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Review by Thane_Bitter See Profile

  • Location: London, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $50 per month
  • Install: about 7 days
  • No Cap
  • Telco party Bell Canada
Less costly than Bell, good customer support
New customer activation fee / godawful corporate colours
A better DSL alternative than Bell for ADSL2+ services, better phone service too
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

3/20 (NEW: Digital TV, VDSL upgrade, new modem, EXISTING: Digital Phone)
Pulled the trigger and upgraded my internet to VDSL 50/10 and ordered StartTV and had it up and running just before COVID-19 hit the fan.
So glad I did.
For the technical side of things the new modem is a Smart/RT SR506n modem router combo with small integrated switch. While I do not intend to use the wifi, having a switch for test purposes is convenient. The device shipped pre configured for my account and was completely plug and play. TV STBs are Inspur IPBS9510 android boxes with a remote by ruwido model 790B04. Setup was straight forward using the included minimalist documentation and onscreen prompts. While many are attracted to the higher speeds offered via Start.ca's cable offerings I stuck with DSL because its been exceptionally reliable without the sort of network neighborhood issues seen with cable. Even now with TVs on in prime time and internet use via computers, laptop and devices, the speed and response remains stable during these peak hours.

6/18 (Digital Phone)
Signed up for digital phone transferring away from Bell. From time of order to transfer was under two weeks, the digital phone adapter was shipped out a couple days after the order was placed and included a tracking number. On the day of activation it took Bell about 12 hours to fully release the line, during that time calls could be made out via VOIP or POTS but incoming calls came through POTS. By noon the system was fully function, costing a fraction of what I was paying with Bell, and including a host of phone features (caller id, voice mail, etc.). Got follow up call from Start.ca just to check that everything was working as it should.

8/16 (Internet)
Ordered the 15/1 package which at the time of this review is priced at $40/mo + tax. New ADSL customers get dinged with an activation fee though its really a fee Bell imposes on all 3rd party ADSL companies.

Time from order placement to activation was one week, Bell Canada's line techs do the installation which typically requires the installation of a POTS splitter and shift to, or activation of a dry loop. The tech arrived within the scheduled appointment time and quickly made the necessary changes / connections and tested the line for functionality.

Start.ca rents and sells modems, however I opted to use an older but functional ADSL2 capable unit I had in storage. Start.ca had already emailed me the login information and it was trivial to set up the modem ahead of the installation appointment.

Later a Start.ca CSR called on the day of the activation after the appointment time just to check that everything went smoothly which it had. Start.ca's tech support is prompt and helpful. For those whom have bandwidth caps, unlike Bell one does not have to log into a website to view bandwidth usage.

So far its been good, there staff is pleasant to deal with unlike Bell's rude and argumentative arrogant band of outsourced and heavily accented employees.
Its a surprising change and I like it.

Update 10/16
So two months later and still nothing
...no interruptions, no loss of service, no congestion, no billing screw ups, no mysterious charges, no fighting with overseas idiots to resolve technical issues created by idiots overseas.
Very happy.

Update 06/17
And still no problems.
No annoying calls of bundling, no sales people coming to the door claiming that photons (as used in fibre to the home) are the same as electrons (as the actual delivery system they use in this area via POTS/dry loop copper). Its nice to be with a company that respects my consumer choices and doesn't lie about its services or pricing. Thanks Start.ca!

Update 11/17
Its been over a year with Start.ca and I have not had any downtime issues, or billing issues for that matter using their ADSL service. Still on the 15/1 plan but I am considering an upgrade in the coming year. Still happy.

Update 09/19
Still no issues, the service and billing has been flawless. Switched over to VOIP and its been perfect with better service and more features for much less than Bell. Shame Start doesn't offer mobile service.

member for 19.1 years, 8203 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 3.9 years ago


Review by univux See Profile

  • Location: Brampton, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $80 per month (month by month)
  • Install: about 7 days
  • No Cap
hits full speed but gets bad jitters.
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I cant really play games due to it lagging consistently and it is not just regular lag you experience it goes down for 5-10 secs frequently. I"m not sure if its Start.ca fault or my previous provider Rogers because the wires were exactly the same from rogers to start but it was fine until yesterday where i kept lagging and today I just get frequent lag spikes where my game just freezes and teleports me to different spots and another note no one is home but me so its not any streaming or anything. Lastly I don't know if its the modem because its from Vietnam and i'm not sure if its a good brand or not. I also lag a lot watching videos on wifi another note my power line adapter doesn't hit full speed due it being a bad powerline adapter but its fine for me the problem is the internet just goes down completely for 5-10 seconds, also does it while im streaming videos on safari on my ipad the video loses sound or doesn't play while the countdown continues. Lastly not trying to hate on Start.ca I was really happy until these past couple days I feel like it could be rogers screwing with the connections/wires but i really don't know also due to this problem my internet phone doesn't really work well cause of jitters or whatever the problem is.

member for 4.2 years, 1 visits, last login: 4.2 years ago
updated 4.2 years ago


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

2 recommendations

rocca

Premium Member

Response

Please give us a call at 1-866-434-5888 and our team would be happy to help. All the issues you're mentioning can come from wifi interference, or a powerline adapter issue, especially if it's already known to have an issue. Regardless, we're here to help. Thanks.

