how-to block ads
|
next review in page
 Review by siljaline 
member for 10.6 years, 2515 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 1.5 years ago
 Montreal, QC
 $66 per month- (12 month contract)
 about 3 days Bell Canada "Generally fast DSL High Speed package" "310-SMURF is bad but getting better - over time they have learned the hard way." "Bell DSL packages are expensivo but better than other providers | why do I know this, I have dealt with others, often."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
I now have a "POTS" on my line to address ongoing connectivity issues.
The throughput is solid but there are still unannounced outages, Bell never explains and never offers to reimburse for.
Call Centres are rarely on the same page. Meaning, one will give you one response, the other, something entirely different.
There should be a way for customers like myself that use Bell as an ISP to be able to reach a Canadian Call Centre without having to go through all the machinations of getting South America or elsewhere, yes ?
Many users like myself that cannot afford annoyances like email outages having to go through outsource Call Centres.
The Bell online help have improved - wow. Room for work but better.
I am still seen by the Bell page as a French-speaking person living in Ontario.
BCE (Bell Corporate Office) in Montreal have stopped taking and responding to issues as I called regarding my connectivity issues, the calls and emails were never returned.
I have been with Bell for a good number of years. Given I know what to look for I would recommend the service although it is not cheap.
Comments:
 | next review in page (previous review)
 Review by vitesse
member for 10.4 years, 1617 visits, last login: a few hours ago
updated 1.5 years ago
- Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu,QC
- $60 per month
- (12 month contract)
- about 30 days
- Bell Canada
- "Not to date"
- "very bad customer service, Expensive, Cheap equippement"
- "Why this company still in operation is beyond me."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
They ordered the service before I started to work for the company.
They send us 2 defective modem so it take 1 month to have a connection.
We had a contract the first year. We wanted to cancel after the first year, but the CSR had made an error. The CSR forgot ton cancel the service for an unknown reason, they admit it, but refused to cancel the "new" automatic contract. We stayed with them 1 more year, we could have gone to the court, but felt this was simpler to stay with them.
The second year we added a router. the router never worked with their "cheap" modem, I say cheap because of low quality of construction. They never understand why we wanted to add a router, nor why the modem wasn't working with it. they refused to give us support because we was using a router. We finally borrowed another dsl modem to find out that the problem was with their modem. They send us 4 modems, but we only received 1, they lost to order for modem replacement, (so it took 3 month to receive a working modem from them.
The modem is speedstream 5200 or 4200 (reconditioned and not always in working state)
We used their low speed dsl service (the line was good ans stable)
The main problem is with their CSR, not speaking French or English, and having for most of it, no knowledge at all in computer technologies (we talk to some CSR that had no idea what was a router, nor what was a pppoe connection and that's pretty basic technology today)
--- updates from another experience ---
Another problem with one of my friends. It was paying for their 6mbps package and was feeling is Internet was slow. He call many time the customer department to see why it was not really fast and they say everything was fine and he was receiving 6mbps service. Last month I took one of my modem to his house because the speedtest was showing only 2mbps. He is only 500meter of the CO. the attenuation in upstream and downstream was 6db / 8db the SNR value was 34 db for downstream and the RCO was 12% occupancy. So we call Bell to tell that. The first CSR was insisting that he was on 6mb profiles and that my modem was "defective" the second one tell me that it was an incompatible model (I have an ST516 v6) and that using another modem then what bell give was illegal. We finally talked to a third one that explain us that it is an up to 6mbps service and that bad electrical apparel inside the house on inside the neighbour house is preventing us from going faster. They all refuse to admit that the line quality taken from the ST516 was good.
He only wait is contract finish to go to a third party DSL provider.
-- Updates from another experience --
One of my friends took Bell internet last year. He call for numerous spped problem and everytime they tell him everything was good and that he was receiving the speed he was paying for.
Eventually someone tell him to do a speed test on www.speedtest.net and testvitesse.videotron.ca with is new "proof" of 120kbps of download and 120kbps of upload he call back and asked why it was so slow...
The CSR told him that all test on internet was inacurate and that it was really receiving the speed he was paying for.
