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Review by gotak  - Location: L6G 0C5
- Cost: $45 per month
- Install: about 14 days
Good "No contract and less likely to try to screw you over"
Bad "Not what they used to be anymore, customer service and reliability has tanked"
Overall "If you can stand being offline for days with no answer without significant savings, it's the ISP for you"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
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I came to Tek 2 years ago when I got married and moved out at the recommendation of a friend who had been a customer for years. And while the initial installation was a bit annoying as it took 2 weeks and even then the modem didn't work till a day after install, you couldn't get decent rates (or so I thought) with Rogers at the time. Not if you are a heavy user. Things were good.
Forward to today and things are different. You can if you ask for it get good plans from Rogers (yes likely due to competition from the likes of Tek). While TekSavvy had me offline for 4 days due to an issue introduced by Rogers yes but there's no resolution in sight. And there are people who have been offline for 2 weeks.
The above issue plus considering that I am not actually saving that much per year with Tek vs Rogers. My conclusion is that today the competitive advantage for TekSavvy is a lot slimmer than it used to be. And for me the risk of extended outage out weights any savings. So I canceled their service and moved back to Rogers.
TekSavvy isn't a bad company per say. But it's not a great ISP either. Not with their reliability and in many ways converging technical support practices with the likes of Rogers (outdated firmware on your modem you didn't buy from Tek? You are on your own buddy that or you can pay them 100 for a new one).
Update:
The experience of switching back to Rogers has been A+ even with the fees they had to refund. The reason being that the phone calls are so much more pleasant with Rogers than they have been with TekSavvy of late. The Rogers call were connected to a Rep right away, the reps were polite and helpful so the entire business was settled within a minute of talking. Compared to recent calls to TekSavvy where the reps always sounds annoyed or angry it is a pleasant surprise.
Someone needs to check if Hell froze over...
member for 2.3 years, 33 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 2 days ago
Comments:
  TSI AlanPremium
join:2012-11-22
Chatham, ON | Thank You For Your Review Hello,
Thank for your review. We are sorry to have lost you as a customer, due to the issues you encountered.
We are actively working with our vendors to improve the processes, and have significantly less interruptions and inconveniences for our customers going forward.
We look forward to having an opportunity to serve you again in the future.
Regards,
--
TSI Alan (E-Services) - TekSavvy Solutions Inc.
Authorized TSI employee
Follow us on Twitter: @TekSavvyCSR; @TekSavvyNetwork | |
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| Review by stephen d8 - Location: Montreal,QC
- Cost: $45 per month
- Install: about 2 days
 Bell Canada
Good "Management takes care of costumers, often on forums, cheap prices, great service"
Bad "Prepaid only"
Overall "If your looking for the best value for your money, well teksavvy probably has it!"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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45$ a month for 25/10! 300gb with unlimited 2am to 8am, Wow, that unbeatable! Had problems with activation, a manager from teksavvy seen my post and fixed it all up for me! Great service!
member for 7.8 years, 204 visits, last login: a few hours ago
lodged 3 days ago
Comments:
| Review by simsin0 - Location: Laval,QC
- Cost: $40 per month
- Install: about 15 days
- Bell Canada
Good "First company in Canada to stand up for the consumers who were being GOUGED by the big TELCO's. This COMPANY cares!"
Bad "Got popular due to great service and pricing, has surge of new customers which are overwhelming the support staff atm."
Overall "BEST PRICE BEST VALUE! Great knowledgable STAFF especially Michael W! Marc, Jonathan & Andre on the forums are great!"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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The only issue I could forsee for future customers is the install. This is tricky because it has a lot to do with the local incubent that is sub-leasing its lines to TEKsavvy. These companies often set Teksavvy at the end of the line for installs which is frustrating on a customer level. However Once installed the power shifts into Teksavvys hands and issues get handled much more rapdily for the customers.
member for 5.7 years, 312 visits, last login: a few hours ago
lodged 4 days ago
Comments:
 TSI AndreGot TekSavvy?Premium,VIP
join:2008-06-03
Chatham, ON
kudos:16 | Thanks! Thank you for taking the time to post a review.
Cheers,
Andre | |
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| Review by HiVolt - Location: Toronto, ON
- Cost: $53 per month
- Bell Canada
Good "Honesty, great DSLR tech presence, Cable or DSL solutions, MLPPP support"
Bad "none for me at this time"
Overall "Great deals for either cable or dsl"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Update Sept 26/2013
----------------------------
Finally Bell dropped the requirement to rent or purchase the Cellpipe or Sagemcom modems as of this month. After inquiring in the direct forum on how to proceed, I returned my rental Cellpipe to TekSavvy and my $8/month modem rental has been removed! I am happily using my own modem (Zhone 6652-A2) since April, 100% stable.
Update June 3/2013
----------------------------
No major issues with the service, only the fact that I've had to resort to finding my own modem that doesn't disconnect me or have other issues... Both the Cellpipe and Sagemcom have flaws in both stability and speed if you're on 50meg and use your own router. Sad part is, I am still forced to pay $8/month for the modem rental to Bell, for a Cellpipe modem that I don't use and that is obsolete in support and features, and there doesn't appear to be an end in sight. Not TSI's fault, there is some proceeding at the CRTC with regard to the VDSL modem certification, but they keep stalling and stalling, and nobody but Bell is able to source a modem that is compatible with the Stinger remotes...
Good thing is that prices went down a few months ago after the CRTC reduced Bell's capacity rates.
Oh, and the congestion to my remote was fixed maybe 6 months ago or more now, they added a second gig-e link to it. No problems with evening speeds now.
Update July 23/2012
------------------------------
Bell released the Cellpipe firmware fix today to the public. Firmware version is 1.0.4.4R8-wh. Some users were already on a beta test of it and it appears to fix the rebooting issue. I've switched mine to the Cellpipe from the Sagemcom, it fetched the ugprade and we'll see how it'll be over the next few weeks. Still congested in evening. That hasn't changed.
