Call Kurtis: What to Know Before Pre-Paying for Satellite Service
MODESTO (CBS13) - Farmer Ron Harding hasn't been able to get his SiriusXM Satellite service to work for 11 months, he said.
When the company didn't fix it or give him a refund, it was time to Call Kurtis.
SiriusXM provides music and talk radio, but Harding likes it because of its Travel Link service, which charts nearby gas prices and weather conditions.
But one day the service he paid for stopped, and SiriusXM refused to do anything about it, Harding said.
In addition to managing his own farm, Harding works as a consultant at farms across California and Arizona to show how to grow the healthiest crops.
That means Harding spends even more time in his truck, driving from location to location.
"I'll easily spend 14 or 15 hours a day in the truck," he said.
That's why Harding paid $152 for a three-year subscription to SiriusXM's Travel Link, which displays information on through the touchscreen in his Ford F-150.
When the signal stopped coming in, Harding said even Ford couldn't find any problem with his equipment.
Then, more than a year, after he first complained, SiriusXM sent him a random check in the mail ... for a penny.
"One cent," said Harding, "You're kidding, right?"
Consumer attorney Stu Talley said Harding deserves his money back.
"They would definitely have to refund a pro-rated portion," Talley said.
Hours after CBS13 contacted SiriusXM, the company called Harding.
"Within two minutes, the service was going," he said.
The service magically working again.
SiriusXM media representative Sal Resendez refused to tell CBS13 exactly what went wrong, saying, "Sometimes there's going to be miscommunication between a customer and customer care."
But what about that odd $.01 check? SiriusXM couldn't explain that.
Instead of refunding him, SiriusXM agreed to give Harding three additional years of Travel Link service at no cost, which Harding said will come in handy when he's driving from farm to farm.
"I'm glad it's fixed," he said.
SiriusXM refused to tell CBS13 anything about Harding's case, citing "privacy concerns."
The company would not say why Harding's service wasn't fixed before CBS13 got involved.