I gone to his house with my st516 modem and took a dmt tool screen shot of his line. He was sync at 160/160 or something like that (doesn't remember the exact number), then he call back Bell with the "new proof" The CSR then told him this was possible that he see this number but that it was unrelated to the "download speed" and advised him it was illegal to do such thing and he could be fine if a Bell technician go home and found he was using an illegal not approved modem.
Enough was enough he decided to call back next day to cancel is service and then go with teksavvy internet. The CSR told him it was not recommended to do that because Teksavvy and any other Independent ISP was illegally using the bell network and he considered that kind of company "pirate" and he could get trouble technicaly and legally if he decided to go that route.
I don't know exactly what he tell him to convince him to stay with bell , but he now have a 2 year contract with them.
-- Updates from another experience --
Just finished porting my home phone to my voip provider. This month will be my last Bell bill. Just waiting BHell to call me  As expected Bell screwed my lines... more to come soon 
-- Updates from my porting --
They finally call me. They asked why I leaved bell and what can they do to regain me as a customer. Why do they wait their client leave to try make something to please him, I don't know. The CSR argued a lot about my decision. Voip.ms is not good because this is voip and it won't work at all. It's only 1$ because they are thief and pirate the Bell network, so it's easy to only charge 1$ when you have nothing to pay. I may have problem with justice if I continue to use this pirate network... After 10 minutes of this bullshit, he finally say. it's your decision, great if it's ok for you. Hope we will regain you as a customer in the feature, have a good day.
My only regret is that I hadn't recorded the phone call
--- update from my friend experience. ---
He called Bell some years ago because a tree was dangerously close to bell line. 4 years and after numerous call bell never came to cut the tree or move the line and now he begin to lost internet and phone service with heavy wind because the line is now inside the tree. tree grown and surrounded the cable. He call to get the line repair. After 5 tentative someone finally came in a call sunny day and found no problem, so they charge us 100$ because the problem must be inside home.
He called back and they refuse to remove the 100$ as the technician haven't found the problem with the line so it must be inside. After explaining the "tree" problem. they finally agreed to remove the charge and send back a technician. After 3 tentative they finally came, found no problem and he got flagged again with 100$ charge. He was really mad the next time he called and insisted to get someone to rectify the situation before the end of the week. They finally never came, he call back again to say that if no one came today he will finally go to their competitor. He hang up gone to videotron to get info about their voip phone, he finally get a phone from videotron, but found that bell have cancelled his services without prior notice, so he lost internet connection and his phone number. it's now impossible to get back is number and he receive a 200$ charge for two call of service (and the line still inside the tree so other people will still have problem) They simply decided to terminate is service without notice, probably just so he can't port is phone number. He never asked to cancel is service
He said to me he will never go back to bell for any services.
I really don't understand why you can lie so much and still legally be in business.
Comments:
 | | Sympatico is sinking. In the past I was with Bell for over 5 years, paying for high speed internet, my actual speed was consistently only half of what I paid for. They said I was to far away from the distribution point (?), that limit was 8kms!!. Living in the suburbs of a major City and I'm too far away??!! It was was basically "too bad for you" and a complete ripoff for supposedly high speed service. We cancelled and received 5 different phone calls from five different Bell staff and one letter from a vice president asking us to stay with Bell, talk about a misaligned business model! | |
| Seb851
join:2010-07-12
Sainte-Marthe-Sur-Le-Lac, QC | f@#+ +@# wow i un clown qwequi du n'importe quoi. | |
| | vitesse
join:2002-12-17
Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, QC | Re: f@#+ +@# quelle clown? | |
|
| |
| next review in page (previous review)
 Review by Soiduts
member for 11.1 years, 133 visits, last login: 14 days ago
updated 1.5 years ago
- Ontario
- $35 per month
- (12 month contract)
- about 6 days
- Bell Canada
- "Service used to be Good"
- "Billing Errors, Level 1 Techs, Port 25 Block, No Usable Usenet service, Forced Modem Rental, No Outage List, Bandwidth Throttle"
- "Worst Company in Canada"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings well below consensus)
|
UPDATE October/11
After being with Bell for home phone service for *many* years, they decided to add a bunch of new fees to a basic line for no reason. No longer have any services will Bell directly and will not return nor recommend anyone to them.
