Wednesday, November 9, 2011
On to round 5 now.
Wind Mobiles, HTC is the absolute worst phone and service I've ever had.
In 10 months we've had:
HTC Maple #1, broken track ball within first 5 months. I happen to notice that there are a lot of postings on CraigsList offering to repair the trackball for an HTC. If this has become a cottage industry, it's pretty good sign, the phone is a piece of crap.
HTC Maple #2, after 4 months a lovely Microsoft OS meltdown rendered the phone inoperable, for all intents and purposes.
trip # 3 to downtown toronto to fix.
HTC Maple #3 waited 20 minutes in the store to get my phone replaced. The replacement wouldn't read the SIM card. Started over.
HTC Maple #4 - got home, the power cord/sync cord isn't recognized. Result - my work phone is dead. One more hour + our of the office to go down town to get phone #5.
You'd think they (Wind) would say, yeah, ok, we fucked up on this, we'll give you a credit for a new phone. But no, they want their balance paid and are offering that up as a 'solution' and the dickhead CSR offering it as the "only" solution. Actually the solution is to get another phone and go to a carrier that works.
Wind has great plans, and simple bills, I do laud them for that. But the service (more dropped calls in 10 months that the previous 10 years with 3 other carriers!) sucks, and the phones are cheap.
That can only take you so far.......
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Cogeco and their digital phone. Crapoloa so far
I switched my great aunt in southern Ontario from Bell Canada (for reasons outlined below) to Cogeco - where their bundle rates were well below what Bell was offering for something similar. If Bell didn't screw their customers (especially ones that have been with Bell since the 50s) then we wouldn't have switched to a cable TV provider muscling in to the phone space. But alas, Bell was overcharging for line insurance and phone insurance (my aunt didn't even have a bell phone) and in a real fuck you - Bell didn't refund that insurance for more than 3 months, but they were quite happy to charge if for 8 years. Anyway, we switched to Cogeco. I guess these guys should stick to digital cable TV. The phone service has been cacking out now for a while and totally down twice this week.
When we make a customer service call (it takes over a minute to get to phone service and the first fucking dumb question the recorded message asks you is 'do you still want to talk to a CSR' like no, i don't i just thought I'd call and waste my time, we ask to get the phone line fixed, we get a nice 8am-5pm window. Really? I'm mean effen really, are you sure 9 effen hours is tight enough for you to figure out when to come by??? My aunt, who's quite old, was originally told she'd have to wait 4 days before a technician could come out. Four days for a senior to wait to have phone service. Really. Have cable and phone companies gone fucking mad. They're making record profits but it just seems a never ending technical set of mess ups or ridiculous customer service experiences after another.
I think the only strategy here is to call Bell, tell them you're going to leave for another provider, get them to make you an offer so you're being screwed less, and then stick with Bell where at least you get reliable phone service. For Internet and TV sure, stick with cogeco, but just don't expect smart CSR's or a reliable technician : )
When we make a customer service call (it takes over a minute to get to phone service and the first fucking dumb question the recorded message asks you is 'do you still want to talk to a CSR' like no, i don't i just thought I'd call and waste my time, we ask to get the phone line fixed, we get a nice 8am-5pm window. Really? I'm mean effen really, are you sure 9 effen hours is tight enough for you to figure out when to come by??? My aunt, who's quite old, was originally told she'd have to wait 4 days before a technician could come out. Four days for a senior to wait to have phone service. Really. Have cable and phone companies gone fucking mad. They're making record profits but it just seems a never ending technical set of mess ups or ridiculous customer service experiences after another.
I think the only strategy here is to call Bell, tell them you're going to leave for another provider, get them to make you an offer so you're being screwed less, and then stick with Bell where at least you get reliable phone service. For Internet and TV sure, stick with cogeco, but just don't expect smart CSR's or a reliable technician : )
Wind Mobile - Blows
Oy! I'm really at a loss here. I know, I know, that old adage, you get what you pay for keeps coming back up. I have to state up front that I will give Wind Mobile a shout out for simplification of their service. I like that there is one fee - for a whole bevy of service, and when you get your bill, it's JUST THAT FEE plus the HST of course (up here in Canada). No other bullshit fees like all the other carriers. Even when you roam they only charge you a modest amount - Modest = less than what the other telco jerks charge if you go over you're monthly minute allotment. Canadians are royally screwed by their telcos. And the one company that doesn't suck, Wind, blows. I mean their service. This pains me, really. I like their plan, my plan. It's so cheap. BUT - it's only cheap when I can make a call, or receive one.
