New York’s attorney general says SiriusXM’s nuisance cancellation process is actually illegal

SiriusXM is being sued by the state of New York because it made it too difficult for subscribers to cancel their plans. The lawsuit claims that customers who want to cancel are required to chat by phone or online with an agent who bombards them with questions and offers. “Sirius is intentionally wasting its subscribers’ time even though it has the ability to process cancellations with the click of a button.” the suit is reading.

Attorney General Letitia James’ office claims that SiriusXM’s own data reveals that subscribers take an average of 11.5 minutes to cancel by phone, and 30 minutes to cancel online. The lawsuit seeks damages for affected customers, as well as a $5,000 fine to New York State for each violation.

“Having to go through a long and frustrating process to cancel a subscription is a burdensome burden that no one looks forward to, and when companies make it difficult to cancel subscriptions, it’s illegal,” James said. In the current situation. “Consumers should be able to cancel a subscription they no longer use or need without any issues, and companies have a legal duty to facilitate the cancellation process.”

Clearly, some people were able to endure the SiriusXM cancellation. Company Reported decline 336,000 subscribers to its leading satellite radio service in the first nine months of 2023

“It is clear that the New York Attorney General issued a press release before providing SiriusXM with a copy of the complaint,” Jessica Cassano-Antonellis, a SiriusXM spokeswoman, said in a statement. “Like a number of consumer companies, we offer a variety of options for customers to sign up for or cancel their SiriusXM subscription, and after receiving and reviewing the complaint, we intend to vigorously defend against these baseless allegations that grossly misrepresent SiriusXM’s practices.”

The long-term trend away from streaming means SiriusXM has had to get creative about its future. Aside from the alleged cancellation of gymnastics, the company has invested heavily in podcasting. It bought Stitcher in 2020 for $325 million, and Conan O’Brien’s production company in 2022 for $150 million, and landed lucrative distribution deals on top podcasts. Crime addict And Pod Save America. Additionally, the company debuted its new, updated app last month that looks and works similar to Spotify.