Review by BarterFrost 
UPDATED: 1.9 years ago
member for 2 years, 50 visits, last login: 9 days ago
 Ottawa,ON
 $30 per month
 about 5 days
 Bell Canada
 "An ISP with a human touch!"
 "uses Bell lines - so if Bell's service goes down, this will, too"
 "Everybody using Sympatico should make the switch"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I was using Bell's Sympatico highspeed DSL for quite a long time, but was sick of the way a large company could completely disregard its customers' needs. I read that Bell would reduce the monthly price of its DSL to $34.95 if you'd sign up for a year... I agreed to this contract, but was still being charged $47.95! I called their "customer service" line and explained the problem. The person on the other end told me that it was as good as fixed. I waited another month and was still paying the higher price. This went on twice, two years in a row. After that, I told myself that I'd wait out the contract and then would never give Bell a cent if I didn't have to. I made the switch to Teksavvy and have been incredibly happy ever since.
The main thing that made me change was the fact that some Teksavvy employees and even owners/managers frequent the forums at dslreports.com! I have never seen people take the thought of reaching out to the customer to this level!
When I first signed up with Teksavvy, it was $29 a month for unlimited internet. The price is now going up to $39 (due to circumstances beyond their control), but I am still very happy... if I was to stick with Bell (or go to one of the cable competitors), I'd be stuck with rules about how much I can download, which ports I can use, and so on. Also, before Teksavvy made the price change, they started a forum thread about the potential changes, listened to customer input, and came up with a different pricing plan that benefited all of the customers, whether they wanted unlimited or a lower price (you can now get a 200GB/month account for $29, or stick with unlimited for $10 more).
The only thing I do recommend is going to a small local computer shop to buy the DSL modem (Speedtouch 516, in my case), as it will cost you far less. The modem is sold in the Ottawa area at PC Cyber for $65 or so, it's about $100 through the ISP. Don't bother going to a big box computer store, you won't get the good price.
The ordering/installation process was a snap. They told me on Monday that the internet would be up and running on Friday. I decided to get the hardware set up early on Thursday, at which time I was surprised to see that I already had access.
In my review ratings, I gave Teksavvy a 5 for tech/services/value. I gave them a 4 for installation and connection reliability, because - as with any ISP - you've got to get the cables and modem set up properly on your own (it could be difficult for people who don't know anything about computers) and they do use Bell's lines, so if Bell is suffering in your area, you'll lose access temporarily. If you were using Sympatico, though, you'd have the same problem. I gave Teksavvy the lowest marks in Pre-Sales Information, just because I thought that their website could have been set up a little more clearly. I'm a computer geek, but had to take a good look to see if I was signing up for the unlimited or premium account.
Don't let the 3 and 4 stars fool you, though... I just wanted to give it an honest review. Despite the lack of 5 stars all around, Teksavvy is a dream come true. Best ISP around, by far. In short, if you're using Sympatico, you're paying too much and lacking the freedom that Teksavvy will give you. They don't dictate which ports you can use, they don't throttle encryption, etc. You pay for unlimited access, you get ABSOLUTELY unlimited access!!! As soon as I can switch my residential phone from Bell (and never, ever give that horrible company a cent again), I'll be completely happy. 
Followup comments: | Forums » comments on review of TekSavvy Solutions Inc. |
|
TekSavvy Solutions Inc.
(88)
(71)
(114)
(15)