I've lost count of the times I've been 'on hold' with some customer support department (notice how it doesn't matter what the industry is, every time you call they're experiencing a larger than normal call volume. If each company's service sucks that bad they should fire the product development team or the CTO), and just as I get through to a CSR wind drops the call, but i digress. With Wind Mobile I get text messages - a day later. I get voicemail messages and a text messages, usually at the same time. I'm lucky when I get a call.
I've been in my house, on the front porch or in the back yard and have dialed out 5 times in a row before getting a signal or a number to go through. I've had my phone on the desk and had hours later a voicemail message show up. The phone didn't ring. I have more conversations that get cut off after 15 minutes than not. So, great plans, great consumer facing billing and messaging, but, uh, oh yeah, the underlying service - is crap!
This means, a) i'm going to have to find another provider because I can't afford to not get or make calls for work and b) i'm going to get screwed by the other telcos. Canadians pay an inordinately high amount for mobile services, and broadband for that matter.
I know all the big guys have their discount brands like fido, chattr, virgin, koodoo, but their model should really be "we screw you less", since they also take on fees, and nickel and dime you till your fucking phone bill is well north of $80 a month. Why, I ask, as a visitor here, do Canadians just take this????
So - if anyone has a suggestion for a Canadian mobile company that screws you less, let me know - morleybrown@gmail.com I'll check them out. Until then, I'm singing the telco blues up here in the great white north!!
I've lost count of the times I've been 'on hold' with some customer support department (notice how it doesn't matter what the industry is, every time you call they're experiencing a larger than normal call volume. If each company's service sucks that bad they should fire the product development team or the CTO), and just as I get through to a CSR wind drops the call, but i digress. With Wind Mobile I get text messages - a day later. I get voicemail messages and a text messages, usually at the same time. I'm lucky when I get a call.
I've been in my house, on the front porch or in the back yard and have dialed out 5 times in a row before getting a signal or a number to go through. I've had my phone on the desk and had hours later a voicemail message show up. The phone didn't ring. I have more conversations that get cut off after 15 minutes than not. So, great plans, great consumer facing billing and messaging, but, uh, oh yeah, the underlying service - is crap!
This means, a) i'm going to have to find another provider because I can't afford to not get or make calls for work and b) i'm going to get screwed by the other telcos. Canadians pay an inordinately high amount for mobile services, and broadband for that matter.
I know all the big guys have their discount brands like fido, chattr, virgin, koodoo, but their model should really be "we screw you less", since they also take on fees, and nickel and dime you till your fucking phone bill is well north of $80 a month. Why, I ask, as a visitor here, do Canadians just take this????
So - if anyone has a suggestion for a Canadian mobile company that screws you less, let me know - morleybrown@gmail.com I'll check them out. Until then, I'm singing the telco blues up here in the great white north!!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Good explanation on how the big Cable & Telcos try to screw Canadians.
Like it's not bad enough they're protected oligopolies.
A great video explaining Usage Based Billing.
Sign the petition at http://stopthemeter.ca
By the way, if you watched 24 hours of TV on digital or HD, 7 days a week and 30 days a month, you wouldn't be charged anymore by the cable or Telco TV provider. Why? It doesn't really cost them more.
But funny when you use the Internet through them, where they (the cable and telco TV providers) don't have to share any subscriber fees with the TV companies, they say they have to charge you for more costs. Bullcookies. Greed. Sign the petition. Tell the big companies to shove it.
A great video explaining Usage Based Billing.
Sign the petition at http://stopthemeter.ca
By the way, if you watched 24 hours of TV on digital or HD, 7 days a week and 30 days a month, you wouldn't be charged anymore by the cable or Telco TV provider. Why? It doesn't really cost them more.
