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SwoonVictim
@teksavvy.com
|  Migrating from Bell to TSI - Step by Step Instructions
This is a detailed step-by-step blurb I did up for a client who wants to largely handle their own changeover from Bell to TSI.
Since this user is a 'typical' Bell user:
- Using the Sympatico email address
- Using the Bell DSL modem
where both these issues are impediments to simple migration-to-TSI, my instructions might be a useful template for anyone else who wants to apprise another of the steps to leave Bell, or as a guide to their own migration.
Thx TSI for being a company to which I can feel positive and confident about 'turning my customers on'!
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I'm open to feedback about any omitted or incorrect details.
(I'm not interested if you think that gmail as actually any good or not, but would nonetheless welcome info about anything gmail equivalent that is *owned & hosted* within our more privacy-respecting Cdn borders).
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Quick info on TekSavvy ("TSI"):
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Website (Ontario Info): »teksavvy.com/en/content.asp?ID=7&mID=1
Phone#: 877-779-1575 (sales: 8-11pm daily, tech support: 7/24)
Price: $29.95/mo - full high-speed, 200GB/mo traffic
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##### Step 1 - losing Sympatico email address
- it looks like you're using a Sympatico email address which you'll lose when you leave Bell, so you need to setup an alternate. Gmail has a good, reliable service so I'd recommend getting a new email address from them: »https://mail.google.com/mail/signup
##### Step 2 - then you need to start using that new address.
-- You'll want to send (from your new gmail account!) an email to everyone who you want to know your new address, to inform them of that new address and to instruct them to stop using the old one immediately
-- In terms of you getting email at that new address, the simple/fast way is for you to do it over the web by going to this website and logging in: »https://gmail.google.com/gmail
-- If you want your new email address to be added to Outlook/OutlookExpress/Thunderbird, etc that's straightforward and is something I can take care of, or you can.
##### Step 3 - Once you have begun to leave the Sympatico email address you are ready to put into place the changeover.
-- Call Bell (ph num: 310-SURF) and cancel:
--- confirm you are not on contract (or they'll stick you with a nasty fee) - if you are *legitimately* on contract you may wish to not leave Bell right now
--- inform them you want to cancel in 30 days time
--- they will ask why - tell them you don't like doing business with them or whatever
--- Bell may give you a hassle, just keep telling them you want to cancel in 30 days time
--- they will try to keep you as a customer, sometimes by lowering your monthly rate to something competitive (but be careful, you'll suddenly be on contract again for 1-3 years) but the lower rate is often for 3 mos or a year only
--- the bell reps are frequently reported as outright lying to keep customers from leaving (false promises, lying about competitors offerings, etc), so since you have made up your mind to leave Bell ignore all their promises - the Bell reps are simply not trustworthy
--- once the cancellation has been accepted ask the rep to tell you:
------- the cancellation date and
------- the cancellation number
--- then ask the rep to also *email* you that info *immediately*
OK, the divorce from Bell is now under way.
##### Step 4 - Time to sign-up with TekSavvy. Call them at 877-779-1575. You want to speak to a sales (customer service) rep.
Tell them you have put your cancellation into Bell and you want to sign up with them for the "$30/mo, 200GB, Premium, residential" service.
They'll take your
-- billing info,
-- address & current phone number info, and
-- Bell cancellation info
and then when done probably ask you to select a username and password for your new TekSavvy service - write these down.
Then tell them if you want to buy a DSL modem too, if relevant.
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... About the DSL Modem ...
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The DSL Modem you are using now (for your Bell internet) is most likely owned by Bell (and rented with a monthly fee, by you) so you'll have to buy your own when you leave Bell and also send back to Bell theirs.
TekSavvy sells 3 models - you'd need to pick the right one for you:
- $ 75 - 1 wired port for networking
- $ 99 - 4 wired ports for networking
- $130 - 4 wired ports + wireless, for networking
(You can buy a DSL Modem elsewhere [not from TekSavvy] that will likely work fine too, if you prefer).
I can easily help you choose if you like.
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... Done blurb about the DSL Modem ...
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Also mention to them **FRIEND'S** login name ("**REDACTED**@TekSavvy.com") as a "referral" and then **FRIEND* will save $1/mo on their TekSavvy bill for as long as you are a customer (beginning on your second month). Bonus!
Also mention that you would like TekSavvy to use your new, gmail-based email address for communications with them (they'll assign you a free email address: UserName@TekSavvy.com but don't get in the habit of using it at all, just in case you want to leave TSI one day : )
Ok, the cutover is in now fully underway.
Note that TSI has no contracts so you can cancel anytime with as little as 5 days notice. If you pre-pay for a year you get something like a 5% discount ... but can still cancel part-way through the year and get the remainder of your money back (but would lose the 5% discount for the billed months, I imagine).
##### Step 5 - Using the new DSL Modem:
Once you receive the DSL modem (TSI will ship it to you) you'll want to plug it in (after disconnecting the Bell DSL Modem of course) and then you'll be effectively on the TSI service. In 30 days time (from when you made the cancellation call to Bell) an invisible change at the Bell equipment should take place if Bell does things properly. If not (happens sometimes) Bell will kill your internet service on day 30 and you'll have to contact TekSavvy to have them instruct Bell to put it back which can take a few days for Bell to 'get around to' so you'd be without home internet for that time period.
##### Step 6 - After Bell
Bell will probably mail you a box & mailing sticker for you to send them back their DSL modem. Make sure to do this or they'll again stick you with a hefty fee. Keep the receipt from when you drop it off to be mailed cuz Bell loses modems and tries to bill the customer sometimes, so you'd need to be able to prove you mailed it.
