What Happens With That Sirius Lifetime Subscription?
With the advent of Satellite Radio 2.0, I am frequently asked what this means for those that have a lifetime subscription from Sirius. Lifetime subscriptions were once made available to Sirius subscribers, and depending on how long your receiver lasts, might have been a good deal. The most frequent misconception with the Sirius XM lifetime subscription is the definition of the word “lifetime”.
The first thing readers need to understand is that with Sirius XM and nearly anytime you hear the term lifetime, it does not really mean lifetime. Lottery winners often learn that lifetime is defined as about 20 years. In our legal system “life in prison” does not always mean someone will be behind bars until they die.
Smart companies often clearly define what “lifetime” means. There are occasions where some companies offer “lifetime” subscriptions without very much of a definition. Consumers run the risk of thinking they have a certain level of service without much of any recourse if the party selling a “lifetime” subscription decides to limit their level of service, walk away from the business, or simply coast along giving the subscriber less and less over time. An undefined lifetime subscription can cause mass confusion. Services may get added that suddenly are not included in the lifetime subscription. The consumer is left wondering exactly what they bought.
With Sirius XM the lifetime subscription is clearly defined, but even with that many people are still confused over what they do and don’t get for service. Below are some points that may help people understand what their lifetime subscription will be going forward:
- The first thing to understand with a Sirius Lifetime subscription is that it is for the lifetime of the receiver, not the person. If your receiver lasts you 3.5 years, you are slightly ahead of the game. If not, you paid more than you perhaps should have. Lifetime subscribers can transfer their subscription to a new radio 3 times for a transfer fee of $75 each time. This only applies to a plug and play radio, and not a car radio. The problem is that Sirius XM is moving things over to the XM platform and Sirius branded radios such as the new Starmate 8 do not feature content like Satellite Radio 2.0. This could mean that you will be paying more to get certain content, like Howard Stern if you switch. Lifetime subscriptions come with Internet Radio included. The good news is that you will receive all of the new Internet Radio channels inclusive of the recent channels added via the Satellite Radio 2.0 technology. The bad news is that if you are trying to listen in your car you can not receive Satellite Radio 2.0 over the satellite feed. People who use the Sirius XM app to get their content are typically using the Internet feed (unless you have a SkyDock). The Lifetime subscription gives you versatility, but you are reliant on a data feed.
- Sirius XM only owes you certain content with a lifetime subscription. The user agreement does not guarantee you that you will receive premium content. For example Sirius Premier costs about $4 per month and allows users to access some content available on the XM platform. Lifetime subscribers do not get this content as part of their lifetime subscription. Let’s assume for a moment that Sirius XM lands a deal with Rush Limbaugh. The company can make that a premium channel, or put it on the XM platform, and Sirius subscribers may not receive the channel. Another example is that during the merger process Sirius lost the NBA and it went top XM. The only way a lifetime subscriber now gets the NBA is through paying more money. Sirius XM is not bound to give you all of the specific content that was offered when you signed up. They must only give you similar levels of content. You lost the NBA, but gained some soccer. Sirius XM was well within their rights to make that change, and a Lifetime subscriber must accept it.
- Satellite Radio 2.0 capabilities may never be available to Sirius Lifetime subscribers. The company is under no requirement to make your satellite radio experience the same as consumers with newer and more capable radios. If a new radio offers “On-Demand” features, but is on the XM platform, Sirius Lifetime subscribers will most likely be left out either with all or some of the new capabilities and channels or have to make the switch to the XM platform which will mean some Sirius content will not be available.
The lesson here is that while many received good value for their lifetime subscriptions, they may not get all of the bells and whistles going forward. As frustrating as this may be, it is simply the way it is. Sirius XM is in the business of trying to make money. If they had their druthers they would probably wish that the lifetime subscription no longer existed. One way to pare down the number of these subscriptions is to simply let the “lifetime” receivers die off and have consumers move over to subscription plans that generate revenue on a long term basis.
The bottom line is that consumers need to be a bit cautious anytime they hear the term lifetime. Before buying anything “lifetime” read the terms and understand them. Lifetime typically does not mean until the day you die. Sirius XM may change some of these policies, they have the right to modify them at any time, but I would not hold my breath. There are simply not enough lifetime subscribers to make a material difference in the “complaints” department.
