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Review by dgorgan See Profile

  • Location: Kingston, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $55 per month
High speed
Cripplingly low bandwidth caps, Painful billing once caps are exceeded
Avoid Cogeco!
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Cogeco has several high-speed packages, but they have recently implemented usage caps and billing on their plans.

The plan I'm currently subscribed to (High Speed Internet Standard) has a ridiculously low cap of 60gb up/down a month. Beyond that, you'll pay $1.50 per gigabyte transferred. There's a stated limit of $30 of charges for usage over the cap, but there are still questions about having service cut off after exceeding the cap.

If my hard drive were to crash, I would need at least 40gb to re-download all the content (Steam purchases) and patches (WoW, Windows security updates) that I have today, and that number is going up. That would block out any use of the streaming video I would want to watch or buying any downloadable software using digital distribution.

Simply put, the transfer cap is too low to keep up with the future of the online marketplace. Avoid Cogeco if you plan on actually using your InterNet connection.

member for 21.2 years, 47 visits, last login: 10.1 years ago
updated 13.2 years ago


blackzero
Premium Member
join:2007-08-16
Trois-Rivieres, QC

blackzero

Premium Member

60 GBs isn't enough for heavy downloaders!!

60 GBs cap is basically enough for moderated surfers only.

For those people who download w/ P2P, play games and watch a lot of video, the 60GBs bw cap can be overreached quickly.

BTW, Cogeco never gives enough bandwidth to their subscribers. I remember where I was subscribed w/ Bell Sympatico in 2003-2006.

Sympatico's speed was decent;4.7~5 Mbps w/ unlimited download. The very same time, Cogeco offered me 6Mbps,but w/ a small 30 GBs cap.

I have nothing against Cogeco and the company but,you see,a company is made to make money and please its shareholders.

Now, Cogeco has been more aggressive regarding their caps. They make more money by offering a small bandwidth cap and charging the excess. That's my opinion.

Regards.........
Blackzero

Review by WiFi See Profile

  • Location: NiagaraFalls
  • Cost: $39 per month (12 month contract)
  • Install: about 8 days
I get something from my broadband connection.
Bad ARP traffic affects overall performance, Mostly reliable although they now throttle and speeds are nowhere near advertised!
Poor value for money. If you need broadband, don't need tech support, and always want overage charges, Cogeco is for you!
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Updated 15Jan11: TEKSAVVY, HERE I COME! Hey Cogeco, say goodbye to a 10+y broadband customer. I dumped Bell in 1999 and never looked back, I'm dumping you, too! Since when do your "customer service" "unprofessionals" have the right to call and THREATEN me? I was in the hospital and recover for over a month from a serious accident, I live alone, was not home for weeks. Cogeco called and said if I didn't pay up on the spot, I would be disconnected. They didn't care that I had been away for many weeks. They don't know what empathy is! I got behind in other bills (everything OK now) and even my electric utility, that sent a disconnect notice, was easy on me, removed the order and told me to pay whenever I was ready! I was in a week later and they told me they were sorry to hear what had happened and that they made sure that the order did not affect my credit rating. Things happen, they recognized that, but NO, not Cogeco! This Quebec company is a DISGRACE to business and actually makes Bell Canada look good Finally, Cogeco won't admit it but they are throttling. MY VOIP has not been working consistently ever since Cogeco started enforcing bandwidth caps. That tells me they are discriminating against services competing with their own VOIP phone service!

Updated Mar15/10: Got screwed by refer a friend yet again. I did it according to the Cogeco requirements, they have no record, my friend gets HSI, I get zip! I'm now referring friends to teksavvy where I'm moving to shortly.

Updated March 10, 2010: Speeds not as advertised and they tell me it's "up to". Oh, yeah, I forgot that minor detail...duhhhh! I'm just a dumb consumer that likes being taken to the cleaners. BANDWIDTH CAPS SUCK! NEVER went more than 10Megs/mo EVER in the more than 11 years I've had Cogeco HSI and now they want me to believe THEIR proprietary meter that says I'm going over every month?

Updated July03: I referred a friend, the Cogeco referral page says that I will be contacted, they havn't done so, I called them, there are no records of a referral. So they get a new client because of me, I get nothing. PROGRAM IS flat out FALSE ADVERTISING!

