aks_canada
join:2004-11-20
Toronto, ON
| Left Sympatico after 6 years...now happy!
Hi
Just to let you all know, I was will Bell for over 6 years.
The first major piss off was when they transitioned to the 3MB service. I had the original Nortel 1MB Modem and didn't find out I could upgrade for almost a year. No one from Bell ever let me know by mail or email. It was only when I found DSL Reports that I even knew about the upgrade.
My last piss off was when Bell lowered my Sync. I never had the full 5 MB profile, I was on about 2400/640. Well about 8 months ago my Upload was halved to around 320. Over the course of 6 months I asked Sympatico Tech Support 3 times to try and fix the problem, but each time I was told my Stats couldn't support going back to my original upload rate, let alone increasing my Down rate.
Well, I just joined with Teksavvy and within 2 days, they had analysed my Stats and got me on a FULL 5MB profile with my rates now showing as 4248/648.
As you can imagine, I am incredible pleased.
Now I did have to purchase a DSL Modem, not cheap, but it feels worth it just to have someone answer the line who "actually" listens and is not following a Company Script.
Note... this was only possible because my Stats supported it. They can't help if your Stats are bad. But Sympatico was obviously unwilling to Upgrade me because I now have proof that my line can handle it.
And no, I don't work for Teksavvy. I am not sure if any of the other 3rd party DSL suppliers and as good or not, but Teksavvy was highly recommended here at DSL Reports, and I now know why. |
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HiVolt
29
Premium
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON
clubs:
 ·TekSavvy Solutions..
·Bell Sympatico
1 edit | said by aks_canada  :Note... this was only possible because my Stats supported it. They can't help if your Stats are bad. But Sympatico was obviously unwilling to Upgrade me because I now have proof that my line can handle it. I have a couple questions, if you don't mind. When did you cancel Sympatico, and when did you activate TekSavvy? Was there a period where you had no sync(no service) in between? If so, there's a good possibility that your new account with TekSavvy was connected to a remote, you might have noticed the green/brown boxes going up all over Toronto. If that's the case, then that's the explanation for your full 5meg profile now, and why you couldnt get good speed before.
I understand why you were frustrated, the script readers at Sympatico often don't have a clue what they're talking about, but if you know what you're talking about and have some numbers to back up your sync problem claims (retrieving line stats from your modem), you can usually get them to upgrade, or get switched to a remote if there's one available close by.
BTW, did you ever retrieve line stats from your old modem? You should have come in here and asked questions, we would have helped. Also, which modem did you have with Bell? If you've been with Bell for 6 years, you were likely on an old Alcatel SpeedTouch, and while great modems, they aren't as well optimized for long copper loops and don't sync as well at higher profiles. A newer modem with a newer chipset could have helped as well. The Modem you bought from TekSavvy is very good, and with a new chipset.
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My favourite song is Johnny B. Goode. |
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pwn2009
Powdered Toast Man
Premium
join:2004-03-20
ComeByChance
2 edits | reply to aks_canada
hell i switched phone providers and my CO changed. lucky i have and still have 5MB service.
so changing ISP's would very well be the reason. not that your line was capable of 5MB before and sympatico just didn't want to upgrade you |
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aks_canada
join:2004-11-20
Toronto, ON
| reply to HiVolt
I cancelled last week so I still have 3 weeks left of Sympatico. No, I didn't notice any down time if that's what you're asking. I'm not in Toronto, I'm in Oakville, but certainly haven't noticed any new green/brown boxes. It's an older part of Oakville.
I was set up with Teksavvy late last week. I waited a day then called and asked about my profile. No Scripts. Just a quick conversation with their Tech Support and emailed my Stats to him. They agreed with what he was seeing at his end, and he said he would put an order through will Bell to have the line upgraded. The next day, i noticed a dramatic improvement in speed.
So at to the question am I on a different remote, I wouldn't think so but am not positive. And yes, I am now using a SpeedTouch 516, instead of the SpeedStream 5200. So if that made the difference then great. The end result is, I left a company that was "incredibly" difficult to deal with, and went to a smaller 3rd party supplier that was able to actually improve my service. I did notice in my Stats now that i have been switched from "FastPath" to "Interleave" and again, if that made the difference than that's fine. At least Teksavvy is trying whereas Bell basically told me "too bad...that's how it is".
And no, I did not post my Stats here and ask for help. Perhaps I should have, but after repeated attempts with Bell, I think I just assumed they were correct. But I went off contract with them 2 months ago, and decided to do more research on here about my options. With all the talk about Caps being introduced, and the great accolades being sent about Teksavvy, I made the decision to try them.
