Sirius Update today (9/26)

[Longhaul412]

I brought the car to the dealership today for the Sirius problem and a CEL and got the car back with the CEL still on and Sirius still not working and now the passenger window doesn't work along with the auto up/down feature. They want me to bring the car back tomorrow. What a pain in the butt. I don't think they will have any answers tomorrow either. Starting to think I should have bought the FX or RDX.

Sort of the same thing here. Day whatever and still no Sirius Service. No response to my emails, and after 2 phone calls on hold for 20+ min each time, finally told to take to the dealer. I tried the battery disconnect thing, and no result. At least no positive result on the radio, but now the passenger window won't respond to the driver's side control. Works fine from the passenger side. Back to the dealer I do suppose.

 

[Tequila Cat]

Having done the battery thing myself, I learned that the owner's manual describes how to restore the auto up-down function of the windows. No need to take it back to the dealer.

 

[acesaroundagain]

No Sirius Service

Still no service for me either. However, CEL is out, mechanic said he did a software update??!! I had already gotten the "new gas cap". Mechanic also said he spoke with Mazda and they were going to give him additional info on the Sirius problem today. Haven't heard anything yet. Still jammin' to CDs.

Day 7 and still no Sirius Service:

I just spoke with a Sirius Representative and he said they got an e-mail yesterday saying the engineers hope to have the fix done by Friday 10/6.

The customer service from Sirius has been VERY POOR. This conversation I had was the first time someone at Sirius admitted that there was a problem.
I've sent 5 e-mails and they haven't responded to any of them. Their policy is to respond within 24hrs. I've also spent 5 1/2 hrs (6 calls) on the phone.

VERY, VERY frustrating.


Day 8 (10/3) Still no Sirius Service:

 

[pittkol]

Still no fix

Took it back to the dealer today and they said they still do not have a fix for it yet. They did fix the other problems. I'll just have to wait and hopefully they'll find a way to fix it soon.

 

[cx7mom]

Sirius finally owned up to the problem.......

I just received this email (it took them a week to admit they screwed up).

Dear SIRIUS Satellite Radio Subscriber:

It has come to our attention that some subscribers have experienced
interruption of service during our latest channel update. The
interruptions occurred after a system-wide upgrade that we downloaded to all SIRIUS
receivers last week, including a revised channel line-up. And while it
affected only a small number of receivers, we know that this offers
little comfort if one of them is yours.

We are very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. Please know
that we are working with our automotive and electronics manufacturing
partners to resolve the problem as quickly as possible and get back to
delivering you the more than 130 channels of music, sports, talk and
entertainment that you've come to expect and enjoy.

Again, we apologize for this inconvenience and ask for your patience as
we repair the problem. We will continue to keep you informed as we
learn more and will update you no later than the end of the week. Thank you
for subscribing to SIRIUS. The Best Radio On Radio.

Sincerely,

Michael Moore
VP/Customer Service

 

[acesaroundagain]

Sirius info

My industrious mechanic has called Mazda himself to find out what to do with the Sirius problems. They are telling him that Sirius told them they'd have it fixed by Friday. I'll just hold my breath, because I know Sirius wouldn't lie to me.

 

[dhiney]

Sirius Update / Mazda Update

I got the same e-mail from Sirius - after 9 days of no service. I called my dealer this morning to see if he had any additional news. He said he would call me back by the end of the week but here is what Mazda has told them.

Some units will work after they are "updating" for 15 mins. But not all units. The dealers are NOT suppose to replace any units or even do any original installs untill Sirius gets the problem fixed. Mazda did not give the dealers a time line for the fix.

You can bet if this problem effect hundreds of thousands of subscribers Sirius would be all over it and getting it repaired in hours, not days or weeks.

 

[Longhaul412]

I got the same e-mail from Sirius - after 9 days of no service. I called my dealer this morning to see if he had any additional news. He said he would call me back by the end of the week but here is what Mazda has told them.

Some units will work after they are "updating" for 15 mins. But not all units. The dealers are NOT suppose to replace any units or even do any original installs untill Sirius gets the problem fixed. Mazda did not give the dealers a time line for the fix.

You can bet if this problem effect hundreds of thousands of subscribers Sirius would be all over it and getting it repaired in hours, not days or weeks.

