 Review by MerinX 
member for 2.2 years, 266 visits, last login: 9 days ago
updated 1.9 years ago
 undisclosed location
 $140 per month "Connection is not really congested during peak hours where i live" "Since the extreme tier upgrades speeds have dropped below the 15 it used to be during peak hours." "Go with Telus Novus Teksavvy sasktel if you use a lot and do not need faster speeds"
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(ratings match consensus)
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Any company that would have such low limits in this day and age is pathetic, to then lower them further like bell is downright criminal. Then to ask us to re-buy the very same usage for 10 GB for $5/month when i lost 25 gigs of my extreme package is an insult to my intelligence when i know a gig costs 1-2 cents.
»www.theglobeandmail.com/news/tec···1890596/
Clearly shaw can no longer be trusted to provide quality internet now that they are so invested in the canwest buyout and the future of traditional media models.
For a guide for massive savings in switching check out
»How to switch from Shaw to Telus
For more info on UBB
»UBB articles and video compilation thread (shaw)
Fundamental flaws to shaw's UBB system
First the rates are bhellshit, 1-2 dollars when they cost 1-2 cents to supply is inexcusable.
»www.theglobeandmail.com/news/tec···1890596/
»What exactly is a bandwidth hog?
Second the data plans, to expect us to buy these to replace usage you just took away from packages with already pathetic caps is exactly what bell/rogers pulls and that is unacceptable. As for the rates on them
10 GB at$5/month, 50 cents/gig that cost 1-2cents /gig
60 GB for $20/month, 30 cents/gig that cost 1-2 cents /gig
250 GB for $50/month 20 cents/gig that cost 1-2 cents/gig
No matter how you look at it there is a 2000-5000% markup. Of course this is assuming you want to go threw the utter and total hassle of watching your usage and call shaw and wasting ones time!
At overage costs the markup is 10000-20000% how can that be justified.
If this was real UBB we would
A) get a refund for under usage
B) have roll over limits each month since every gig is magically more valuable due to artificial limits imposed by our fail telecoms.
C)Be charged 2-5 times the cost and no more if this is about recouping losses which it is clearly not.
D)Have an acceptable limit like in the USA or any country in the developing world if they can have unlimited we can have 250 gigs like Comcast the only ISP that enforces such limits with a soft cap(throttling after you go past your limit)
F) Understand that just because some people do not use the internet or work most of the time etc etc that basing our usage on their usage is utterly and totally silly.
G)Do not go about lowering usage limits as you please just because bell/rogers get away with it.
Please exam the real costs and the pathetic limits you feel are justifiable.
* Light Speed – 15GB per month cost 15-30 cents
* High Speed – 60GB per month cost .60-1.20$
* Extreme – 100GB per month cost 1-2$
* Warp – 175GB per month cost 1.75-3.50$
* Nitro – 350GB per month cost 3.50-7$
Of course this is assuming you use all of our pathetic allotments.
Yet the cost of a 10 gig data pack costs more then everything except maybe in some cases nitro.
Before -> Current
»shawshank.orgfree.com/shaw.html
Lite 13GB -> 15GB ($2/GB overages) shaw added 2-4 cents to this package how nice so worth the 20000% markup fee on gigabytes.
High Speed 75GB ->60GB ($2/GB overages) shaw took 15-30 cents of the cost to provide these, and buying the data plans to make it up will cost 5-10$ or 15$ without worrying about hassle overage fees
Xtreme 125GB -> 100GB ($1/GB overages)
Shaw took of 25-50 cents worth of usage at their costs and then expects us to pay 10-15 dollars for data packs to make up what they blatantly took away. Or 25 dollars in overage fees.
Warp 250GB -> 175GB ($1/GB overages)
.75-1.5 $ worth of usage removed at their costs
Extra 20$ for the data plan to compensate what shaw is nice enough to adjust down for our down good or 75$ in overage costs.
Nitro 500GB -> 350GB ($1/GB overages)
Cost savings to shaw for the nerf to usage is 1.50-3 dollars
Price of the closest data pack to compensate is 50$
Now factor in the rate increase on just internet which will be 2$ which can buy 100-200 gigs at an ISP's cost then explain how we are not more then paying enough already let alone should be charged such outrageous fees when shaw/bell/rogers are allowed to roll down our usage as they please.