UPDATE January/11
I didn't think I could lower my review any lower than it already was but I want to be able to justify my reasoning for giving Bell a 0 rating on my review. With Bell implementing UBB, it is creating excessive profit and gouging customers. We all know the markup on bandwidth is unfair. The CRTC's mandate to implement UBB on wholesale ISP's regardless of their companies ability to provide an unlimited service shows that they are abusing the position as a regulator.
»CRTC Finalizes ISP Usage-Based Billing
UPDATE November/10
Internet usage is not going down and 60GB caps is horribly low especially for families that have multiple computers and multiple users using the same connection.
The reason Bell wants this usage-based billing is to protect their Expressvu Satellite service. With Netflix and YouTube being quite popular here in Canada as well as CBC offering shows online, their satellite service is in jeopardy. By capping users, this reduces the amount of video people can watch online and forces them to use more 'traditional' media outlets.
As the article states, the CRTC's decision is definitely not ensuring "that both the broadcasting and telecommunications systems serve the Canadian public. " (»www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/backgrnd/broc···9903.htm)
»CRTC Approves Wholesale Usage Billing
UPDATE August/09
»Canadian Regulators Send Another Love Letter To Bell Canada
"Canadian regulatory authority the CRTC, staffed with former incumbent carrier executives, so far hasn't lifted a finger to come to the aid of independent carriers. The CRTC continued this trend by today approving Bell's UBB plans. CRTC employees like vice-chairman Leonard Katz, who spent 17 years working for Rogers and 11 for Bell, aren't concerned...for some strange reason."
Guess this shows there is absolutely no point in having the CRTC as a regulatory body as they do not do anything for the Canadian public like they are supposed to. The public is supposed to be first, not big business. Will definitely be writing MP (not like that's going to do anything other then receiving a standard reply.)
Internet usage is not on the way down its going up. Revision3 started posting HD videos of their shows and I watch 4 of those a week. Almost 20gb a month JUST there!
The CRTC is really getting annoying and what's even more annoying is Bell's insistence that we have to pay an arm and a leg for bandwidth that costs pennies.
UPDATE July/09
[quote=Mirko Bibic]The Internet has always been managed, first of all. Second, the traffic management practices we utilize have been reviewed extensively and the CRTC has said they are appropriate ... We expect the CRTC will continue to find that reasonable management practices designed to improve the Internet experience for the majority of users is appropriate. »www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=1757953
[/quote]
Attitudes like this is the main reason why the Internet in Canada and around the world is struggling. The Internet was designed to be a tool to freely share information but imposing any kind of traffic management on the network that hinders the ability for innovation while disrupting the competition, should be illegal.
UPDATE March/09
You know its sad that my Internet connection at University 10 years ago, 10mbit, is still vastly superior to anything that Bell is providing now. When will they learn that Net Neutrality and uncapped/unthrottled connections are the only way to move forward. Bandwidth usage isn't going down anytime soon and trying to limit it is unfair to consumers who have to deal with monopolistic companies like Bell.
Here are just a few links as to why I lowered my rating of this company:
»Bell Canada To Take Ball, Go Home
»Bell appeals CRTC decision
UPDATE March/08
Canceled Bell Sympatico after being a customer for 7+ years. Canceling was a terrible experience as I was told I phoned in 3 days too early to cancel. I was told I had to phone exactly 30 days to the end of my contract. I thought I was being a courteous customer by phoning ahead to inform them that I would no longer be using the service after the contract ended. Phoned back and got a different person and after 20 minutes, I finally got a cancellation number. Switched to Teksavvy. Literally took no more than a few minutes to sign up for a full unlimited account (as I already had a DSL Premium login), get my login and completely switch over.
»Bell Canada Throttles Wholesalers, Doesn't Bother To Tell Them
I don't think we need any more proof to show Bell's shady business practices, but here's some more.
UPDATE January/08
Having been a Bell Internet Customer for many years, I finally decided to spend the extra $10 a month and test out Teksavvy's Premium 100GB login. All the problems I had with FTP SSL being capped at 32kbps and other throttling issues were solved instantly. I will be using the login for the next two months till my current Sympatico contract expires and will probably sign up for an Unlimited Account. I've been comparing ping times, trace routes, and overall connection quality and have been impressed with Teksavvy.
I recently read an article on Ars Technica about Time Warner's attempt to institute caps on their broadband connections. They sum up the Bell Sympatico situation quite eloquently.