Cogeco just began offering Lite service (lower bandwidth, lower speed, fewer email accounts) and Pro (higher bandwidth, faster speed). Good feedback from senior techs on DSLr Cogeco forum which is the only reliable tech support available. Cogeco outsources installation to another company in Niagara whose employee (in my experience) was not familiar with Internet technology nor interested in customer service. The techs are on quotas, in my case there were problems with the building wiring, the tech left after his allotted time with no apology or gaurantee of when they would be back. I had to wait all day for that appointment and was then expected to wait another day later in the week to finish installation.

I was also forced by FUTURESHOP St.Catharines (where I signed on) to purchase an old "Wave @Home" CD before they would sign me up - I recently learned that Cogeco does not permit the resellers to give away let alone sell these CD's anymore! BE CAREFUL! DO NOT LET FUTURESHOP RIP YOU OFF LIKE THEY RIPPED ME! **If Cogeco has regional marketing reps, why they wouldn't be aware of this?

member for 21.8 years, 320 visits, last login: 237 days ago
updated 13.2 years ago


en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

en102

Member

Former Canuck

Good old Cogeco - When they originally installed @Home (initial Cable Internet deployment as well), they came at their scheduled time, however, the contractors did not complete the job, as the appartment complex in St. Catharines had only a one way amplifier installed. It took a few days (of which each phone call was 'on hold' for at least 45 mins) to get it replaced. Once it was replaced, it was fine. Down here in Los Angeles, TimeWarner - RoadRunner is about the same. Self install option gave me 2 months free, however the condo I happen to be in did a bad wiring job (splitters buried in the wall, connected backwards) and I had fun with that as well - 2Mbps/384 is OK. @ work I have 6000/384 PacBell DSL (ok except for outages), and now finally XO - DS3 (45Mbps/45Mbps data only)

urbanriot
Premium Member
join:2004-10-18
Canada

urbanriot

Premium Member

You didn't pay your bill, they disconnected, you're mad?

I was in the hospital and recover for over a month (...) Cogeco called and said if I didn't pay up on the spot, I would be disconnected

Just to be clear, you didn't pay for two months of billing, and you're upset they disconnected you?

I get why you'd be unhappy about that, from your point of view, an accident, hospital visit, lots of stress to be sure... but you're mad that you didn't pay for your service for months and you were disconnected?

Review by (hidden by request)

  • Location: N0P2L
  • Cost: $150 per month
Limited HD choices, frequent eruption of pixellation, tech support says it's your problem, but problem is magically fixed in min
Wish there wash an alternative here !!!!
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Since early summer of 2010, my next door neighbour has signed up with
Cogeco. As a "temporary" installation, Cogeco ran a cable across her
front lawn and my front lawn to the cable entry point at the front of my
house and installed a splitter. I have been promised that the cable
would be re-located and buried at least six times. I cannot cut the lawn
between our houses because of the cable lying in the grass.

Over Christmas, I learned that a daughter of a friend of mine had Cogeco
installed in her new house. Instead of burying the cable, they strung it
through the trees.

I have offered to loan Cogeco a shovel, but each time they send someone
out, they just look at the mess, shake their heads and leave. My last
call to Cogeco was two weeks ago and I asked to speak to a manager. They
promised to have someone call the next day...no one has returned my
call. Now I am get warnings about approaching my 60G per month download
limit. I suspect my usage is being combined with her usage (two kids).

Since I get no response from Cogeco, who do I complain to????

(review was emailed from domain cogeco.ca)
lodged 13.2 years ago

Marcer
Premium Member
join:2007-07-08
Hamilton, ON

Marcer

Premium Member

Re: your concerns

First off, if it was laid "early" in 2010 I agree with you completely it should have been buried before the fall. That said.. the ground is frozen right now.... to dig you need a jackhammer or a backhoe, not a shovel. If you want to create a login and PM me some info I can see what can be done to get it in the ground as soon as it thaws. As far as the usage is concerned, it's reported by the Cable modem MAC (think "serial number"). As you and your neighbour have different modem numbers, there is no way the usage has been combined.

Review by (hidden by request)

  • Location: L9g3y
  • Cost: $45 per month (month by month)
Fast download speeds, reliable connection
Cap is smaller than most phone plans. Charges way too much for overage
Avoid
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Really good download speeds. Ridiculous overage fees. Would rather switch to
unlimited.

(review was emailed from domain gmail.com)
lodged 13.2 years ago







Review by (hidden by request)

  • Location: p1b3n
  • Cost: $79 per month
Tech service
Throttling the speeds, but deny it
I want another service, but they have a monopoly
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I know they are throttling - I have been told by the person who brought the services to the North. What is terrible is that they lie about it.

