Review by Bell_Abused 
UPDATED: 9 days ago
member for 1.8 years, 122 visits, last login: 5 days ago
 undisclosed location
 Contract price not specified.
 Bell Canada
 "They almost always thank you for calling and chosing Bell. Nice and polite."
 "everything related to Bell as a whole"
 "Not worth spending your hard-earned money on"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
3rd update (Aug 10, 2008)
Been over a year now without a single Bell product or Bell service in my home. With all the nickel and diming they are doing with Cell & Inet I am 100% glad I got rid of Bell completely.
Had a sales call on my 1-year anniversary of leaving them telling me how much their quality improved since I left. I asked them to tell me what changed and how, they couldn't.
Figured if they can call me and tell me how good their quality is without being able to justifying it, then I can review them once again.
-Throttling
-Lower B/W usage
-Inherent problems with phone lines causing DSL to be totally unreliable compared to cable.
-Price gouging people who use text messaging on their cells by charging per incoming txt.
-Phone reps still unable to answer the most basic questions (like the sales call I had).
-All they are doing and trying to do to the little bit of wholesale competition to get your money.
-the list goes on...
They would have to pay me to use their services ever again.
A note for the Brainiac Residential Executive at Bell:
If you are going to get your sales force to call people on their 1-year anniversary on leaving Bell, you might want to consider calling 1-month prior to the 1-year date so you can maybe try and lure them away PRIOR to them signing another contract with the competition. Duh.
2nd update (May 30th):
Upon cancellation, I did not get the 100$ early termination fee I was told to expect.
The Associate to the president of residential services must have taken care of it (thanks).
On a Bell parting note (I cancelled all Bell services), the only positive I can give on Bell is that their Executive Office/Associates do the job. But there is no rating on Executive's. But if there were, I'd rate them a 4 out of 5.
I was also given a contact for line issues direct with the Bell cable dept and told never to contact 611 again due to their lack of knowledge and support (too late for that now). A TY goes to the guy/gal/boss in the cable dept (again not a DSLR ratable item, but a 5 out of 5), and it took many a bitching to get through to the cable division trust me.
Trying videotron for a year to see what the other side is like... and so far so good, aside from an echo on the phone line though, but 100% cleared up with Bell DSL filters... go figure :/ [sigh]
The presidents associate came to the conclusion that the experience I had was "rare" (I don't see it as rare as others here and elsewhere have the same experiences). So I took offence to that cop-out excuse. More should write to kevin.crull-AT-bell.ca with their real issues (not my speed is slow whaaa).
Maybe I will be back with Bell in a year (or not), Or if I see they improve upon real customer issues and non-compliance issues, within this forum and their own forum.
Ah yeah upon cancellation a month ago, I was told a modem return kit would be shipped, was given a confirmation number... needless to say it never came. I called they said they never sent it (guy on the line giggled) and I was given yet again another confirmation #. I told the Business office rep i was tired of all their BS and lies told him to send it or don't, Your last chance. Got it 2 days later.
The end, finally.
Update 1:
Figured I would update this since the "fan-boys" tend to update 100% across the board on a regular basis:
-New 30-gig Bandwidth policies
-When you call to cancel, EVEN WHEN YOUR CONTRACT IS UP, they try telling you that you will get a 100$ termination fee anyhow.
-When you call to give the 30-day notice of contract termination, they say you will get the 100$ termination fee.
-They have errors in customer contract start dates which will lead to a 100$ early cancellation fee. I am one of these unfortunates. Now since the exec office knows and Billing knows, why can't they fix it before i get my bill?? I was warned to expect it :/
-same run-arounds, nothing changed, even when following policy to cancel.
-MSN Email is getting worse with MSN telling new domains (who get blocked) to pay 1400$-US to be put on a safe list... Anyone remember the AOL pay for Email scandel?? Sympatico is now the new AOL of Canada with Email (Due to MSN policy, not sympatico's, but why does sympatico put up with this?).
-Intermitant MSN problems still to this day. Some days an email from the same domain will get through, other days it won't. MSN says its their overly-agressive spam filter. Live with it (even if you pay 1400$ to be on their "safe list").
-Bell Corporate BCE web site says 2007 is the year of customer service and share-holder pay-back. I was called a "valued customer". Gee, thanks!
-Trouble tickets still closed off as fixed when they are not and added to their BCE site to improve good stats (those who are treated like this i was told are "rare"). How many "Rare" people out there who had to call for weeks or months on the same trouble-ticket issue?
-New sales tactic when calling in to get your profile or line fixed, they now tell you to pay to upgrade.
-High-speed Ultra, which basically is the same as regular High-speed increased again, this year an additional 5$.
-Hushmail completely blocked by Sympatico. Guess They don't like what they can't read??
Value for your money before was a big zero. Now its getting sub-zero and kind of dumb
Going to try a different telco and ISP for a year and compare. Will post another update if I get an early termination fee to complain some more.