But funny when you use the Internet through them, where they (the cable and telco TV providers) don't have to share any subscriber fees with the TV companies, they say they have to charge you for more costs. Bullcookies. Greed. Sign the petition. Tell the big companies to shove it.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Some credit where credit is due: Bell and T-mobile.
In previous posts I've railed on Bell and T-mobile for either really ongoing screw ups, or a bad customer service experience. I mean, I'm surprise the VP who oversees Bell's billing still have a freakin job it's so bad. But I digress. I had two positive experiences, compliments not of senior management, but the people on the front lines, the CSRs.
Bell.
A CSR at Bell get's a "thanks" and a thumbs up for addressing a situation and being understanding. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had my aunt's Internet, Phone and TV shifted from Bell to Cogeco. I also had my aunt on Yak long distance. When the plan shifted over, Cogeco cut it off to early, and my aunt ended up paying Bell's normal long distance rates. Which, by the way, are friggin astronomical. Really? Why?
Anyway, nobody would own this. Bell blamed Cogeco, Cogeco blamed Yak, Yak blamed Cogeco and Bell. I went around the three of them about three times actually. Finally the guy at Bell took ownership and understood the situation, and kindly reversed the charges, even though it really was a Cogeco/Yak issue. So, thanks Mr. CSR from Bell, great to finally have a positive experience with the mothership of Telcos, and it was because of someone on the front lines, not a dink at head office.
T-mobile.
So, yes, I was really really ticked off at T-mobile for giving my number away after not being notified of a 0 balance while in Canada. Right before a conference I had all my business cards with the wrong number. Anyway, I ended up having to get another sim card and eventhough I really would have liked to have T-mobile kiss my ass goodbye, to get another number in time for the conference, it was indeed a T-mobile #. The kudos go out to a young woman working at a store in Austin, TX. I went to a conference in Austin, and forgot to bring my SIM card with me for the US.
I stopped in the store, she gave me a new sim, NO CHARGE, and had me up and running in no time. What great customer service. She made my day. I had to pay freaking $25 for a sim card in Canada and that was to become a client, ON TOP of buying a phone.
Southern charm to be sure. So, Thank You and a thumbs up to the sales associate in Austin, TX from T-mobile, who made me, the customer, a happy customer.
(see, I'm not always negative : )
Morley.
Bell.
A CSR at Bell get's a "thanks" and a thumbs up for addressing a situation and being understanding. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had my aunt's Internet, Phone and TV shifted from Bell to Cogeco. I also had my aunt on Yak long distance. When the plan shifted over, Cogeco cut it off to early, and my aunt ended up paying Bell's normal long distance rates. Which, by the way, are friggin astronomical. Really? Why?
Anyway, nobody would own this. Bell blamed Cogeco, Cogeco blamed Yak, Yak blamed Cogeco and Bell. I went around the three of them about three times actually. Finally the guy at Bell took ownership and understood the situation, and kindly reversed the charges, even though it really was a Cogeco/Yak issue. So, thanks Mr. CSR from Bell, great to finally have a positive experience with the mothership of Telcos, and it was because of someone on the front lines, not a dink at head office.
T-mobile.
So, yes, I was really really ticked off at T-mobile for giving my number away after not being notified of a 0 balance while in Canada. Right before a conference I had all my business cards with the wrong number. Anyway, I ended up having to get another sim card and eventhough I really would have liked to have T-mobile kiss my ass goodbye, to get another number in time for the conference, it was indeed a T-mobile #. The kudos go out to a young woman working at a store in Austin, TX. I went to a conference in Austin, and forgot to bring my SIM card with me for the US.
I stopped in the store, she gave me a new sim, NO CHARGE, and had me up and running in no time. What great customer service. She made my day. I had to pay freaking $25 for a sim card in Canada and that was to become a client, ON TOP of buying a phone.
Southern charm to be sure. So, Thank You and a thumbs up to the sales associate in Austin, TX from T-mobile, who made me, the customer, a happy customer.
(see, I'm not always negative : )
Morley.
Some credit where credit is due: Bell and T-mobile.
In previous posts I've railed on Bell and T-mobile for either really ongoing screw ups, or a bad customer service experience. I mean really, I'm surprised the VP who oversees Bell's billing still has a freakin job their system is so bad. But I digress. I had two positive experiences, compliments not of senior management, but the people on the front lines, the CSRs.