(review was emailed from domain cogeco.ca)
lodged 13.2 years ago


urbanriot
Premium Member
join:2004-10-18
Canada

urbanriot

Premium Member

You were told what by who?

Who is it that brought the services 'to the North' and what did they tell you about their practices?






Review by wkim75 See Profile

  • Location: Mississauga, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $56 per month (month by month)
  • Install: about 7 days
Speed at 6pm was 15Mb/0.6Mb,
Speed at 10pm was 3Mb/0.9Mb. No option to provide own modem so price includes modem rental. :(
Undecided. Will update later..
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Highspeed 'Standard' package (14Mb/1Mb?) - $52/mo (for 12 month commitment). $75 early cancellation fee.

I opted for the month-to-month plan.. $57/mo.

Note they provide the modem, so rental fee is built into price.
They do not allow for use of own modem.

Ordered on a Wednesday.. Didn't hear from them until Monday afternoon..
Good news was, they said they'd have someone out there by Wed (2 days) to get it installed.. ($40 installation fee? I can't recall exactly)

Said technician would be there between 8am and 5pm (really?).. He showed up around 4:45pm.. =/

Installation was quick and painless.
Modem is mounted in place at demark point, so I don't have any good visibility of the modem other than knowing that it's an RCA digital Broadband modem. =/

Service is pricey, with probably a D2 modem (looks old).. but it's my only non-DSL option (when, teksavvy, when?? ).. and I'm 5.5km away from the CO..so cable sounds like my best bet..

Will update more when I have more to report..

member for 15.4 years, 121 visits, last login: 4.4 years ago
lodged 13.3 years ago


Review by lecep See Profile

  • Location: Oakville, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $147 per month
Decent service in general
Expensive, very low caps, cust.svc. will not listen if you have discrepancies regarding bandwith usage, even if they're wrong
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I have been with Cogeco since Aug-2002 and the service is very good in general. I am subscribed to High Speed Internet Standard (10M/640K) and Analog TV.

I do not remember having a major signal outage, what makes its service very reliable. However, peak hours are very critical and I can get speeds around 1000K for download.

I live in a fast growing area in Oakville, probably that's the reason I am getting those numbers after 6pm. I think it's a matter of time when they realize they have to add or update the current networking platform and improve the real bandwidth for this area.

I highly recommend Cogeco since I don't know of any other company providing the same speeds, just be patient and wait until they fix this temporary congestion issue.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------
UPDATE: 18-Nov-2010
The bandwith meter is unreliable. Very unreliable. Customer service will not help if you find your calculations are different from theirs.

member for 21.5 years, 4868 visits, last login: 2 days ago
updated 13.3 years ago


Review by got_milk2 See Profile

  • Location: Georgetown, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $54 per month
Speed, extremely high uptimes
Insulting customer service, low caps
Decent ISP so long as you don't have to call in!
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I've been a Cogeco user for many years now. The service itself is pretty good, almost 100% uptime and no real issues.

Customer service though needs serious work. They assume you know nothing about your network setup and have treated me terribly in the past. The tech installers are good though, we had a modem die and the installer was great, he came and did the swap quickly, and was very friendly.

One day however we had an e-mail sent from Cogeco Security claiming we had a mass mailer that was sending a large amount of spam e-mails from our machine. The e-mail claimed that our service would be disabled in 24 hours if the problem wasn't fixed. This e-mail was sent at 6:00am or so and we were cut off by 9am. I couldn't find any trace of any problems, but I couldn't download any repair tools due to the lack of internet! Called in and the rep suggested to DOWNLOAD TOOLS. The rep treated me like I was an idiot, and told me I should be running up to date anti-virus software (I AM!) I tore him a new one saying that how could I clean this and download the tools he suggests without any connection! I finally bring him around and the internet is enabled. I do my routine checks for malware and they come up clean. To be safe, I put a packet analyzer on for about 8 hours and checked to see if there was any e-mail traffic - there was none. We were cut off again the next day claiming the same thing and I lashed out saying that Cogeco is to not disrupt service without providing me undeniable proof that there was spam e-mails being sent from our location. Haven't heard from them since.