=======
1. Pre-sales info:
-Pre-sales Bell lies are very much viewable in the sympatico forum and Sympatico own user forum.
-Bell tells everyone they are eligible for full 5-meg service even if you call from china.
2. Connection reliability:
-Connections drops are normal.
-Ping rates are in the 100-200 range.
-Email servers down regularly.
-Email spam filters go down and you get flooded with spam.
-Sympatico hardware regularly goes down (their routers) leading to bad game play or web pages not loading.
-RBC Banking issues due to them
-Some SSL site issues due to them
-They block their own hosts (*.bell.ca) in users personal web-space effectively blocking access for users.
-Hidden list of issues related to bells services and only viewable by their techs.
-When you call and one of those issues are on their list as a sympatico/Bell problem, they tell you its your computer the problem.
-They are not honest about connection issues and problem items.
3. Tech Support:
-If you call in for a problem, you get a very big run-around.
-Almost impossible to have good service. techs admit this themselves.
-If you call in for a line issue, they will auto-degrade your speed and tell you its fixed while the underlying issue(s) continues.
-If they actually fix the issue, its a fight to get your speed profile back up.
-If you call with static on your phone and connectivity issues they will ask you to speak louder over the static so they can properly hear you and say, there is no problem.
-They close off trouble-tickets at their discretion when problems arise effectively forcing the customer to make another 100-calls or forcing the customer to give up.
4. Services:
-Bell lies to you saying wire-care will give you trouble-free service should line problems arise.
When my line problems arose Bell Canada (611) told me to play with the wires at the demarc and try and fix it myself.
-DO NOT TAKE AND PAY FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES. Word of the wise.
-Their Value Added Security service is a beta.
-Visually impaired people cannot see it due to the 96dpi font size only.
-It works sometimes, and sometimes not.
-The security package has parts that don't work
-If you call for support on their product that you pay for, Bell will tell you, sorry we don't support that (as seen in their own forum).
5. Value for your hard-earned money:
-a big zero. Better service/reliability/value can be obtained through resellers or cable.
Followup comments:  
andrewhaji
Andrew
Premium
join:2002-03-02
Toronto, ON | You Got It! Sounds very similar to the experience I just had with Bell... | |
|  | | 
pez66
@bell.ca
| Thieves About Sums It I called for tech support, was offered a laptop computer and refused it. No help from tech support 2 weeks later I still get disconnected every 1/2 hour and after 4 calls to confirm my laptop oder and telling them I dont want it. Its sitting here beside me. Bell needs to be brought to justice........ they have become the largest thieving corporation in N. America! @#*%-youBELL CANADA! | |
| |
know the feeling
@videotron.ca
| Re: Thieves About Sums It bring your complaint to the president of residential services as I did. Email kevin.crull-AT-bell.ca and explain the issues you have, support not being helpfull, the number of calls, a laptop you didn't want and so forth. They should try and fix you up.
I gave up... couldn't take the run-arounds any more.. but its only been 2 weeks for you, not 3 months of the same run-around or 6 weeks of the same run-around and trouble tickets closed off as fixed, no show techs and so forth.
but i know the frustration factor.... use that Email above and get it sorted out. Also demand a credit for the amount of time your DSL service has been off and on (or non-functional) and getting no support. | |
|
Vrmeer_1
@bell.ca
| Bell Sympatico Crooks I have been with SYMPATICO for nine years. I don't have plastic so I can't leave and they will not let me cancel my account.
1, I changed my phone number and reported it to Sympatico as instructed.
2 8 months later (2 weeks ago, I all of a sudden lost my phone line and my highspeed access - (and they have been withdrawing thier fee regularly btw.)
3. I call Bell Telephone to report the loss of my phone line. They send a technician in two days.
4. The technician has to go to the sub station to figure out what is wrong
5. The technician comes back and tells me Sympatico cut my phone line
(the technician is very very pissed off)
6. The technician calls SYMPATICO, he give SYMPATICO SHIT, he passes the phone over to me and tells me not to talk to him.
7 Sympatico tells me I need a new modem and to take my old one back to Teleboutique.
8. Sympatico sends me a new 2Wire modem, but with no cables or filters, The packing slip says there are 3 filters, spliter, 4 conducter tel cable, ethernet wire in the box which there are not. I call and complain
9. They mail me two cd pouches by mail each with 1 filter, 1 splitter, 1 ethernet cable, not 4 conducter tel cable. So I scrounge up my own
9 Sympatico tells me that my service will be restored after midnight on the 17th of Oct after midnight.
10 Nothing happens on the 18th of October.
11. SYMPATICO tells me it is going to working by Sunday, 21st
12 I still don't have any service on the 22nd, Monday
13. Yesterday I call and complain, they tell me that my service will be working after midnight Monday, 22.
14 It is now Tuesday morning the 23 and my DSL light is still blinking. My phones are all filtered now.
15 there is no answer at Sympatico tech support 310 surf.