I bought a lifetime subscription for my car stereo roughly 7 years ago and it was the best purchase I ever made. It is a module that hooks up to my stereo so it’s not mono. I have never had to change it and it has been awesome. I have not listened to 1 second of terrestrial radio since and if im in a rental, I turn off the radio because id rather shove a power drill into my ears than listen to 80% commercials and lame censored talk shows.
the main reason I bought the subscription($500.00) was for howard stern although I do browse other channels from time to time. sirius 2.0 seems only slightly better since howard seems to have a higher quality stream than other channels. I use my 4g phone for streaming music because sirius music channels have always been pure crap as far as sound quality goes.
for me if they kill off my subscription eventually, I will just get another radio and never go back to sirius… unless Howard renews his contract after his current one expires.
I guess I’m lucky because I consider my lifetime subscription as one of the best purchases I have ever made.
On the other hand, I lost about $60,000.00 on sirius stock, so im still miles from coming out on top :-p
clarification – I will not get just another radio, but whichever technology exists at the time that best suits my listening preferences…. that will NEVER include any censored and primarily ad supported content.
I have a feeling Howard will move to internet, once his latest 5-year contract is up! I will cancel Sirius too, the next time a buy a new car (not paying the $75 fee with my lifetime subscription!)
Well *I* am one who seems to be completely happy with my lifetime. Though I didn’t necessarily like it at the time, I *WAS* informed before I purchased lifetime that it was only good for the lifetime of 3 receivers, and that a $75 transfer fee would be added when swapping receivers. I paid $300. The Monthly subsctiption was about $11 or $12 at that time.
That was about 3 years ago and I am still on my first receiver which is 4 years old.
As of now I have already come out ahead (especially considering that subscriptions are $15 a month now), and I still have 2 other receivers to go at only a $75 transfer fee. I also am able to listen to Sirius on the internet without paying any extra.
I tried to do the same on my phone and was asked to pay $3 a month!!! Forget that!!!
Still though, I am extremely happy that I bought my lifetime 3 or so years ago.
I am one of the happy ones too. Got my life sub in 2007 on a portable unit which was given to me from a dealer for test driving a vehicle. I move it from vehicle to vehicle and its well worth the price $300 with promo discounts. The only regular radio I listen to is Coast to Coast am with Art Bell and now with George Norie. I heard C2C is now on somewhere I just cant find it.
If my unit dies I will be happy to pay $75 to transfer it to another portable unit and keep my lifetime sub.
Since they dont offer lifetime subs anymore I bet I could sell this unit with the lifetime for a premium price.
Sirius did not tell me about the limitation on transferring “lifetime” subscriptions (I have two); neither did they tell me about the $75 transfer fee. This policy is a scam of the highest order and I would sign up for a class action law suit in a heartbeat. Any lawyers out there want to take for action? I hate that these corporate suits scam their customers. To be successful, they believe they must out-think, out-maneuver and out-perform in order to eke out a miserable living from an unfriendly universe… they have it all backwards. My car was totalled and I’ve already transferred it twice, so I’m back to listening to NPR for free.
I signed up for Sirius “lifetime” back in 2007. Now these new SiriusXM radios don’t work under lifetime. Best Buy claims that they will. The box implies that it works on both platforms, yet the truth is a SiriusXM radio won’t work on the Sirius Lifetime plan.
The call center chumps keep repeating you are trying to activate an XM radio and I repeatedly tell them that no the box says that it is a SiriusXM radio and everybody at best buy claims it will work on both platforms.
SiriusXM uses false advertising! They claim to service both sirius and xm but the truth is Sirius Lifetime members get screwed.
As the result of a bad business decision made back a few years they are now regretting creating the lifetime membership and so instead they are trying to elbow out these lifetime members through selling them obsolete equipment and discontinuing plans, and downgrading service.
The call centers lie their butts off just trying to make a sales commission. They insist on trying to sell me a new radio with a new subscription. I keep telling them that I am lifetime Sirius member and that I don’t need a new plan.
Then they try to sell me old Sirius only radios and play them off as the latest and newest technology. They tried to sell me a Stratus and told me it was their newest radio. I wasn’t born yesterday!
In the end their call centers lie, best buy sales people aren’t educated enough on the old Sirius plans and end up making false claims, and Sirius is using false advertising on their boxes claiming that they work on both platforms.
I am starting an FTC investigation, I am filing a complaint with the BBB and I am in talks with a law firm to start a class action lawsuit against SiriusXM for their dirty business dealings and the way they have screwed over Sirius Lifetime members!
