Sirius Satellite Radio I payed for a year subscription and canceled with 6 months left and they tell me that I will not get any money back due to a 75 dollar disconnect fee. What a ripoff. New York New York

you have to watch the terms and conditions on the promotions as there are subscription requirements and deadlines that have to be met. if not it is in your terms that we will automatically debit the amount of the specified term on the credit card on file. another thing you should know is, if you cancel that service without returning the radio, you may be liable to pay full price for the equipment.

Smart move not allowing them to access your bank account directly. I go month to month and allow them to debit directly. I ordered a new system for my other car, and they debited a six month subscription earlier than they were supposed to. Because of the way my bank looks at "pending" transactions, I ended up being charged $133 in over draft fees.

The early termination fee is pretty straightforward, and much like the ones cell phone companies charge. Not really a "rip off", just a business decision.

all what was said in the previous rebuttal is true, and the terms are not kept secret when you do sign onto service with sirius...you save money also by purchasing a year subscription in advance, so therefore, it is a contract, so to speak, that you sign onto in an annual plan or higher...also, that was clearly defined to you in your "welcome kit" which comes either to your home or to your email you provide...most service providers do require credit or debit cards to debit monthly fees these days..can you imagine the cost involved in sending millions of invoices out on a monthly basis? who does that anymore? take a celluar provider, for instance, to get the deal on the monthly plan and the free phone, you sign a contract....you break the contract, and watch the bill you'll get from them!

I am guessing that you do not have a valid debit/check card? Looking over Sirius' terms and conditions finds the following...

------------------------------------------------a) Subscription Fee. You must pay in advance, by credit card or branded debit/check card, or, for committed Subscriptions of at least one year in length, by check or money order, at the rates in effect at the time of payment, for any Service ordered for use with your SIRIUS Receiver (including Service ordered by your children or other family members or drivers of your vehicle), with or without your permission, through all periods until your Service is canceled. You will receive a paper invoice only if you commit to a Subscription of at least one year in length and elect to pay by check or money order. You will be responsible for all Subscription fees, other charges and fees and purchases under your account. Our Subscription fees and other charges and fees are subject to change.
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So, reading that it seems that they would not allow you to pay by check/money order on a monthly basis. To go month-to-month requires a credit/debit card, or, perhaps as you said access to a banking account. Not that unusual nowadays.

Later on in their terms comes...

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c) Administrative Fees. In order to minimize our monthly subscription fees, we may charge you one or more of the following fees, all of which are subject to change:

3. Cancellation Fee: If you cancel your Subscription prior to the end of a prepaid Subscription or committed Subscription period, we may charge you a cancellation fee of up to $75.00.
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So, they haven't really done anything dirty, but in your specific situation it doesn't work out well for you. Probably should have just kept the service until it ran out, at least that way you would have gotten something for your money, or, consider getting a check card from your bank. There's no charge for it from most banks, and you have the same credit card protections on it.