I am still paying for service I don't have, plus for 8 months they were charging me for service on a telephone line that didn't exist.  | |
| | Bell_Abused
join:2006-10-07
 ·Bell Sympatico
| Re: Bell Sympatico Crooks If I were you, I would make the issues known in either of these two places so as to get it all sorted out once and for all:
1. Sympatico's forum:
»www.supportcommunity.sympatico.c···list.jsp
2. DSLR's Sympatico Direct forum (you need to reg on DSLR):
»/forum/sympatdirect
They should fix you up once and for all via any of these two escalation routes.
Also, make sure to get a ticket number and also make sure to state that you do not want to pay for their frig up's. Insist on a month credit or more till they fix it. You should get it. But you have to be vocal about it.
But yup... been through this as well.... | |
| | | Vrmeer_1
join:2007-10-31
Longueuil, QC
| Re: Bell Sympatico Crooks thanks,
well, on the 24th my phone went dead again!! I had to call Bell Telephone that night to send over a repair technician again on the 25th again they had to go to the substation.
The second Bell technician, (after asking me how my DSL service was working LOL) not Sympatico, got my dsl working and then I got a call from Kevin Crull's office, Sympatico telling me they were working on it.
thanks for the references! | |
| | | | Vrmeer_1
join:2007-10-31
Longueuil, QC
edit:
November 7th, @01:02PM
|  Re: Bell Sympatico Crooks
Sympatico sent me two new modems, not just one, then they quadrupled my billing and the billing office told me that I had upgraded my service. They withdrew 4 times my original bill from my checking accunt and now have they not just screwed up my high speed service they have totally ukedfaed my checking account as well.
I DID NOT want an UPGRADE to MY SERVICE, I DID NOT ORDER AN UPGRADE MY SERVICE, Sympatico did not tell me they were upgrading my service, SYMPATICO ARBITRARILY UPGRADED MY SERVICE WITHOUT TELLING ME OR ASKING ME or informing me there was going to be a quadroupled service fee.
I wanted only that they restored the ruptured service they already caused. (see above)  Off to Quebec Consumer protection again.
You are looking for ISP provider? STAY AWAY FROM BELL SYMPATICO MSN you will save yourself a ton of service cuts, phone line cuts, headaches, passive aggression to keep you in service and unauthorized withdrawls | |
| | | | | Vrmeer_1
join:2007-10-31
Longueuil, QC
| Re: Bell Sympatico Crooks My phone service and my Sympatico service was cut off again on November the 14th and again I had to call Bell Canada to come in to restore my phone. If I hadn't called myself they would have done nothing about it.
I have forwarded a CC of my latest letter to Mr. Crull to CBC's Market Place and Quebec Consumer Protection as well as to a Quebec MNA. I am living on a disability and I believe that Bell Canada is using this scenerio to force me to have my service upgrades as now the Bell Business office have deceptivly forced me to upgrade to wireless at 3 times the price that I was originally paying. | |
| | | Vrmeer_1
join:2007-10-31
Longueuil, QC
| Re: Bell Sympatico Crooks | 3rd Service Rupture Bell and Sympatico cut off my telephone service and Sympatico service a 3rd time on November the 14th. I had to call in Bell Repair service again. If I hadn't Bell would again just ignored my service rupture.
I sent Mr. Crull's office another email to this end. I got called back by three different people in his office and then another a Mr. Ouimet or a Mr. Ouimar who told me that he was sorry and that the money would be put back in my chequing account. But he never did. I have his phone number.
What the business office has done has forced me into a higher charged internet service with this scenario that I can neither afford or use. I am pre-retired living on a rudimentary restricted disability.
I have forwarded an email to Mr. Crull's office to this effect, I have also sent a cabon copy to CBC's Market Place and Government of Quebec MNA. If there is anyone that is filing a Civil Class Action suit against Bell Sympatico MSN count me in. | |
| | | | Bell_Abused
join:2006-10-07
·Bell Sympatico
| Re: Bell Sympatico Crooks | 3rd Service Rupture Wow!
You are really getting jerked around here.
Yes, do contact Crulls Office again on Monday.
In the mean time, make a post in the forum:
»/forum/sympatdirect
Maybe someone there can help you sort all this out.
...and good for you for Emailing and calling them and sticking to your guns on the issues. Many would have given up.
 | |
| | | | | | | | | Vrmeer_1
join:2007-10-31
Longueuil, QC | Re: Bell Sympatico Crooks | 3rd Service Rupture thanks 'Bell Abused'. I filed a complaint with the CRTC and posted same as suggested. Vrmeer_1  | |
| | | | | | Bell_Abused
join:2006-10-07 | Re: Bell Sympatico Crooks | 3rd Service Rupture you got a reply in the direct forum in case you are not aware... | |
| | | | | | | Vrmeer_1
join:2007-10-31
Longueuil, QC | Re: Bell Sympatico Crooks | 3rd Service Rupture thanks! Yes, I saw it. I received another phone call from Bell yesterday and this woman said she was going to take care of it. So, I just made sure I was polite. Thanks. Vrmeer_1 | |
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