Question about Bell TV.

[WilsonFourTwo]

Originally Posted by fotze

My take is:

Telus - Evil with crappy product (for TV)

At the risk of completely hijacking this thread.....

I couldn't agree more with the Telus TV comment. I've been a customer for about 5 months now and have been incredibly disappointed. My biggest gripes:

1. The picture quality is l_o_u_s_y. Really, its awful.
2. The TV Box receives 1 or 2 updates each week. These updates are all mandatory, take between 3-15 minutes to apply, and basically lock up your TV Box until they're applied.
3. The wireless device (service up the TV and wireless connection) requires rebooting almost daily. I reboot it 4 or 5 times a week.
4. My Speedtest.net results 2.3 Down, 350kb Up. Brutal.

I LOVED Telus Internet when I first had it. Now that Shaw has a terrific deal (Tier 3 Cable, High-Speed, Home Phone, Dgtl PVR for $60/mnth), I've called to switch.

[Deegee]

My only experience with Bell was trying to explain to them why a Flames game shouldn't be blacked out on Sportsnet West when the Flames were playing the Canucks. They said it's blacked on out on the Pacific and West feeds because I needed Centre Ice. They just couldn't figure out that games on Pacific should be blacked out, but not games on West. They just refused to admit they were making a mistake.

They also continued to charge my inlaws PST for 2 years after they moved into Alberta from Saskatchewan.

I'll never have Bell again.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by OilKiller

Meh, not going to get into this again with you Hoot. Shaw is about the least evil out of all of them out there and Bell sucks.

Of course you wouldn't. Have you started that tally for Flames games missed by Shaw customers yet?

Like I have said and will always say with a company with millions of customers there will always be someone who has difficulties. Unless you can provide proof otherwise.

Shaws quality and receivers are a joke and even their remote control makes me want to puke! I bet if you gave every HD Shaw customer a 9242, I would be willing to bet 4 out of 5 people would never go back. Best receiver on the market by MILES!

[sparky69]

Originally Posted by HOOT

Shaws quality and receivers are a joke and even their remote control makes me want to puke! I bet if you gave every HD Shaw customer a 9242, I would be willing to bet 4 out of 5 people would never go back. Best receiver on the market by MILES!

Agreed! shaw PVR is horrible, every time a use it I would get fustrated... searching for a program on shaw is impossible. bell has the best PVR out there.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by HOOT

their remote control makes me want to puke!

I'll definitely agree about that. Damn thing is just awkward.

[OilKiller]

Originally Posted by HOOT

Of course you wouldn't. Have you started that tally for Flames games missed by Shaw customers yet?

Like I have said and will always say with a company with millions of customers there will always be someone who has difficulties. Unless you can provide proof otherwise.

Shaws quality and receivers are a joke and even their remote control makes me want to puke! I bet if you gave every HD Shaw customer a 9242, I would be willing to bet 4 out of 5 people would never go back. Best receiver on the market by MILES!

Oh man, here we go...

I have not missed a single Flames game other than those that are on NHL CI only because I don't have NHL CI. Otherwise, every single Flames game has been on Shaw.

I have no issues with my Shaw HD PVR. There are times where it is slow to respond, but I have worked around that with a little patience. It records everything I want it to record without a hiccup and I don't have to deal with Evil Bell and simsubs for EVERYTHING. Did you enjoy the REAL HD US commercials during the SuperBowl there Hoot? No? Hmmm, I watched them all in HD clarity without CTV anywhere near MY broadcast...

[HOOT]

Glad you can deal with the hiccups. I'll just sit here and enjoy the best HD PVR on the market, by far!

[d_phaneuf]

Complaints all come down to individual experience. I have Bell and have had 0 problems, I have only had to actually use the customer service a couple times and when I did it was fantastic. As all ready mentioned by others their retention is great, in the past 12 months I got a new HDPVR receiver and half off Sunday Ticket and Center Ice just for telling the customer service that Shaw was offering me all of that for free to switch over in a bundle with my internet.

Basically it is always going to come down to the individual, if Bell was as bad as some of the people here have said they would go out of business quickly.

If you are looking for a new provider just find the one with the best price for the channels you want. Chances are you won't have a problem with whichever one you choose, as I would guess less than 5% of customers for Bell, Shaw etc. have problems.

[OilKiller]

Originally Posted by HOOT

Glad you can deal with the hiccups. I'll just sit here and enjoy the best HD PVR on the market, by far!

Nice selective work on the response there Hoot.