UPDATE: I'm bringing down a few sliders here as it's been a long time since I could get the advertised upload/download speeds. Now I'm lucky if I can break 10Mbps on a 14Mbps line. Also, connectivity has been far less than 100% as over the past few weeks it occasionally drops for a half hour or so. Trucks are rolling around here like mad working but nothing seems to be getting fixed. Looks like my area is overcrowded, it's a common complaint from what I hear around here.

member for 16.6 years, 1279 visits, last login: 9.9 years ago
updated 13.3 years ago


a friend
@cgocable.net

a friend

Anon

hmmm

Ubuntu! Look it up. You obviously can't fix your problem or lack the ability to solve your issue. Start new... load Ubuntu. Keep in mind its not cogeco fault your not a software enginer. Most people have no clue they are infected. Cogeco has a right to protect there system. Lets face it if your computer connected gives them issues and when they turn you off they don't have issues. Its safe to say they are right and you need either an upgrade or to figure it out. Ubuntu IMO is your best option. Back up your files and install. Good luck.
got_milk2
join:2007-08-22
Georgetown, ON

got_milk2

Member

Re: hmmm

Had you checked my profile you would have seen that I am a student studying software engineering, so yes, I think I'm safe to say that when I am satisfied I don't have malware, then I don't have malware.

Thank you for making assumptions though.

Review by showashowa See Profile

  • Location: Windsor, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $58 per month (month by month)
Local HQ exists
Reliabiliy, Service, Connectivity, about everything
I would love to change ISP if I can, don't live in a small town
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Recently the reliability of this company totally sucks. It disconnects you very frequently and randomly too! Sometimes 5 times within 1 hour (I have concerns that my 'globe' on my connection indication can go poof any second..that's how insecure I feel nowadays about them).

Service is terrible! They try to be nice but every time takes them ages to get a technician and guess what, the problem keeps persisting. The only time my connection stays well is between the time the tech comes and their check-up call. Once i said okay to the agent about my net, the globe is in danger again. I sense some scams but I really can't point a finger at it.

My bandwidth is shaped very frequently. Sometimes to the point it is kind of ridiculous. Usually I have around 10Mbps, but it drops to 2Mbps sometimes (I tried with several speed test so this is confirmed). I called and ask why this is they say its due to heavy net traffic and P2Ps (when I rarely use one)... not that great of a service.

The only good thing I can say about them is that they have a nice looking buildings around town....

member for 13.4 years, 2 visits, last login: 13.4 years ago
lodged 13.4 years ago


Review by chirpy13 See Profile

  • Location: undisclosed location
  • Cost: $40 per month
Cheaper than Bell and Rogers, decent speed
Still expensive, terrible customer service, download caps
Use them if there's nothing better available
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The one paying for the phone/cable/internet in the househould refuses to use anything that isn't bundled - and that's really one of the only situations where I would recommend using Cogeco. The other reason to use them is if nothing better is available in your area.

The internet is prone to disconnecting randomly, and the phone goes sometimes as well. It's not a consistent thing but it can happen every couple hours over the course of weeks for a few minutes at a time when it does happen. The download/upload speed is pretty reasonable on Lite Plus or higher (offering , but the data transfer limits leave a lot to be desired. 30GB on Lite Plus ($35/month), 60GB on standard ($45/month), and even their most expensive service ($100/month for internet) only offers 150GB/month in uploads/downloads with an extra $2/GB past the limits. Not for anyone who downloads or uploads a lot of large files, and I recommend you keep track of how much you download as well.

As for their customer service... We've been getting notices for a couple months about not paying bills (even though they've all been paid on time). I ended up phoning them a few months ago and got told us it was an accounting issue and that it was resolved. I've continued to get the same notices over the last couple months with them starting to charge interest as well. Just today, I got some notice saying to tape my payment to my door and that they'd come by to pick it up at the end of the month or disconnect me. I called again and went over the issue again, and seem to have resolved it after about an hour of waiting for a line and 20 mins of talking to their representatives. I mentioned that I'd be disconnecting and contacting the BBB to complain about their customer service. I got a response from the rep saying that it sounded like I was threatening them, which seems to say that they aren't very open to criticism of their services either.

In all, Cogeco's service is decent, but there's better companies out there. I've heard a lot of good things about TekSavvy being cheaper and providing near-equivalent speeds along with unlimited download limits, though I can't really say much myself having not used them before. I would still look into TS though if they're available in your area (or any other company you can find on Google with similar services). My final verdict on Cogeco is to only use them if your only option is the big-name companies. Despite their crappy customer service, I don't really expect the other big companies to be much (if at all) better, and Cogeco has the best bang for your buck of the three. Be sure to research your local companies beforehand though.

member for 13.5 years, 1 visits, last login: 13.4 years ago
updated 13.5 years ago