Bell.
A CSR at Bell get's a "thanks" and a thumbs up for addressing a situation and being understanding. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had my aunt's Internet, Phone and TV shifted from Bell to Cogeco. I also had my aunt on Yak long distance. When the plan shifted over, Cogeco cut it off too early, and my aunt ended up paying Bell's normal long distance rates. Which, by the way, are friggin astronomical. Really? Why? Does it really cost most than when I 'sign up with a plan'?
Anyway, nobody would own this. Bell blamed Cogeco, Cogeco blamed Yak, Yak blamed Cogeco and Bell. I went around the three of them about three times actually. Finally the guy at Bell took ownership and understood the situation, and kindly reversed the charges, even though it really was a Cogeco/Yak issue. So, thanks Mr. CSR from Bell, great to finally have a positive experience with the mothership of Telcos, and it was because of someone on the front lines, not a dink at head office. As for Cogeco and Yak, you get the 'bird' for passing the buck.
T-mobile.
So, yes, I was really really ticked off at T-mobile for giving my number away after not being notified of a 0 balance while in Canada. Right before a conference I had all my business cards with the wrong number. Anyway, I ended up having to get another sim card and eventhough I really would have liked to have T-mobile kiss my ass goodbye, to get another number in time for the conference, it was indeed a T-mobile #. The kudos go out to a young woman working at a store in Austin, TX. I went to a conference in Austin, and forgot to bring my SIM card with me for the US.
I stopped in the store, she gave me a new sim, NO CHARGE, and had me up and running in no time. What great customer service. She made my day. I had to pay freaking $25 for a sim card in Canada and that was to become a client, ON TOP of buying a phone.
Southern charm to be sure. So, Thank You and a thumbs up to the sales associate in Austin, TX from T-mobile, who made me, the customer, a happy customer.
(see, I'm not always negative : )
Morley.
Bell.
A CSR at Bell get's a "thanks" and a thumbs up for addressing a situation and being understanding. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had my aunt's Internet, Phone and TV shifted from Bell to Cogeco. I also had my aunt on Yak long distance. When the plan shifted over, Cogeco cut it off too early, and my aunt ended up paying Bell's normal long distance rates. Which, by the way, are friggin astronomical. Really? Why? Does it really cost most than when I 'sign up with a plan'?
Anyway, nobody would own this. Bell blamed Cogeco, Cogeco blamed Yak, Yak blamed Cogeco and Bell. I went around the three of them about three times actually. Finally the guy at Bell took ownership and understood the situation, and kindly reversed the charges, even though it really was a Cogeco/Yak issue. So, thanks Mr. CSR from Bell, great to finally have a positive experience with the mothership of Telcos, and it was because of someone on the front lines, not a dink at head office. As for Cogeco and Yak, you get the 'bird' for passing the buck.
T-mobile.
So, yes, I was really really ticked off at T-mobile for giving my number away after not being notified of a 0 balance while in Canada. Right before a conference I had all my business cards with the wrong number. Anyway, I ended up having to get another sim card and eventhough I really would have liked to have T-mobile kiss my ass goodbye, to get another number in time for the conference, it was indeed a T-mobile #. The kudos go out to a young woman working at a store in Austin, TX. I went to a conference in Austin, and forgot to bring my SIM card with me for the US.
I stopped in the store, she gave me a new sim, NO CHARGE, and had me up and running in no time. What great customer service. She made my day. I had to pay freaking $25 for a sim card in Canada and that was to become a client, ON TOP of buying a phone.
Southern charm to be sure. So, Thank You and a thumbs up to the sales associate in Austin, TX from T-mobile, who made me, the customer, a happy customer.
(see, I'm not always negative : )
Morley.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
OMFG - Bell, What the hell. The horror never stops!!!
I have to say, I wouldn't wish Bell's billing and customer service on my worst enemy. Really, and I'm sure I have Bell shares in some international mutual fund some place, and that's even more disappointing. It's non stop f@#$ up a after f@#$ up after f@#$ up. How can a company run on such a messed up billing system? HOWWWWWW. Inquiring minds wanna know.