1. There are new Sirius plug and play radios that aren’t bad.
2. If you contact their Facebook support, they will likely allow a one time transfer to the XM service.
Unfortunately, you, like many others have just received crappy support from people who don’t know any better. SiriusXM has made all kinds of concessions to lifetime subscription holders, you just have to talk to the right person. Start with Facebook and then come back and thank me when it all works out 😉
Charles: I took your advice and called the cust service again. With a stern warning that this was the last time, they did transfer the service! The only thing that changed is about 2 months ago I sent 5 letters to the CEO (Mel Karmazin), the CFO, COO, etc. I don’t know if they put a note in my file or something, and I never did receive a reply on the letters, but something worked. I’ll have this new car for years (barring any accidents) so I’m happy!
Glad to hear things worked out!
Could you please explain what you mean by a one time transfer to XM. I thought the old merger made them siriusxm. The people in the call center keep saying xm and not sirius xm. Is there a difference in service or signal or something…(I know about the slight differences in channels)
Do you mean if I re-bought the SiriusXM Edge which I previously purchased and had to return they would be able to transfer the lifetime plan to a siriusxm lifetime plan or a new paid plan or what?
Yes, there is a difference in signal. If you bought a Sirius lifetime, you did not buy an XM lifetime.
If you ask for a onetime transfer from one service to another, they will typically accommodate.
Hope this helps!
Calm your hemorrhoids.
I got a Sirius lifetime sub in 2005 for about $500. I transferred it once in 2008 for $75 (fee waived actually) when I upgraded my car system.
When Sirius merged with XM I paid $100 in 2009 to add Best of XM to my Sirius lifetime sub.
Now in 2012 (September) I bought the SX200 which is a SiriusXM receiver. After about an hour on the phone with CSR and getting transferred twice, I got my account transferred into an XM Premier liftime plan (again got the transfer fee waived).
My point here is a) Don’t listen to the guys at Best Buy b) Be persistent with the people on the phone with SiriusXM and c) Make sure from other sources that you can or cannot do what you’re trying to do.
But I thought they merged. Are they not one signal? If they are two signals then wouldn’t a SiriusXM Edge work on either as the name implies or am I better off getting switching to XM signal
I purchased a lifetime membership in 2006 for five hundred dollars. I have a letter from sirius that explains that I am a “lifetime” member. I have been driving the same car that the dealership installed the sirius radio in (Prius). I am about to change vehicles. I do not think that I have to pay $75.00 and that this is only good three times. Anyone going thru this?
There has always been a $75 fee to transfer.
My letter states that “I” am a “lifetime” member. Nothing about the radio. Nothing about $75.00 to transfer. Maybe they changed their POLICY sometime in 2006 or later, but this doesn’t seem fair. I asked the right questions. Got the same answer. I WILL BE A LIFETIME MEMBER OF SIRIUS NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TO MY RADIO OR VEHICLE.
What your letter says is irrelevant. Its what your contract says, and it refers to the radio, not you.
There is no circumstance where a lifetime subscription can actually be a ‘lifetime subscription’. It’s false advertising in the purest sense. I own a stiletto, and it’s my fourth one because the hardware is poor quality. As such, I have had to ‘swap’ radios. This latest time, I was told lifetime subscriptions are only allowed 3 swaps (so I’m assuming it was not the policy early on). Unless your hardware is rock solid (never), you are OUT. Or, if you buy it with a car, it’s non-transferable, so your car would have to last a lifetime for your ‘lifetime’ subscription to be accurate. It’s bad enough for Sirius to charge lifetime subscribers $75 per swap (a policy that was not in place when I signed on) as opposed to $25 for monthly subscribers. Shame on you Sirius. I will bash your company and business practices to my extensive network of friends and business associates, and I will join a class action lawsuit on this topic if I can. Lastly, the ONLY reason I subscribe is because of Howard Stern, Sirius XM will die quickly when he leaves
I signed up for Sirius in 2002 because it was ad free and had the rock and roll music I enjoy. I did read the fine print and loaded it on to a boom box Stargate receiver. It is still working just fine. 10 years for $400.00 not a bad deal. I modified my car radio to accept the Sirius and it is still going strong asd we head into its 13th year. I don’t think they want you to load it on a car system with Sirius. We had a Honda and purchased a second yearly subscription. Gotta read the fine print.
I bought a car and the dude gave me a plug n play Xact Sirius
5 years ago…today i finally try n make it work to find out i maybe am a lifetime subscriber.Do you guys think Sirius will honor the lifetime sub even if its not in my name?
If its a lifetime it should work as soon as you turn it on.
Yo Tony, If it works after 5 years being stashed away It must be a life time subscription. Plug it in and see if it works. If it works, enjoy. I doubt Sirius will honor a lifetime subscription if you weren’t the original subscriber. They might just shut your radio down once they learn it has a new owner. Don’t kick a sleeping Sirius….Good luck.