Review by Packet Loss See Profile

  • Location: Mississauga, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $70 per month (month by month)
  • Install: about 1 days
  • Telco party Telus
Gone
Price is a bit higher than other Wholeseller ISP
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

-2018-
Upgraded to 150/15 Mbps, service up time has been good. Only my old CDA3 modem is being spotty with Latency and it is a known PUMA6 problem. If you have the same CDA3 modem, please get the TP-Link DOCSIS 3.0 (24x8) Model: TC7650.

Again, don't blame it on Start Communications or other ISP for spotty latency with you have Hitron CDA3-20.

-2017-
60/10 Package, I can switch to different speed any time of the month and they would auto deduct or add the balance on the next bill without much hassle.

What I love, customer service line is fast, usually 5th on spot when I call in (depends on the day). Rep get straight to the answer without running through bunch of ramble instructions. Some rep do understand some power user are savvy about networking. There is a trust there when I do report some issues, they are well explained why it is occurring.

Well I have the Hiltron CDA3... has a bit of odd problem but connection has been good uptime.

Way less hiccup than TekSavvy.

-2019-
Called twice, not able to provide me where to send back the modem.

member for 18.8 years, 2188 visits, last login: 99 days ago
updated 4.4 years ago


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

rocca

Premium Member

A?dress

Our address is 1-700 York Street, London, ON N5W 2S8. Thanks.

Review by MCNE See Profile

  • Location: London, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $56 per month
  • Install: about 5 days
  • Telco party Bell Canada
Best ISP I have dealt with since I first got on-line in 1995
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

At the time of my order 2013/ 2014 (can't remember the exact date and "Days from order to online" but selected 5 days, all I remember is that it did not take long) VDSL was not available, DSLAM was on the other side of my street but START did give me "no fee dry loop" and put me on their FTTN 15/ 1 (ADSL) for the time being.

After a year or so, Bell finally "crossed the road" and I upgraded to the 50/ 10 plan, SR505N was shipped to me free of charge and arrived the same evening! just about a month ago downgraded to the 25/ 10 plan temporarily.

Initially my plan had a 300GB monthly cap which they changed to unlimited at no additional cost and now I am being upgraded to the 50/ 10 unlimited plan at no additional cost.

Only problems I experienced since the beginning, had to do with damaged cable (twice) or phone company issues; They did open a ticket on my behalf each time, had a technician visit (last time the next day) and the issues were resolved.

Over the years, my speed/ bandwidth has ALWAYS been as advertised.

I like the fact that their Head Office is in my city. Consistent billing with a top notch Customer Service and Tech Support, any higher and they'd have to move their Head Office to the Moon!

Thank you START for the service you have been providing to me and my family.

member for 4.5 years, 1421 visits, last login: 134 days ago
updated 4.4 years ago


Review by docbill See Profile

  • Location: Stoney Creek, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $56 per month (month by month)
  • Install: about 10 days
Quality connection, excellent speed
Having a real hard time upgrading my speed
Good alternative to Cogeco
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

I ordered Start Communications advanced cable internet last week. Now about 10 days later I have service. The cable modem arrived Tuesday, I hooked it up myself. Today the cable guy showed up and plugged in the outside line. I was rather surprised to learn the cable guy is not allowed to even touch the equipment. So this is definitely not a good service for someone like my Mother inlaw. But if you are capable of plugging in the cable modem, this is good service for you.

I did a quick speed test, and I got 30/2, which is better than what Start Communications advertises. I went with a rented modem, mainly because my experience has been that cable modems die every 18 months or so. As such, it did not make sense to purchase the modem.

The only downside, is I still think $0.50/GB is too much for an over bandwidth charge. If I consistently used 600 GB per month, it would be cheaper to have two lines than to pay the over charge. Actually, that is exactly what I am doing right now. I still have Bell DSL with bandwidth insurance, and my new Start Communications service. Eventually, when I run out the Bell special I'm on, I'll probably switch the DSL to another company, but I will continue to have two lines. Not just for bandwidth, but more important reliability.

- update 2013-02-25 -
I see that Start has lowed the bandwidth cap from 300 GB to 250 GB. There is no indication as to whether this will impact existing customers. My last bill still said 300 GB. Also I finally figured out why Start Communications bandwidth total does not match mine. Unlike most providers they really do measure in GB as defined by the standards committees as 1,000,000,000 bytes. Most providers measure in GiB but falsely label it as GB. 1 GiB = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes. My router also does that. Start is right, my router is wrong... But the other thing is in Cogeco land they don't count uploads, just downloads. What this effectively means though, is if you are comparing with say Bell Canada or Cogeco, you need to adjust your numbers. If for example Bell Canada lists your monthly download as 220 GB, you would add 10% to correct this number to 242 GB. That is what Start Communications will measure your download as.

