4 edits | Reasons to stay with Teksavvy... or not? I've been with Teksavvy since 2008 (6/.8 dsl), but now started to look around, as I need to upgrade and Teksavvy's prices, even the new ones, don't look exactly awesome. I don't have complaints about the company, I love to support the cause and have even openly advertised TSI in my writings for ethnic media in Toronto. But I wanted to find better prices, get rid of this dry loop thing, the mandatory modem rental/purchase about to come (EDIT: for new VDSL packs only), etc.
Well, I ended up entangled in a web of catches and caveats. So, please help me list the reasons why I shouldn't leave Teksavvy.
Distributel (3web) = Free dry loop is totally awesome (I don't need a home phone), plus they have unlimited plans for decent prices, but:
- People say customer service is not very good. I can't say for sure. Never tried it.
- Modem rent/purchase required. As they are not offering VDSL and most people (myself included) on adsl already own such modem... what am I gonna do with that?
- Oh yes, no VDSL plans. Perhaps still to come? Perhaps they haven't updated their prices yet and everything is about to change? Perhaps there are just too many "perhapses"?
Acanac = lots of small interesting things (ssh, vpn, ftp), unlimited plans, and even without the stupid contract, their price for 25/10 is still better than TSI's. But:
- One year contract? Contract? Seriously, did I just read the C word???
- Speed cut in half from 7pm to midnight. So, if you work 9/5, you basically don't use the speed you pay for. Or is Acanac just the only one that has the courage to admit it?
Electronic Box = "Free dry loop" rivals "all you can eat" as best phrases ever in my head at the moment, and so EB caught my attention. But:
- No unlimited packs.
- And the 500gb @25/10 pack is more expensive than TSI's unlimited for the same speed.
- $70 for install or $50 if you buy the modem. Plus $20 to use your own modem... Meaning $90 if you don't wanna buy a modem? Too many fees, all too high for my weary wallet.
Start = At first, the only advantage is the modem rental/purchase not being mandatory. EDIT: Wait, there's more. Free dry loop on everything but the Basic pack. How did I miss that?
But then:
- No unlimited packs, 300gb tops.
- Quite expensive for 300gb. $50 against TSI's $40
Vmedia = Here's another unlimited service. Prices are slightly better than Teksavvy, my concerns are just that:
- You also need to get an IPTV pack from them in order to have the internet. EDIT: you can actually order internet without TV, just ignore step 2 and click on 3. I got fooled by the disabled "next" button. The basic TV pack is free for the first 3 months of service, after which it becomes a $25/month creature perched on top of your TV.
- The first payment may hurt: $100 install plus $110 modem (can be rented for $8/month).
- Curiosity: for the 15/10 plan, they say your own ADSL2+ modem is welcome. Awesome, but..... 10 mbps upload on ADSL2+???
Or am I being too picky and they are totally worth a try?
Or am I being too nice and Teksavvy has way bigger advantages on top of those listed?
PS. Of course I wouldn't list the incumbents, because I refuse to even mention their names. Brings bad luck. |
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 HiVoltPremium
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON
kudos:15
 ·TekSavvy Cable
 ·TekSavvy DSL
| Each ISP has their own strenghts & weaknesses... and with the CBB rates, they have to manage their capacity, and the pricing depends on what sort of clientele they have... heavy users, average joe's, etc...
In the end, it's all up to you. 
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 roccaStart.caPremium
join:2008-11-16
London, ON
kudos:9 | reply to badomen
said by badomen:Start = .... Dry loop in all its infamous glory, with install fees and everything. We only have a dry loop fee on the 'Basic' tier, all other tiers include the dry loop monthly and installation at no extra charge. |
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| reply to badomen
What are we, chopped liver? |
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| reply to rocca
I stand corrected and have edited the post. Thanks!! |
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| reply to badomen
For comparison, it seems like Velcom has the lowest DSL prices around at the moment, but they get blasted in reviews for having bad service & business practices.
- 25/10 for $40/month
- 400GB ... not sure if uploads count
- dryloop fee included
- 9 hour free-bandwidth window
Seems nice on the surface. Not sure I'd be willing to take the risk... there could be downsides I'm not considering. |
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Samgee
join:2010-08-02
canada
kudos:2 | reply to badomen
said by badomen:Acanac = lots of small interesting things (ssh, vpn, ftp), unlimited plans, and even without the stupid contract, their price for 25/10 is still better than TSI's. But:
- One year contract? Contract? Seriously, did I just read the C word???
- Speed cut in half from 7pm to midnight. So, if you work 9/5, you basically don't use the speed you pay for. Or is Acanac just the only one that has the courage to admit it?
It's not a contract, if you want to leave you are free to do so at any time, you will just be billed for the months you stay at their associated rate and refunded the remainder (stay for three month, be charged those three months at the three month rate instead of the 12 month rate). You get the benefit of a reduced rate, they get the benefit of your money up front. It's not meant to lock you in.