Enjoy those US commercials did you? Enjoy watching TO or Vancouver ads for EVERY show? Enjoy the cutoffs off the top of the show or the end of shows?

My PVR is fine and show me PROOF that your Bell PVR is the best in the market. Got a link to an actual test conducted by someone other than you and a few buddies?

[ken0042]

Oilkiller- simsubs are really a moot point; as most of the rest of us in this thread live within reception range of a CTV-HD OTA signal; and our local Shaw services also carry those "local" CTV-HD signals.

So I guess that brings the "Edmonton-suck" ratio down to 364 days : 1 day.

As far as the billing issues go- most people who just keep their regular programing will never notice any CSR issues. Most of the issues I see are things like offers for X credit for a new receiver, X credit for other issues. Bell will take 4-6 weeks to apply your credit, so you have to wait up to 3 bills to see the credit. Then when it doesn't show (because it wasn't entered correctly), you then have to go though a number of hoops to be told it will be re-applied in 4-6 weeks.

So basically if you just have your programing come in, then you pay your bill- most people won't have issues. But as so many of us say- if you are ever promised anything make sure you keep detailed notes of the Who, when, what, etc.

[kermitology]

I've been with Bell for just over 3 years now and I'm happy as can be. My girlfriend suspended her account with Shaw and they continued to charge her, we called 4 or 5 times to get shaw to suspend the account before they finally figured out what was going on.

We were going to switch to Shaw from Bell when she moved in, but then Bell offered me 50% off my entire bill for 12 months with no penalty to cancel (this has been repeated to me several times from different agents).

Having used both the Shaw receiver and the Bell receiver, I massively prefer the Bell receiver. Better programming, the guide is easier to use, I figure most people have problems with Bell from being stupid or not paying attention to the reps when they talk to you.

I called customer service to understand one of my bills and they explained everything in great detail, so I've never really understood the problem that some folks have with Bell.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by OilKiller

Enjoy those US commercials did you? Enjoy watching TO or Vancouver ads for EVERY show? Enjoy the cutoffs off the top of the show or the end of shows?

What are you talking about? First off I could personally care less about the US commercials since you can watch them almost anywhere after the game without having to quiet down a room full of people watching the game. Is this seriously you big concern on SB Sunday? Yikes.

Enjoy cutoffs? Never had this happen, so please explain. You always bring up this simsub crap every argument but again, if you have a PVR what the hell are you doing watching commercials in the first place?

My PVR is fine and show me PROOF that your Bell PVR is the best in the market. Got a link to an actual test conducted by someone other than you and a few buddies?

Have you ever used the 9242? Use one for a month and then tell me you would prefer the Shaw receiver again.

I've used plenty of Shaw receivers and they are junk! Absolutely the worst, I'd rather plug in my old 5900 SD PVR before a Shaw receiver. I could have Shaw for free, yet I choose to pay for Bell for a reason. The remote alone is a reason not to get Shaw.

Also I don't need a test, if you can locate one proving the Shaw one is even comparable to the 9242 please do, but everyone I have ever spoken to with Shaw hates, HATES, their remotes and receivers for being so slow.

If you are looking for the best HD and receivers Bell is the only choice in Canada.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by HOOT

If you are looking for the best HD and receivers Bell is the only choice in Canada.

Best HD? How many On Demand HD channels does Bell have?

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by GreenTeaFrapp

Best HD? How many On Demand HD channels does Bell have?

See there you go to each their own. I could care less about PPV/On Demand so that means nothing to me and anyone else who doesn't waste their money on PPVs.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by HOOT

Have you ever used the 9242? Use one for a month and then tell me you would prefer the Shaw receiver again.

I've used plenty of Shaw receivers and they are junk! Absolutely the worst, I'd rather plug in my old 5900 SD PVR before a Shaw receiver. I could have Shaw for free, yet I choose to pay for Bell for a reason. The remote alone is a reason not to get Shaw.

Also I don't need a test, if you can locate one proving the Shaw one is even comparable to the 9242 please do, but everyone I have ever spoken to with Shaw hates, HATES, their remotes and receivers for being so slow.

If you are looking for the best HD and receivers Bell is the only choice in Canada.

I agree with you the Bell 9242 is the bees knees but Bell HD quality is open for debate. What Bell does is play with their quality so that often premium programming is very good (such as the Olympics) while a lot of other so called HD programming is about equal to DVD quality. Also Bell only sends 720p programming instead of the 1080i that many stations broadcast in because it takes less bandwidth. Any fool can see the CBC HD hockey picture quality has degraded since Bell changed over to only 720p. This has been tested by qualified people over at Digital Home Canada if you are willing to wade through their threads. I'm not saying Shaw is any better but Bell's quality has certainly fallen off since I first got HD in 04, so it's nothing to brag about.