- update 2013-05-22 -
Cogeco has really put the squeeze on with bandwidth charges to third party providers. Initially Start had hands down better rates. Now for the 12 month rate is a toss-up. Start and Cogeco both have about the same rate for the first 12 months. Start has a lower cap 200 GB v.s. 275 GB, but Start has an non-metered time period from 2-8 AM. I personally almost never use that internet during that time, if I was not familiar with Cogeco's reputation, under the current plans I would probably go for Cogeco for 12 months and then switch to Start if Cogeco did not agree to extend the promotional rate. Fortunately, I am grandfathered with an old plan, so I don't have to make that choice. But for someone who does, I would still recommend Start.ca over Cogeco. Even if you have to pay a bit more for going over bandwidth, it is worth it not to have to deal with Cogeco. And when you factor in the cost of switching after a year, you probably won't save a significant amount of money.

If you need reliability, go with Start.ca cable.

- update 2014-01-02 - Start now periodically toggles me to a new IP address. I wish they offered a static IP address, as I found out my dynamic dns updates from my router no longer work...

- update 2014-06-14 - I was thinking about VMEDIA's 20/10 plan as the price is the same, but there is no limit. My upload speed seems to have been painfully slow, so I took the time to measure my speeds at many different sites today. It seems I've dropped from 30/2 down to 15/1. I've contacted Start Communications, lets see how effective they are at repairing this, as if I get the speed I'm paying for the competition would not seem so attractive.

Wow. Great customer service. They temporarily unlocked the profile to see what the line is capable of:

»www.speedtest.net/my-res ··· 63296865 (58.4/9.9)

Then they reverted it:

»www.speedtest.net/my-res ··· 63317289 (14.8/1.27)

Finally they locked me in at:

»www.speedtest.net/my-res ··· 63322648 (20.8/9.9)

I thought I was on a 30 Mbps plan, but they reminded me I was on a 20 Mbps plan and they just testing 30 Mbps plans at the time I signed up, so I was temporarily boosted to that speed.

-- update 2015-03-05

After a free upgrade to 30/10 Mbps I found my family started using significantly more bandwidth, so I added the new unlimited option. My modem is still working well, so I purchased it from Start Communications for $20 to avoid the continued rental fee. The changes where made instantly, and I am not even being charged for the unlimited option for the remainder of this month.

—update 2019-09-18

I missed a few updates along the way... Over time the had dropped the price and increased the speed to 40/10. Surprisingly my modem is still going strong. I never had one last that long.

I just signed up for 250/20. I will update when that is installed and tested. So far it has been a circus. Saturday I saw it listed, connect via chat on my I phone. That was very buggy. But I confirmed my DPC-3000 would work and they would upgrade me in two days to 120/10 and then on October 1st to 250/20.

On Sunday the called to tell me my modem wouldn’t work after all. I checked the compatibility list and ordered the cheapest modem that supported 250/20.

On Monday I was on hold waiting to activate when I checked the list, so I could confirm the firmware version. My new modem had been delisted. Nobody was answering. So I did chat on the computer. I found cogeco had sent an updated list that downgraded most modems. In fact my existing DCP-3000 was delisted for 120/10 even though I had benchmarked it as capable in the past.

Yet another modem ordered. 3 times more expensive... I contacted them again today with the modem information. It takes about two days for cogeco to update. They would call me and tell me when to swap the modem.

About 8:30 pm, my internet stops working. It is too soon I think, and they didn’t call. But while waiting on hold I swap out the modems. The new one works. I then get on the computer to chat to make sure they have my mobile phone number on file and to have the speed increased.

While this is going on I lookup the service list for my address again to make sure the price didn’t change. I see 250/20 has been removed from the list of what is avsilable at my address. I check Cogeco and see 1G is available at my address. So I am hoping that start delisted it because start clearly isn’t ready for taking the orders...

In any case it seems I can still expect 250/20 in two days... Just as my chat ends, someone answers on the phone. I hung up.

--update 2019-09-30

I am seriously wondering why I wasted $100 on a brand new modem. I am still at 40/10. No confirmation yet. No contact to tell me there is another problem. No speed increase. I did have an outage that lasted an hour that I hoped was a technician upgrading the line. No such luck. I submitted ticket and they got back to me. Seems another list in the comedy of errors. 250/20 is not available for my address afterall. I'm return the $100 modem I purchased, and sticking with 40/10.

I've decided 99% of the issues here were caused by Cogeco changing things on the fly while start.ca was trying to process orders. As such I decided the problems I experienced are a one off, and bumped my review back to all stars.

Start.ca gave me a $20 credit which will almost cover the return shipping for the two modems. That will cover my final bill... As unfortunately Cogeco won this battle. I coaxial is a dead technology as my increased number of outages over the last year shows. So I am taking the Moore’s law upgrade to gigabit, and moving back to Cogeco on a two year contract.

member for 17.4 years, 214 visits, last login: 3.4 years ago
updated 4.4 years ago


coaxguy
join:2009-07-29

coaxguy

Member

New bandwidth

As long as you don't change your plan, your bandwidth plan / allowance is grandfathered and remains the same.