They are now shutting down radios, randomaly to see if you are original owner. If not your done. For awhile they put message up to call them. If you do and are not original subscriber, you are done. If you don’t call after a few messages, they shut you down. You are done.
I got a life time subscription in 2002. I put it on a boom box StarMate and it’s still cookin’. The StarMate is now plugged into my car radio and it works just fine. When the StarMate dies I’ll simply buy another Plug N Play and mount it in my car. This is the 3rd car it’s been in.
The Life Time Sirius has been a great bargain… as long as it lasts. 11 years ain’t bad.
I was reading your article, and I wanted to clearify a few things about the transfer of the lifetime subscription. I owned a Sirius Stiletto 2 for almost 5 years, with a lifetime subscription. Just this past weekend I went to turn it on and it no longer worked. I called and spent about an hour on the phone troubleshooting the device with no luck. They ended up offering to transfer my lifetime subscription, fees waived, to a new SiriusXM Lynx radio, with the SiriusXM Select channel lineup. The point I am trying to make is, though they have two platforms, and they have made the corporate decision that the XM platform is the one they will continue to add more features to, they still respect that they are one company and if their lifetime subscribers want to change to a newer radio with the newer features, they can. At $400 for the lifetime subscription, that has been the best money I have ever spent, and I am sure that the service will last me until well after all the satellites have been replaced.
I am a lifetime subscriber, and have noticed that the channels are slowly disappearing. Fortunately Real Jazz, the blues channel, Deep Tracks and the news channels remain.
Can I purchase another receiver on Ebay for the day that my receiver dies? The power switch has been balky for a couple of years, but I bought a switched 12v plug for the car to tide it over and have been using that for the past 5 years.
I guess I have received good value from the service, but I am disappointed that Lifetime is not at least the Lifetime of the company. I will probably switch to an internet service within the next 3 to 5 years.
I have had my lifetime subscription for 5 years and it works for me, but I think that new companies who buy other company’s contracts should honor lifetime contracts without hesitation or manipulation on the end users!
That’s how “class action” lawsuits get started ;)…
I purchased my lifetime driving down the highway. I asked the person I spoke with what lifetime meant. “It means as long as you have a satellite receiver you can listen to Satellite Radio. I managed 1 transfer after agreeing to pay $75.00. I can no longer transfer. My new vehicle has XM which merged with Sirius, they are refusing to honor what was relayed to me. As far as I know I never signed anything, Sirius took my money when they needed the cash flow and now XM/Sirius is responding in a manner I cannot understand. You are only as good as your word. I feel I should be allowed to transfer from my Ford Sirius to the new Toyota XM at no cost or at least a small transfer fee. I understand it takes people to make things happen so I do not mind paying a adminstrative transfer fee.
“The bottom line is that consumers need to be a bit cautious anytime they hear the term lifetime.
Oh really? – I propose the company that spouts “lifetime ” as an inducement to win subscribers should be careful of using that word to sell their wares. The meaning of “lifetime” is clear and unambiguous.
Sirius made a calculated decision to “juice” their subscription sales by offering lifetime subscriptions to get the capital needed to get them past their initial development period and now wants do ditch that baggage.
The abrogation of contracts sold under the “lifetime” description would be a welcome argument for a class action attorney.
Another Sirius lifetime subscriber, here.
I noticed today that I don’t have access to internet radio anymore, whereas I used to. I now have to pay $4/month to access internet radio.
So this article is somewhat incorrect, as they have now cut off lifetime subscribers from internet radio.
My lifetime free internet radio still works.
My’lifetime subscription’ is still going strong after about 10 years. Did pay a reasonable, well, sort-of, fee to move it to my truck with built-in satellite, something like $15.00. Then got an annual for my original unit that is still going strong for our car.
If they decide to screw me on the lifetime, they will likely also lose the annual, and I’ll use my 70,000 tracks of digital on my USB connection. Parts of this collection are from the large library of an fm station. And it is truly commercial-free!
I got a first generation Kenwood add-on radio installed in my VW Passat in 2002/2003. Never a problem, and 10 years later it still works great. Given the limitations of the radio (single line b/w LCD display, doesn’t get the newer stations, etc) it will go when the car goes. But I have saved over a thousand dollars over the life of the car.
” If your receiver lasts you 3.5 years”
SO you are selling JUNK that is only supposed to last a couple of years! I have a Hallicrafters radio made in the 1940s and it still works fine!
Calling some disposable piece of trash designed to last a couple of years “lifetime” is deliberately misleading .
Warren….
Not sure who your response is to, but SiriusBuzz does not sell radios and has no affiliation with SiriusXM.
