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 Review by murky 
UPDATED: 134 days ago
member for 9.2 years, 2596 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Eton, ON
 $42 per month
 about 7 days
 "High speed, no down time!"
 "None yet other than creative pricing (in their favor)"
 "The best high speed ISP, 2 thumbs up."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection Reliability:
Tech Support:
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Value for money:
(ratings above consensus)
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I have been with Shaw High Speed in Sault Ste. Marie for a year now. I took advantage of a 2 month free trial, and free install. This allowed me to do a side by side comparison with Sympatico. I was quite happy with Sympatico but they can't come close to Shaw's speed. The installer showed up on the agreed upon day and on time. The installation was straight forward. I already had the network card so the cover didn't come off the PC. The modem is a Terayon and there have been no problems with it. The IP isn't static as far as I can tell but it seldom changes. I thought I was getting 5 mb /1 mb but apparently it is 8 megabit down. I haven't seen any speed like that. Around 5 mb is the best and frequently tests at 3 to 4 mb. No complaints with that speed as it serves my needs very well. The outcry over download limits doesn't affect me as I stay well under 5 gigabytes. The only complaint I have is Shaw's smoke and mirrors pricing. When the last price increase came along the full package subscribers were supposed to be exempt the High Speed increase. My cost went up! I didn't rate tech support because I haven't needed it.
In response to an "Update your review prompt".
I've experienced one 7 hour outage which was due to a car hitting a pole and taking out a fiber optics cable. So not Shaw's fault. Speed is still good and at times better.Perhaps this node is not heavily used? Download speeds range from 1.5 Mbits to 5 Mbits depending on net weather. Upload is always around 475 kbits. Shaw credited me a day when I complained about the 7 hour outage. High speed now costs me $37.95 as I purchased the modem. I needed technical support twice in the last year as I could not access the Internet. The tech was correct with the solution first try on both occasions. Shaw still rates 2 thumbs up in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
I've just finished a 4 and 1/2 month trial of Extreme Speed. It was great and speed was as advertised. The last statement received prematurely ended the Extreme trial period discount and the bill jumped $10. In addition, Shaw, so as to not lose revenue in the trial period unbundled my services. In other words I was offered a trial service at a cost of $10 less than my regular subscription but it ended up being only $2 less. Seems a slimy way to do business. I would have paid full price for another 6 months of Extreme service after the trial if Shaw had not be so money hungry.The devious pricing aside, the service in Sault Ste. Marie is great.
UPDATE: as requested an update. Shaw Internet is still excellent. I follow the Bell Forum and have been with Bell Sympatico before so their services would never be considered. I have bundled High Speed Internet with Shaw's basic telephone. The whole package comes in at $53 before taxes. The 7.5 Mbits downspeed is pretty well constant subject to net weather  It would be nice if upstream could be closer to 1 Mbit rather than the average 450 - 480 kbits that I see. I realize that there seem to be much fewer service issues in Sault Ste. Marie than other areas Shaw services. I would recommend Shaw to anyone in this area.
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