Update May 30/2012
------------------------------
I forgot to post an update since I've upgraded to 25mbps VDSL, during the March "free activation" promo. Installation of that went ok, though the tech that was supposed to install the POTS splitter came so late (almost at 9pm) and I told him to just give me the splitter and I installed it myself. But the fun issues started afterwards... FIrst, Bell sends the shitty Cellpipe modems for wholesale VDSL service, which either aren't proper firmware for Stinger remotes, or they have bad firmware bug that makes it reboot several times a day. These issues have been known for 6 months now, and still no official fix. I have managed to get my hands on a Bell Sagemcom modem, which is entirely stable. Modem issues aside, I also experience evening congestion, due to the remote on the street only having a single GigE feed, instead of two which most of them have. It's not THAT bad, drops to about 15-18mbps on heavy days when more people are watching FibeTV, which I suspect has priority over internet. I guess they'll upgrade it some day.
Update Feb 20/2012
-----------------------------
Well, my first ever billing issue with TSI was when the February invoice came in. I was charged a $5 account change fee TWICE, for switching from Unlimited to 300GB package in January. They said that they would be waiving those charges only after Feb 2nd (when the new prices took effect), but not for those who changed in January, when the emails were sent out informing of the changes taking place starting February. They refused to credit the fee over the phone, and failed to notice that the fee was charged twice. I did get the fees eventually credited after posting about it in the forums. They handled this very poorly, as well as other announcements with regard to the Feb 2 changes in other plans.
Update Jan 25/2012
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As of Feb 2/2012 the rates are going up thanks to the CRTC, so I've downgraded my unlimited to the 300GB package to save a few bucks. I haven't come close to 300GB in a long time, but just kept the unlimited package out of principle. Now that it's going up $5, no thanks.
Update Dec 2/2011
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4 years with TekSavvy DSL! Still workin' great as usual!
Update Oct 4/2011
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No problems at all, smooth sailing as usual. Coming up on 4 years with TSI DSL. 
Update Nov 23/2010
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I've not used my TSI DSL much since getting TSI Cable back in July, but I have kept it as a backup because cable was a bit iffy for the first few months. No problems with the DSL as usual.
Update April 4/2010
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No major problems aside from a couple brief 10 minute outages in the past week due to that sneaky bug in the Juniper ERX blades dedicated to MLPPP. Can't believe its been 2 years since BHell throttled wholesale. MLPPP has been an amazing fix!
Update December 19/2009
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Didin't update for a while, but there's no issues to report all is well! Still using MLPPP to evade the throttling, going on 1.5 years now.
Update September 4/2009
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No problems!
Update June 28/2009
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TekSavvy has added more capacity in recent months as well as dedicated hardware for MLPPP. All is well!
Update March 17/2009
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No issues, still receiving great service from TekSavvy.
Update December 14/2008
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Well, the CRTC decision came and went, and they sold out to Bell. They are supposed to rule on the subject of Net Neutrality as a whole for all ISP's in July. I'm not holding my breath, as we know big ISP's & content providers have deep pockets.
As for my TekSavvy service, everything's been great. They've have added more capacity & redundancy in the last couple months to handle the growing demand.
Update September 21/2008
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No problems to speak of, all is well. The CRTC decision will be handed down October 31, I await anxiously and hope they will strike down Bell's traffic shaping. Until then, I'm still using MLPPP.
Update July 15/2008
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No issues, everything working fine. Still using MLPPP to evade traffic shaping, as CAIP continues to battle Bell at the CRTC. I referred my cousin two months ago, one quick email to accounting and I got my referral credit applied!
Update May 27/2008
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Well, some good news... As of a few weeks ago there has been a nice workaround for Bell's traffic shaping. MLPPP (MultiLink PPP) is working great with the help of some Linksys WRT54G router firmware modified by two determined forum members. Other methods of using MLPPP also exist, so read the forums, there are ways around the throttling!
Update April 16/2008
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On Apr.9 my area became affected with the throttling that Bell has imposed on its entire wholesale ISP customer base. While this is obviously out of TekSavvy's control, I feel its worth mentioning here. TekSavvy & other ISP's that are a part of CAIP (Canadian Association of Internet Providers) are currently fighting this issue by filing a formal complaint with the CRTC. I fully support TekSavvy in their fight, and props to them for sticking by their customers!
Update March 13/2008
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No problems, enjoying great service so far.
Update Jan 11/2008
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It's been a month after the official switchover, and it's been smooth sailing!
Dec 10/2007
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Woo, finally fully switched to Teksavvy! I've been using an unlimited login since about April '07, with very few issues.
I contacted TekSavvy mid November to schedule a switch, and provided them with a cancellation # from Sympatico. Sympatico cancellation was on Dec.9, and it was processed successfully and it looks like I've transitioned smoothly with no downtime.
I will update periodically as I have with my other ISP reviews.
member for 12.7 years, 6891 visits, last login: a few minutes ago
updated 9 days ago
Comments:
| | Loud Tech Guy oh my GOD i was on the phone with a girl tech support and I could not focus on what to tell her since there was someone in the backround so loud even that tech could not focus the person who was loud was also offensive and rude and made very rude and offensive comments, strange teksavvy?????
Intenet is great you offer but who do you hire ??? i mean comm'on? | |
| | | Very loud guy rude guy have you guys heard a rude guy in the background when speaking to tech support. He is usually rude and and very VERY loud its funny!
I also hear like other techs talking to other people they must be setting so close to each other lol | |
| |  HiVoltPremium
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON
kudos:19 | Re: Very loud guy rude guy I've never had to call tech support, I guess I'm lucky.
--
RIP Wade Belak - A Maple Leaf Forever | |
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| | Customer service agents The internet is great, tech support is good but the customer service agents there about as dumb as sh*t. They must not have very good training, always have a problem when we call in especially when transferring services to a new location. | |
| TSI AndreGot TekSavvy?Premium,VIP
join:2008-06-03
Chatham, ON
kudos:16 | Sweet! Thanks for updating your review  | |
| | | Review Hello Hi-Volt,
Thank you for the updated review. I’m happy to see you are still enjoying the service with your own modem.