The lifetime subscription is not the radio….it is the subscription.
Spencer,
Sorry to unload here but I think a lot of people are pissed at corporations twisting commonly used terms like ‘lifetime’ to mean 3 years! Just because other companies do it and the lawyers say it is ok doesn’t make it right!
If you asked 1000 people what ‘lifetime’ means I’m sure not one would say anything as short as 3.5 years!
Its not OK just because Apple is worse!
warren…
No worries.
The lifetime is not 3 years. The point most people make is that after 3.5 years, the subscription “pays itself off” and after that all is gravey.
The subscription is lifetime and can be transferred to 3 radios. If each radio lasts 5 years, you get 15 years out of it. If each radio lasts 10 years, you get 30 years out of it.
While I am not a fan of how the merger impacted these subscriptions, they can last people many many years, and if you have good radios that do not get abused, pretty much a “lifetime”
Hey folks, I just wanted to give an update with my struggle:
I finally contacted Sirius through Facebook. Apparently they don’t trust their social media management to the same garbage off-shore outsourcing contractors that they send all of our phone calls to…which is a good thing, because I can get very loud on social media 🙂
Anyhow, they gave me a phone number to call, which at first irked me because of the amount of numbers they’ve told me to call…but THIS number was to a state-side corporate executive care customer service center, where my call was answered by a professional who spoke perfect English.
The individual didn’t even question my request, converted my “Lifetime” Sirius account into an XM account, routed it to my new car (with the built-in XM radio), and get this…even unlocked all the content (“Best of Sirius” and “Best of XM”) – so now I have all the sports, Howard, Adult, NFL etc…in my new car, for the life of the radio (which I don’t intend to switch out, and I intend to keep the car for as long as possible).
So good news: my one single request was finally fulfilled, and as promised, I’m happy to consider this the “final” switch of radios, and happy to resume paying for service if I need to move it again. I think it’s a fair deal – I’ll end up with 10 or so years of service for my “lifetime” purchase, which I feel is acceptable…NOT the 3 that I almost got robbed with.
Best of luck to the rest of you…give their Facebook team a try.
Cheers
-AD
what was the state side phone number they gave you?
I was able to TRANSFER a lifetime subscription from my old original Audiovox Sirius receiver to my new pickup truck that had a Sirius built-in in the sound system, for a fairly innocuous ‘fee’. I wish they would do the ‘lifetime’ deal again as I have another annual subscription for my wife’s car. The lifetime sub was a great deal for me.
My beef with Sirius is the millions they have squandered on crap like Howard Stearn. That was a huge management fiasco that should have infuriated stockholders and gotten the CEO fired.
Rick, whether you like Howard Stern or hate him, he is the reason Sirius XM still exists. I followed the whole situation as an investor (full disclosure:Im a Howard Stern fan)
the company was on the verge of Bankrupsy (.05/share) and when HS signed on it brought in 20M subscribers (including me) who would not have signed up without Howard.
I have had a lifetime membership for at least 7 years now.
I have NEVER listened to Stern on satellite and never intend to listen to him. The majority of my friends are the same way.
I tried listening to him on regular broadcast radio when he was available in my area. Simply put, he is an idiot.
Shock jock that happened to become very popular with the more immature public.
My .02
Amen.
Howard Stern has a great following. He’s bright, articulate and too foul mouth even for me. So, not listening to him ain’t a big deal.
Everyone has a choice and many choose to listen to Howard, he can be very funny.
But, he isn’t $100.00 funny. The fact he has help carry Sirius through a bad patch is great if that is what it took. Go Howard. Go Sirius. I bought a lifetime plan 12 years ago. Still cookin’.
Ugh, I have a Sirius lifetime subscription and my S50 radio finally died. I called Sirius looking for a new “vertical” radio like the S50 and they directed me to the XM Skydock. The rep told me I could transfer my lifetime Sirius subscription to a lifetime XM subscription “and everything would be the same”.
After buying the Skydock and paying the $75 transfer fee, I stopped receiving Howard Stern after 2 days. I called up to inquire and they told me I had to spend another $100 on an XM Premier upgrade, or return the radio. Since I’d already done the install and switched the antenna I didn’t want to rip it back out so I paid the additional ransom to get Howard Stern back.
Then, my access to Internet radio stopped working. I expect that they will now extort yet more money out of me to restore internet listening.
So in summary, I had Sirius Lifetime with Howard Stern and Internet Radio included. Radio broke:
New radio: $60
Transfer fee extortion: $75
XM upgrade extortion: $100
Internet listening extortion: ?