I mostly like Bell (at least their equipment which I've spent a pretty penny on over the years and their programming) but I've been lied to, cheated and called a pirate when I didn't even know it was possible to pirate their signal. How about that, it became something I had to look into, just as a hobby you know, kind of to even things out a little. If you want to read a little of the people with similar bad experiences, there are gargantuan threads on the subject over at Digital Home Canada but I guess you're to lazy to read the links already provided because it isn't just a one off occurrence, it happens over and over to mostly innocent people.

As others have said, don't put your trust in Bell, be on guard, take names and numbers and have as little to do with their billing department as possible unless you know a sure thing like their retentions department.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

If you want to read a little of the people with similar bad experiences, there are gargantuan threads on the subject over at Digital Home Canada but I guess you're to lazy to read the links already provided because it isn't just a one off occurrence, it happens over and over to mostly innocent people.

When have I ever said it was just a one off thing? Things happen when you deal with millions of clients. I've had my problems with Bell, Telus, Shaw and Rogers when it comes to billing so saying Bell is the only one with billing or lying problems is false.

If you can find me a quote where I mention Bell being perfect or close to feel free to do so. But just like any company they have their issues and I will be the first to admit their customer service is questionable at best, however I have to speak to them MAYBE once a year so whatever. Sounds like Shaw customers have to spend more time talking to customer service so they enjoy the nice people there.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by HOOT

When have I ever said it was just a one off thing? Things happen when you deal with millions of clients. I've had my problems with Bell, Telus, Shaw and Rogers when it comes to billing so saying Bell is the only one with billing or lying problems is false.

If you can find me a quote where I mention Bell being perfect or close to feel free to do so. But just like any company they have their issues and I will be the first to admit their customer service is questionable at best, however I have to speak to them MAYBE once a year so whatever. Sounds like Shaw customers have to spend more time talking to customer service so they enjoy the nice people there.

You really believe that? Just from the small sample on here, just about everybody says, don't trust Bell. They've ruined many days of my life and I won't forget it. This isn't just a percentage wise billing and lying problem, it is or at least was, as far as I'm concerned, Bell policy.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

You really believe that? Just from the small sample on here, just about everybody says, don't trust Bell. They've ruined many days of my life and I won't forget it. This isn't just a percentage wise billing and lying problem, it is or at least was, as far as I'm concerned, Bell policy.

Believe what? That every company makes errors/has CS that lie? Yes.

Have I personally ever had a billing error with Bell? No. Have they ever over charged me on my Visa? No. Do I believe it has happened? Yes, of course. Happens all the time with companies that large.

Have I been told some wrong information to find out it wasn't true? Yes. Have they always ended up fixing those problems? Yes. Do I believe they fix everyone's problems? No.

I have never personally talked with BellTV and not got what I wanted from them. Hell, I walked away with a free 9242 without extending my contract, playing their game, fibbing.

And honestly if you let some customer service punk ruin your day you need to step back and take a look at the big picture. Don't like the answer you are getting, hang up! Guess what? You will get someone new every time and most likely one will get you what you want. As many have said take notes, take employee numbers and take names, just like you should for all phone conversations.

I get screwed around from Shaw internet all the time but I still pump up their product because it is the best on the market. Customer service is a joke but I live with it because I don't have to phone that often and I'd rather have the best product on the market versus settling because I want better customer service for the few times I have to phone in. Customer service for me is only so important and with Internet/Television/Phone service is is very low on the list of things I look for because now days you can do most, if not all, transactions online.

[Vulcan]

I have never personally talked with BellTV and not got what I wanted from them. Hell, I walked away with a free 9242 without extending my contract, playing their game, fibbing.

Yeah, I've been brought down to their level too but it sure doesn't sit right with me, having to lie or cheat just to break even. I've also had un-enjoyable experiences with Shaw and Telus, but it's been to do with their product and high prices, not their lying and cheating.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by HOOT

See there you go to each their own. I could care less about PPV/On Demand so that means nothing to me and anyone else who doesn't waste their money on PPVs.

I'm not talking about PPV. I'm talking about On Demand channels that are not an additional charge. Like the movie channels on demand so that I can choose from a wide variety of movies to watch whenever I want.