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Review by BellisHell See Profile

  • Location: Brampton, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $90 per month
  • Install: about 15 days
  • Telco party Bell Canada
Fast transfer without a hitch and getting what I have paid for.
Nothing whatsoever.
Wow, I'm impressed.
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I'll be doing a new ongoing review of Start Communications. As of right now my transfer date is set at May 3rd. Hope this transfer will be as pleasant as it was with TekSavvy when I switched from Bell.

Update: I received an email yesterday about activating my connection for May 5th and I got connected at 6 AM in the morning. I didn't even need to call support for any problems... I just got my connection. This is a first ever that I actually got what I signed up for with extremely minimal to non-existent down time. And right at the start (no pun intended :P), I got exactly the speeds I signed up for. This was an extremely refreshing experience, and at this point I will not hesitate to recommend Start Communications. Seriously, switch if you haven't from Rogers, Bell, or any other sub par IISP (Exception: A little props to TekSavvy for de-provisioning the modem fast enough for the transfer). Even though the price may be a bit more expensive than others, it is well worth it.

Update: After using this connection for a day, I can say for sure that the speeds are very consistent through the day and the connection is extremely reliable (Just streamed Netflix HD and a few youtube videos, not a single buffer judder).

Update (Jun. 1 2014): Have been using the connection for close to a month now and no problems so far! Speeds are consistent, and the connection is exceptionally reliable. I'm blown away by how refreshing this is.

Update (Jul. 9 2014): Just got a slow down from the "core network" problem (3 down / 3 up), but after an hour (with a couple of resets in between) the connection was all hunky-dory again (same result from previous speed test). The connection is still rockin'!

Update (Jul. 11 2014): Thought I should update on my line stats and speeds.
»www.pingtest.net/result/ ··· 8451.png
»www.speedtest.net/result ··· 6410.png
As I have said before, the connection is very consistent and reliable. You really can't go wrong with Start.

Update (Aug. 4 2014): I've decided to change my current plan of 35/3 to 60/10. I contacted Start via email about the change and after 2-3 minutes, I receive a call from a rep from Start to confirm the change. I'm actually amazed at the speed of responses to my inquiries. I received an email today confirming the date of change (tomorrow, Aug. 5). I will test the speed, connection quality and keep this review up-to-date.

Update (Aug. 5 2014): I got my speed change this morning, and I'm getting pretty close to what I pay for. (The speed was a little slower since someone was Skype conferencing when I was speed testing)
Here are the results:

»www.speedtest.net/result ··· 6595.png
»www.pingtest.net/result/ ··· 4949.png

Update (Aug. 16 2014): Just doing a connection update. It is as reliable as ever! No joke!

»www.speedtest.net/result ··· 4204.png
»www.pingtest.net/result/ ··· 5441.png

I'm just amazed at how 90 bucks a month could feel so worth it. I take back what I said about Start being expensive now since it's actually a bit cheaper than the major IISP competition, especially with the unlimited plans.

Update (Sept. 23rd 2014): It's been 5 months, and the connection is still excellent! The only gripe with Start is the plans they offer. I currently need 150+ mbps unlimited as students are renting out the place and Start.ca doesn't offer such a plan. My service has been set to be cancelled by Sept. 30th and will update on the cancellation process.

Update (Oct. 3rd 2014): Start released my modem by the end of Oct. 1st, but I was told via email that it may be released by the 6th. A very slight confusion on their behalf but other than that everything else was excellent. They tried to keep my status as transparent as possible and I find it exceptional. Despite moving back to TekSavvy, I'd still recommmend Start to people who want to start using smaller ISPs for their internet means.

member for 12.5 years, 124 visits, last login: 1.9 years ago
updated 9.4 years ago


Start Sam
join:2014-01-21
London, ON

Start Sam

Member

Welcome Aboard!

Helllo,

Thank you for your review and continued updates!

Awesome to hear about the smooth transfer process and conistent performance is to your liking. Thats exactly what target with our network management!

Enjoy.

BellisHell
join:2011-09-01
Brampton, ON

BellisHell

Member

Re: Welcome Aboard!

:P Don't know if my joining in on the Start wagon is exciting enough to cause grammar and spelling mistakes, but I digress. Thanks for welcoming me aboard!

rocca
Start.ca
Premium Member
join:2008-11-16
London, ON

rocca

Premium Member

Unlimited

Sorry to see you go, but understand your circumstances. Hopefully our efforts in Ottawa will be successful this Fall and we'll get sustainable capacity rates that will enable us to provide unlimited on this tier. Thanks for your past support and hope to see you back again one day soon.

BellisHell
join:2011-09-01
Brampton, ON

BellisHell

Member

Re: Unlimited

I sure hope you guys succeed in that endeavor. I would really love to see an unlimited option for that!