Shooting yourself in the foot: Time Warner's usage caps
»arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20···aps.html
"Customers who exceed their cap would be hit with an undetermined per-gigabyte charge, but Bell Canada's overage fees, which range from CAN$1.00 to CAN$7.50 per gigabyte, may give some inkling of where Time Warner's overage fees will end up. Usage caps are a short-sighted response to capacity constraints, one that's likely to hurt the company more than it will help in the long run�especially with new broadband options on the horizon."
Unfortunately I cannot recommend Sympatico to friends, coworkers, or customers anymore as capping, throttling and customers support issues has made Bell a second rate ISP.
-----
As a Bell Sympatico subscriber since DSL was first offered in Ontario, I have been through all the high and low points with the service. Unfortunately in the last few months the low points have overtaken the high ones. Our family shares the connection on our home network with 4 computers.
Billing Errors
For the past 2 years I have had an unlimited contract with Sympatico at $35/m. While on this contract, one would expect consistent monthly billing but that isn't the case. Two times in the last 8 months I have had billing issues and I haven't called in or changed my account or contract with Sympatico. Both times they have chalked it up to errors on their billing system.
Level 1 Techs
I don't even bother phoning tech support anymore because they are completely useless. I have found it easier to contact techs directly on DSLreports. I pity those that do not know about the support forum here and have to call in for help. Unfortunately most of Sympatico's customers are unaware of this forum and would have to deal with the normal tech support.
Bandwidth Caps & Throttling
A few years ago Bell Sympatico decided to enable bandwidth caps which proved to be a bad move for the company. For the past few years, unlimited contracts have been available through Sympatico and for the most part, it was a very good service. Capping and throttling in general is a bad idea for any ISP as bandwidth consumption is not going to go down. If you advertise and offer unlimited, then do so. Customers should not be penalized because they use bandwidth when they have signed a contract stating unlimited bandwidth.
Most people don't use that much bandwidth but 60gb is definitely a very low cap. HD broadcasts, video streams, Xbox Live & Xbox Live downloads, Windows/Mac/Linux Updates and VoIP are now becoming quite prevalent online now. CBC broadcasts Hockey Night in Canada and the National online and many other websites offer bandwidth intensive content including Sympatico's own website. Content doesn't have to be 'gray' area to use a lot of bandwidth especially if you have a lot of users in your house.
DSL Line Sync
I haven't had any line quality problems with my line as I have lived in new houses with new wiring. I have had problems with the line profiles though. On numerous occasions, I phoned tech support to get them to increase the line profile but to no avail. It wasn't until I asked on DSLreports forum and talked to some techs directly that I was able to get that sorted out. My connection is now stable at the 5mbit profile instead of the 3mbit profile.
Bottom Line
Unfortunately Bell and Rogers are the main bulk suppliers for Internet Service in Ontario/Quebec and there is no way to avoid them.
Comments:
| | Bell Hell Tell them! People need to know how EVIL this company is | |
| | | | Re: Bell Hell They're not only sneaky with the internet service, they practice the same mentality with ExpressVu and phone, particularly when it comes to billing.
For the phone I noticed another 2 bucks increase this month for God knows what. Still have to check it out.
A couple of years back I started with 39 dollars for the internet, it's now 59 including tax.
ExpressVu started out somewhere in the mid-60 bucks, it's now close to $90.
All of the above services remained the same.
Rogers is not any better. The same smoke-and-mirror crook mentality. Chancing companies is useless.
Banks, oil companies, insurance companies and telecommunications, it's the corporate maffia that reigns everywhere. They're all in bed with one another.
And the government just thinks it's all nice and dandy as it keeps raking it in through the taxes.
Oligopolies as far as the eye can see. | |
|
| |
| next review in page (previous review)
 Review by XR999
member for 2.9 years, 226 visits, last login: 5 days ago
updated 1.5 years ago
- Peterborough,ON
- $50 per month
- Bell Canada
- "The Speed is Consistent"
- "Absolutely incompetent support, low caps, deceptive techniques, etc."
- "Run to anyone else, Bell should be avoided at all costs"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
We've been customers of Bell Canada for years, first off with dial-up and then the upgrade to DSL (boy was that amazing like 8 years ago). Over the years the service has barely changed, we get the 5mbps we pay for, it's reliable, incredibly as reliable or better than the Rogers connection I have.