Please keep us posted on your TekSavvy services.
Thank you
TSI-Ashleigh
--
TSI Ashleigh - E-Services.
Authorized TekSavvy Employee | |
|
| |
| Review by crumbworks - Location: North York,ON
- Cost: $60 per month
Good "Amazing speeds, no monthly caps, and great customer service"
Bad "Rare downtime is usually Bell's fault (so TekSavvy can't help), and service upgrades were both bad experiences"
Overall "Overall, I'm quite happy with TekSavvy"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
April 2010:
Just switched from Bell -- it was an older account from around 2001 so it retained the unlimited bandwidth perk. However, it was over $60/month and kept going up (Bell's way to force people off the grandfathered plans), and Bell's customer service is AWFUL. I'd rather beat myself with my broken modem than deal with an outsourced Bell agent trying to "help me" replace it. Never again.
So now I have TekSavvy. I heard such good things. I've only had it 1 month at the time of this initial review, but here's my two cents so far:
* * *
* * *
Initial Installation: A+
It could not have been better. They asked when my parents were planning on taking the Bell modem to their place, so they can coordinate when they will activate my connection. Since they had told Bell they weren't moving it for over 2 weeks, the TekSavvy representative that I spoke with said "Great! Since that is far enough away, you'll have your modem shipped by then, and you can go online without any service interruptions."
...and she was right. The morning it was set to be activated, I unhooked the Bell modem, hooked up the TekSavvy modem, and opened my browser. It asked me some simple questions about settings / username / password (all provided in a TekSavvy email I got 2 weeks prior) and I was online within 40 seconds. I was amazed, because Bell had previously SCREWED ME with stuff like this.
* * *
* * *
Stability: B+
I won't give this a perfect score because it went down twice at weird hours (like 1am to 4am). Not an issue for most, but I am a night owl. It didn't bother me much since there are the rare service drops at night while things are being repaired/upgraded... obviously the best time to do them is the middle of the night, when the fewest number of people are online.
However, what I didn't like is when I called tech support, they didn't know what was wrong and said something along the lines of "I am guessing Bell is doing some upgrades in your area, so you may experience periodic downtime. It's usually fixed by the morning, if it is in fact what I am guessing it to be." He admitted this to be a total guess. I understand that a reseller doesn't have complete control and thus doesn't have all of the answers, but I was a bit disappointed that they couldn't give me something a little more concrete. Nevertheless, that was only a small blip, and other than that I have had no stability issues.
Update 09/2013: There have been blips here and there, but nothing substantial. Our old gateway was restarting every once in a while, but it had heavy traffic pumping through it for over 2 years, so I think it was overheating or simply on its last legs. Since June, we've had VDSL2, which requires a new special modem, and that has not had any issues at all.
* * *
* * *
Customer Service: A
They were very nice to me every time I called, answering every question I had to the best of their ability. Calling people in Canada ALWAYS makes me happier. I hate outsourcing and have had some terrible experiences with it. TekSavvy is fantastic for keeping it local! PLEASE DON'T CHANGE THAT! It's one reason I chose you!
While this next point isn't a big deal, I think it is worth mentioning: the girl who originally activated my account did make one mistake. I asked for Unlimited High-Speed (5 mbps) and she gave me Unlimited Basic (512 kbps) which I saw on the email they sent me the next day. Fortunately it was still 2 weeks away from when I was set to go live, so I called and they easily changed it.
* * *
* * *
Value: A
I went with Unlimited because my brother and I are very heavy users. We both watch a great deal of video podcasts, we back up to the cloud, we have TV, movie and sports streaming subscriptions because we're cord cutters (no cable or satellite), and so we use a TON of data. I am very glad that TekSavvy offers an unlimited option in a market that otherwise has ridiculously small GB limits.
Update 06/2013: It's fantastic that TekSavvy has an Unlimited bandwidth tier even for their fastest VDSL2 packages. I'm fine paying a premium to have it truly unlimited, given that this household uses far more than 300 GB per month. All in all, it still costs far less than their competitors, who haven't offered unlimited packages in ages.
* * *
* * *
Speed: A+
Update 05/2012: This section is being revised because since the time I originally wrote my review, I've upgraded from 5 Mbps ADSL to 16 Mbps ADSL2+ FTTN (fibre-to-the-node). The main reason for an A+ score: the TekSavvy rep made sure I got the speed I was paying for. First he set my downstream to 16.023 Mbps, but based on how far we are from the cabinet, we only got 11.4 Mbps. When he called me and asked how my speeds were, I told him, and he said "Oh. Let me call Bell and have them tweak that for you. I'll get back to you."
An hour later, TekSavvy had set my downstream ABOVE the rated speed, so that way by the time the signal reached my modem, I got the 16 Mbps that I paid for. Great!
Update 06/2013: We now have VDSL2, 25 Mbps down, 10 Mbps up. The upgrade process was a big hassle (see below), but now we actually get EXACTLY what we pay for. We get 100% of the speed our connection is rated for.
* * *
* * *
Other/Misc: A+
I added this section to add a special note: when I initially called to set up my account with TekSavvy back in 2010, I was switching my home phone from Bell to TekSavvy as well, and that was also very seamless. There was literally ZERO downtime for both my home phone and internet at any point during the transition.
* * *
* * *
UPDATE #1: Death of a Router
05/2010 - only a week or two into my TekSavvy service
The modem / 4 port wireless router that they provided has already died. They are shipping out a new one. This has put a damper on the early parts of my relationship with TekSavvy. It is likely a fluke.
* * *
* * *
UPDATE #2: Faulty Hardware Redeemed
07/2010 - had TekSavvy for nearly 3 months
After the above incident with the router dying, the service has had no issues since. As I suspected, it was just a faulty piece of hardware (it happens! I didn't hold it against them!) The replacement router arrived after approximately 6 days and has been working flawlessly ever since, handling a *very* busy amount of network traffic.
