[BC] WSJ: Satellite Radio Runs Into Static

[Rich Wood]

------ At 10:31 AM 8/15/2006, Rob Atkinson wrote: -------

>Low Fidelity:  Until Recently Full of Promise, Satellite Radio Runs 
>Into Static

Based on today's Wall Street Journal article (8/15). I decided to 
visit one of my area's largest multiple brand car dealers to see what 
they'd do if a customer brought a properly operating "defective" 
radio (IBUZ or satellite) back. The answer was absolutely nothing. 
Dealers now are often selling new cars below their cost, especially 
during "employee pricing" days. The purpose is to bring in used cars 
in trade on which they really make their money. The days of "we'll 
give you a CD changer" to compensate are gone. Manufacturers do not 
compensate the dealer for a returned radio simply because they're 
unhappy it doesn't work as they'd expected.

At this point, it leaves the dealer with an unhappy customer. This 
dealer carries about 7 major brands. None of them offer IBUZ 
receivers as options. No one in sales or service knew what it was 
even when I used the HD Dominion's preferred name that sends everyone 
to the TV department.

In the case of the unactivated satellite receivers, the dealer 
doesn't get spiffed until the receiver is activated. They activate it 
in their shop and include a note with all the paperwork that notifies 
the customer the radio will work for one year. After that, they have 
to pay for the service themselves. No one there knew how many people 
renewed their subscriptions.

Rich