I called at the end of December to cancel Internet for my aunt in southern Ontario. I knew that there is this 30 day fine print bullshit that they make you cancel ahead of time. At least I knew cuz I got dinged by Rogers for that once. I thought when you're done a service you're done, but not in Canadian telco land. So, I gave 30 days noticed because I heard the local cable provider Cogeco finally had cable service where she lived.
Let me state first the reason for the switch was simple - for $35 we got low bandwidth and a cap of 2G. The only people that use is are my extended family when they visit my aunt. That's not competitive. And thank God the dipshits at Bell have some competition. For a better speed we get 7G of data at a better price. Great. So Bell could kiss my ass and I was happy to switch over. Not so easy, it's Bell remember. The worst F@#$%'n billing system the world has yes known. Naturally the call centre plebe didn't put the f'n order in, and it wasnt' cancelled. Even with my 30 days.
I knew, in advance, based on my experience living in Toronto, how f'd up Bell can and would be, so I called to follow up. A little too late though. Indeed no order went through. I went down for a visit and packed up the modem for my aunt. Bell also charges a rental for a wireless modem rather than letting you use your own. So, there was some data that went on, whether from my smart phone, or that her computer was still plugged in to the modem, but nominal, like next to nothing. I'll define nothing as less than a meg for the month of February.
So I call Bell, sure as shit the f@#$ it up, and because it showed the modem in use for Feb, the mothers count February, and now apply 3o days in advance, so in April, if they don't F@#$ it up again, it'll be over. BUT, Bell reaps an extra $75 in revenue for their F@#$ up and my aunt, a pensioner, is out another $75 because of the telco behemoth's lack of competence. I can't help but wonder, given the consistent nature of their f@#$up over and over if this is planned, at some level. So that the company can make more $$ from people leaving. It's appalling. Even if you get a mega deal from Bell and despite how much you may dislike your local cable provider, I have to say, I'm hard pressed to think of a telco, here or in the USA so fricked up and difficult to deal with as Bell. I would never use them again. I've wasted sooooooo much time on the phone with them. I'm aghast at what a clusterf@#$ of a billing system they have and that they continue to be in business. Gotta love Canada's telco oligopoly.
And, ok, so get this, the call center guy tells me he can't cancel the whole account. And he can't see notes from other departments. Funny, but my aunt get's one bill from Bell, but when you call in, you have to call each department separately to cancel. At least that's what the CSR said. Really?
I hope the cable guys clean Bell's clock and that maybe one day in the future, if they're around, they can get their shit together, and do it in a way where they don't screw the customer as strategy for staying in business.
--------
If you're a shareholder and concerned about the long term viability and profitability of Bell given the substandard product offering and unfreakin believably terrible billing and customer service systems, WRITE INVESTOR RELATIONS AND COMPLAIN. A company this bad can't be a good long term investment.
FOR INQUIRIES FROM INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS
Lyne Roy
1, Carrefour Alexander Graham Bell, Building A, 6th Floor
Verdun (Quebec), H3E 3B3
Telephone:
1 800 339-6353
Fax:
(514) 786-3970
Email:
investor.relations@bce.ca
I called at the end of December to cancel Internet for my aunt in southern Ontario. I knew that there is this 30 day fine print bullshit that they make you cancel ahead of time. At least I knew cuz I got dinged by Rogers for that once. I thought when you're done a service you're done, but not in Canadian telco land. So, I gave 30 days noticed because I heard the local cable provider Cogeco finally had cable service where she lived.
Let me state first the reason for the switch was simple - for $35 we got low bandwidth and a cap of 2G. The only people that use is are my extended family when they visit my aunt. That's not competitive. And thank God the dipshits at Bell have some competition. For a better speed we get 7G of data at a better price. Great. So Bell could kiss my ass and I was happy to switch over. Not so easy, it's Bell remember. The worst F@#$%'n billing system the world has yes known. Naturally the call centre plebe didn't put the f'n order in, and it wasnt' cancelled. Even with my 30 days.
