Any ideas how to get a deal with Shaw Direct?

[SweetDoc]

I am currently subscribed to the gold package with shaw direct, I have also added the sports HD package.

Every few months my bill gets higher by a dollar or so. I phoned tonight and asked about why this is, and was told they are just increasing the costs of their programming, I asked if I was getting anything extra, and he said he doesn't think so; I replied that I think that is a crap deal.

I also asked that since I am paying for the sports HD package that covers all of the chanels I want, can I change my non-HD sports bundle to a different budle, my logic was that if I'm paying for the HD chanels and never watch the regular chanels, why do I need a regular chanel bundle. I was told that even if I pay for the sports HD package, I need to also have the regular sports budle or it wont work.

This also had me frustrated.

My question is, has anyone had any success with Shaw Direct threatening to cancel their subscription if they don't provide you with some "free benefits"? I wouldnt mind getting HBO or HDNET for free or something like that.

Thanks in advance.

[Rathji]

I would assume that if you did some research into what Telus is offering with their crazy bundle deal, you could get them to come very close to what it is offering.

[T@T]

Shaw TV sucks...period.

[SweetDoc]

Originally Posted by T@T

Shaw TV sucks...period.

I'm not talking about TV, I'm talking about satellite. And if Shaw isn't your preference, what is and why?

[SportsJunky]

Originally Posted by T@T

Shaw TV sucks...period.

Compared to what? What do you have?

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Moving this to the Tech forum.

[Rathji]

I used Shaw Direct aka Starchoice when I was in the country and had no access to cable. I wasn't disappointed with the product at all, in fact I found the quality a bit better than Shaw I had when I moved back into the city.

The only downside is the inability to bundle with Shaw internet/phone.

That said, I don't think they have kept up with the innovation on the Telus side of things ie Optik TV.

[SweetDoc]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I used Shaw Direct aka Starchoice when I was in the country and had no access to cable. I wasn't disappointed with the product at all, in fact I found the quality a bit better than Shaw I had when I moved back into the city.

The only downside is the inability to bundle with Shaw internet/phone.

That said, I don't think they have kept up with the innovation on the Telus side of things ie Optik TV.

Can you tell me more about Telus Optik TV? I've seen the intro on the Telus website but I don't trust their word, I'd rather hear it from a subscriber.

[Papi34]

Just say yes to Telus. So much better than Shaw Direct which is an absolute joke. Their Technology is so far behind the market they give customers absolutely no benefit to choose them they used to be cheaper but they arent anymore and the programming is just terrible. Jump on that telus wagon. Trust me when i tell you this if you call to cancel your shaw direct account they may offer you some ppv credits or a small monthly discount but Telus will give you the farm. I know this on very good authority.

[HotHotHeat]

Originally Posted by T@T

Shaw TV sucks...period.

Every content provider in Canada sucks. Shaw has firmware from the 90's... And Bell compresses their signal so much that you can't even call it HD, if you use international standards. Canadian telecom FTW.

Telus TV is looking like it might be the best soon.

[HOOT]

If you are looking for a deal from your current provider just find what deals are being offered by Shaw, Bell and Telus and go to them with the offer. Tell them you want them to beat it since you are a long time customer and if not you will be switching. If they are anything like Bell right now you can get almost whatever you want as an existing customer.

[SweetDoc]

Just to update, I called the cancellation department and advised I would be moving to Telus unless they agreed to provide extra content for free. I currently have the Gold Package plus the HD sports extra and my monthly bill is $76.73. They offered me HD sports and HD extra for free for a year. I took that and decided to pay for Dusk and Action. My new total for the next 12 months will be $72 and some change and I've added Dusk, Action, and HD Extra which includes HDNET.

Not bad for a few minutes work. 12 months from now I imagine I'll have to negotiate again as my billing will increase.

[Roast Beef]

Originally Posted by SweetDoc

Can you tell me more about Telus Optik TV? I've seen the intro on the Telus website but I don't trust their word, I'd rather hear it from a subscriber.

Optik TV user here. I wouldn't go back to Shaw if they paid me. My parents have Shaw right now, and it is painful to use. The actual picture quality is about the same. It's everything else that makes the difference. From the menus, to the PVR anywhere to the remote access. Telus makes Shaw look like technology from 10-15 years ago. Things like menus and listings and searching may not seem like much. They do make a huge difference in the long run. The PVR anywhere is an incredible thing. It's one of those things that you don't realize how great it is until you have it. You can watch the Flames game live while the kids watch the episode of Dora the Explorer they recorded 2 days earlier. The remote access is amazing. As long as you have a compatible mobile device or access to a computer, you can change your recording options from anywhere.

Hell, they even offer things beyond TV. If you have kids, right now they have a Santa Tracker "channel" that is interactive. It offers games, songs, singalongs and readalong books for the kids. It even has Christmas music for the adults.

Shaw may catch up in the future. But right now, Telus has the best TV offering.

[Regulator75]

Originally Posted by SweetDoc

I'm not talking about TV, I'm talking about satellite. And if Shaw isn't your preference, what is and why?

I had no idea that Shaw offered Satellite service.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

I had no idea that Shaw offered Satellite service.

It's just Starchoice re-branded to a Shaw name. They bought them a long time ago but never changed the name.

I'm actually not sure why they would because there were so many people who made the switch to Starchoice thinking they were screwing Shaw.

[sa226]

Does anybody have experience with Telus Satellite TV?

My folks are in the country and complain about their Shaw Direct satellite. I was thinking of getting them set up with Telus.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by sa226

Does anybody have experience with Telus Satellite TV?

My folks are in the country and complain about their Shaw Direct satellite. I was thinking of getting them set up with Telus.

Telus Satellite TV is just re-branded Bell TV. Same programming, same hardware but the prices may vary. I don't know which is the most irritating to deal with though.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

Telus Satellite TV is just re-branded Bell TV. Same programming, same hardware but the prices may vary. I don't know which is the most irritating to deal with though.

My experience with Bell was pretty bad historically, over the years since my mom got it. From what I understand, a lot of the problems I experienced have been pretty much eliminated, including them doing some %20 price reductions for a year to keep customers vs Telus recent cutthroat pricing. Very occasional drop of signal during a storm, but it is not common at all and typically short lived.

[amorak]

Step to a lower Shaw Direct bill:

1. Call in an say you want to cancel
2. Get transfered to retentions
3. Say Bell offered you a smoking deal (make something believable but ballin' up)
4. Tell them you like their service, but the price difference is too much for you to ignore
5. Listen to them cave like bananas
6. ??????????
7. PROFIT?!?!