[colchar]

I never understood the logic behind giving deals to entice new customers while refusing deals to keep unhappy ones. Backwards thinking.

Have you considered cancelling your current service and putting it in you Mother’s name to take advantage of the new customer promotions? At the very least it gives you some time to find alternative solutions.

The services are actually in my late father's name. He passed away three years ago last week, but we never got around to changing the name on the account. So yeah, I thought about changing to get the new customer discounts but that won't solve the technical issues I've been having with them.

 

[colchar]

At the expiration of the free term that came with my vehicle, when I refused to start paying for the service Sirius offered me six months for about the price they had wanted to charge me per month. At the end of the term it would roll into a full-paid plan. I took it, and before the term expired called to cancel.

It was SUCH a hassle to cancel - at least fifteen minutes on the phone - that when the rep near the end of that process offered to repeat the deal I was ending I refused - didn't want to repeat the hassle of calling to cancel again. Since then they've mailed me the same offer five or six times.

$18 per month to improve radio choices in my vehicle is crazy spending in my book. You heard it here first: when the economy tanks, and it's going to do that, Sirius will be one of the early casualties. So will a whole lot of the companies making apps for our mobile devices that also have little monthly stings attached to using them.

I signed up for the free trial from Sirius when I bought the Cherokee. Actually I waited a bit until they stopped calling me, then I signed up. But you know, for the life of me I can't figure out why I bothered. Most of their channels suck, and I have listened to it for less than ten minutes since I signed up.

If I want radio there are plenty of OTA stations in the GTA. If I want music, I have more than 3000 songs on a thumbdrive. That being said, I do need to organize those songs better than what I have now!

 

[keto]

At the expiration of the free term that came with my vehicle, when I refused to start paying for the service Sirius offered me six months for about the price they had wanted to charge me per month. At the end of the term it would roll into a full-paid plan. I took it, and before the term expired called to cancel.

It was SUCH a hassle to cancel - at least fifteen minutes on the phone - that when the rep near the end of that process offered to repeat the deal I was ending I refused - didn't want to repeat the hassle of calling to cancel again. Since then they've mailed me the same offer five or six times.

$18 per month to improve radio choices in my vehicle is crazy spending in my book. You heard it here first: when the economy tanks, and it's going to do that, Sirius will be one of the early casualties. So will a whole lot of the companies making apps for our mobile devices that also have little monthly stings attached to using them.

I expect you're right about the last part, it was a part of my decision to cancel. Been slowly dumping the nickel and dime shit many of us have (like Sirius, music service, debating dumping Netflix), as the rest of life gets more expensive.

Watch out with Bell and if they do disconnect or even alter your plan a little. Once they alter your plan, you have no plan, then you are crying to them to get back the rip off deal you did have. And they will tell you your plan doesn't exist anymore.

This and variations on this theme is what I have read about Bell for many many years now. IIRC, they release customer satisfaction numbers for all the big telcos and Bell is (at least almost) always at the bottom of the pack.

 

[colchar]

This is true. It's the customer retention department.

I usually speak to them. When I called yesterday I got tired of their voicemail prompts so just hit '0'. when I got pissed at their offer and asked to speak to Customer Retention, the person who I was speaking to claimed that was her department. She was either full of hist, or they have renamed their customer service department.

I am curious to see what their disconnect department offers me.

I tried to check the prices of their equivalent to Fibe (Ignite or something like that?) late last night, but their own website wasn't working. Or maybe it was a combination of their website and their internet. Either way, it didn't inspire confidence.

 

[colchar]

I expect you're right about the last part, it was a part of my decision to cancel. Been slowly dumping the nickel and dime shit many of us have (like Sirius, music service, debating dumping Netflix), as the rest of life gets more expensive.

I've been meaning to cancel Netflix for weeks now, but keep forgetting. Thanks for the reminder!

 

[High/Deaf]

I signed up for the free trial from Sirius when I bought the Cherokee. Actually I waited a bit until they stopped calling me, then I signed up. But you know, for the life of me I can't figure out why I bothered. Most of their channels suck, and I have listened to it for less than ten minutes since I signed up.

