement the existing trials I wouldn't have a problem with it.
This is probably my last year with National because of this crap. It's one thing to charge customers so they get guaranteed XM, it's another to actively cancel the cars on the free trials--most of which are in EC or EA rows and have been a reason many of your elite customers (like me) have stuck around, even though your rates are now about the same as Hertz and National has ~75% fewer locations.

National needs to stop this crap immediately or (even better) add XM as a benefit for EC/EA/ES. This is absurd.

Last edited by moulder3; Aug 25, 2015 at 6:40 am
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Old Aug 25, 2015, 7:22 am
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Drove a Fusion from DCA last weekend with 3,000 miles and full XM service. It was the only car I checked out so not sure about any others.
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Old Aug 25, 2015, 3:12 pm
  #37  
 
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Picked up a 2015 Azera with 8,200 miles. No active XM subscription. I called in to Listener Care and told them I was renting a car and was a prospective customer. They activated a free 30-day trial within 4 minutes. No need for an account, phone number, address, etc.

I talked to a friend of mine who's relatively high up at corporate GM. He said that the manufacturers and XM agreed on shorter trial periods. Most of GM vehicles are 30-days, regardless of miles. Some are even shorter.
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Old Aug 26, 2015, 10:57 am
  #38  
 
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The Sirius side at least at the moment seems to be running a free period again. I noticed the traffic info on my nav system in my Jeep (which has an expired sat subscription).
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Old Aug 26, 2015, 11:41 am
  #39  
 
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Last week out of Houston Hobby (HOU), I had a 2016 GMC Acadia SLT, and a whopping 5 miles on it. XM was not activated.
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Old Aug 26, 2015, 11:50 am
  #40  
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For those who will use XM frequently and want a cheap, portable option, I present:

http://shop.siriusxm.com/xm/ctl10600..._reconditioned

Now the question unanswered from the site: will this deal work with the $10/mo music only subscription or the previously mentioned $25/6 month offer?

Even if not, it's a very cheap alternative to paying for XM at National or Avis, just don't leave it behind in the car accidentally.
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Old Aug 26, 2015, 12:57 pm
  #41  
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
For those who will use XM frequently and want a cheap, portable option, I present:

http://shop.siriusxm.com/xm/ctl10600..._reconditioned

Now the question unanswered from the site: will this deal work with the $10/mo music only subscription or the previously mentioned $25/6 month offer?

Even if not, it's a very cheap alternative to paying for XM at National or Avis, just don't leave it behind in the car accidentally.
At that point, why not just get the streaming subscription and not have to carry around the extra piece of hardware? Assuming you have a decent data plan.
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Old Aug 26, 2015, 1:05 pm
  #42  
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Originally Posted by gooselee
At that point, why not just get the streaming subscription and not have to carry around the extra piece of hardware? Assuming you have a decent data plan.
My data plan is 2GB...but I only have 3G and I'm not sure if the quality will work vs the risk I might use up a huge chunk of data considering the numbers of hours a day I would be listening in the car, plus the other work I'm doing online that is using data.
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Old Aug 26, 2015, 3:06 pm
  #43  
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
My data plan is 2GB...but I only have 3G and I'm not sure if the quality will work vs the risk I might use up a huge chunk of data considering the numbers of hours a day I would be listening in the car, plus the other work I'm doing online that is using data.
True, I forget that I'm lucky to have most of my work relatively close to airports/city centers.
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Old Aug 28, 2015, 6:42 am
  #44  
 
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
For those who will use XM frequently and want a cheap, portable option, I present:

http://shop.siriusxm.com/xm/ctl10600..._reconditioned

Now the question unanswered from the site: will this deal work with the $10/mo music only subscription or the previously mentioned $25/6 month offer?

Even if not, it's a very cheap alternative to paying for XM at National or Avis, just don't leave it behind in the car accidentally.
As an FYI, dealing with the antenna every time you rent a car is a bit of a hassle (need to run the wire out a window and mount it on the roof or trunk, and then pack it up again at the end.
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Old Aug 28, 2015, 9:37 am
  #45  
 
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Has anyone actually been offered the XM service at checkout? I have a car for a week around the Labor Day weekend, would like to know if the service is even available.
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