Also .50/GB is not pricey, especially comsidering what other ISPs charge.
docbill
join:2006-10-24
Stoney Creek, ON

docbill

Member

Re: New bandwidth

I consider any plan where it is cheaper to buy a second internet connection than it is to pay the over bandwidth fee, pricy. In fact that exactly what I do now. I have 220 GiB limit with Bell Canada, and a 300 GB limit with Start Communications. I don't use all my bandwidth between the two each month, but I use enough that it would cost me more to cancel one of my internet connection than to keep them both.

Really in this regards, TekSavvy wins with a 0.25/GB over charge, and a cap on the total of how much they will charge you each month. But Start Communications wins in other categories, so to me Start Communications is still the better buy.

Shyte
Premium Member
join:2002-02-27
NF, ON

Shyte

Premium Member

Re: New bandwidth

said by docbill:

I consider any plan where it is cheaper to buy a second internet connection than it is to pay the over bandwidth fee, pricy. In fact that exactly what I do now. I have 220 GiB limit with Bell Canada, and a 300 GB limit with Start Communications. I don't use all my bandwidth between the two each month, but I use enough that it would cost me more to cancel one of my internet connection than to keep them both.

Really in this regards, TekSavvy wins with a 0.25/GB over charge, and a cap on the total of how much they will charge you each month. But Start Communications wins in other categories, so to me Start Communications is still the better buy.

And Start doesn't count your upload against your cap in Cogeco territory anyways. That helps as well.

Shyte

Review by Bagnon See Profile

  • Location: Hamilton, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $40 per month
  • Install: about 6 days
  • Caps of 200 gigabytes/month
Cheap. Fast. Reliable.
None
Top-notch 3rd party ISP.
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

April 28 2019

Still great. They even upgraded the upload to 2mbit! Still very happy.

August 5 2016

Moved in to my own place in February. Didn't hesitate to get Start. Purchased 15/1 200GB for $40. I max my connection all day, every day. Best ISP in my opinion. Keep up the good work guys!

2014

Don't need to say much here. Got Start.ca after seeing them on canadianisp.com, looked for reviews, and ordered. Since then, ZOOMIN! Great price for the speed and data. Maxed out download and upload speeds even during peak times. Gaming online is like it should be (had Bell before.) Customer service is very courteous and friendly. Hopefully that grows accordingly to the growth of the company. A++ 3rd-party ISP!

member for 23.3 years, 3263 visits, last login: 2.7 years ago
updated 4.9 years ago


Review by George See Profile

  • Location: Mississauga, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $74 per month
  • No Cap
Very happy.

Today I switched my POTS service from Bell to VOIP with Start. The ATA they sent was not configured properly. They must have sent me someone elses unit because the phone number was an area code 519 rather than 905. So I had to call Start on my Pay as You Go cell phone. Took about 15 minutes for me with the Start CSR to reconfig the ATA. Worked great. My wife did notice that the time displayed was out by an hour. At this point I was able to to reset the time, via ATA config on my own and all is well.
Back in January I switched my internet service from Bell to Start. No complaints what so ever. I'm om 25/10 DSL.

So I was a bit disappointed about the ATA mix up. However I can't say enough about the Start staff. What a great bunch of friendly and knowledgeable people!

Update.
VOIP is flawless. Audio is excellent.
For $74 per month I'm getting internet and VOIP. I was paying Bell approx. $150 per month with a lot less features.
I suppose there are cheaper providers out there. Cheaper is IMHO is not always the way to go.


member for 5.5 years, 31 visits, last login: 22 days ago
updated 5.4 years ago


Review by Jiggles See Profile

  • Location: Windsor, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $54 per month
  • Install: about 30 days
  • No Cap
Best customer service. Period.
Nothing
Great price, especially when considering the customer service
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

cCable- 40/10 - Windsor

I was originally another non Bell/Cogeco ISP however, the first time I called to move my service I was on hold for 30 minutes then tried again a couple of days later and was on hold for a little over an hour before somebody answered. So I decided cancel my service and sign up with Start even though they were a tiny bit more expensive. All I can say is that I'm glad that I made the switch, every time I've called I've never been on hold for more than 5 minutes.

Unfortunately my area in Windsor doesn't have FTTN, which I found strange because I live 4 blocks away from the University campus where there's tons of students, but what can you do. Therefore I decided to go with cable internet and purchase my own modem. After placing the order online Start confirmed the installation via email a few days after placing the order, it kinda sucks that Cogeco gives you an 8-5 window and they may or may not call in advance however, it wasn't a big problem for me. Tech shows up and completes the install but the modem wasn't working. I was later surprised because Start actually called ME to see if the service was working.

Turns out my intelligent self bought the wrong model (thought it was a 476 when it was a 475). So I bought a modem from Start, received it a few days later, plugged it in and it worked.

Other than the issues caused by my own tomfoolery the service has been rock solid. No service interruption, speed doesn't fluctuate that much and no issues with billing.