The speed reduction (when put in place, it hasn't been yet) will be more beneficial than congestion for end users. Since everyone will be reduced you won't see high ping times as you would with providers who face congestion at peak times due to over selling. If network capacity only reaches peek for 1 hour, then speeds will only be reduced for that hour. Again, so far this has not been put in place. |
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 GuspazGuspazPremium,MVM
join:2001-11-05
Montreal, QC
kudos:19 | reply to badomen
A well managed ISP should not have congestion at any time. Acanac's throttling has nothing to do with congestion, it's about keeping CBB rates under control. CBB costs are billed by the peak usage, so Acanac uses throttling to reduce their peak usage, saving them a ton of money on CBB costs. This enables them to set lower prices, but the downside is that you'll potentially get only half speed during the only times you're likely to use your connection anyhow.
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Developer: Tomato/MLPPP, Linux/MLPPP, etc »fixppp.org |
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 Quake110Premium
join:2003-12-20
Ottawa, ON | reply to Limber
Connection uptime |
said by Limber:For comparison, it seems like Velcom has the lowest DSL prices around at the moment, but they get blasted in reviews for having bad service & business practices.
- 25/10 for $40/month
- 400GB ... not sure if uploads count
- dryloop fee included
- 9 hour free-bandwidth window
Seems nice on the surface. Not sure I'd be willing to take the risk... there could be downsides I'm not considering.
Velcom really got it act together. The service has been extremely stable as seen from this router screenshot. |
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 diskaceElectronic Box CEOPremium,VIP
join:2002-02-21 | reply to badomen
said by badomen:Electronic Box = "Free dry loop" rivals "all you can eat" as best phrases ever in my head at the moment, and so EB caught my attention. But:
- $70 for install or $50 if you buy the modem. Plus $20 to use your own modem... Meaning $90 if you don't wanna buy a modem? Too many fees, all too high for my weary wallet.
It's not 90$ it's 70$ when you don't buy a modem for a full install and 50$ when you buy a modem.
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Electronic Box Inc. - Jean-Philippe Béïque
Ebox forum »ELECTRONICBOX |
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| said by diskace:It's not 90$ it's 70$ when you don't buy a modem for a full install and 50$ when you buy a modem.
That's what I thought, but then I found this line:
Use your own Modem $20
And concluded that it's $70 to install without buying a new modem plus $20 to use your own. |
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| reply to Quake110
I have no personal experience with Velcom but how does the PPPoE session staying up for 43 days assure that everything is great? |
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mikee
join:2012-12-21
Gloucester, ON | reply to badomen
Does acanac's price include dry loop? And how does their modem situation look, like is it 8$/month? Or do they cover the modem for free like bell?
The other companies don't throttle like Acanac, but that's not a big problem for most people. Some companies that don't throttle will see the affects when during peak hours they get like 1mbps down. Well that's what people in TekSavvy complain about mostly in Toronto i noticed. The other ISPs might be good though, not sure. |
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Quake110Premium
join:2003-12-20
Ottawa, ON | reply to darrylr
Because back in the days, Velcom had Radius problems and their connections was intermittent at best. But right now, I don't think about it because it just works. |
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| reply to mikee
said by mikee:Does acanac's price include dry loop? And how does their modem situation look, like is it 8$/month? Or do they cover the modem for free like bell?
According to their website, "Naked DSL is only available In Ontario and Quebec. Normally a dry loop fee is $8 per month."
About modem: "Cost of DSL Modem is $49.95- $100 for the VDSL modem - Activation fee is $49.95 - You're free to use your own modem."
I honestly don't like the idea of throttling.
I can't reach great speeds with Teksavvy atm, but not only my plan is a very basic one, but I seem to have a noisy line at home. One day I called support, and they said they could fix it, but by fixing it my upload speeds would decrease (?????). Didn't authorize it in the end. |
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| reply to badomen
And there is the new player in town... Vmedia.
They are out to make a name for themselves, especially here with the DSLr group, so I don't envision and funny stuff going down if you try them.
»www.vmedia.ca/internet/default.aspx
Unlimited. None of this weird stuff where it's only unlimited after 2-am and before the sun comes up, or whatever this weird thing is.
No throttling at peak-times so ISP's can save a dollar while cutting your speed in half.
But the install and modems fee's are there, along with the dryloop fee. So it may not be what you are after. |
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DavesnothereNo-BHELL-ity DOES have its Advantages
join:2009-06-15
START&Cogeco
kudos:6 | reply to mikee
said by mikee:....The other companies don't throttle like Acanac, but that's not a big problem for most people.
[With] some companies that don't throttle, [people] will see the effects when during peak hours they get like 1mbps down.
Well that's what people in TekSavvy complain about mostly in Toronto i noticed. The other ISPs might be good though, not sure.
IOW, whether or not a provider SAYS that they throttle during peak hours does NOT necessarily promise that a subscriber will have full bandwidth (aka speed) with them during that period. |
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| reply to badomen
A couple of important TSI features not mentioned in the main post:
1. Un-metered downloads (2am - 8am)
2. Only downloads applied to cap (uploads are not metered).
Start has similar features too right? |
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DavesnothereNo-BHELL-ity DOES have its Advantages
join:2009-06-15
START&Cogeco
kudos:6 | said by QuantumPimp:....Start has similar features too, right?
Those two, yes. |
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mikee
join:2012-12-21
Gloucester, ON | reply to QuantumPimp
i checked vmedia but it doesn't look very promising... the only good package is 35/3 and 25/2 for cable, but the dsl side of things is more expensive than tsi and start |
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