* * *
* * *
UPDATE #3: Satisfactory Modem
03/2012 - coming up on 2 years with TekSavvy
That replacement modem/router has been running for nearly 2 years without dying. Given how heavily we hammer it with both LAN and WAN traffic, that proves it can withstand a barrage.
* * *
* * *
UPDATE #4: Service Upgrade Woes
05/2012 - a customer now for a little over 2 years
Two months ago, TekSavvy had a promotion to upgrade to a faster DSL package for free, which meant waiving the $95 upgrade fee (a promotion only offered because Bell was doing so -- Bell is the one that collects that fee). So we decided to upgrade from 5 Mbps to 16 Mbps service -- the fastest speed available without requiring new hardware.
Overall, the process could have been a LOT smoother. Let me explain...
To start, I didn't mind that it was a self-serve process online. That's actually very cool. There was no need to speak to anyone -- just log in, select 'upgrade', and fill in the info. Though I still did call and speak to someone, because
1) I had questions regarding availability in my area for the faster speed.
2) I didn't know it had to be done self-serve online until the phone rep told me.
However, here's where it gets messy. Part of the online upgrade process involves selecting a date for the technician to come out, and the earliest date available was like 10 days later.
So I'm like "that sucks, but fine. I can wait the 10 days."
...time passes. A few days into the wait, I get an email from TekSavvy:
"Your up to 16.0 Megabit Residential DSL service is set to be tentatively activated on [X date] anywhere between the hours of 8am to Midnight. The first technician will arrive between 12pm and 5pm. A second technician will arrive between 5pm and 9pm. Someone must be home for both technicians. If no one over 18 is available to let the technician in, there will be additional fees."
First off:
Two separate technicians needed requiring a 9 hour window? That's nuts. I figured we'd by now be in an age to have scheduled appointment times, or windows of 1 hour or so.
Secondly:
So I am waiting ALL day at my condo, and I am watching out my balcony like a hawk, because some of those Bell technicians make no effort at all. The building manager is rarely there to let people in, so if you aren't paying attention, they may leave. After waiting all day, I called TekSavvy late at night...
The gist of what was learned: the day selected from their self-serve upgrade tool is just a tentative "we'll try to accommodate" day... but then supposedly Bell is notified, then Bell checks their service schedule to see if that day works for them... if it doesn't, they pick another day (of their choosing) and schedule that as the date of deployment, and then send out a finalized confirmation email.
They selected two days after the date I chose, but lo and behold, they never emailed me to inform of that!! So I took a day off work, waited ALL day without leaving my suite, and no one was even going to arrive.
Thirdly:
Two more days passed, and this was the 'proper' technician day. So I wait and I wait, again watching to see if a truck pulls up to my building. But then I get a call from a TekSavvy service rep in the late afternoon, saying my speeds have been increased. So I tell him "oh? but no one even showed up..." and he was like "This is just an upgrade, right? Not new service? Yeah, no one needs to come out for a speed upgrade. We just have to open your profile and change your settings."
Argh. Okay, yay, I now have faster speeds... but if its just a setting in a computer, why did I have to wait 10 days, then another 2 days, and take TWO days off work?!?!
Overall, I was not impressed with how that went down. If its as simple as a computer setting, it should be automated. It should be: I click "upgrade" online, it charges my credit card, and if that goes through, the speeds change automatically. Instead, I was faced with that ridiculous mess.
* * *
* * *
UPDATE #5: Another Service Upgrade, With More Issues
06/2013 - a customer now for over 3 years
TekSavvy had recently introduced new speed packages, while also dropping prices (which the CRTC influenced). Because of this, their call centres were flooded with activations and upgrades, and wait times were EXTREMELY long. So I did as they suggested, and submitted the upgrade request online via their self-serve portal. I submitted it on June 12th, to go from DSL 16/1, to VDSL2 25/10). It said the tentative tech visit would be on June 20 and that they will email me further details within 24-48 hours
I waited 4 days. No one emailed me, so I posted on their direct forum. I then got call from a TekSavvy agent later that day. She apologized for the delay, said they were very busy, and that she put the request in now. Not before when I submitted it, but just now over the phone. Since there was that delay, the June 20 tech visit was not available -- she said the 24th was the closest, and even that is still only 'tentative'. She said they will call me when Bell has confirmed the date.
The new VDSL2 modem had already arrived, but still no confirmation call. On the 21st, I again reached out to them and asked what was going on. They said the order was rejected and they not sure why -- they said they would contact their vendor and call me back Monday morning with the details.
I asked on Monday evening why no one called me, they said they tried to call the vendor, but turns out they were closed for a Quebec holiday. So that got pushed to Tuesday. After contacting their vendor on Tuesday, they said another ISP is linked to my phone number (huh?) and after I told them there is only ONE tied to my line, they said they would contact Bell on 06/27 and find out what is going on.
Eventually, they replied to me on the forum saying that I had to contact Bell to get the other line removed from our phone number. I called Bell, but of course their AWFUL outsourced agents had no idea what I was asking about. Growing ever frustrated, I contacted TekSavvy again, who gave me a special number to call to reach a specific back-end specialization department, and gave me a bunch of tech jargon I had to relay to the phone agent to get this thing going.
After I did all this, they were finally able to process the order. The technician came to my house several days later, he was very courteous, and he said everything was set to go, and all I had to do was wait for my speed profile change to go through on their back-end. He said if not changed by 5pm, to call tech support. I spoke to an agent at 5:30, he said it was still pending, and it may take until midnight. I spoke to another agent after midnight who said the work order has gone through (no longer pending), but in his own words, "it looks like it wasn't done right". He put in a ticket for them to fix that, which meant another 24-48 hour delay.