Gotta agree, finally got the email from Sirius. I still took the time to send them a nastygram. I can deal with technical issues and problems, what I can't deal with is being put off and not dealt with, and having rude customer service reps finally answer my call after more than 20 min hold times each time, and not having a single email inquiry responded to.

 

[dhiney]

Day 10 and still no service. Sirius better plan on giving good size credits for the lack of service.

 

[dhiney]

Latest Sirius Update 10/5 Noon

Sirius is working hard to fix their problem (day 10) My radio doesn't flash updating anymore. It flashes "channel Invalid" 000. So it's stuck on channel 000 and I can't tune to another channel. I called Sirius & Mazda and told them whatever they did, didn't fix the problem.

I did get a response today to a an e-mail I sent Sirius last thursday. The CSR said they just did a channel update and to call customer service to have a new reactivation signal sent. Obviously she didn't read my e-mail she responded too. I had done that 5 times by then.

 

[dhiney]

10/6 Update Day 11

Things are getting worse. Day 11 & still no service.

With the latest fix now my whole radio is not working properly. When I turn my car off and then back on the radio is automatically off. When I turn it on all my presets are gone. Radio presets, sound presets, everything. If reset set them, turn the car off & on and the presets are all cleared out. If I set the presets and turn the radio off & on (while the car is still running) the presets are still there.

Sirius Radio now "updates" then goes to channel 184 - their free weather channel. When I try to tune to a different channel it goes to channel 000 and flashes "invalid channel" and won't let me tune to any other channel, including 184.

I didn't think they could screw things up worse but I was wrong.

 

[jmhumr]

Things are getting worse. Day 11 & still no service.

With the latest fix now my whole radio is not working properly. When I turn my car off and then back on the radio is automatically off. When I turn it on all my presets are gone. Radio presets, sound presets, everything. If reset set them, turn the car off & on and the presets are all cleared out. If I set the presets and turn the radio off & on (while the car is still running) the presets are still there.

Sirius Radio now "updates" then goes to channel 184 - their free weather channel. When I try to tune to a different channel it goes to channel 000 and flashes "invalid channel" and won't let me tune to any other channel, including 184.

I didn't think they could screw things up worse but I was wrong.

Well...they could always cause your car to combust from space, and that'd be even worse service.

I'm just glad it is a Sirius issue, and not a Mazda issue (unless it turns out they have to replace thousands of CX-7 packages). I'm a little more optimistic because I haven't even activated mine yet. I actually discovered there was an issue when I tried to activate it and never could get past the first step: Tune to channel 184. So I'll be happy as long a I don't have to take my car to the dealership for a Sirius recall. I'd definitely be ticked if I were paying for service at the moment though. They'd better give you guys a refund!

 

[CX7_Scott]

I have been lucky to NOT have the issues you all are having with mine, but still... I just got an automated recording from Sirius - they phoned our home number and left an apology message for the service interruption(s). They must have cross-referrenced their database w/ all owners of vehicles that reported issues.

Even though I am on my free-trial of 6-mos... I can honestly say that there's no way I'd convert to a paying customer. Between the horrible reception to the low-percentage of staions I actually like... it'd be a collosal waste of money.

Just my opinion.

 

[Tequila Cat]

Just received from Sirius...

Dear SIRIUS Satellite Radio Subscriber:

Thank you for your continued patience as we work with Mazda to correct
the problem that has interrupted service to some SIRIUS subscribers.

We have determined that the problem is not related to the SIRIUS
broadcast system; however, Mazda and SIRIUS technical experts have
isolated the issue, which is related to select radios on the following
vehicles:

Mazda 3
Mazda 5
MX-5
CX-7

We have identified a solution, which we expect to implement no later
than next week, that should allow you to resume your Sirius service.

Once more, we apologize for this inconvenience, and we will update you
again early next week. Ensuring affected customers are satisfied will
remain our top priority.

Sincerely,

Michael Moore
VP/Customer Service

 

[cx7mom]

Updated Info

I just received the following:

Dear SIRIUS Satellite Radio Subscriber:

If you're one of the customers affected by the recent interruption in
SIRIUS radio service, we thank you again for your patience while we've
worked to resolve this issue.

This email includes important information you will need in order to get
your SIRIUS service back to normal operation.

