Shaw Internet - Magical New Speeds and Lots-o-bandwidth, fickle geeks appeased

[Dirty Mr. Clean]

Over the past few weeks I have been reading about changes Shaw is making to their internet service. They have lowered their data transfer caps and are starting to use usage based billing (UBB) this month. If you currently have Shaw as a ISP please be aware of this. If you go over your cap you will be charged $1-2 per GB depending on your internet package. The system will work like this:

1. Receive 1st warning
2. Receive 2nd warning
3. Starting paying $1-2 per GB you have gone over during that billing cycle.

For more details see:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/shaw

[alltherage]

WTF?? I can't understand how companies can make changes like this without grandfathering original customers.

I'm getting so damn sick of all these fricken companies. Telus, Shaw, Rogers, Bell... they're all in bed together... pisses me off.

[Jayems]

What's the cap now?

edit:

Lite 13GB -> 15GB ($2/GB overages)
High Speed 75GB ($2/GB overages)
Xtreme 125GB -> 100GB ($1/GB overages)
Warp 250GB -> 175GB ($1/GB overages)
Nitro 500GB -> 350GB ($1/GB overages)

source

[alltherage]

How do I know how much I've even used? This is ass backwards.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Originally Posted by alltherage

How do I know how much I've even used? This is ass backwards.

I just looked this up the other night for my girlfriend. It shows up in your account information, but only if you've been warned or specifically ask for it to show up. Just go to https://secure.shaw.ca. Log in, and click on Shaw's Internet Services. If you're being tracked, you'll have an item on the page called "Modem Usage" that will tell you. If you don't have it, apparently you're not being tracked yet. You can request to add the tracker, but I figure why disturb the hornet's nest if you don't have to heh.

I have it on my Telus account as well, but it says I use 0 MB/month, which means they're not tracking me either

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by alltherage

How do I know how much I've even used? This is ass backwards.

IIRC you can check in the customer login area of the shaw website.

As much as I hate added billing and think we're already charged way too much for telecommunications in this country, 75GB seems like a pretty decent cap if you're not downloading a full blu-ray rip every day. It's not like they're starting to charge at 5GB or anything.

This may however hinder plans for cloud based storage.

Originally Posted by Teh_Bandwagoner

only if you've been warned or specifically ask for it to show up.

Interesting. I got a few warnings when I had a roomate that left IRC on all day. That was almost a decade ago now, but I've still got it access to that bandwidth tracker.

[theonlywhiteout]

shaw is and will always be a huge rip off. 48 dollars for 15 megabit download? give me a god damn break. telus aint much better but at least they arent doing this 75g cap bull

[MRCboicgy]

Originally Posted by Jayems

What's the cap now?

edit:

Lite 13GB -> 15GB ($2/GB overages)
High Speed 75GB ($2/GB overages)
Xtreme 125GB -> 100GB ($1/GB overages)
Warp 250GB -> 175GB ($1/GB overages)
Nitro 500GB -> 350GB ($1/GB overages)

source

Check here http://www.shaw.ca/en-ca/ProductsServices/Internet

High Speed is now at 60GB

[KTrain]

This could hurt some Netflix folks. Cloud based storage too.

With the profits they're turning it kind of bugs me but they're a business so they have the right to do it. We can only speak with our wallets. Sadly, our options are limited.

[Mccree]

Dumb questions but does your bandwidth usage EXCLUDE using Shaw services such as VOD and VODonline? If it does, doesn't the mean that there is some sort of "anti-trust" violation.

[Mazrim]

In this age where we use even more bandwidth than ever for things like streaming video, I can't imagine why lowering bandwidth makes sense.

[theonlywhiteout]

doing more reading online this move is almost exclusively due to netflix, googletv and appletv. i fully expect telus to follow suit soon. telus tv/shaw tv cant compete with online services so this is why this stuff is happening.

consumers need to stand up for their rights and fight back against this kind of crap.

[KTrain]

Originally Posted by Mccree

Dumb questions but does your bandwidth usage EXCLUDE using Shaw services such as VOD and VODonline? If it does, doesn't the mean that there is some sort of "anti-trust" violation.

They'll probably say the bandwidth associated with those services is included in the price of the service.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

Interesting. I got a few warnings when I had a roomate that left IRC on all day. That was almost a decade ago now, but I've still got it access to that bandwidth tracker.

Conversely, my gf has never been warned, despite her relentless downloading of movies on her Shaw Lite account heh. So she doesn't have the bandwidth tracker.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Mccree

Dumb questions but does your bandwidth usage EXCLUDE using Shaw services such as VOD and VODonline? If it does, doesn't the mean that there is some sort of "anti-trust" violation.

Shouldn't, as you don't have to have internet service to access VOD.

Hrm, forgot about the impact to appletv...

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by theonlywhiteout

consumers need to stand up for their rights and fight back against this kind of crap.

By switching to one of the many other ISPs in the city? If people could fight back they wouldn't be setting new limits or charges.

[J Diddy]

Just an FYI but the Shaw usage meter on secure.shaw.ca is completely and totally inaccurate but apparently they are trying to fix it. I have had access to that meter for 10 years and it has never been correct...not even close. Shouldn't the usage meter be fixed before they start charging people based on how much they use?

Also, you can buy extra data packages if you plan to go over your limit. No idea how you are suppose to know this in advance. I never know how much I am going to download in a month.

There should also be the ability to bank unused data from month to month. Sometimes I go over my limit and sometimes I don't but if I am always paying for 60 gigabytes and I only use 50GB then shaw owes me 10GB for the next month.

Apparently Edmonton has been trialing this program. There is a good thread going on about this on digitalhome. Some people are already receiving notices with their bill.

[photon]

Banking unused data doesn't make sense, at least not from a technical point of view. Letting someone bank unused data is exactly the same as raising the limit; it's not like you can take that unused data and put it in storage for a month.

As has been pointed out, probably due to Netflix and the like... before streaming, the percentage of users that would even approach their limits was pretty small, but now it wouldn't be difficult for a person who watches a few movies a week to use up a significant portion of their bandwidth allotment.

The overages are waaaay too expensive though.

[Kerplunk]

How nice of them....like the price increase to their already ####ty service wasn't enough...

[theonlywhiteout]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

By switching to one of the many other ISPs in the city? If people could fight back they wouldn't be setting new limits or charges.

Telus has a 120 usage limit and hasn't enforced with overages, ever