About 36 hours later, the speed was increased, but only the download was done. The upload was still 1 Mbps -- I spoke to TekSavvy, who put me on hold and spoke to 3 different Bell reps to resolve this. That TekSavvy agent said the proper upload speed should be set within 24 hours.
I checked that same time the next day, the upload was set up to 7 Mbps, when the service is 25/10. So I was getting 7, not 10. I expect to get what I pay for.
I contacted them on their private forum on 07/05, they said they'd look into it on 07/08 (Monday) because Bell's department that handled that was closed until then. The agent also said "because you're getting CLOSE to the speeds you are supposed to get, they may not change it." If that was true, I'd have been very angry.
Anyway.... finally on Monday afternoon, it was corrected. 25.21 Mbps down, 10.02 Mbps up
So it took from 06/12 until 07/08 (26 days) from when I submitted the order until I had the new proper speeds, plus I had to do a lot of legwork myself to call these special back-end-server Bell numbers to fix some issues that magically appeared on my phone line.
* * *
* * *
Conclusion [UPDATED 09/2013]:
I'm overall quite satisfied. After the speed upgrade, it has been INSANELY fast, and the service is quite stable. I'm gonna give them a B+ overall. The issue I had with both speed upgrades put a damper on my experience, but everything else is an A+ with them.
member for 6.8 years, 75 visits, last login: 9 days ago
updated 9 days ago
Comments:
Reviews:
 ·TekSavvy Cable
| Clarification First off let me say that I like this review in that it is very detailed and organized. Good job crumbworks.
However, there are a few things that I feel I need to address:
1. Not getting the Confirmation Email is a total failure with TekSavvy's Back End Processing. In addition, neither getting a call from them to confirm with you the dispatch date is another failure, albeit not as severe as this first mistake. Why neither of these things happened is a total mystery.
2. "...service is set to be tentatively activated on [X date]..." means just that. You took a day off work on a tentative date!? That's entirely your fault. I would have called or emailed TekSavvy a couple days after getting that email to ask, "When is this tentative date going to not be a tentative date anymore? I need to know when to take a day of work." Then, once you know it's confirmed, go ahead and take a day off work. On the flip side, the second day off work was totally legit... which brings me to #3.
3. No dispatch for FTTN 16.0?? That's just not proper. At the very least a Telecon technician should have stopped by to verify everything is all good with your inside wiring; this being an upgrade is irrelevant to that fact. I have no idea how or why it went down that way. Partly Bell and partly TekSavvy to blame here, presumably.
4. "...activated on [X date] anywhere between the hours of 8am to Midnight." does not mean a 16 hour technician window at all. That's the activation window meaning the new service will go active sometime between 8am and Midnight, regardless of a dispatch. The technician windows are clearly outlined in the next two sentences. In addition, those time-frames were incorrect in the earlier emails that were sent out. It's actually 12pm to 5pm then 5pm to 9pm; only a 9 hour window. But even if it was an 8am to 9pm time-frame, that's a 13 hour window, not 16. I can see how this might not be the clearest thing in the world, but still interpreted incorrectly by you.
So you failed on a couple things and TekSavvy (and by extension Bell) failed on a couple things. Just throwing in my 2 cents. | |
| | Reviews:
 ·TekSavvy DSL
·Bell Sympatico
1 edit | Re: Clarification Thanks for your comments Rizzle. I'm glad that you appreciate the breadth of my review.
1. I agree with you. I can't fathom why neither of these things happened.
2. Yes I know this was my fault, but from when I selected the date online until that specified date was over a week's time... I figured that someone would have called over a span of half a dozen business days to tell me if things were to change. While I was at fault, I did wait until the last minute to notify that I would not be working that day (and I didn't technically take a day off -- I just switched shifts with someone and worked on the weekend for them).
3. The only rationale I have for the lack of dispatch is that it's a relatively new building, finished building in late 2007. I've been living here since the day all of the electrical and fire safety precautions were finalized, and I was told by a few technicians that this building is wired up for the latest and greatest. Maybe TekSavvy/Bell is aware of this in some sort of database?
4. You are right. I checked the email again and it does say 12pm to 5pm, and then 5pm to 9pm. I'll amend my review. Also, going by the activation timeframe may not be fair, but in my defence, even two 4 or 5 hour windows is silly these days. I mean, if it was just one technician and a single 4-hour window, fine. I could've worked a different shift that same day and been there for that technician. But 12pm to 9pm erases the whole day. Even more wasteful when no one had to come out! Haha.
Thanks for your two cents. Anyone else is more than welcome to comment.
~ Chris | |
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| | Review Hello Crumbworks,
Thank you for the updated review. I am happy to hear you’re still enjoying the services you are receiving. I apologize for any delays/issues with your speed changes, I hope these have been resolved now for you. If not please contact us in the Direct Forum »TekSavvy Direct so we can assist further.
Thank you again for the updated review! We appreciate it!
TSI-Ashleigh
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TSI Ashleigh - E-Services.
Authorized TekSavvy Employee | |
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| Review by eweazel - Location: Etobicoke,ON
- Cost: $40 per month
Good "Price, Customer service"
Overall "Worth the money"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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I switched from Bell to Teksavvy in 2008, first was the 6mbs DSL, then switched to cable, but the 2010 outtages were bad, switched to Vdsl and that has been rock solid for over a year.
member for 4.8 years, 450 visits, last login: 2 days ago
updated 9 days ago
Comments:
| | Review Hello Eweazel,
Thank you for the review! I am happy you have been a long standing customer of ours and have experienced our DSL and now our Cable internet services. I apologize for any outages that have dampened your experience with us. I do hope they were resolved quickly for you. I am also happy to see you are back with DSL currently and having exceptional service. This is wonderful to see. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to message us directly in the Direct Forum »TekSavvy Direct. We are happy to help!
Thanks again for this great review, and please keep us updated on your TekSavvy services.
TSI-Ashleigh
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TSI Ashleigh - E-Services.