That being said, the service still sucks out loud, the price has gone up almost every year since, the speed sucks compared to the alternatives in the area (ex. Cogeco) and then you come to Bell itself.
Never in my history of dealing with any company have I met one that has so many stupid, incompetent or incomprehensible support agents or such bad business practices. Just trying to get a modem replaced is more painful than having teeth pulled and you constantly are calling in to get billing errors fixed, or trying to get something fixed after someone screwed up something.
The only reason why we've stayed is quite honestly the service/speed is reliable and unfortunately which ISP is in the house is beyond my control, that's up to someone else which refuses to switch to someone else because they think things will be worse (when in reality you can't get any worse than Bell).
Bottom line, almost any other provider is a better choice than Bell and their pathetic excuse of support/sales they call a company.
UPDATE: October 18th, 2011:
Well besides replacing the rented Bell modem with a TP-Link TD-8616, nothing has changed since a call to Bell resulted in the cap being raised and the price being lowered significantly which was enough to keep the person in control satisfied, unfortunately not the result I was going for. Granted the service has been reliable and there's been no billing errors to my knowledge since they upgraded the cap, but I still maintain Bell should be avoided at all costs for Internet service if better alternatives are available.
Comments:
| next review in page (previous review)
Review by koopascooper
member for 1.8 years, 10 visits, last login: 1.5 years ago
updated 1.5 years ago
- Wallaceburg,ON
- Contract price not specified.
- Bell Canada
- "They give actual internet service...at times."
- "Horrible latencies, absolutely terrible download speeds, bad tech support, and foolish technicians."
- "Stray as far as possible away from Bell, you can't even browse the internet with their service."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings well below consensus)
|
I have had Bell internet for almost 10 years, and it has never been as bad as it is now. You've really screwed up, Bell.
As far as the internet speed goes, I'm promised 6 megabits/sec download speeds, and I scarcely ever get 3. Absolutely terrible if you're trying to download anything, little alone browsing the internet. They even take away bandwidth from your cap, I had my modem unplugged for a weekend I went away, and apparently I downloaded 3 GB of stuff that same weekend.
Overpaying was to the max, I ended up paying $57.90 a month for a such a terrible service, and their tech support? Please, it's like you're trying to talk to monkeys (no offense to the actual employees!)
We got one of their techs in (faulty phone line,) and we got a new modem (2wire 2701HG-G,) which at the same time screwed up my network configuration (the tech had no idea what he was doing and clipped an ethernet cord going to my wireless access point,) and the tech told me that the filter for the phone line was supposed to "speed up my DSL connection." It just got worse after this. It was like I was using dial-up up to now.
I would honestly recommend going with any provider other than Bell.
Comments:
pajago
join:2011-10-20
Petawawa, ON | Bell Sucks I'm waiting for some other service to offer high speed in my area, even if it's slightly slower than what I get from bell, I'll switch on principle. Tired of giving my money away to this company. | |
|
| |
| next review in page (previous review)
 Review by dwane
member for 9.6 years, 561 visits, last login: 1 days ago
updated 1.5 years ago
- Pembroke,ON
- $60 per month
- Bell Canada
- "Was a decent broadband product for 2 years until the last 4 months."
- "UBB, Throttling and criminally low caps. Terrible tech support and unreliable speeds."
- "Avoid Bell and God help us all here in Canada."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I purchased performance internet in Pembroke ON back in 2008.
2 Wire 2701HG-G wifi router. It works well and the wifi is decent for a G router.
5MB down (6 on a good day)/600k up. For the first 2 years it was reliable and fast, albiet throttling was a nuisance.
The order process went fine, Bell practically salivates at the prospect of getting their hands on your wallet.
Hardware delivery was prompt and everything was accounted for.
I enjoy tinkering with networks and computers so installation was simple.
But UBB, Throttling and criminally low caps pretty much says it all.
The caps were changed in 2009- from 40GB/month to 25. Obscene. I use average 60 per month, not even really a power user. Had to get "bandwidth insurance". What BS.
Then, last fall it went in the toilet. Up to 1000 ms pings and terrible latency. Xbox live and pc gaming unuseable. Bell said they were working on it, I made a point to be a total PITA and keep calling whenever I got ticked off enough.
