NY Attorney General James Stops SiriusXM from Trapping New York Customers in Unwanted Subscriptions
New York Attorney General Letitia James today (11/22) announced that a court found SiriusXM Radio, Inc. violated the law by forcing customers to undergo a long and burdensome process to cancel their subscriptions. AG James sued SiriusXM in 2023 after an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) revealed that the company requires its subscribers to call or chat online with an agent to cancel a subscription and trains its agents not to take “no” for an answer. SiriusXM’s alleged illegal process deliberately draws out conversations with customers as part of a strategy to prevent them from canceling their subscriptions. “No one should have to endure a lengthy and frustrating process to cancel a subscription, and any company that forces customers to jump through unnecessary hoops to end their subscriptions is breaking the law,” said Attorney General James. 
“This decision found SiriusXM illegally created a complicated cancellation process for its New York customers, forcing them to spend significant amounts of time speaking with agents who refused to take ‘no’ for an answer. My office sued SiriusXM to protect consumers, and as a result of our actions, they will have to simplify their cancellation process to stop taking advantage of New Yorkers.” SiriusXM has approximately 35 million subscribers of which nearly 2 million are New Yorkers.
SiriusXM provided TALKERS with the following response: New York started this case last year by alleging that “SiriusXM has continued to engage in repeated and persistent fraud and illegality.” Today, we know, and the State of New York knows, that is not true.
Yesterday, the Court dismissed almost all of the charges against SiriusXM, and found that SiriusXM’s policies were neither misleading nor deceptive. Most importantly, the Court ruled that SiriusXM had shown through “a plethora of material… that they have taken repeated steps to avoid creating such an atmosphere” of fraud or deceit. While the Court found some technical violations of a Federal statute, it did not find that SiriusXM ever deceived anyone or committed any fraud. SiriusXM intends to appeal the Court’s ruling as to those technical violations.
Additionally, SiriusXM will abide by the recent FTC ruling when it goes into effect.
In her new role, Murray will lead WJCT’s early childhood education team, overseeing an expanded program of family engagement workshops at six early learning centers and three Head Start sites throughout the academic year. She also manages long-standing initiatives such as the annual children’s writers contest, the Jax PBS KIDS Club, WJCT’s Parenting Minutes, and more. Murray will also manage WJCT Public Media’s relationships with local and national partners and stakeholders, develop new programs and services, and serve as an early childhood education resource for the Northeast Florida community – all with the goal of expanding WJCT Public Media’s impact in this essential service area. Murray has an extensive background in the field and has worked with WJCT Public Media as a consultant over the past two years – while also consulting for the WNET Group in New York, the Fred Rogers Company, and public media stations throughout Florida.
At a time when interviews with the former president are a common talk media occurrence, Root tells TALKERS the interview was significant for several reasons. “First, while I’ve done 16 interviews with President Trump (even he admits this might be the all-time media record), he was always my guest on the phone… this was my first exclusive, face-to-face, one-on-one TV interview. Second, this might have been the last interview he did before Sunday’s assassination attempt. I’m so proud I opened and closed the interview by telling him, ‘My fans and I pray for you every day. We appreciate everything you’ve done for us and this country. Thank you and God bless you.’ And third, when President Trump said a certain slide about illegal immigration saved his life… I corrected him and said, ‘God saved your life. And he continues to protect you – because I believe you are the chosen one – chosen by God to save this country, and economy, and secure this border, and make America great again.’” Root concludes, “I’m so proud I said all of that considering what happened the next day that could have changed the future of this country. He needed to know how much he is loved and appreciated by the American people.”