I knew, in advance, based on my experience living in Toronto, how f'd up Bell can and would be, so I called to follow up. A little too late though. Indeed no order went through. I went down for a visit and packed up the modem for my aunt. Bell also charges a rental for a wireless modem rather than letting you use your own. So, there was some data that went on, whether from my smart phone, or that her computer was still plugged in to the modem, but nominal, like next to nothing. I'll define nothing as less than a meg for the month of February.
So I call Bell, sure as shit the f@#$ it up, and because it showed the modem in use for Feb, the mothers count February, and now apply 3o days in advance, so in April, if they don't F@#$ it up again, it'll be over. BUT, Bell reaps an extra $75 in revenue for their F@#$ up and my aunt, a pensioner, is out another $75 because of the telco behemoth's lack of competence. I can't help but wonder, given the consistent nature of their f@#$up over and over if this is planned, at some level. So that the company can make more $$ from people leaving. It's appalling. Even if you get a mega deal from Bell and despite how much you may dislike your local cable provider, I have to say, I'm hard pressed to think of a telco, here or in the USA so fricked up and difficult to deal with as Bell. I would never use them again. I've wasted sooooooo much time on the phone with them. I'm aghast at what a clusterf@#$ of a billing system they have and that they continue to be in business. Gotta love Canada's telco oligopoly.
And, ok, so get this, the call center guy tells me he can't cancel the whole account. And he can't see notes from other departments. Funny, but my aunt get's one bill from Bell, but when you call in, you have to call each department separately to cancel. At least that's what the CSR said. Really?
I hope the cable guys clean Bell's clock and that maybe one day in the future, if they're around, they can get their shit together, and do it in a way where they don't screw the customer as strategy for staying in business.
--------
If you're a shareholder and concerned about the long term viability and profitability of Bell given the substandard product offering and unfreakin believably terrible billing and customer service systems, WRITE INVESTOR RELATIONS AND COMPLAIN. A company this bad can't be a good long term investment.
FOR INQUIRIES FROM INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS
Lyne Roy
1, Carrefour Alexander Graham Bell, Building A, 6th Floor
Verdun (Quebec), H3E 3B3
Telephone:
1 800 339-6353
Fax:
(514) 786-3970
Email:
investor.relations@bce.ca
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wind Mobile & the HTC Maple
Wind Mobile & the HTC Maple
So, I'm ending up back in Canada and having divorced myself from FIDO went in search for another provider up here, fully prepared to be paying twice the price for half the service you get in the USA. Alas, no - but with some caveats.
Wind Mobile, a new startup Canadian wireless provider, seems to have a better perspective on customer service than most of Canadian telco's I've dealt with.
Over the holidays they had a special promotion, $40 unlimited calls to the USA and Canada, (no long distance), and unlimited data, fair use policy in effect. What a deal!!! What can I say, a company up here finally gets it!
Great deal, and I like their take on customer service, as in, what's good for the customer. You get to unlock your phone after 3 months. I mean, really, why not. Why is this even an issue. There's a Canadian MP that's lobbying, has a petition to let customers unlock their phones, it's here if you care to sign it. But why is this like, oh really? I paid $600 for my f'n FIDO phone and those MF's wouldn't give me the unlock codes. AND I PAID FOR THE PHONE!!!! It's not that I was leaving them, I just wanted to use the phone when I went back to the US or to Europe on business. Why is 'f@#$ the customer' the MO up here?
So, I like Wind. They get it.
That said - I have had problems with the network, so, as the adage goes, you get what you pay for. I've had several dropped calls at my apt or walking around. And when I get reception, it's sketchy at best. I can only hope it's because they have had so many new customers and that it's only a matter of time before they address their network issues. There have been times when I actually have to use SKYPE, to make a phone call because I can't get through on WIND. Better look in to that WIND otherwise you'll start to lose clients, not because you don't have good, fair plans, not because you don't have a customer friendly service, but the underlying service, you know, providing phone service - isn't there. Pay attention.
As far as the HTC Maple, I guess you could say the same thing. It's 1/4 the price of an iPhone and 1/4 quarter as useful and cool. Its first mistake (or mine), was going with Microsoft for an OS. What a piece of crap. Does these guys know what year it is? So, it's cheap, and it's basic. You do get your email. Forget about surfing the Web, apps, or anything remotely cool, useful or intuitive, i.e., anything that Apple has done in the last few years.