All in all:

1. Start feels like they strive to make sure that their employees are knowledgeable and provide great customer service

2. No wait times to reach an agent (from what I've seen)

3. Don't be dumb, if you buy a modem double check the model.

member for 5.5 years, 36 visits, last login: 2.3 years ago
lodged 5.5 years ago


Review by Jackorama See Profile

  • Location: Kingston, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $62 per month
  • Install: about 5 days
  • No Cap
$20 Cheaper than Cogeco with same speed.
Nothing
The best for service, reliability and speed.
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

Ordered the 40/10 package at $50 + tax a month, the same package as I had with Cogeco only it cost more. Picked the day I wanted service. Modem arrived in one day. No transfer fee, I just unplugged Cogeco modem and plugged in Start modem. I am renting the modem at $5.00 a month, that way they replace it if something goes wrong with it.

First cancel who you are with on a date at least 5 business days before you use Start, as Start will get notification from your ISP about your disconnect sometime in that time frame. Call Start and setup service date.

You will only pay $25 if you are switching from phone line to cable or cable to phone line. I highly recommend cable internet from Start if you had cable internet from Cogeco. I don't know if the other big ISP play nice or not with Start.

member for 15.8 years, 2097 visits, last login: 3 days ago
lodged 5.6 years ago


Review by Tristan See Profile

  • Location: Nepean, ON, Canada
  • Cost: $102 per month
  • Install: about 4 days
  • No Cap
Consistent high speed, consistent good service, real referral credits.
Nothing really, fantastic provider.
Best ISP! Continues to get better. Highly recommended. Better than Rogers, Bell and Teksavvy
Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:

6/11/18
Nothing but praise for Start Communications. They have been a truly exemplary service provider. Start employees and the company as a whole should be very proud of the pure awesomeness they've created.

3/18/17
The best continues getting better. Since hiring Start Communications, I've had excellent internet service. Unlike the competition (Rogers, Bell), my speeds have gone up, my service costs have gone down, we've seen the elimination of monthly caps, and the quality of internet service is incredible. Best of all, Start now offers 24/7 support agents, not that I've really needed them.

Start will be offering IPTV as well in the near future. I'll be looking towards this service, as we're tired of Rogers Digital TV, their crappy service, their incessant barrage of invasive borderline abusive show-stopping updates, frustratingly-slow NextBox devices, and on-Demand service which can be glitchy at times while preventing you from skipping over the same 30 minutes of video you've already seen 5 times because the boxes crash or reset the play position to the beginning. So far, everything Start has touched as turned to gold, hopefully IPTV will be the same.

1/21/16
Continuing to have an awesome experience with Start Communications. Speeds are great, service is fantastic, love the prices (compared to incumbent service providers). Never need to call them to solve problems. It just works.

5/1/15
Had switched to Start for home phone service many months ago (1st-day adopter). The price was fantastic (better than Primus talkbroadband), and the sound quality was good. We decided to cancel the homephone last month, since all we received were scam caller and solicitor calls. Our new cellphones offer even better sound quality, so it was a no-brainer for us. Start's service is excellent, they were in no way responsible for our decision to terminate homephone. We are remaining with Start for high-speed internet. Start remains the best ISP I've ever dealt with to date. Hugely satisfied.

3/16/15
Start continues to meet all expectations for a decent ISP. Consistently good service, great prices, dependable. Continues to be the best ISP I've ever had. Very happy with Start Communications.

8/4/14
Saving hundreds of dollars per year, receiving higher quality of service, and being treated with respect - these pro "features" are not available from incumbents service providers.

Signed on for Start's VOIP home phone service last week. Looking forward to saving more money. Total time in the phone queue waiting for a customer service professional: less than 1 minute.

6/1/14
Here's a quick cost comparison and 6-month dslreports.com / broadbandreports.com rating of Bell, Rogers, Teksavvy and Start high-speed internet, for what I figure is the most popular speed tier. (Note, prices are after any promotions expire - the regular price, not including rental fees, installation fees, administration fees, not part of a bundle, etc.)

Bell Canada: 50/10/175 $94.95 Rating: 59%
Rogers Communications: 60/10/320 $84.99 Rating: 62%
Teksavvy: 60/10/300 $69.95 Rating: 80%
Start Communications: 60/10/300 $65.00 Rating: 97%

Why would anyone want to pay for the highest service with the lowest monthly bandwidth caps, and the lowest overall rating?

I know where I want to be.... the lowest price with decent speed and the highest overall rating.

Note the ISP ratings appears to correspond nicely with the price, monthly cap and speed.

4/20/14
Been with Start for over a year, and the service is still going strong, reliable and fast, with much less downtime than I ever had with Rogers and Teksavvy. Great value, and great service.

Rogers latest tv ads say "only ISP certified for consistent speeds". Yeah, right. Just before I left Rogers, my speeds were all over the place. My jump from Rogers to Teksavvy, and finally to Start Communications gave increasing amounts of consistency. Start has been the most consistent.

8/13/13
My Start internet service is still humming along. It's simply fantastic. This is the internet my previous ISP's were unable to deliver.