Authorized TekSavvy Employee | |
| | Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
·TekSavvy Cable
| Re: Review Nothing dampered my experience with you guys, I even installed it at my current job, and have a friend at the moment waiting for the technician to hook her up. And will be switching the rest of our locations at work to you guys as the contracts that were signed before I took over come up. | |
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| Review by Flashman - Location: Toronto,ON
- Cost: $60 per month
Good "Nothing. "
Bad "1 hour plus phone wait times, uncaring customer service."
Overall "Avoid! "
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings well below consensus)
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I've been a loyal and satisfied TekSavvy customer for six years... well, I should say "was." Unfortunately have been watching customer service slide over the past year, and today was the last straw.
Had an appointment booked between 8 - 11, after a two week wait for a change of address. 11 comes and goes, no tech. Called Teksavvy; they had the number wrong - completely their fault. They repeated a 7 as the last digit, despite me clarifying the number TWICE at the time of appointment booking... So the tech arrived as scheduled, but Teksavvy dropped the ball as they couldn't notify me he was here.
That's bad enough, but the CSR was absolutely unapologetic - I mean, literally didn't even say sorry for the inconvenience. Next appointment is in another week... Take it or leave it. Ya, no thanks, if I have
to spend an hour on the phone to actually talk to someone, only to be told I have to wait another week due to an error 100% Teksavvys fault... Pains me to say, but Teksavvy is now an ISP to avoid; they may have great plans and rates, but it seems impossible to actually get hooked up. And what a change in customer service, congrats - you're finally indistinguishable from Bell & Rogers. I mean, you worked pretty hard to push a long time loyal customer away... I pity your new ones who'll have to learn these lessons the hard way too.
Lots more similar stories here - »www.canadianisp.ca/cgi-bin/isp_c···ispid=50
Buyer beware! They'll take your deposit quick enough, and leave you holding your d*ck in your hand.
member for 17 days, 0 visits, last login: 17 days ago
updated 17 days ago
Comments:
| | Review Hi Flashman,
I sincerely apologize for the recent experience you've described here. As a customer who has been with us for six years, it's definitely not the way we want our customers to leave a long term business relationship. I do want to investigate your account further to ensure that the representatives who made the errors are addressed and the fact that they were unapologetic as you've mentioned.
Feel free to PM me your account information TSI Jonathan and any questions or concerns you may have.
Thank you,
TSI Jonathan
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Online Experience Manager
Authorized TSI employee - Teksavvy Solutions Inc.
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| | Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
1 edit | Re: Review Do I get paid for my time? If I'm helping you solve your customer service deficiency, and I'm no longer a customer, what's in it for me for investing my time? So far I've waited at home for three hours for a tech who you gave the wrong phone # to, and spent an hour on hold. You guys seem to have a monopoly on my time today.
If you were going to investigate and get my Internet hooked up tomorrow, then we'd be
talking... But this just sounds like an invitation to waste more of my time with Teksavvy. Like I'm doing now. | |
| | | | | Re: Review Hi again Flashman,
I do not want to take any of your time, all I was asking for was to have your account information and I would do the work from there to ensure the issues you've brought up are taken care of on our side. A quick PM with your CID would be all that is needed. The representatives who made the mistakes need to be coached so that it does not occur again.
Unfortunately the mistake that was done on our part about the phone number which caused the need for a tech reschedule is something that I can't fix. The normal time frame to have a tech rescheduled would be 3-5 days but with the delays currently experienced with our vendor would push a date further away. We can certainly try to escalate your account but even escalations have been delayed.
I know this is not what you want to hear but what has been done is done. My job at this point is to ensure that what has happened to you does not happen again to anyone else and to see if I can make things better for you. We do have temporary solutions like sending you a wireless hub in the meantime until we have your actual service up and running. It's not the perfect solution but we could have that sent to you tomorrow to receive it Friday? That is if you are in a covered area which I would need to double check with your address.
We do care about our customers and you are no different. If you wish for me to assist you I will to the best of my capabilities.
Let me know...
TSI Jonathan
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Online Experience Manager
Authorized TSI employee - Teksavvy Solutions Inc.
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| | | | Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
| Re: Review I appreciate your efforts, I don't envy anyone who's a CSR on the sinking Teksavvy ship - but I'm already a happy Distributel customer... Install date is five days away, two days sooner than you
guys could manage for a rebooking, and the rate plan is slightly better.
Too bad I didn't get someone willing to
be so helpful without having to lose my
mind on the Internet. If the two other CSRs I spoke to on the phone today were a tenth as helpful, I may still be a customer. | |
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| Review by dkmwong - Location: Richmond Hill,ON
- Cost: $29 per month
- Install: about 15 days
Good "Customer Service Representatives are genuinely friendly and helpful. "
Bad "Multiple invoicing mistakes and mis-communications with regards to availability and the service isn't even installed yet"
Overall "Value is there (at least on paper) assuming that the service is reliable."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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Writing this review on behalf of my father-in-law with whom I recommended he switch to from his current service, Cable provided by Rogers. I recommended Teksavvy to him because of my own experience with Teksavvy (I have a phone line + DSL 6 service from them and have for 2+ years with virtually no issues) and my own Parents (recently ordered and installed 15/1 service, no issues).
I ordered through a CSR with Teksavvy a landline (i.e., not VOIP line) and 15/1 DSL service in late August. The order was accepted without issues.
The problems then started from there. After two days we still hadn't received a confirmation email. So we called up to the customer support line - they couldn't find the order. A second call (which included a transfer to another department) and our order was found. We were told that a new process was in place to handle orders and kinks were still being worked out (understandable as you operationalize new processes) + due to the volume of orders (late august - back to school), that volume was an issue and processing all the orders was an issue.
After the order was processed - a date of early September was set for installation of the phone line and then 5 days later the DSL (makes sense, as phone line needs to be in place first). However, upon processing, the first invoiced we were invoiced two times for the first month of DSL service. We called again to have this adjusted - we were told that we would be credited the value during the second month of service. On the first of September, we were invoiced for the second month of service when we had not received either service. Another call was placed to Teksavvy's customer service.