If I want radio there are plenty of OTA stations in the GTA. If I want music, I have more than 3000 songs on a thumbdrive. That being said, I do need to organize those songs better than what I have now!

Same thing with me. I 'enjoyed' 3 free months of Sirius (hardly listened to it, to be honest) and then passed on the repeated, and consecutively cheaper, deals they offered to keep me on. Never missed it one iota, there is so much terrestrial radio here - not to mention new hi-def stations riding on top of FM frequencies that my car picks up.

Our equivalent of Bell out here is Telus. I went with them because the Shaw hardware was crappy and needed rebooting constantly - plus, it was just time. The new Optic hardware is better (fewer reboots), the speed is very good, but there are some operational things I miss with Shaw.

The biggest piss off is that the contract I signed they now call a service agreement. Fucking semantics. I am bound to stay with them for a 2 year period and they can jack up the prices as much as they want. Now they want me to install an alarm system, and I say Nope, not if I have to sign a 'service agreement'. They have 0 credibility with me anymore. I am handcuffed for 8 more months, and then back to Shaw. Too bad, there were some things I liked about Telus but I don't see me ever entering a 'service agreement' with them ever again.

 

[jb welder]

Starlink is going to change everything.

 

[keto]

Same thing with me. I 'enjoyed' 3 free months of Sirius (hardly listened to it, to be honest) and then passed on the repeated, and consecutively cheaper, deals they offered to keep me on. Never missed it one iota, there is so much terrestrial radio here - not to mention new hi-def stations riding on top of FM frequencies that my car picks up.

Our equivalent of Bell out here is Telus. I went with them because the Shaw hardware was crappy and needed rebooting constantly - plus, it was just time. The new Optic hardware is better (fewer reboots), the speed is very good, but there are some operational things I miss with Shaw.

The biggest piss off is that the contract I signed they now call a service agreement. Fucking semantics. I am bound to stay with them for a 2 year period and they can jack up the prices as much as they want. Now they want me to install an alarm system, and I say Nope, not if I have to sign a 'service agreement'. They have 0 credibility with me anymore. I am handcuffed for 8 more months, and then back to Shaw. Too bad, there were some things I liked about Telus but I don't see me ever entering a 'service agreement' with them ever again.

Good info on Telus, thanks. We use them for 1 landline and our cells, have debated going full package with cable etc. Daughter has, and says it's OK but they don't watch much TV so minimal package. On the other hand, I'd hate to give up an email address I've been using since 1997 as my primary. Shaw has given us no real reason to complain...over time, their service has gotten a little less responsive, but relative to other utility service, they're actually good.

 

[Budda]

Isn't it Rogers or Bell that owns the lines anyway? So if you want to get away from that, you can't.

 

[colchar]

Isn't it Rogers or Bell that owns the lines anyway? So if you want to get away from that, you can't.

We have Rogers cable into the house and Bell phone lines (used to be with them ages ago).

 

[colchar]

I am talking to someone in the cancellation department at Rogers now and he is trying to work out a better deal. I doubt I will stay with them regardless of what they offer, but I might as well listen.

I will say though, that this guy really doesn't sound like he wants to be there. He is either bored out of his tree, or is the saddest most morose person I have spoken to in a long while.

 

[Budda]

No i mean one telecom owns the lines. Go with whoever works best, but they dont own the lines.

 

[colchar]

Seriously, this dude is the Rogers version of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.

 

[Electraglide]

Used to have Sirus 'cause radio reception was crap, especially on the 'Glide and in the mountains. When I was inside I told my son to cancel. When he explained why they gave me a free year. I told him to give the receiver etc. to Gia......she enjoyed it. When I got out there was a problem with my credit card and the bank cancelled it and gave me a new one. The free one year expired last sept. and I haven't heard anything since.
The landlord pays for internet here....telus.....supposed to be the fastest one. Faster than my laptop is rated for. Just before Xmas he switched to Bell and then switched back. It was crap.

 

[Electraglide]

Seriously, this dude is the Rogers version of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.