6/28/2013
Our 45/4 connection continues to deliver decent speeds. Speedtest.net testing hits 45/3.82 minimum, and I've hit over 100 down with speedboost. Start's performance is better than I expected. It has been more reliable than Rogers, and more reliable than Teksavvy.

Trust me, the $5 more it costs with Start is worth every penny.

3/28/2013
I have had consistent, fast service, with almost no problems. The one thing I definitely notice in switching to Start was that they don't play the blame card as much as other ISP's. My previous ISP seemed to always be blaming Rogers for something. I do not regret my switch to Start, and highly recommend Start to anyone wanting fast, consistent internet, from a company which consistently receives top marks by customers.

Even with Teksavvy offering the same speed tier for $5 less than Start (in June/July for Ottawa), I would not return to Teksavvy. I would gladly pay more. Start Communications is an internet service provider that matches the level of end-to-end service quality I give my own customers.

2/20/2013
Downstream and upstream speeds have been fairly consistent. The service hasn't had any real issues. I think we had a power fluctuation which caused my modem to barf, so I will watch to see if it happens again. It has only ever done this once, so if it doesn't happen again, it's an anomaly.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with Start Communications.

2/13/2013
So far, my connection appears stable, and speeds have been reasonably consistent. Each time I have tested my speed, I've hit no less than 44Mbps down, and 3.89Mbps up, except on my furthest wireless machine, which tops out around 40Mbps down (limitations of wireless technology and distance covered).

I'm pretty happy with the speeds. The before-connection questions I asked led to a smooth and problem-free reconfiguration of my mail server.

I'm still evaluating, and cannot comment on connection reliability until I have a few more weeks under the belt.

Thank you Start for making the jump to aggregated POI's, offering fast speeds at reasonable prices, and not making me wait 30-45 minutes in a phone queue.

2/10/2013
Shortly after 10am today, my connection came roaring to life. Initial speed test:
>45Mbit down (w/ speedboost)
3.89Mbit up

Will be testing the connection over the next few weeks, then will update my ratings accordingly.

The length of time I had to wait for the connection to come online will certainly deter my friends from switching. I was lucky, I tethered to my cellphone, so I didn't lose any time, other than knocking my email server offline.

Corrected my primary and alternate numbers. In the event of connection problems, they will attempt to call my cellphone first.

Customers owning their own modems and switching providers, in conjunction with iISP's such as Teksavvy which hold on to the modem registration right up to the last possible minute are a leading cause of delays, and is something Start is trying to resolve.

Best possible way for customers to handle this: terminate your old ISP on one day, and start your new ISP on the next day.

2/10/2013
Wife retrieved our voicemails from our VOIP this morning. Turns out two different employees from Start have been trying to inform us that our service should now be online. Obvious fail, since VOIP not working. Ensure the primary number is actually a number someone can contact you at when the connection is not working. They didn't once try calling my alternate number. One of them mentioned emails they are sending me are bouncing back, which makes sense under the circumstances - my email server is still waiting for the connection to start working.

Have to call Start back at 10am (when they open) to get them looking into things. This will add another 24-48hrs. Let's see, start date: 2/7/2013, today is 2/10/2013. 4 days without service.

I am reducing the points awarded for install co-ordination.

2/9/2013
As of 12pm today, the modem has not been provisioned.

The modem was unprovisioned from Teksavvy sometime after 2am on February 8th 2013, which is actually the day after my cancelation date.

Had to call Start back to get the provisioning request resubmitted on 2/8/2013, and I believe I was told it could take up to 24hrs (maybe I misheard and the rep said 48hrs?).

During a later call, was told it could take longer. Apparently, customer-owned modems are more problematic to provision, and can take additional time. I was not originally informed of this, but have since been brought up-to-speed. In addition, Teksavvy can take longer to release a modem, as per their terms of service (must go check for myself).

I usually tell people to be prepared for it to take up to 7 days, so we're still in the ballpark. Not happy about the delay, but right now, I'm focusing on getting back online.

It's important to note, I can only review the install co-ordination at this time, which is why the rating appears low.

2/6/2013
CRTC has ruled, CNOC members do not get the new speed tiers Rogers is offering, so long as they are using the disaggregated POI model. Disaggregated model is being phased out, and service will end November 15th 2013. Start has the faster speed tiers, because they use the aggregated POI model.

2/1/2013
Just received my first invoice showing my prepayment for first months service, so my account shows a credit for $67.74. It also shows a $25 credit for a referral I made. So far, I am satisfied with Start, and my service hasn't even officially begun. If the 6 month rating for Start holds true, my satisfaction will reach new heights.

My previous iISP had a referral program too, but I never saw a single credit. Instead, I was going to have to gather the information of everyone who signed up to them on account of my recommendation. A task that was going to prove to be time consuming, and might prove difficult for at least one friend, as I had to kick him to the curb for being an insensitive dick. The lack of referral credit is not what caused me to drop my previous iISP.

Is it February 7th yet? No? Damn.


1/31/2013
Signed up with Start Communications last week. Provision date is Feb 7th 2013. Switching from Teksavvy to Start.