And as my original post stated, so far I am very pleased with the result.
I only posted because such a dramatic and welcome change in ISP's I thought deserved some recognition. At no time in the 6 years with Sympatico did I ever feel that I was in any way a valued customer. |
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HiVolt
29
Premium
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON
clubs:
·TekSavvy Solutions..
·Bell Sympatico
| Well that's certainly interesting... When did you last inquire with Bell about your profile? Perhaps during that time there was a remote put in your area, and you were never upgraded. Automatic scripts sometimes skip people who should be upgraded.
I actually called in last week to cancel my sympatico, even though i've never had any issues in nearly 4 years (very close to a remote), i was gonna go with TekSavvy... The guy at the business office wouldn't let me cancel, lol. I got him to give me $29.99/month for 12 months duration, though its not a contract and no caps. So when they put in caps I'll cancel for good and go to TekSavvy.
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My favourite song is Johnny B. Goode. |
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aks_canada
join:2004-11-20
Toronto, ON
| I last inquired about maybe a month and a half ago. Yes, perhaps that was the case and I was "missed" in the script. But even if that was the case, it would have been the second time that I was eligible for faster service and completely overlooked.
Seriously, if it was easy to just call up and ask what's going on, and then get a knowledgeable reply, then I am sure I would have never bothered doing all the research and reading here on DSL Reports.
I am not trying to get people to leave Bell. If they are happy and get good service then that's wonderful.
I just thought that my experience so far with a new ISP was worth the posting. As you can tell if you look at my profile, I am not a heavy poster. But my switch has so far been so great that I thought it deserved passing some recognition along to Teksavvy. |
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AwolRJ
join:2007-01-05
Niagara Falls, ON
| reply to aks_canada
I really wished they would get there act together its sad when you call and talk to diffrent departments and get totally diffrent answers. They have to worst communications skills I have ever dealt with for customer service. Pretty sad when they sell communications. Took me 2 months arguing with the support to get my 5 mb profile, I got all kinda diffrent answers in between. Thank god for this forum though. |
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HiVolt
29
Premium
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON
clubs:
·TekSavvy Solutions..
·Bell Sympatico
| said by AwolRJ :I really wished they would get there act together its sad when you call and talk to diffrent departments and get totally diffrent answers. They have to worst communications skills I have ever dealt with for customer service. Pretty sad when they sell communications. Took me 2 months arguing with the support to get my 5 mb profile, I got all kinda diffrent answers in between. Thank god for this forum though. Yeah, unfortunately thats what happens in huge companies. Profit matters more than quality of service. They keep cutting corners, farming out support to 3rd party call centres, now even overseas to India...
The only reason i've stuck around with Bell all these years, is because i'm like 1 minute walk from my remote, so no line or speed issues, and i had always been on ultra profile by mistake, while paying for HSE. But since HSE was bumped to match ultra speed, theres no real incentive to stay, so i was gonna cancel. But they dropped my price so i'll stay for now... If they impose caps, or try to force contract to stay cap free, im out. Im not signing any contract for internet service.
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My favourite song is Johnny B. Goode. |
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TigerDweeb
@magma.ca
| I don't think the price of xDSL here in Canada, is expensive, considering what ppl spend at Internet cafe's,
and on their computer equipment, and at the gas pumps.
Although CEO Michael Sabia, has a world-class salary
package at $6 million per year, he knows that he can't
afford to attract world-class talent among the workforce
( and therefore, the outsourcing to India, Arvato, etc.)
neither can Sabia afford to jack up prices for Internet
service at the crappy speeds Bell offers (most often, only
1 Mbit/sec), or even, pay decent salaries to workers (
just above minimum wage levels, but nothing else. No benefits, vacation, etc.) |
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Jonathan987
join:2006-03-17
North York, ON | reply to HiVolt
welcome to the teksavvy family I hope you enjoy  |
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XDSLTECH1
join:2004-12-11
Burlington, ON
| reply to aks_canada
Are you using a new modem since switching?
Did you unplugged the phone cord from the phone jack and plug a new one in with the new modem.
Many times its the simplest things that can fix a trouble.
Switching to a remote may have happened but unlikely since there isn't suppose to be any physical work done when you just switch providers since it should be all the same equipment on Bell's end.
If there is its cause the Business Office screwed up. Since we all know Bell doesn't like making work for itself and (I believe) Bell isn't required to provide access to Stingers (remotes yes, but not stingers) for 3rd Party Isp's when there is other DSL equipment available from the host. |
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HiVolt
29
Premium
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON
clubs:
·TekSavvy Solutions..