Though their service was crap the bills always came on time, go figure.
Seems Bell has oversold their dsl regarding reliability and speed.
I'm thinking to migrating to Tekksavvy regardless because I hate dealing with Bell. I sit there and fight with myself wether I want to be subjected to their tech idiocy before I call.
I'm also cancelling my expressvu and going TV-less. (To watch what I want when I want relatively commercial free.) Less money to Bell equals win for me.
Bell can fight gravity all they want and try to punish canadian internet users, but the writing is on the wall. It's conflict of interest and unethical for your ISP to also be in control of your cable TV service and even own TV stations.
I just wish I could get rid of my Bell home phone but the nature of my job and home life requires the land line.
***
UPDATE OCT 18 2011 - After deliberation and procrastination I pulled the trigger and cancelled Bell for Cogeco. The rep on the phone gave me some lame scripted BS why I should stay with Bell, tossing out meager discounts and empty promises for faster service soon to come. My reply - why should I listen to any more of Bell's promises when I have the speed I want today already with Cogeco? So as of October 3 I have been BELL FREE! HALLELUJAH!
Comments:
| next review in page (previous review)
 Review by drewis
member for 6.7 years, 657 visits, last login: 3 days ago
lodged 1.5 years ago
- Hamilton,ON
- $27 per month
- Bell Canada
- "Fast 100% of what I pay for, 100% uptime so far in 2 months. Low latency everywhere."
- "none yet.."
- "Good service IF you can get a deal for it. Otherwise its way too expensive for the amount of usage you get."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I signed up for a dell grab n go kit 2 months ago.. Got the Fibe 25 service hooked up. Tech came on-time and even called me beforehand to see if he could come early. Install went 100% well.. Installed a POTS splitter even tho I live in an apartment, he even installed a brand new duplex jack in my bedroom where my PC is.
I heard about this 50% off deal they were giving people in Rogers territory so I called Bell up to see if I could get it.. After 3 tries I managed to get 245 gigs for $44/month (because I ended up going with Bell TV as well so I got additional discounts)..
We will truely see if any bill mishaps are going to happen once my grab n go kit is finished with but right now for what im going to be paying, I simply cannot beat the price. Anywhere period. 25/7 with 245 gigs usage for $44/month... No contract. I say this because its definately not worth getting the service at their full price of 71.95/month for 125 gigs.
My service has been rock solid 100% uptime and I have latency sub 50 pretty much anywhere in the US/Canada. I am truely impressed.
As I say, Ill be back in 2 months changing my review if they dont hold up to their end of the deal they made me.
Comments:
| | Bell fibe internet Recently moved to ontario, got hooked up with bell services, other then a few installation hiccups, nothing serious, easily resolved. Having saif that Im totally impressed with the fibe connection, i am paying for fibe 12 with 50gb usage, im consisntaly getting well over 16mb/s, downloaded at 1.92mbs on multiple occasions. 50gbs is plenty usage for me, and im from the maritimes, no usage caps there on speed below 40mb/s. Excellant connection, hats of to bell on this one.
»speedtest.net/result/1565468808.png | |
|
| |
| next review in page (previous review)
 Review by iFly55
member for 3.3 years, 527 visits, last login: 1 days ago
updated 1.6 years ago
- canada
- $51 per month
- Bell Canada
- "Unlimited bandwidth"
- "Throttling and slow speeds"
- "6mbit does not suffice for 2011"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
I purchased Bell Sympatico High Speed Internet mainly because i had a Bell Home Phone line since 94'. I have been back and forth between Bell and Rogers Internet Services but stayed with Bell since January 2006. I was paying $51.90, however my bill has went up and down with miscellaneous credits over the years.
My line read 7/800 but after overhead it squeezed through 6/650, these speeds were fine up until 2010 when more people in my household started using the Internet. We had 2 gaming consoles: PS3 & XBOX not to mention PC gaming. Facebook, Skype, Netflix, iTunes HD and the bandwidth and speed hogging Blu-ray disc and HDTV capture downloads.
I've been averaging 600-700GB a month as a result of all the downloads, but sharing a 6mbit is very tough; i've witnessed people's patience and state of mind deteriorate before my very eyes as a result of poor or in-connectivity. I tried to keep my downloading to overnights, but when the people under my roof decide to go nocturnal you get hard-drives and towers thrown and smashed.