After installation of the phone line (installation was very smooth), we received another call from Teksavvy indicating that the service we ordered (15/1) was not available in our unit (condo building), despite the information available on the website AND after review from the CSR taking the order. We needed to make another selection of either selecting their cable service or a slower DSL speed. While I don't mind being told a service is not available in my area, i expect this to happen BEFORE receiving confirmation of the order AND being invoiced for it (Twice).
Fortunately for Teksavvy their customer service representatives (Friendly and helpful) and my previous 2+ years experience with them have earned them some leeway. If it were not for that I would've taken my Father-in-Law's business elsewhere! Depending on my experience with the rest of the installation I still may have to reconsider Teksavvy for both his home and my own.
member for 39 days, 9 visits, last login: a few minutes ago
updated 18 days ago
Comments:
| | Review Hello Dkmwong,
Thank you for this review. Sorry to hear of all these issues with the set up and processing of the order. We certainly want to ensure this order is currently on track and corrected for you. Please feel free to message us directly in the Direct Forum »TekSavvy Direct. This way we can ensure everything is okay with this order for you.
Thanks again for this review.
TSI-Ashleigh | |
| dkmwong
join:2013-08-27
Gloucester, ON Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
| reply to TSI-Ashleigh Hi TSI-Ashleigh,
Thanks for the reply - Do i need to post any information about the account for it to be monitored?
Regarding the swap to the 7 mbps service, My FIL was re-invoiced again for this - I've called billing and they assured me that he won't be billed again and that the previous payments would be put toward this invoice. As a suggestion, to avoid this confusion in the future, Teksavvy should consider a detailed break down of the billing... | |
| dkmwong
join:2013-08-27
Gloucester, ON Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
| Update So the internet is STILL not working at my father in law's place.
Installation took place at the 17th (and there was a miscommunication over the installation date, the confirmation said it was supposed to be installed on the 16th) of september, and two weeks of trying (both on weekends as that's the only time that myself or my brother in law can go and test) we're still not working. For two saturdays (the 20th and the 26th) we spent 3 hours on the phone to no avail. We followed the first technicians advice and bought a second modem (we've now tried a tp-link 8616 and a dlink 502B) and there's no connection. All the phone techs can do is tell us our signals are 'clean'. On both modems we're getting a DSL light when we plug them in, so what's the issue?!
A bell technician is being sent Monday-Tuesday (Sept30, Oct 1) to try to sort out this mess. Only problem is the technicians will only check at the demarcation point and not provide any work in side the condo unit..... | |
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| Review by DSLrofl - Location: Vancouver,BC
- Cost: $45 per month
- Telus
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
(ratings below consensus)
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Line Speed: "High Speed DSL - Up to 25Mpbs"
Local Time Zone: PST (To avoid a mess, all times gives are in PST, pls add 3 hours for EST if needed)
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******Update #1: Sep 15/13******
On September 7th I posted my information in the Direct Forum as per the request of TSI Alan. 2 csr's apologized, and told me my account / situation was being looked at further. As it looked like I wasn't able to have anyone at home on the 20th for the install, we messaged back and forth exploring different times/dates. On Sep 10th I got lucky and found someone to be here for the install, so confirmed the 20th from my end. On Sep 11th a csr confirmed the appointment from Teksavvy's / their installers (Telus') side. I asked for a 2nd confirmation as I didn't want a small mistake again, like on Sep 3rd. On Sep 13th, a 2nd csr reconfirmed the appointment for me.
So, I'm now 5 days away from my confirmed appointment, and am hoping that I will see Telus here on that day.
I've bumped up my rating on the Install Co-ordination, but only by 1 / 25%, as I am waiting for the Telus tech to show up first before bumping it up any higher. Plus, the previous bad experience hasn't just disappeared, so am keeping it in mind as part of the rating. I'll update again a week or two after the install.
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**Note: For when I update this later, this portion of the review was written on September 6th 2013**
Aug 20th: As I had some questions about the modem before I signed up, I decided to call Teksavvy rather than just signing up online. After talking with Tech Support for a few minutes, I asked to be transferred to the sales department. A customer service rep picked up the line; I said I was actually looking for sales. However, he said that even though he was off in a few minutes, he was still able to help me out. He proceeded to take down my address (which took 3 tries) and phone number. He put me on hold while he went to go check if I was even eligible for the service. Comes back from hold, and tells me that he is sorry, but I'm not eligible for DSL/that service. I was a little stunned, and wondered how that could be correct, but took his word for it and hung up.
Aug 21st: As I knew that Teksavvy just resells the bandwidth from Telus, I figured I would check on Telus' website to see if I was eligible for their 25Mbps DSL. Turns out I was. So, I figured the guy from last night probably didn't feel like signing up a new customer when he was supposed to be off from work. Or, was too ignorant or stupid to input my address & phone number correctly. Either way, I figured I would give Teksavvy a shot anyway (having read reviews, I knew their customer service was/is their weakest point, and figured that this would be my one bad experience, and would probably have a positive one now). Called in to sales, and started the process again. This time, I was eligible. We went through the various steps; username, password, modem, and then was told I would need a filter, so ordered 2 of those too. Then came time for the installation appointment. She checked for their availability for a few minutes, and told me that the earliest I could book was for the next Wednesday, August 28th, but there was also time available on the Thursday, August 29th. As my wife had to take the day off from work, so that we could be available for the 9 hour(!) window of 12pm – 9pm, I said that the Thursday would work better. We continued on with a few more items, including all the legal stuff, etc. I got a confirmation number for my order, got off the phone, and thought that everything was good to go, and that I had had a positive experience.
Aug 29th: Installation day. The wife stays home from work to let the technician(s) in. I come home at around 3pm to take over the evening shift of waiting. 9:15pm comes around, and no one has shown up yet. I figured I'd give them until around 9:40pm, before calling customer service to see what was going on. Unfortunately, because I work early in the mornings, I fell asleep on the couch around 9:30pm, before I could give Teksavvy a call.