·Bell Sympatico
| reply to TigerDweeb
said by TigerDweeb :
I don't think the price of xDSL here in Canada, is expensive, considering what ppl spend at Internet cafe's,
and on their computer equipment, and at the gas pumps.
Although CEO Michael Sabia, has a world-class salary
package at $6 million per year, he knows that he can't
afford to attract world-class talent among the workforce
( and therefore, the outsourcing to India, Arvato, etc.)
neither can Sabia afford to jack up prices for Internet
service at the crappy speeds Bell offers (most often, only
1 Mbit/sec), or even, pay decent salaries to workers (
just above minimum wage levels, but nothing else. No benefits, vacation, etc.)
BEEEEP, this is a recording...
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My favourite song is Johnny B. Goode. |
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bohn
join:2006-05-30
Scarborough, ON
| reply to TigerDweeb
Think again! America got huge wage increases during the 1990's Canada got nothing. That's why the cost of everything is much more in america. Oh wait! The cost of internet is actually less there than it is here in Canada. Well that doesn't make sense you may ask. I wonder how that could've happened? Lets take a figure lets say everything costs 10 percent more in America. Well wouldn't that mean internet should cost 10 percent less here in Canada? Doesn't internet in America cost about 25 percent less than what we pay in Canada not to mention America still has the newsgroups and many still have all the binaries. That would mean at least a $10 reduction per month for internet fees for the average Canadian. What has happened here in Canada. Seems to me someone or somebody is charging overtaxed Canadians while the undertaxed Americans get reductions in costs every year. |
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aks_canada
join:2004-11-20
Toronto, ON
| reply to XDSLTECH1
Guys please...
I did previously mention that I had to purchase a new DSL Modem and it was not cheap. So yes, that did involve also unhooking the old one and hooking up the new one. And could this have made the difference in my line stats? Who the hell knows? But Bell certainly never suggested that kind of a fix. Even for purchase. I suppose I could have tried to find one cheaper on Ebay, but getting the latest version with a 2 year warranty seemed worth it to me.
Also, I have really tried to be open to the possibility that it was some factor other than Teksavy that improved my service. Who knows? An executive from Bell may have just moved into my area so they put in a Remote. But again, it was ONLY when I was dealing with Teksavvy that I was actually able to get someone to even try and help me. This is after being a customer of Bell's for over 6 years.
Also, I am not telling anyone else to change ISP's. But this Forum is used for an exchange of information, and my experience was (in my eyes) such a dramatic change that I felt I wanted to share.
I do sincerely want to thank the other members of these Forums for sharing their experience with me. It was through you that I discovered possibilities other than Bell. |
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bumbo
join:2002-11-20
Corunna, ON
| reply to aks_canada
Welcome to the club aks_canada, you'll most likely be more than happy with the purchase of your new SpeedTouch 516, it's one of the best modems on the market currently....also it's nice to know that the owner of TekSavvy as well as about 1/2 of the staff are active posters here and are openly willing to discuss issues and concerns...it makes the user feel like they truly are getting the attention they deserve....The thing the Bell boys forgot (a long time ago) is without customers they have no business...they forgot that Customer service meant Serving the Customers (at any cost)....knowing the answer I ask you if the CEO of Bell has ever actively posted here under his own name, I know the owners of TekSavvy post here, not under an assumed alias but as themselves, they give themselves to the company and in turn to the users....I'd shout it from the rooftops if I could to leave Bell and join a company that truly cares about you and not just the money you pay every month....
Don't get me wrong, TekSavvy has their faults, but every company out there does, it's just that they a>admit when they make a mistake and most importantly b>work with the users and their staff to FIX THE PROBLEM as demonstrated recently with the slowdown...
OK, I've rattled on enough so all I can say aks_canada is the best thing you can do is post how you felt and were treated by both companies...Heck you could also writer a review of each:
TekSavvy: »User reviews - TekSavvy Solutions Inc.
Sympatico: »User reviews - Bell Sympatico
~fin
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Check out the TekSavvy Forums:
»TekSavvy Solutions Inc. |
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agreed
@bell.ca
| reply to aks_canada
Well i have to kind of lean towards what Hivolt and Bohn say.
Here they cut services, speed isn't 5-meg (or 6 & 7) like the competition for the same cost.
NewsGroups are gone. Personal webpages aren't supported (yet advertized). Email went down the tubes. PIng times in the 1000's-ms. All we can do it connect thats it. Even connection issues is a hugo MoFo of a run-around with their mickey-mouse support and everything else is 3rd rate cost-cuts with sympatico, with no cost savings to the customer. Now its a 30-gig cap!