Broken Sirius Radio cost: $235+
Ski Monkey, I am sorry that you went through that. I recently activated the Lynx and was able to transfer my Sirius lifetime over to a Sirius XM lifetime and kept the Internet streaming. I did it all online without incident. I miss Howard, but not enough to pay more.
I know this article is sort of old, but it was true in 2011 as it is true today. They took away internet subscription from lifetime subscribers. Which I think is a breach of contract and could be a potential for a class-action because when I got my lifetime subscription back in 2006ish, I was told that by buying a lifetime subscription you also got the internet streaming service.
My lifetime which I got in 2007 still works with streaming. I am streaming Bluesville right now. It has always been there for me. Maybe because I am using the original device.
When my lifetime subscription runs out I will never purchase anything from this company again. I will do everything I can to keep this subscription running short of paying anything additional. They sold us a bunch of lies.
Well, just to chime in, I bought my Sirius radio (with installation kit for my car) in 2007. I bought is under their $11/month plan, then I got a sales call that for $400 they would sell me a liftime plan. They were clear that lifetime meant a maximum of 3 radio xfers at $75 each.
I am still on my original radio. Also I still get streaming internet music from them fine.
I am a little curious as to the raffle-like possibilities of getting my lifetime subscription upgraded to a service with all channels unlocked.
I have to look into the facebook interface? Don’t know.
But overall I am very glad and satisfied with the lifetime subscription.
I noticed on our bank visa bill that I had been charged by sirus
for 199.87. When I called the company to inquire what the charge was for as I had a life time subscription. I was told that the contract was only for 3 years. Upon questioning and explaining that I had been sold a lifetime they informed me that whoever had sold the contract had misled me and there were no lifetime available at that time. There is no way that I would have purchased a 3 year as we just use Sirus on the boat and that is for only 3 months. There was nothing that the first, second or customer service (?) would do. It was if I was making the whole thing up. The person who sold me the contract is no longer with the company. I was told that sometimes the sales people will tell customers misleading statements in order to obtain the sales. I can not see how that is my problem. There was no effort made to correct the situation, the customer service rep said that I could subscribe and pay for a lifetime contract but how could I be assured that the same thing did not happen. I cancelled the whole contract and will tell everyone to be aware of what you are getting into.
Well I just bought a new Subaru with factory installed Sirius and traded in the old car with the old aftermarket (first generation) Kenwood siruis radio, lifetime subscription purchased prior to 2005.
(http://www.onlinecarstereo.com.....R-FMP1.jpg)
Called the Siruis number as listed on their web site (https://listenercare.siriusxm.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4555/~/is-my-lifetime-subscription-transferable%3F) and spent a while on the phone with an obvious offshore call center. At first, she said she could not transfer the lifetime sub as the Subaru had free service until August 2014. Then she said she would escalate to their “backoffice” to try and get a better answer. After a while, she said they can deactivate the trial membership and transfer the lifetime membership.
Since I purchased the lifetime sub prior to 2005, I can transfer the sub any number of times. I have to say – the $300 or $400 I spent on this service in 2004 was worth every penny!
Corporate manipulation of the English language to benefit their greedy selves at the expense of the trusting public. This came about because of things like Wikipedia(a dictionary written by its readers!?!) Lies,lies,lies,lies,lies,lies,lies. This guy is obviously a crone-ey of the Sirius/XM company trying to placate the very people that helped fund their growing company at their onset. It just shows that false advertising pays. Bait and switch! Lifetime means just that. Somehow they lost the name on the 2 lifetime accounts that operate the two receivers I purchased. I am no longer able to access internet streaming(with correct username and password). Which means I no longer have the ability to upgrade my receivers. Thanks you corporate stool sample.
I bought a used BMW satellite module from a junk yard. Much to my surprise (pleasant of course), it came out of a wreck with a lifetime subscription.
I added the 100 dollar add on life time feature for xm. It was offered for a short time only. So I get everything on my lifetime. Only on second radio after 9 years
I replaced my receiver and paid the $75 transfer fee only to find out that Stern channels were not part of the upgrade.
I spent about 4 hrs on the phone with their call center. the people were pretty nice and tried to accommodate me with a compromise lifetime subscription minus the internet stream.
I finally told them nicely: “thank you for trying to help me, but a deal is a deal and Sirius XM is not willing to honor the original deal they made with me. Please cancel my subscription”
After i did that i fired off one last comment on their corporate site basically saying “you guys are scumbags who renege on your word so FU!”
30 minutes later I got a phone call from a customer relations rep who was careful not to say the words “we are sorry”… but he proceeded to activate a full SiriusXM internet and receiver lifetime subscription for me.