I ordered the Pro Cable Internet package, 45Mbps download, 4Mbps upload, 350GB/mo cap. My old service was maxed out at 28Mbps/1Mbps/300GB.

Made the switch for several reasons:

1. No install fee since I already had active cable high-speed internet service.
2. Access to Roger's new speed tiers with higher upstream speeds up to 4Mbps. This is due to Start's aggregated POI with Rogers. Some other iISP's haven't made the switch to aggregated POI's, are still on non-aggregated POI's, thus don't have access to higher speeds.
3. Reasonable price.
4. 97% rating, seems fairly consistent, iISP seems attentive.

Will update this review as I evaluate the service.

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member for 17.5 years, 3232 visits, last login: 89 days ago
updated 5.8 years ago


NewToStart
@start.ca

NewToStart

Anon

Start Problems from the Start

Just emailed Start this message:
"Help !!
Got cable package installed and it is awful.
Got 20Mbps package and can't stream a movie (whether through Wifi or connected directly to modem) without buffering every few seconds.
Tried different movies on different sites.
Tried different wireless routers and tried connected directly to modem.
Download speeds ridiculously slow through Wifi and connected directly to modem.
Tried different files through torrent, through direct download.
No matter what time of day or night.
Really need fixed right away.
Otherwise, unfortunately makes no sense continuing with service at this rate, because not getting to do anything I use internet for."

Little bit frustrated right now just because I had high expectations of internet service but will keep updated re: how / if Start fixes issues. Want to give them a chance. Maybe they can simply fix and make me happy.
NewToStart

NewToStart

Anon

Start Problems from the Start

Update: 20-something minutes to download Roboscan free antivirus (approx 140MB) from official Roboscan site. Doubly frustrated.

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

rocca

Premium Member

Re: Start Problems from the Start

Sorry to hear you have problems but I'm not sure why you would scream this from the top of every mountain as per your identical post on dslr, Facebook and reviews without so much as contacting us for support first? Not really fair is it to be posting negative reviews without giving us a chance to address your problem? We ended up calling you after having to ask for your number on Facebook and I see from the notes that you are getting full speeds without your router in the mix but nonetheless are trying to assist you with your router speed problems. You don't need to try and blanket shame us into helping, we are happy to be helpful and you just need to call or email us when you need support. 

AnonymousNam
@start.ca

AnonymousNam

Anon

Re: Start Problems from the Start

Update:

To above post, not sure what screaming from top of every mountain and blanket shame means. But last time I checked internet was open forum for exercising freely and openly thoughts and opinions. Being honest and open, so hope you don't have a prob re being honest and open. Or with being highly frustrated re: circumstances. And did speak to tech before posting. Don't appreciate the "blanket shame us" etc comments (as a customer or otherwise) because its implying that that was my intention which is not at all the case.

However, back to issue update, spoke to Start tech agent yesterday (and don't want to give name because I'm always mindful of privacy) and we dealt with issue for almost 2 hours on the phone. And I came out of conversation thinking that that was possibly the best customer service I ever received (that I can recall at this point). Tech agent was so helpful in trying to sort out issue and whatever problem came up, trying to figure it out. Also, he kept saying thank you for your patience all the time which I really appreciated. And it really helped ease the frustration I was feeling re the issue. And, at the end of it, I was able to stream a movie last night. So I'll try it again over the week etc and see if it continues to be good. Bottom line: what that tech agent did (his superb customer service) really smoothed things over for me and made me a much happier customer.

SicknTired
@start.ca

SicknTired to NewToStart

Anon

to NewToStart
I have issues with them too & although I will say that I do like their internet speed a lot, I don't know if it justifys me staying with them or going elsewhere, but.... I am fed up with the terrible Customer Sercvice from Billing!!!! Tech is okay cant really complain there, but for a business with 10- people they certainily have no idea what is going on with my account half the time!

No one has a clue what is going on in Billing, billed 2 times for the same service :S, Yet they justify it, it ridiculas. Kinda pissess me off
Tristan
join:2006-09-10
Nepean, ON

Tristan to NewToStart

Member

to NewToStart

Re: Start Problems from the Start

You are posting in the wrong place dude. This is my review. Sounds like you either need to post your own review, or seek help in the forums or through Start's tech support.

There's no sense complaining about it here. I can't help you.

Sorry to hear you're frustrated. I'm sure with a bit of work dealing with the right people, your connection will get diagnosed and brought ship shape.

WiMax
join:2003-07-12
Canada

WiMax to NewToStart

Member

to NewToStart
Anyone that uses the name anonymous and then changes to a different user is highly suspect. And, if you have been mouthing off on other forums about the same thing and not calling Start or responding to their attempts to help you, then maybe Start is not for you. Have you tried iKtel? www.iktel.ca

AnonymousNam
@allstream.net

AnonymousNam

Anon

Re: Start

Re: SicknTired – I’d understand your frustration. To give my fair opinion, if Start can sort out (the obviously important) issue of billing, then they do have pros to them. So you may want to consider that and weigh options. I read reviews on DSL Reports and Canadian ISP forums on all / most companies and that helped me a lot because I felt people were fair and honest (good or bad). Actually, that’s how I found out about Start in the first place. Do hope your issue gets resolved.