As a bell employee said in this forum, if your not happy go else-where. As this forum dropped from 1st place to 2nd place, that is exactly what happened. This one dropped, Canadian braodband picked up. People are leaving, and thats not a bad thing, people wake up to the fact that they are not getting their hard-earned money's worth of service they pay for.
It amazes me that people pay 50$ for 1-meg DSL from sympatico (2.1-meg average), then invest 100$ to fix their demarc and everything else for nothing and the Bell employee's here encourage that. (Now they encourage you to go to teksavvy since bell get your 22-24$/month still, that seems to be the only alternative to them.)
The only way sympatico are competitive is if you complain about the service as a whole and get a price reduction w/o contract, as Hivolt did. Other-wise I have to agree with DirtyJeffer and say find a different broadband supplier.
Let this dead horse die... |
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timetravelle
join:2007-01-30
Toronto, ON
| reply to aks_canada
I just figured I'd post a reply to this thread and see what all thought (currently located at Yonge/Eglinton area, Toronto)...
I got Sympatico HSE late 1999 and have been using the *OLD* Norstar 1Meg Modem and up to Nov last year was still using it (still paying same price as in 1999). In November, the RJ45 connector for the Network port ripped off the board (cables hanging from it for a long period of time I assume) and I asked for a replacement. The service Tech was quite friendly and seemed to be a knowledgeable guy. Long story short, I asked for an upgraded modem (since I knew I was overpaying for the level of service) He checked my line card and said it needed to be upgraded (said should take about 3-5 business days for service rep to do the work). No problem. I was happy to get a new modem.
I opened the new modem box a few days later, it was the same model Norstar modem (LOL) and now the sync light on modem flickers orange instead of a previous solid light but no impact from original transmit rates.
I don't necessarily want the cheapest rate for high speed internet (although would be nice if quality of customer service is good); I just want a fair deal.
Not going to say much more BUT What is my best option now after discovering this forum and reading the "GREAT" Sympatico FAQ? I just want the service I'm paying for and was wondering the best way of getting it with the least amount of hassle (from Sympatico/other ISP and what to ask for). What DSL modem "should" I be asking for if I can? Anything else?
-TT |
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HonourAboveAll
@bell.ca
| reply to bumbo
ah here we go with another.. bumbo even said he had a message for rocky asking him to praise teksavvy in the canadian broadband forum (as did I even though we both knew i never had teksavvy). But thats cool.. at least both were honest and said it was so as stated in the canadian broadband forum, and I repect the honesty above all. So its not a knock, but rather a compliment for both your honesty and not skirting.
maybe a new thread can be started here for teksavvy and maybe someone can make a couple of bucks out of it for an organized "group ship-jump to savvy" actually doesn't sound like a bad idea... when you think about it  |
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highPrice1_meg
@bell.ca
| reply to timetravelle
said by timetravelle :I just want the service I'm paying for and was wondering the best way of getting it with the least amount of hassle (from Sympatico/other ISP and what to ask for). What DSL modem "should" I be asking for if I can? Anything else? norstar, you mean the old 1-meg Nortel modem? If so then:
I would call the business office (billing) and say you got shipped an old 1-meg NORTEL modem. If you are paying for high-speed, then you should not have the 1-meg Nortel modem.
Matter of fact, I would argue for a credit as well since you can't get high-speed with that modem, yet apparantly you are paying for high-speed! This would also be a good time to very what you have paid for and for how long as well and argue the fact with billing.
They should fix you up. |
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dav_ID
Happiness Is What You Make It
join:2001-11-22
Toronto
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| reply to aks_canada
said by aks_canada : Well, I just joined with Teksavvy and within 2 days, they had analysed my Stats and got me on a FULL 5MB profile with my rates now showing as 4248/648. As you can imagine, I am incredible pleased. Now I did have to purchase a DSL Modem, not cheap, but it feels worth it just to have someone answer the line who "actually" listens and is not following a Company Script. I too am considering the Teksavvy switch when my contract is up in Sept. Though I also will have to buy another modem as my line stats are low - but Bells 6520 does manage to maintain 5056/800 sync with no loss of connection/sync and usually full speeds. I dont think my old Gnet BB0040 will cut it as it cant' do adsl2 let alone adsl2+ if ever needed. I suspect the newer modems have much better circuits for handling poorer lines/longer distances - I think I've seen that mentioned for the Speedstream 516.
Am also considering voip with a dry line - seems once you have the modem/gateway cost is about the same for basic service - but quite reasonable rates for calls to the UK.
Really good to hear that Teksavvy came through for you after the switch 
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In theory, a bumble bee cannot fly |
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