I now have a full lifetime package of EVERYTHING siriusXM offers and I never have to pay another dime for it….
no BS that really happened…
Great! But the original agreement stated nothing about the lifetime of the receiver, be it in a car or otherwise. My case it’s a car radio. Purchased in 2008. The fact is that, these rules have changed AFTER the consumer has acquired the subscription, not before or at the moment of the sale. That is why there is a class action lawsuit; that is why I am filing a complaint with the State of PA Attorney General; that is why everyone needs to know they cannot change the terms AFTER sale.
I too purchased a “Lifetime” membership with no restrictions. It did not define that lifetime meant limited. My original purchase was around 2001 but somehow their records only show me getting into the Lifetime in 2007. The earlier record has disappeared. Two years ago I spoke with Corporate and they acknowledged that I was grandfathered in under the old rules, but now that I changed vehicles, all of a sudden the record were changed. This company is out of control and is switching their contracts for their best interest. I just spoke with a management representative and explained my plan was taked long before Sirius and XM ever thought of merging.
Then of course there is the venue of Federal District Court which will enforce what contract language was used to entice the consumer to enter into contract. This always works to make sure unscrupulous companies don’t falsely advertise or lie to get people to part with their money.
When someone advertises something and it is clear what the meaning was, then courts almost always like to make sure one gets what they paid for.
That’s why in this case Sirius doesn’t like the words: “c-l-a-s-s a-c-t-I-o-n”
Sort of puts the chills into their legal department and stock analysts….
I wonder if everyone’s problems with losing Stern are due to the fact that they transferred their lifetime service to a radio that cannot talk on the “Sirius” network and can only talk on the “XM” network?
I transferred my lifetime service to a Starmate 8 just now and did not lose Stern. I verified this would be the case twice with customer service… on 2 separate… before having them transfer the service.
BTW….The Starmate 8 and the Stratus 7 are the only 2 radios listed on their website that talk on the Sirius network.
https://listenercare.siriusxm.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4555/~/is-my-lifetime-subscription-transferable%3F
Seems as if they changed it twice applying only to future purchases after the dates. Seems fair.
If you purchased your Lifetime subscription
Before June 20, 2005: Yes, it is transferable from one radio to another any number of times.*
From June 20, 2005 until September 7, 2007: Yes, your Lifetime subscription is transferable a maximum of three times.*
On or after September 8, 2007: Lifetime subscriptions associated with home, portable or dock & play radios can be transferred a maximum of three times.* Lifetime subscriptions first associated with or transferred to radios installed in vehicles by automakers or dealers are NOT transferable unless the radio is stolen, accidentally damaged or defective.
Your “lifetime subscription” looks like a bunch of out takes from the movie “Deliverance”.
What the big print giveth the fine print takeout away.
Don’t use the word “lifetime” if you have so many explainable variances.
Your Philadelphia lawyers have turned this entire process in a joke on the consumer.
Many of the consumers who bought your “lifetime” contract as I did thought you were temporarily cash poor so I bought 2 of them. Now the hard times have past and so has your integrity.I don’t remember reading anything about a full refund for that business you no longer want. Your entire staff of slick willies is a good reminder of “don’t believe anything you see or read”.
Thank you for the honesty and integrity
ld
I bought a lifetime subscription for a new Stelleto Sirus radion in 2007. At that time, because my radio had WiFi, I was told that my llifetime subscription would include streaming Sirus. A couple of years later I had some credit coming for a raido I cancelled in a vehicle I sold. The customer talked me into using the credit for the HD streaming. I agreed that I would do so until the credit was used. About a year later, I got billed for another year of streaming. I callec to cancel the HD streaming and was told that the regular streaming was no longer available, and if I wanted streaming I would have to contuine to pay for it. I have made numerous calls to SiruisXM, and am told that lifetime streaming was never offered. What a bunch of rip off artists. I guess I’ll just listen to what I have, but once the Stelleto goes bad, I will never subscribe again.
why use the word life time to begin with? Sneaky advertising .
In 2009 i purchased the lifetime subscription. I had the service moved to another device because the first one was defective. they charged me $75 to move it then recently I decided to use my online subscription which was included. (see below) now they say I never had it. clearly it did and should still. but the premier subscription I purchased is now not available. I don’t care I want what i paid for $500+ for the lifetime subscription. I believe I will contact their corporate office to get a resolution. the support team on the phone did all they could, but they do not have access to the plan code to restore my full plan.