As a reminder, the problem is not with the SIRIUS broadcast, but is a
software issue related to radios in the following vehicles:

MAZDA3
MAZDA5
Mazda MX-5
Mazda CX-7

Mazda and SIRIUS engineers have identified a way to temporarily restore
your service by sending a special update signal to your radio. This
signal will commence tomorrow morning, and your radio will receive it the
first time you turn it on after 5:00 AM, Eastern Daylight Time, on
Wednesday, October 11th.

Once we send this update signal, you will need to reset your radio in
order to restore your SIRIUS service. This can be done any time after
5:00 AM EDT, October 11th, by following the simple instructions below.

RESTORING YOUR SIRIUS SERVICE
-----------------------------
STEP 1: Make sure your vehicle is parked and has a full view of the
open sky, with no leaves, trees or other overhead blockage, so the
satellite signal can reach your radio.

STEP 2: Turn on your ignition and turn on your radio.

STEP 3: Switch your radio to SAT mode.

STEP 4: You will see the words "UPDATING" or "CH184" or "INVALID
CHANNEL" on your radio display and there will be no sound.

STEP 5: Wait 5 minutes. While you are waiting, your radio will continue
to display one of these messages. Do not change channels or switch
modes while the update is in progress.

STEP 6: Switch from SAT mode to FM for 30 seconds.

STEP 7: Switch your radio back to SAT mode. You may see the word
"UPDATING" for a few moments, but then your radio sound and satellite service
should be restored to normal operation.

If this process fails to work, turn off your radio and repeat all the
steps in order. If you continue to have difficulty, please call our
Mazda customer help line at 1-866-528-6040.


YOUR SATISFACTION IS IMPORTANT TO US
------------------------------------
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you may have been caused
while we worked to identify and resolve this issue. Mazda and SIRIUS are
working together on a permanent solution to this problem which will be
communicated to you shortly.

In addition, Mazda and SIRIUS want to assure you that we value your
satisfaction, and we pledge to appropriately address your concerns
regarding any loss of service you may have experienced.

If you have additional questions, please call the Mazda Customer Help
Line at 1-866-528-6040.

Thank you again for your patience.

Sincerely,

Michael Moore
Vice President, SIRIUS Customer Care

 

[Tequila Cat]

Woo hoo!! It worked. Sirius back online after two weeks and a day. I must say I'm not impressed with how long it took. I notice in the letter that there's no mention of credit - looks like there'll still need to be useless phone calls to get that part resolved.

 

[pittkol]

Yep, Back in working order. Thanks for the post!

 

[dhiney]

Radio problems - Sirius at fault?

Last week when my Sirius went from "updating" to "invalid channel" my radio went to hell. The presets for channels, volume, bass, trebile, etc. would all zero out when ever I turned the power off via the ignition. If I turned off the radio with the on/off power switch it would keep the presets (untill the car was turned off)

Has anyone else had this problem?

It's at the dealer now for the 3rd CEL and the radio. I gave them the Sirius update info to restart the service.

 

[CX7_Scott]

Again - if you read Sirius' correspondence, you can see that they are saying it's NOT their fault - it's a software problem in the HEAD UNITS of those vehicles - or at least a certain span of units that may have a particular software version... and that is not something Sirius controls.

They liscense the technology to other vendors to produce receivers that accept their signal. If those units have issues that are not the fault of Sirius... why would they voluntarilly credit for something that is not their fault...? They did nothing wrong. (assumption)

just wanted to provide an alternate pov.

-sf

 

[Longhaul412]

Again - if you read Sirius' correspondence, you can see that they are saying it's NOT their fault - it's a software problem in the HEAD UNITS of those vehicles - or at least a certain span of units that may have a particular software version... and that is not something Sirius controls.

They liscense the technology to other vendors to produce receivers that accept their signal. If those units have issues that are not the fault of Sirius... why would they voluntarilly credit for something that is not their fault...? They did nothing wrong. (assumption)

just wanted to provide an alternate pov.

-sf

True enough, but even by licencing out their technology, Sirius still has the burden of responsibility. If their licencees are putting out units with problems, ultimately that comes back to Sirius in the form of lost subscribers. If I have several bad issues with a product, regarless of it is the manufacturer of the product or the service provided with that product, at some point I'll look elsewhere for service.
I don't think Sirius should come out and offer months and months of free service, but a credit for the 10+ days some of thier customers were unable to recive credit would go a long way toward restoring consumer confidence in thier company.