##### Step 7 - After Bell#2
There's a real possibility that Bell will still bill you for internet (even after the cancellation), or charge you an unwarranted cancellation fee or otherwise mess up the billing so keep an eye on however Bell has been billing you, to make sure they don't try to steal any money to which they are not entitled : )
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If you have any troubles (one example might be if Bell says you're under contract but you think you're not), or questions, or any technical issues please give me a call: **MyPhoneNum**
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Postscript:
Home network notes:
- you want to try to get a DSL Modem with the network features you anticipate needing for the next 5 years or so (e.g. wireless) so keep that in mind when selecting which DSL Modem to buy (or if you need wireless already, etc). If you already have a "router" (of any sort) that *you own* you can buy the $75 TekSavvy DSL Modem and it will connect to your existing router in exactly the same way that your current Bell DSL Modem does.
Phoneline notes:
- at the time they are changing their internet service many people review their phone-service too - do you still need/want a landline, do you need all those $$$ monthly features on the landline, etc.
- Of note: TekSavvy resells Bell landline service so if you want to leave Bell (many people do, on principle of Bell being so expensive and such shoddy support) you can move your phone service to be handled by TekSavvy and keep the existing phone number, etc. TekSavvy prices are essentially equivalent to Bell for teh standard monthly service + features but the support is so much better and the billing much less complex and error-prone. Also the lond-distance can be much, much cheaper. And no contracts!
- Of note: If you want to get rid of the landline service *entirely* you sort of can, but since your DSL internet comes over the phone line you can't kill it totally. What is available is what's called 'dry-loop' service (that replaces your current, fully-active phone service) for usually about $11/month, that keeps your landline alive for use by the internet but with no phone number assigned or dialtone on the line so you can't make or receive calls on it. But $11/month is way cheaper than what most people are paying for 'full landline' ... if you can do without the landline anymore.
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Cheers & hope this helps!
**MyName** | |
Davesnothere
@teksavvy.com
| Thank you for the detailed guide.
However, I've already made the change to TSI (No Regrets so far), and things for me were somewhat simpler, because I already owned my modem, in fact I did even before I was with Bell.
You certainly covered practically all of the PBP (Potential Bell Politics) which we may encounter, and might I comment that multiple and repeated Billing and Administrative errors (or in some cases unkept promises) in fact WERE the main reason for my leaving Bell.
Technologically, Bell's DSL service does not fail all that often, if/when it has been made to work properly in the first place, but, as we all know, that is only part of the big picture.
On the topic of MODEMs, though, I wish to add something :
There IS NO SUCH THING as a 'Standard Bell DSL Modem' !!!!!
If there was, we would have far fewer setup and config problems.
Bell has far too frequently changed modem providers and models over the years, just to save a buck or two at their end, but they simply could not forsee such decisions to be ones of false economy, due to the variations in setup procedure this has caused, and the waste of support time (spelled M-O-N-E-Y) in dealing with the consequences of that.
Worst offenders are those 'Combo Modem-Routers, which usually in Bell's case only have ONE LAN output, so by outward appearance they are frequently mistaken by an average user for a Simple Modem (No Router inside), and for that reason alone cause MUCH CONFUSION during setup, to the user, AND to the Bell 'Techies' when you call them and they frequently cannot find a record of which modem model was sent to you by Bell, and expect YOU to understand the difference.
As a company, TSI deserves the good reputation they have been building, just as Bell deserves to crash and burn.
The rest, I think you have covered.
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DJMASACRE
join:2008-05-27
Nepean, ON | reply to SwoonVictim
You didnt mention the 40$ Unlimited plan residential service 
thats what I have and people I know will want  | |
SwoonVictim
@teksavvy.com
| said by DJMASACRE  :You didnt mention the 40$ Unlimited plan residential service Yeah, no accident there tho - in my case I'm usually assisting novice (low-traffic) users so that was the (unspoken) target of my blurb.
Good idea that you have mentioned that however, in the context of generalizing the step-by-step for others. | |
planiwa
join:2009-02-19
Toronto M5S
| reply to SwoonVictim
#5. Are you sure that during the 30-day cancellation period, "you'll be effectively on the TSI service"?
Perhaps, since the customer is still a Bell customer, he continues to receive Bell-provisoned DSL service, not just a Bell PPPoE account.
Perhaps some customers assume that as soon as their TSI ppp account is functional, their *DSL* service is provisioned by TSI .
Perhaps what can happen at day 30 may be more than accidentally breaking what the customer had on day 29. Perhaps he may have been utilising Bell equipment until then, with a level of service that ceases on day 30.x
In practical terms, perhaps the "line" they have on day 31 may not be the "line" they had on day 29, and TSI can't exactly "instruct Bell to put it back" as it was.
*. Are you sure that there is no dial-tone on a Dry-Loop DSL line? | |
AOD
join:2008-01-24
Toronto, ON | There is a dial tone on a dry-loop dsl line. As soon you dial a number nothing happens just empty noise but there is a dial tone | |
ex bell
@cgocable.net
| said by AOD :There is a dial tone on a dry-loop dsl line. As soon you dial a number nothing happens just empty noise but there is a dial tone They program dial tone for provisioning so you can anac the circuit.
Another and more pervasive practical reason is the stealing of F2, F3, multi drop-bsw pairs and prem. circuits. | |
good attempt
@videotron.ca | reply to SwoonVictim
good attempt. But average. Doesn't take into account many things.
Same with a business line change. | |
BellBillVictim
@teksavvy.com
| reply to SwoonVictim
Consider also the following idea, per Cleanhead: »another Nooby needs advice to escape from Bell to Teksavvy
quote:
[....] the credit card company has already been told not to allow Bell to post anything except refunds. (I got a letter from Bell last week telling me their May automatic pre-payment didn't go through. They wanted to hang on to that money and refund it some eight months later, as they did with a previous cel phone account.)
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