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HomePersonal FinanceIs Evan a Personal Finance D-Bag Part 2?

Is Evan a Personal Finance D-Bag Part 2?

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Last time I asked the question of whether I was a personal finance D-Bag I went to The Met and paid the full “suggested” price to get in.  I couldn’t decide if I was a good humanitarian or a personal finance blogger d-bag.  I got some great responses,

If you can afford to pay the recommended amount, I consider it the “right” thing to do.

I think it’s a pay what you can afford concept. There are a great many people who perceive that The Met is out of their price range (when it’s actually free), but appreciate the artwork’s availability. Therefore it’s a recommended price of admission vs an actual ticket.

Wow! I never knew you were a bad ass Greek sculpture, Evan.  Impressive.

Well I think I have a different situation here, and I may be a a personal finance master or just a straight up d-bag.

I Love My Sirius Radio, But Hated Paying for It

I am a huge fan of Sirius, and I have been a paying customer since 2004 (also have been a shareholder when the stock was not a penny stock lol).  Well fast forward approximately 6 years, I set up The Wife’s XM  and upon searching online I found a deal for $77/year…but what a minute I was paying $14/month or $168/yr.  I am a long term customer and I am getting killed while The Wife was paying half of that with just a google search (it should be noted that XM and Sirius are the same company).

Sirius Promotion

So, I called up Sirius Customer Service and pretended that I was going to quit. I had zero intentions of quitting; if they called my bluff I would have said I had to think about it.  I had an idea that the very threat of losing a 6 year customer would get me some good deals.

It Worked.   They offered me the exact same deal that The Wife got.  With a 10 min phone calls I save about 85 bucks for the year, not a huge sum of money but absolutely a moral victory.

Personal Finance Master or D-Bag?

I told this story to a really good buddy of mine and he didn’t react the way he thought I would.  He told me it was weird and kind of dirtbaggy since I knew I would never quit.  I stand by my decision but wanted to hear what others thought.

So what say you?

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8 COMMENTS

  1. I think it was smart of you. Why should you pay double what a new customer would pay? They’ll milk you for everything you’re worth if you let them.

  2. I see nothing wrong with what you did. I hate that long term customers just get the shaft when new customers get all the perks. Why not show a little love for loyalty!

    Don’t give it a second thought.

  3. Are you kidding me? Definitely the right thing to do. There is nothing wrong with a consumer working hard to get the best deal possible on a product or service. That is the very essence of capitalism. The market in this case has several price points with yours being much higher than others. Absolutely no reason not to pursue a better price regardless of the false threat of cancellation.

    Taking this to another situation, does that mean that you shouldn’t negotiate with the car dealer to get a better price by ‘walking away’ even if you intend to buy the vehicle. It’s just another tactic available to consumers to get the best price.

  4. Nah, I’d say you were looking out for your best interests. The company certainly looks out for THEIR best interests. Since they were willing to sell their service to you for the reduced price and since they were not forced to do so, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.

  5. I think XM/Sirius is over-priced IMHO. To me $77/year should be what it costs. I’m waiting for them to offer that deal on the Genesis that just expired. I should also let our other car run out again. I really only listen to the news stations and O&A. Some of the stations are just horrible.

    HD Radio in the NY metro area is actually pretty good deal (especially it’s free). There are more than 16 HD channels.

  6. Trust me: of Sirius could come up with some comparable strategy to get you to pay more, they’d use it. At the moment, though, they’re in business and they know they’re not being fair in their rates. Given that you know what their rates for other people are, it’s perfectly reasonable to suggest that you will quit if you can’t get a better rate, too. In your shoes, I’d have quit without even giving them a chance to offer anything better. That’s because I have no patience, especially with service providers that gouge me. 😉

  7. You can call and ask for a discount or just actually unsubscribe. It will be only a matter of days before Sirius will be sending you tons of e-mails and flyers asking you to ‘come back’. They will offer some great deals, like 50%-off a new subscription in addition to a new receiver (or a second free subscription for a family member). And they will probably waive any activation fee as long as you ask.

    They also offer, I think, a lifetime subscription for about $350.

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