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Nice to have Sirius NFL radio for the long commute. This is somewhat petty. Fantastic sound quality, no static whatsoever. Trivial, I realize. Installed the mount on the dash of my '07 Honda Civic.
But all in all this radio is good for the money. Radio itself is ok. Used the aux port rather than the fm transmitter mode which I had used previously. Bought this unit to replace my Sportster which I had for 4 years. What a difference.
But the preset buttons are not really easy to press.
This radio works amazingly good the audio is clear it's easy to hook it up it's easy to use and its small and compact.
My only minor gripe are the somewhat soft buttons, but as I stated most people will not be bothered by it. I cannot tell you how many stories I have heard from people who have had radios (and other electronics for that matter) stolen from their parked cars. I bought it on sale for a fair price, and was very happy with how it performed. It is very small and slick, which makes it easy to slip into a pocket or glove box. I only used the built in FM transmitter a few times, and it is unimpressive. If your vehicle does not have a line-in jack on the front, or a cassette player, you should seriously consider having an FM Direct adapter installed. The display is bright and easy to read. This won't bother most people, just something I felt worth mentioning.The unit's size is also impressive.
Remember, stow it don't show it.All in all, the Stratus is a great entry level radio. The procedure requires the removal of your radio head unit, but once you do the install (or have a pro do it if you're not comfortable with removing the radio) you will be rewarded with static and interference free radio. I used the Stratus for about half a year before giving it to my dad and upgrading myself to a Sportster 5.I will be writing this review based on the product itself, not Sirius customer service.The Stratus is a good entry-level radio. The screen back light is pretty bright even on the lowest setting; good if you're using it in the car but bad if you are using it in a dark bedroom.The buttons are a little mushy compared to my Sportster, which has a nice crisp 'click' with each push. It is easy to use and the screen is easy to read.
A friend and a family member wanted to pay for my subscription. Before I called Sirius back to redeem them, I checked my checking account. That was what they did.On December 30th I went to redeem them. I was disconnected by the first two associates, the third was yawning into the phone, and finally the fourth try I got someone who could help. I finally spoke with a supervisor who agreed to refund the fees and subscription price. His credit card was double charged, and at the beginning of January when my plan renews, I was also charged. Luckily I document everyone I speak to.
The hardware and product they give you daily is phenomenal.That being said, dealing with the company itself, specifically over the phone, is an absolute nightmare. You will not want to return to regular radio again after a couple days of Sirius. Problem is they are only good towards Sirius hardware and cannot be used for subscriptions. Problem this time, I had just paid a bunch of bills out of my checking and it overdrafted my account. Both were told by Sirius operators that the easiest way was to purchase Egift Certificates, which are sent directly to the recipients email with a code to redeem them. He assured me it wouldn't be, and transferred me to customer care.At customer care, I spoke with an associate who assured me my account would be frozen, it would go into invoice billing, and I simply had to just wait for the Gift Cards to arrive in the mail. A family member called Sirius, provided a credit card, and paid for the year.
Harsh, but it is what it is.Three of my four years with Sirius, I have been lucky enough where I've had family/friends want to pay for my yearly subscription as a Birthday/Christmas present. Good luck if you have to deal with them. Obviously b/c of past issues. To top it all off, I still never got an apology from Sirius. This might actually be my last year with them because of this. I had a bad feeling but decided to go that route.
The first time a family member called Sirius, paid for the year with his credit card, and we thought it was set. I stated that my account was set to renew in a few days and this would be a problem. I'd say the average I.Q. They both contacted Sirius and asked if there were Gift Cards or Certificates that could be used towards the subscription. Sirius even refused initially to refund the overdraft fees from the bank. It is nothing but a hassle that probably will cost you days of problems. They admitted fault initially, but then began to change their stance and stated that I never had the Sirius account frozen. A week later the Gift Cards arrived.
is around 25. The associate told me I could use the Egift credits and buy Gift Cards from the Sirius shop and have them sent to me. So to put it simply, don't ask for your subscription to be paid for as a gift, and avoid dealing with Sirius directly. As far as the radio and the daily service, it is absolutely awesome. To rub extra salt in the wounds, it will take 7-10 days, my checking account is now frozen, and I have no way to use it right now. The utter incompetence of most of the customer service people is staggering. We both called Sirius and the issue was not resolved for more than a week.The second issue was a similar issue.
I called Sirius to take issue. I was furious and called Sirius once again. Not happy again, we had to haggle over the phone for a few days to get it rectified.This brings me to this year. I'm now in my 4th year with Sirius. Once again, a few days into January $150+ was withdrawn from my checking account (renewal price). Sure enough once again Sirius charged me already for the yearly renewal.
Easily moved and small. The receiver kit added flexibility to go from car to the home. The only drawback is that the FM transmitter needed to use in the car is weaker than another model that I have used.
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