The first thing to understand with a Sirius Lifetime subscription is that it is for the lifetime of the receiver, not the person. If your receiver lasts you 3.5 years, you are slightly ahead of the game. If not, you paid more than you perhaps should have. Lifetime subscribers can transfer their subscription to a new radio 3 times for a transfer fee of $75 each time. This only applies to a plug and play radio, and not a car radio. The problem is that Sirius XM is moving things over to the XM platform and Sirius branded radios such as the new Starmate 8 do not feature content like Satellite Radio 2.0. This could mean that you will be paying more to get certain content, like Howard Stern if you switch. Lifetime subscriptions come with Internet Radio included. The good news is that you will receive all of the new Internet Radio channels inclusive of the recent channels added via the Satellite Radio 2.0 technology. The bad news is that if you are trying to listen in your car you can not receive Satellite Radio 2.0 over the satellite feed. People who use the Sirius XM app to get their content are typically using the Internet feed (unless you have a SkyDock). The Lifetime subscription gives you versatility, but you are reliant on a data feed.
Avoid sirrusxm if at all possible, they lie and misrepresent the “lifetime” plan, as I found out today. No problem on the first switch to a new car, but today it seems that I was sold a expensive plan that was useless. Avoid this company at all costs as they will do nothing to fix the problem, even when you clearly explain that I was told I get to switch 3 time for once a $75 fee. If they feel dishonesty is a great company policy, then I will avoid ever doing business with them ever again, and I am telling all that wish to hear that : they are good at selling things then seem to lie about what is being sold and explained over the phone, only to be told: ‘did you read the terms and conditions?’ Very shady business practice. But apparently they feel comfortable with it.
Ya gotta read the fine print. You can’t swap out a car radio to another car. That’s been their rule for a long time. Lifetime subscriptions only work on plug n play boom box type radios. You may swap a lifetime subscription to a car radio and perhaps it will have Sirius as long as the radio lasts.
Yup. I was able to swap the lifetime from my Passat as it was an aftermarket unit installed in 2003. It’s now in my 2014 Subaru and I expect to get 10 years of life out of it. 20+ years of a “lifetime” sub is a pretty good deal.
Had it out this am with Sirius. Have had a lifetime subscription for over 9 years. Transferred to a new radio this am and poof… No Howard !! Called them up and fought tooth and nail for my stations to be put back. They were so cold and just did not give a shit !! They said they’d meet me half way. How nice !!! So instead of paying the $120 to upgrade to the channels I ALREADY HAD!! They said I’d only have to pay $60. How nice of them !!! Smdh and Thats on top of paying $80 to activate the new radio. I was livid !!! I’m going to keep on them until they give me back what I was already entitled to and already had. UNBELIEVABLE !! I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND them to anyone. Its a damn monopoly and the merger should never been allowed to happen !!!!!!
Paula, Lifetime ain’t real life time. Big print giveth, small print taketh away. Two things come to mind. You have 9 years of Sirius and many more with your current upgrade. Second for whatever you paid your radio is upgraded until you switch platforms again. You’re back in business with a lifetime radio. I have rung 13 years out of Sirius with a Plug n Play radio and figure if I lose it all I’m still ahead. Sirius is not free. We were just lucky to score a great deal years ago. Best of luck.
Well crud. I have been waiting for two years to get my original reciever repaired. I didn’t know the lifetime sub was transferable between radios. Thanks. Heading to the New Sirius xm website now.
Yo, Chris B.
The life time deal is for Plug n Play. If you hook up your lifetime to a car radio, it’s gone. The lifetime stays with the car. Best of luck.
I read on here, you can transfer if your car subscription is after market. I have Lifetime on a Alpine Tuner
I’m still using my lifetime purchased in 2003 on my 2014 Subaru, and if it lasts ~10 years, I’ll get 20+ years from the $350 or whatever I paid back then. So less than $20 a year for Siruis? Great deal.
My spouse bought a brand new 2014 Porsche Boxster S in March of 2014. Only last month (Sep 2015) did the Sirius stop working. I went to my subscription to add this radio to my account, and got 3 months free?
Strange.
I’m old school and still enjoy “elevator music” (instrumentals only) on Sirius ESCAPE channel. They’ve pulled it from regular/standard lineup subscriptions and moved it to Internet only. Bummer. No other channels have instrumental music ONLY. Not fair, Sirius.
Appears that if you call Sirius about your subscription (lifetime or other) you may risk having Sirius pull the plug on other features you subscribe to. Beware!
After 10 yrs with Sirius, it looks like they’ve removed Howard 100/101 from my lifetime as well as on the Internet. This is BS and I will sue you scumbags for this!