Sirius- it still is a mess?

I thought, since I’m going to need to pay car bills, that I would put enough on my credit card to take care of that. I forgot about the satellite radio bill though, and it tried to renew itself and drove my credit card over it’s limit.

Oh shit. Right over that cliff, and what a mess it made.

I called the credit card because the last deposits and transfers should have held it to under the limit, and should have given me enough to do something like, oh, send the Garmin unit back to get it exchanged and to buy gas – I’ve got less than a hundred miles of gas left in the car, and I have to be able to get to the job I’m waiting to get the results of the drug test on. I don’t know why I wouldn’t pass that, but if I did and couldn’t get to the job for at least a week or more likely three weeks, until that first pay check, that would be so fucked.

sigh

I forgot about the renewal date on the Sirius radio and it went directly to my credit card, drove it over the limit, and tied it up. 0 balance AND over the limit. Words fail, even swear words.

I called the credit card to ask what was up with it – the payments that I made last week should have given me enough to pay the car insurance and some gas – why isn’t it showing anything besides zero? They gave me the answer to that question – Sirius was the "problem" and, "sir, you should call them and resolve it".

Well, I did, and after talking to several people, I think I’ve got it resolved, but the refund will take "a few days", so it’s still an "oh shit" moment, but it looks like it’s a temporary thing. Turns out that due to a class-action suit against Sirius, I get a free month of service anyways (heh, NOW they tell me). I’m supposed to get a full refund until next month, when the free month ends, and by that time, well, shit, I hope to have a good paying job that I just need to be able to GET TO, and can pay the renewal.  As soon as I said "cancel my service", they made made me an offer – a really pretty good offer – 6 months at less than half price.  I insisted – "I really need that money back on my card", and damn, if the offer didn’t get even better!

Hmmm..

I have been nice and polite, but firm, to everyone I’ve talked to so far – I know they record these things, and don’t want to be "that asshole customer" but I do want that charge taken off my credit card, because it’s a disaster if it’s not – a real, "I’m fucked" disaster.

I’ll take care of that "automatic billing" thing in the next couple of days, after I get that refund. Firmly and politely still seems to work, but omg, the stress is killing me (not, I hope, really).  A free month of service, but, not because I asked for or took an offer – it’s a class-action suit result.  Amazing that they were counting on me not to know about it.

(and, well, I did, kind of – I got an email about it, but with so much else looking to send me over cliffs, I didn’t recall it until told about it)

It’s still a big drag, really.  Maybe I should twitter about it?  I have an account now, and I hear that’s an effective way to get things fixed.  Hmmm.

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