Tara texted me this morning about an automatic bank withdrawal.
SiriusXM just charged $22. Is that monthly??
Because there were two question marks, I knew this displeased my wife. And honestly, it displeased me, too. For the past year, the monthly charge had been $7 and some odd change. I figured my one-year promotional period had just expired. That’s what these companies do: they reel you in, hook you, and then jack up their fees.
I’ve really grown to love SiriusXM. But not enough to justify $22 a month. We’re not in any sort of dire straits financially, but we also don’t wanna be givin’ away money for nothing.
See what I did there?
It’s the principle of the matter. I can just as easily listen to Spotify in my car, or even—in a pinch—the radio. My work commute is 15 minutes, which is no more than three songs anyway. Or one, if that song happens to be, just to pick a random long one, “Telegraph Road” by Dire Straits (14 min. 18 sec.).
Man. I’d better listen to Brothers in Arms or something.
So, I went online, pulled up my account, and hit CANCEL. Checked the “But why?” box that said “It costs too much.” Thus commenced a standoff, as I knew it would.
First, SiriusXM suggested I switch to a lower-cost plan. Seemed reasonable, but the channel selections were limited. Neither had my go-to channels (The Spectrum and SiriXMU). And cheaper, yes…but still $8-$15 more than what we’d been paying. I declined the offer, and that’s when the automated system switched over to a chat with a live person.
Good news, she said. I can get you the Platinum subscription for only $12 a month. That’s a 43% savings!
A lesser man might have flinched at this point, but not I.
Not good enough, I said. Please proceed with the cancellation.
My nemesis, Anna was her name, fired one last shot. What if I gave you the same plan you’ve had for the same price you were paying for another year?
Now we’re cooking with gas!
I could do that, I guess, I said. Gotta play it cool, you know? I’m going to be going through the same rigamarole one year from now, after all. That’s just the way it is with these things. At least you no longer have to get on the phone and actually talk to somebody, like I used to do with Comcast every year. It’s so much easier to be an outlaw when you let your fingers do the talking.
My daughter, Audrey, and her fiancee Anna (no relation to the SiriusXM rep…I don’t think!) flew back home to the PNW this morning after a three-day visit. We hadn’t seen Audrey in over two years, so it was really nice to catch up in person.
They arrived Thursday night, and the next two days we were on the go. Friday, we hit pretty much every tourist hot spot in western South Dakota: Custer State Park, Needles Highway, Cathedral Spires, Sylvan Lake, Mount Rushmore, and Crazy Horse.
Apparently we didn’t get our fill of adventure, because on Saturday, we headed out again. We hit Sturgis and Spearfish Canyon, but our main destination was Deadwood.
By Sunday, we were plum tuckered out, so we just hung around the house. Watched a football game we won’t discuss and a couple of movies.
Between all the sightseeing, some great food, and fun conversation, it was a nice visit, and they were both impressed with South Dakota. Not enough to move here or anything, perish the thought, but enough to want to come back again in the future.
Mark My Words 
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