Review by dillyhammer  - Location: Hamilton,ON
- Cost: $139 per month (12 month contract)
- Install: about 3 days
Good "Crazy fast"
Bad "A bit more than what I would like to pay."
Overall "Not bad value, not great value, keeping an eye on things and my options open."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
===================================================
WARNING!
COGECO DOES NOT HAVE MAXIMUMS ON OVERAGE CHARGES ON THE ULTIMATE 30 AND ULTIMATE 50 PACKAGES. AT $1 PER GIGABYTE, IF YOU GO OVER BY 500GB IN ONE MONTH, YOU WILL GET A BILL FOR $500 FOR THE OVERAGES FOR THAT MONTH. IF YOU GO OVER BY 1000GB, YOU WILL GET A BILL FOR $1000 FOR OVERAGES FOR THAT MONTH. THERE ARE NO LIMITS.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
===================================================
I've had Cogeco internet for a couple of years now and never really had a problem with it until they started the bandwidth cap. I have the standard service and the cap is 60g per month - which is stupid low and IMHO a money grab.
That said, up until November of 2009 I never went over the cap of 60g.
On New Years Eve 2009 I got a call from Cogeco. They said they wanted to check my wireless security because my bandwidth usage had tripled - approaching 100g a month for both November and December. I would be billed $30 each for those 2 months.
I've since installed a bandwidth monitor, and frankly, I think their assertion of the tripled usage is BS. My usage patterns have not changed in years, and my usage now is what it was in October and every month before that - normal, going to be about 50g this month.
Was also disconnected last Thursday. Couldn't get through to their support line, so I guessed it was a major problem. Checked my mail, and there was the little blue slip in my mailbox from Cogeco saying my neighbourhood was being upgraded and I'd be down for up to 9 hours that day. Yeah, thanks for the "in progress" notice.
I called Cogeco, got through, and asked why I didn't get better notice for a planned upgrade. The guy hummed and hawed. Whatever.
I had him put me through to billing and cancelled half my television service, dropping my monthly bill by about $30. There goes $360 of my business this year due to the bandwidth overage charges of $60.
In the process now of hooking up Teksavvy DSL. Should be completed this week. Once I get that stable, Cogeco internet is gone too, another $55 a month of my business they lose. On that day I'm also cancelling their HD service, which costs me about $19 a month.
So they bill me an extra $60 ( a rip off any way I look at it ), I change my services and go from $155 a month to $55 for basic digital TV.
Keep the $60 Cogeco, and enjoy.
The stated $44.95 a month charges do NOT include the poitential $1.50/gb bandwidth overage charges, capped at $30 per month.
IMHO, Cogeco should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.
UPDATE - Jan 20, 2010
Customer service called me today while I was configuring my Teksavvy DSL, to remind me that the bandwidth overage fees would be coming out on my next payment. I wound up having a lengthy discussion with the nice younbg gal who called. These fees are a major problem for Cogeco right now. Many people calling, complaining, cancelling. She said it was huge and they were not prepraed for this backlash. When I told her I'd be handing in my modem as soon as I was sure my new DSL service was stable she laughed. Nice gal. I told her she should be running the place.
She also told me that Cogeco will remove the first overage fee for any customer who calls and asks.
UPDATE - Jan 21, 2010
Dropped by cable modem off this morning. Called Cogeco when I got back home. I explained the whole situation to the chap, and told him in no uncertain terms that if there wasn't some negotiation on those overage charges I would likely be cancelling the balance of my Cogeco services before the next billing cycle. The rep gave me a credit for one month of overages ($30 + GST) but would not budge on the other month. On that basis, I'll keep what little Cogeco services I have remaining, and forget about the call i was going to put in for satelite. For now.
UPDATE - Nov 13, 2010
I'm back with Cogeco as of the 10th. The install took 8 business days due to static IP provisioning. This was something I needed, hence the business account. A secondary piece of hardware (a Cisco router acting as a gateway) is required for the static IP. I was a little freaked out about having a piece of hardware conencted to my network without having access or admin over it, still am.
The reason I've returned to Cogeco - the only reason - is I refuse to do business with Bhell Canada directly or indirectly. For me DSL is dead as a door nail.
In the event TSI puts together cable access in Hamilton I'll switch back, even if it means paying the $75 ETF. I've never gotten over the usage charges from late 2009. Given everything I've learned about metering and UBB since then, the charges were totally bogus. Meh. Live and learn.
UPDATE - April 11, 2011
DOCSIS3 was rolled out to the rest of Hamilton last week. I had read some previous posts about folks having some issues, but my concerns would put at ease by Marcer (thanks dude).
Ordered the upgrade to Business Ultimate 30 last week. The CSR who took my upgrade request - Anna - was terrific. Install was set for today, tech guy was in and out this morning, 5 minutes flat. Rebooted my router and away I go. In a word - crazyfast.
The support and service of the last few months have gone a long way in erasing some of the bad memories I have of dealing with Cogeco - and I've left them here so that others can understand the route I've taken with this company. I still don't agree with some of their policies and the way they do some things, but I feel a lot better about them today than I did a year ago, tell you what.
Is it me, or does anyone else find the Cogeco Business automated attendant's voice hot?
UPDATE - Oct 25, 2011
Speeding along on the Ult30 Biz. A couple of small issues easily remedied. Support on the biz side is much different. Faster. Better.
That said, I've had to cancel my cable subscription. I found the recent price hikes (on the TV and internet side) heavy-handed, so voted with my wallet and switched my TV to Shaw Direct. Better pricing, better quality picture. I own the equipment. Sticking with the Ult30 Biz in the meantime. I'm on a soft contract for the year, which is up in June. Keeping my options open. If there's TPIA, I may switch to that, if not, I may switch back to DSL (gulp) and try bonding 2 X 12 or 2 X 16 accounts and add the 7 up to both if that's possible.
For now, I'm reasonable happy.
If they harden their cap on the business side, I'm gone. I just won't tolerate, not at any price.
UPDATE - February 3, 2012
I will be moving off Cogeco shortly and cutting all ties with this company - the result of the $2500 UBB bill they passed on to a residential customer for 3 months of service.
»[Burloak] Usage Based Billing Nightmare
To me, it is the very epitome of what is wrong with our telecom landscape, and that whole issue a poster boy for the real purpose of UBB - profits. I can't and won't do business with a company that does stuff like that. Period.
I have had DSL installed as of Feb 11 and I've disconnected all Cogeco equipment. The last day of service is March 10,. but I won't even be using that up. Equipment is bagged and tagged. That's it. I'm done with Cogeco.
member for 3.7 years, 1143 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 1.6 years ago
Comments:
|
·