He's bored and tired of listening to people bitching. But with the tap of a key can give you from almost anything you want to cancelling your service.....whether or not you want to cancel it. Then you're screwed.

 

[colchar]

Well goodbye Rogers, hello Bell.

I expect them to suck just as bad in some ways, while being better in others.

When Eeyore was finished working things out, he couldn't get anywhere close to what Bell was offering. We had digital TV with them, and they wanted $75 more per month for that than Bell wanted for Fibe. When upgrading to Rogers Ignite, they couldn't come close to Bell.

If I was a new customer Rogers would have given me the same as Bell for $10 more per month, but for a household that has been with them forty years they wouldn't give me jack shit. Fuck them.

 

[oldjoat]

just remember to ask for "second tier or level" service tech support each time you call Bell support (in the mid pacific ).

bell support service is absolutely stupid !
( hi I'm calling about my home phone line being knocked down during a storm ... I'm on the neighbors phone ...)
"yes , very good , please give us the address and details ........xxxxxx "
"our service technician will be calling you sometime between 9AM and 5PM Wednesday, if you don't answer, he will skip your appointment"
(but how can he call me if my line is down ?)
"he will call your cell phone number"
(I don't have a cell phone !)
"we need a number to call to verify someone will be home"
(I don't have a cell phone or other number you can call ... I'll be home all day to wait for him )
"I'm sorry sir, we need a phone number to call or the appointment will be cancelled ... click "

next phone call is 10 minutes later

( hello Bell cancellation department please)
"hello,this is bell , you want to cancel your service ? "
(yes please , since you can't reconnect a downed line due to a storm , I want to cancel and go with someone who can reconnect the line)
"you want to cancel because you can't get your line reconnected ?"
(yes, my land line is physically down and I don't have a cell phone , so customer service won't do a service call because they can't reach me at home)
"how are you calling us right now?"
(on a neighbor's phone after he got home from work)
" ... pregnant pause ... let me look into this ... OK , if I have someone there tomorrow at 10AM to connect your line, would you stay with us ?"
( yes , but if he cancels or doesn't show up , I'll definitely be switching regardless of any offers later on )
"OK sir, they will be there at 10AM tomorrow"
(thank you , click)

9:50AM the next day , there's a knock at the door.

 

[colchar]

I used to head the tech support department for a competitor of Rogers and Bell so can usually cut through their bullshit and stupidity when dealing with tech support.

 

[Kenmac]

Colchar, I hope you have a good experience with Bell but if things start going downhill or they start charging you more, keep this provider in mind:
CIK Telecom - Top Internet Service Provider in Canada
The C.I.K. stands for "Customer Is King". A lot of people in my neighbourhood have switched to them. FWIW, I'm still with Bell but I have also considered switching in the past.

 

[High/Deaf]

No i mean one telecom owns the lines. Go with whoever works best, but they dont own the lines.

There's probably 3 lines to your house, controlled by 3 different agencies. Sometime in the long ago past, the telephone company installed UTP (unshielded twisted pair) while the cable company installed coax (center conductor with braided or foil shield around it). Coax is much better than UTP for high bandwidth (cable had a huge advantage in the bandwidth wars), so the telco probably installed fibre to get more into the internet/television business - that's what Telus did out here.

So you have two physical connections*, 'owned' by two different carriers. And govt regulation forces either or both of those carriers to allow 3rd party sellers to use their infrastructure (anti-monopoly or something like that - it happened in the early 90s). But there is no such thing as a free lunch. Third party carriers are doing something (can you say "compression", Mr Bill) to provide you service for less money, while still paying the carrier for it's infrastructure. In many cases, you really do get what you pay for. It depends on each customer, they requirements and their budget.


* You do have a 3rd line as well, your power line. But power utilities have stayed away from this 'telecom' business. Their own business is already pretty lucrative, being a monopoly, and I think they just don't want to upset their cushy applecart. The sense is if they don't compete with other businesses, no one will enter into theirs as a competitor. The govts have allowed them that. So far so good for them.