Re: WiMax – “Anyone that uses the name anonymous and then changes to a different user is highly suspect. And, if you have been mouthing off on other forums about the same thing and not calling Start or responding to their attempts to help you, then maybe Start is not for you. Have you tried iKtel? www.iktel.ca”
>>>> Is Wi your first name, and is Max your last? And what’s your phone number and email address? Just to connect the dots, what makes “WiMax” any less anonymous than the username “Anonymous” or any other username?
>>>> And are you sure I didn’t try calling Start before posting or respond to Start’s attempts to help? Are you really sure about that? Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t. But you have no clue, right?
>>>> Also, do you know what the other forums are? Could it have been a private facebook message to Start Communications vs a wall post? Or could it have been front page news in the Toronto Star? Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. But you have no clue, right?
>>>> And re: “mouthing off”, seriously now … have you seen your ikTel Networks “book / novel” review lately? The one that has 6 updates to the post including … and I quote … “This company gets nothing right.” … “Yet another failed promise.” … “UPDATE 29Jan13” … “UPDATE 28Sep12” … “UPDATE 26Sep12 9am” … “UPDATE 25Sep12” … “UPDATE 26Aug12” … “UPDATE 10Mar12” …

So come on now, be fair.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
In any event, would just like to request for all to stop posting to this. This is my last post here. Just because Tristan indicated this is his post and he is quite right. Didn’t mean to post here initially. A mistake. New at posting / open forums.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

coaxguy
join:2009-07-29

coaxguy

Member

Unrealistic expectations

Just wondering why, in your review, you criticize the delay that was caused by using the modem you were bringing from TekSavvy, but then mention that it was TekSavvy who does not release the modem MAC until the last possible moment.

You also mentioned that the delay you endured would deter your friends from switching. Why would this very isolated (based on the 97%+ approval rate of this ISP) deter a switch?
Tristan
join:2006-09-10
Nepean, ON

Tristan

Member

Re: Unrealistic expectations

Hi Coaxguy.

I told Teksavvy to push the request through, to not leave it, but the CSR didn't seem to understand. As a result, the modem remained locked to an account longer than it was supposed to, possibly into late Feb 8th or early Feb 9th. When Start tried to get Rogers to provision the modem I own on Feb 7th, they couldn't. Considering requests take time, and the defacto response is 24 to 48hrs, timing is kinda important. Same-day turned into next day, turned into the next day, turned into the next day.

My friends are not as patient as I. Not all my friends would be deterred however, but some certainly will.

I have compiled a nice little doc my friends, family and associates can have to explain the process (for cable), including potential delays. I always tell people, do the switch-over at a time when you don't need the internet for about a week.

Let's face it, you and I check dslreports.com, but not everyone will. I do tell people Start has a 97% rating. My friends whom followed my progress on facebook, and noticed I wasn't posting as much as I usually do, will stop and think if they want the delays or potential frustration. Sure, it took longer than it should have. I have tried to explain why, and that it should happen same-day usually, and that the gains are worth the pains. In the end, some people will choose to steer clear, when someone they know experiences delays.

Start is trying to work this out because it's an ongoing concern for them. They are genuinely interested in providing a smooth transition for everyone who want to switch providers

So far, I think Start has done a great job, and my rating for install coordination and pre-sales information reflects the fact that they are still working out the kinks, and still have room to improve.

I think customers need to be better armed with more information.

coaxguy
join:2009-07-29

coaxguy

Member

Re: Unrealistic expectations

I can totally see your point. I know my house hold relies on the internet heavily for work, entertainment and communications, so I can see your frustration with the 4+ day absence.

In the long run after reading your reply I can understand the rating now. Hope it's smooth sailing here on out. I've got 2 family members and a buddy switched over and it's been perfect for them in terms of line quality and reliability.

Cheers.
Tristan
join:2006-09-10
Nepean, ON

Tristan

Member

Re: Unrealistic expectations

So far, very happy with the speeds. Watched Netflix Super-HD stream yesterday with not so much as a single hiccup.
pcfxer
join:2006-12-11
Orleans, ON

pcfxer

Member

Start is doing what others can not

Extremely helpful service from the customer service representatives. The CSR was able to explain and discuss very technical aspects of the service in question and was able to still provide the down to Earth service that made me come away from the call with the only decision I could make; go with Start.

It seems that Start expands after they have figured out the pros/cons and worked out any relationships with Rogers/Bell. This shows and it also happens that I'm paying the same that I was for 28/1 cable - heavily congested for 25/10 and just about no congestion.
Thadius
join:2002-01-07
Nepean, ON

Thadius

Member

Location Question

Hey Tristan!

As a quick question to your most recent update!

I'm living in Barrhaven and am debating rCable through Start or VDSL and I realize that I would probably be on the Fallowfield POI, much as you are and was wondering if you noticed any serious congestion / latency issues with cable? Are you getting any kind of slowdown during peak hours or on Sundays for example?

Just curious before I order to see if maybe I should go the VDSL route instead.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!