My point is, 6mbit is simply not enough for a Canadian Household housing teenagers and adults alike; my flashpoint arrived when Bell sent me a letter which read, "$1/GB over 300GB"; after speaking with Bell loyalty representatives they told me because I had my plan before February 2007, i am exempt from the Extreme Usage Billing and to ignore the letter. I told them i don't want any surprises come April 1st, and canceled my services.
Although Bell representatives are outsourced they do have a refreshing amount of integrity, when i canceled my Unlimited World Long Distance Plan because my $20 promotion ended; the representative explicitly recited he was getting prompts to change my Internet plan, he ended up talking with a Supervisor who bypassed the prompt.
I was using a Speedstream 6520 Wireless Modem for the longest time and upgraded to the 2Wire 2701 modem during one of the violent "slow-speed" episodes at my home, which resulted in broken doors and hunger-silent treatments; we were having issues with placing the modem on the 2nd level of the home, for some reason the line quality was poor and we were only getting 2mbit on the 2nd level with "wired" connection. Bell offered to get a POTS line running to the 2nd floor for $100, but we ultimately declined.
Bell has a remote near my home, as a result i was able to get consistent reliable speeds; almost no outages that i can recollect. Unfortunately I'm not close enough to access their Fibe services and now with Extreme Usage Billing, i don't think i ever will.
Throttling was a time sensitive issue, but even during off-peak hours we still suffered it's effects. We went through the cycle of Port 1720 to Encrypted Bittorrent Connection to uTP and finally to port changing (every 5 minutes); for the longest time i spent $20-30 on a seedbox where i would download through FTP; with my final days with Bell i got a VPN which worked surprisingly well, although it in-itself had overhead.
All in all it was a fun ride, but 6mbit and Extreme Usage Billing just didn't shake out. I'm currently with Rogers Ultimate 50/2 service, and all is calm on the home-front ... for now
Comments:
| | Get anything else if you can Bell had decent speeds but their service is terrible.
I live in Milton Ontario and my connection gets dropped at least 4-5 times per month. I have had technicians to the house, new modems and have been through all the troubleshooting guides and I still get frequent drop outs. If Rogers was in this area I'd switch in a second. | |
|
| |
| next review in page (previous review)
Review by DraconicOne
member for 2.2 years, 5 visits, last login: 1.6 years ago
updated 1.6 years ago
- Etobicoke,ON
- $59 per month
- (12 month contract)
- about 18 days
- "The speeds are decent most of the time."
- "Cost, Disconnecting, Tech Support in India, Never return phone calls."
- "Don't bother with Bell Internet."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings below consensus)
|
My issues began when moving to my new apartment. I requested my internet services to be moved and activated for Feb 1 (this request was made early January, well in advance of that date. On the 1st, my service was not activated and they claimed there was no record of the conversation or order. I again requested my service be moved ASAP (this process alone resulted in around 5 calls). My service was restored the week of Feb 5th but was again cut on February 11th. I called to complain and was promised someone would be in touch to resolve the issue on February 12th. No call was received. I called back on the 14th and was given no new information and told a call would be received. On the 15th, I spoke to a manager by the name of (removed) who was very helpful and explained that someone had removed my line card at the central office, and the office was now “full”. I was promised a final answer would be provided by February 17th and if the matter could not be dealt with by this date I would be allowed to cancel my services without any penalty. Compensation for lack of service was also discussed. On February 18th I had not received any call back and I decided to contact the cancellation department. The cancellation department refused to honor my agreement with the manager, and the cancellation supervisor (removed) refused to help me in any way including speaking with the technical support manager or helping in resolving my issue. Because of this poor experience I voiced my concerns on the DSLReports Direct Support forum and wrote to the executive office at Bell. The issue was finally resolved around the 23rd and I received an apology and compensation for the lost days.