And using Shaw's old monitoring tool that was highly inaccurate basing future growing rates on such stats is not justifiable.
Needs are going to continue increasing and enforcing artificial limits at such rates just because clueless Canadian's will accept it is criminal. Such overage fees are not the solution anywhere else in the world why should they be here?
»www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/co···_WP.html
»www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/co···per.html
Lack of any real notification of these changes to usage/rates and how overage fees will work for all customers has not been sent out and that is unacceptable. Not to mention even bell has better data pack prices then shaw, which says a lot..
UBB myths debunked
»opinion.financialpost.com/2011/0···l-myths/
Update:with UBB supposedly on hold i have upped my score slightly, however if they really want some good will they should restore the caps to their former rates!
Update April 21: After blatant cash grabs by the usual price hikes, shaw has at least increased the speeds on my extreme tier. However the pathetically low limit of a 100 gigs remains in place(for a 70$ service). As such my rating on shaw has increased slightly due to the fear of a looming UBB model being put in place.
Update May 26: Shaw has made moves to increase monthly limits to more reasonable levels and rather then pay per gig you will be bumped onto higher tier for the month which beats dealing with the stupid data packs each month as they had originally intended. I will do a full redo of my review once the changes are put in place and enacted.
Comments:
 pinjas
join:2011-01-31
River Falls, WI | Yuck Most ISPs have fair usage regulations. I don't particularly love that concept, there are other options though, depending on where you love.
If I was in your situation, I would strongly consider doing what Monticello MN did. Their local ISP had some poor prices with poor service and the population became fed up so the town started their own fiber ISP. They didn't have it nearly as bad as you seem to in terms of prices, if you were on the moon or deep under the oceans surface, I might say those are acceptable prices. But I bet you are well within the reaches of fiber optic cables.
The mark up is kind of outrageous, but giving them a zero percent ranking is like they raped your mother or something. They just charge harsh pricing, everything else sounds likely to work well. Start up an ISP, or shop for another if it is an option. | |
|  | MerinXCrunching for CuresPremium
join:2011-02-03
kudos:1 Reviews:
 ·Shaw
| Re: Yuck It does not work like that in Canada anymore bro, it is a 2 party system like in the states where they can get away with anything.
Can you honestly say it is acceptable for an isp that has more market dominance then any American ISP can get away with 75gig limits on 100 dollars tiers?
We have cable or DSL from to providers that collude to lower limits and enforce these inflated fees. Heck our regulators where just about to enforce these limits on wholesale independent isps saying a 15% discount on them was more then fair because bell said so....
15% off a 10000% markup up per gig great...(especially when you can enforce it on customers that are not your own)
The system is broken so any isp that supports such actions should get a zero in scores regardless of how fast they install service etc. | |
| | | | said by pinjas:Most ISPs have fair usage regulations.
Those of you who are fortunate enough to be in TekSavvy's service area, it has increased its cap from 200G to 300G (while Bell & Shaw have dropped theirs). It also kept its price the same (while Bell & Shaw increased theirs). And on top of all that, for an additional $10 a month, you can get unlimited (no such option with Bell or Shaw). | |
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| | Telus also has Draconian overage fees as well. As much as Shaws new crap is pissing me off, when looking into switching to Telus, I found that they also have caps, and $2 a Gig over regardless of what package. Their monthly limit is a little higher than Shaws but not by too much (their Extreme equivalent has an extra 10GB of bandwidth then $2/GB after) and they have no packages to buy either, you just pay the $2/GB over. | |
| | | | Re: Telus also has Draconian overage fees as well. Telus does not enforce their limits, their bandwidth monitors is not even working for most users. Plus those have been on the site for years with not one person being charged. Where as shaw's new site hides the limits they just added in December. | |
| | | | | Re: Telus also has Draconian overage fees as well. That is a fair point Telus has had those for years.
Haha I just went to look it up in the terms and conditions on Telus say it says limits are only enforced for a severe breach of contract and misuse of service and that Telus reserves the right to not monitor your usage, and has no obligation to do so. | |
| | | | | | Re: Telus also has Draconian overage fees as well. Telus has no bandwidth counter as putting one in place costs more money than the actual buying of bandwidth something Bell Canada out east never figured out. Telus can't track bandwidth useage therefore can't charge overuse fees. | |
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