Aug 30th: Decided to call Customer Service at 5am, while getting ready for work. According to this csr, the install date I had been given previously was not a confirmed date, and that I should have gotten a confirmation email. I said I have a confirmation number, but apparently that was of no good to me in this situation. Also, apparently the csr on Aug 21st should have told me that this was only a “hopeful” date. I found this rather weird, as it seemed like the csr on the 21st was able to view their calendar, knew when they were available, and made no mention of this still being up for confirmation. Today's csr told me that she would send an email to their installers (Telus), to request an appointment. I was told I should know something within 48 hours.
Sep 3rd: 4 and a half days later (108 hours), I still hadn't heard anything about my appointment. Called Customer Service again. After explaining the situation to this csr, she put me on hold for a few minutes to look in to the situation. She came back, and told me that I have an installation appointment set for Sep 6th. I asked why I hadn't been notified about this appointment, and why I had to spend ~30 minutes on hold to get this info myself. She told me that Teksavvy must have only found out about the appointment recently, and that they haven't had the chance to contact me. So, back to the appointment; I asked 3 times, very specifically, if this appointment was a guaranteed appointment, or one that would need to be confirmed again. She said that this date came from the installers (Telus), so this date is a definite date. I check with the wife if she can take that day off from work, she says yes. I ask the csr one more time if this is a guaranteed appointment or not. Once again, she says it is.
Wife books time off work (again). She is asked if she really needs the day off, calls me to ask about appointment again, I say “no, take the day off, I was told this is a 100% confirmed appointment”. She takes the day off.
Sep 6th: Phone rings at 3:30pm. Wife picks up – it's Teksavvy. I get the phone;
csr “Hi [name], I just wanted to confirm your installation appointment for the 20th”
me: “Let me stop you right there. I have an appointment for today. Are you making a 2nd appointment, is this a mistake?”
csr: “No sir, that date is incorrect. Your appointment is for the 20th”
me: “I'd like to speak to a manager”
csr: “ok, that's no probles, [etc etc]”
After a few minutes on hold, the csr comes back,
csr: “Sorry [name] for the long wait, but a manager will be with you shortly.
Me: “ok, thanks”
csr: “oh, and btw, I can offer you 2 free weeks of service due to all this”
me: “ok, thanks, that's very nice of you. I'm sure the manager will be able to help me out even better than that. I'll just speak to him or her about it”
csr: “no problem, i'll put you on hold again”
On hold for a bit more. Transferred to manager
The manager was basically useless. The manager told me he would look in to the csr who helped me, and give that person training. I told him, that he would need to talk to 4+ people in that case. He was confused / not sure how the csr I spoke to on Sep 3rd, was able to give me the date of Sep 6th for my installation. He had 0 idea where that csr could come up with that date. He told me he was very sorry, and that all he could do was get me the installation on the 20th. I asked what will happen when no one shows up on the 20th, like my last 2 appointments? He said that this was a confirmed appointment, and that Telus would be here for sure. Since this is exactly the same as what I was told on Sep 3rd, I asked him if there is a confirmation email I can get (Remember, the csr on Aug 30th asked me if I had received a confirmation email for my Aug 29th appointment). I was told there is no confirmation email he can send me. I told him that this was ridiculous, and was costing us money every time we get set up with these false appointments. I explained that my wife has now taken 2 days off from work, and we will have a total of $336 in lost wages; $20 x 8 = $160. $160 x 2 = $320. $320 – 30% tax (being generous) = $224. She will need to take another day off on the 20th now too, so that's another $112 for the day. $224 + $112 = $336. He went on to offer me 2 free weeks of service, the same as the csr earlier... so, great management authority there. I once again asked how I can be sure that the appointment for the 20th will not be “unconfirmed and missed” once again? He was not able to do anything except verbally say that it's a confirmed date. I told him I would keep my installation date for the 20th for now, and think about my options.
Afterwards, I called Telus to see what they had to say. They offered me a $5/month discount from their posted price, plus I'd get another $5/month off my phone bill due to bundling 2 services. They do want a few more dollars a month compared to Teksavvy, but you don't have to buy the modem. So it's pretty close.
So yeah, not sure what I will do yet... I would like to stay with Teksavvy, as “we've already come so far”, but they sure are making it difficult. I'll update this as things progress, either with a different ISP or with the remainder of this Teksavvy install, and subsequent speeds.
member for 28 days, 11 visits, last login: 7 days ago
updated 20 days ago
Comments:
TSI AlanPremium
join:2012-11-22
Chatham, ON | Thank You For Your Review Hello,
Thank you for your review.
Our sincere apologies for the experience you have went through to sign up for our services. That is not the TekSavvy experience that we strive to provide for our customers.
If you would kindly post your account details in the Direct forum, we will look into this for you. (If you reference this thread in your post that will be very helpful.)
Thank you.
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TSI Alan (E-Services) - TekSavvy Solutions Inc.
Authorized TSI employee
Follow us on Twitter: @TekSavvyCSR; @TekSavvyNetwork | |
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| Review by Mike2009 - Location: Ottawa, ON
- Cost: $40 per month
- Install: about 7 days
- Bell Canada
Good "Customer Service"
Bad "All is good."
Overall "Very reliable and well priced."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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Still going strong after 6.5 years. Switched to VDSL 25/10 on a 7330 remote a few months ago. The Sagemcom works fine for me as does the Huawei HG610. Thanks Teksavvy and keep up the good work.
member for 4.7 years, 2814 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 20 days ago
Comments:
| | Update Thanks for the update Mike2009. Happy to have you as a customer for so long! We definitely appreciate your business and loyalty! We'll keep doing what were doing and if you ever have any questions or concerns, you know where to find us.
Cheers,
TSI Jonathan
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Online Experience Manager
Authorized TSI employee - Teksavvy Solutions Inc.
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