My service seemed normal for about a month, then again I began to have issues with my service again. In the beginning of April I began to experience problems with frequent disconnections and speed issues rendering my services unusable (disconnections were occurring every few mins). I was paying for their “Fibe 12” service which offered 12Mbps down and 1Mbps up. I was recording around 3-5 Mbps down. I called to complain (I do not have exact dates for this occurrence) and a ticket was opened and I was promised a call back the next day. This did not occur. I waited about 2 days then called back. I was informed the ticket was closed and nothing was done about my problem. This agent opened another ticket and said it was “escalated” and I would receive a call back the next day. I waited about 3 days again with no call back. I called in again and was told they needed to send a technician to my home but it would be about a week before someone could be dispatched. I waited on the day (taking the day off work) the tech was supposed to arrive and nobody showed up. I called in again to complain and was told no tech had been scheduled but there was an open service ticket. I escalated the matter and again was promised a tech would come. Now into May, I finally have a tech come to my home and check the wires. He was unable to perform the repair (it was fairly late in the day) and I was told someone else would come by the next day. The next day another technician did show up while I wasn’t home. My husband dealt with this technician; the person they sent this time claimed “we were liars and only paid for fibe 6” and was disrespectful in general to the point my husband asked him to leave. Finally a third tech showed up the next day (I hadn’t even had a chance to follow up) and was able to fix the issue within an hour. Speeds appeared normal and the disconnects seemed to be at a minimum (yet still present) yet I was too exhausted to continue dealing with Bell.
In July, the disconnect issues became unbearable again. After 2 or 3 rounds again with technical support I was told they had corrected some profile issue and my line card was burned out and had to be replaced. I was also told if the issues persisted I may need to replace my DSL modem as it may have been affected by the problems. In August I did start having issues with the modem and router where the router would “jam” if more than one computer was connected and the modem was still periodically dropping the connection. In mid August, a phone tech assisted me with resetting the modem back to factory defaults and to call back for a replacement if it continued. The problems did persist. As I am a fairly tech savvy person and was leaving for vacation, I hooked up and configured my own DSL modem and separate router so my house sitter would be able to use the internet. This did work and the drops had decreased, although there was a few.
On September 10th, I contacted bell again regarding my ongoing issue as well as a notice regarding a price increase on the modem rental fee. The notice on the bill stated “Effective October 2011, the monthly price of your internet modem rental fee will increase by $1. To modify or cancel your service as a result of this change please call 310-SURF”. When I called, I enquired first about cancelling due to the increase especially given my extensive issues in the past. The rep laughed at me and told me that they could change the price anytime but I would have to pay a cancellation fee of $200. He refused to accept that price is part of the contract agreement. As a courtesy he finally agreed to “waive” the fee in the form of a one time credit for a year. He also offered to send a replacement modem and that I would receive it within 10 business days. I reluctantly agreed, feeling bullied and exhausted of being on the phone with Bell agents. I was given a confirmation number of (removed). I did not receive the modem.
On September 26th, I decided rather than wait on hold again to contact bell regarding the modem that was supposed to be sent. I was told by this rep that no replacement modem order was submitted and there were no “notes” from the conversation. I requested that the matter be rectified and another modem be sent. The agent refused stating I would need to start all over again with troubleshooting yet again before he would “escalate” the issue again. This chat log is attached. Having no faith in their “escalation and someone will contact you” line yet again, I ended the chat before becoming extremely irate.
I cancelled service on September 27th and will be moving to a new provider who can provide me with service and not treat me like garbage.
Comments:
| | Hundreds of thousands of people are waiting until October Should have waited for the results of the UBB hearings in October. Hundreds of thousands of people are awaiting the decision. | |
| Jurjen
join:2010-08-18
Montreal, QC Reviews:
 ·Acanac
 ·Bell Fibe
| They NEVER call back Just one simple rule: they NEVER call back, unless it's about money that you 'owe' them. Every ticket gets closed before even looking at it, when something's wrong.
You did the right thing to cancel. The way Bell is dealing with clients is going to hurt them sooner or later. | |
|
| |
| next page (previous review)
Review by bitablespore
member for 2.5 years, 74 visits, last login: 310 days ago
lodged 1.6 years ago
- Mississauga,ON
- $54 per month
- (12 month contract)
- about 8 days
- "Consistent, fast speed, upload speed"
- "installation was a nightmare, tech did not show up, etc"
- "great service once up and running."
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
|
Took time off of work for installation, and twice the installer did not show. Installer arrived with the wrong equipment twice as well. Took 5 trips in total to be setup correctly. The service however once up and running was great and did not drop in the one year I had it.
Comments:
|
|
·
·