The phone hangs, to the point where I have to take out the battery. It crashes. It flashes. What's with the flashing. Why do I need to see flashing green and red light all the freakin time. Do you need to tell me that way that I'm getting email? Or surfing the net? What? WHAT? WHY Tell me. I find it a crazy annoying 'feature'. I read the news, try, in bed, and there's this stupid flashing light in my face. This sort of bad design drives me mental. I know there are bigger problems in the world, but man, on a day to day, that such shitty products make it to market is always a head scratcher.
For those looking for a basic, no nonesense cheap phone. This is it. The battery life isn't great. The ear piece they give is crap. Although it has bluetooth I haven't been able to sync with one other device yet, including my bluetooth headset. For the $$ don't get it, really, go with an Android phone, or anything other than this POS. It's difficult to get the cover off to change the SIM card, it's difficult to remove the flap to charge it. The HTC must have been designed by first year engineers. Way behind, and no clue about user interface.
Oy gevalt!
So, I'm ending up back in Canada and having divorced myself from FIDO went in search for another provider up here, fully prepared to be paying twice the price for half the service you get in the USA. Alas, no - but with some caveats.
Wind Mobile, a new startup Canadian wireless provider, seems to have a better perspective on customer service than most of Canadian telco's I've dealt with.
Over the holidays they had a special promotion, $40 unlimited calls to the USA and Canada, (no long distance), and unlimited data, fair use policy in effect. What a deal!!! What can I say, a company up here finally gets it!
Great deal, and I like their take on customer service, as in, what's good for the customer. You get to unlock your phone after 3 months. I mean, really, why not. Why is this even an issue. There's a Canadian MP that's lobbying, has a petition to let customers unlock their phones, it's here if you care to sign it. But why is this like, oh really? I paid $600 for my f'n FIDO phone and those MF's wouldn't give me the unlock codes. AND I PAID FOR THE PHONE!!!! It's not that I was leaving them, I just wanted to use the phone when I went back to the US or to Europe on business. Why is 'f@#$ the customer' the MO up here?
So, I like Wind. They get it.
That said - I have had problems with the network, so, as the adage goes, you get what you pay for. I've had several dropped calls at my apt or walking around. And when I get reception, it's sketchy at best. I can only hope it's because they have had so many new customers and that it's only a matter of time before they address their network issues. There have been times when I actually have to use SKYPE, to make a phone call because I can't get through on WIND. Better look in to that WIND otherwise you'll start to lose clients, not because you don't have good, fair plans, not because you don't have a customer friendly service, but the underlying service, you know, providing phone service - isn't there. Pay attention.
As far as the HTC Maple, I guess you could say the same thing. It's 1/4 the price of an iPhone and 1/4 quarter as useful and cool. Its first mistake (or mine), was going with Microsoft for an OS. What a piece of crap. Does these guys know what year it is? So, it's cheap, and it's basic. You do get your email. Forget about surfing the Web, apps, or anything remotely cool, useful or intuitive, i.e., anything that Apple has done in the last few years.
The phone hangs, to the point where I have to take out the battery. It crashes. It flashes. What's with the flashing. Why do I need to see flashing green and red light all the freakin time. Do you need to tell me that way that I'm getting email? Or surfing the net? What? WHAT? WHY Tell me. I find it a crazy annoying 'feature'. I read the news, try, in bed, and there's this stupid flashing light in my face. This sort of bad design drives me mental. I know there are bigger problems in the world, but man, on a day to day, that such shitty products make it to market is always a head scratcher.
For those looking for a basic, no nonesense cheap phone. This is it. The battery life isn't great. The ear piece they give is crap. Although it has bluetooth I haven't been able to sync with one other device yet, including my bluetooth headset. For the $$ don't get it, really, go with an Android phone, or anything other than this POS. It's difficult to get the cover off to change the SIM card, it's difficult to remove the flap to charge it. The HTC must have been designed by first year engineers. Way behind, and no clue about user interface.
Oy gevalt!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Sign a Pettition - Say NO to Internet Metering.
I heard on the CBC, some guy on The Current was suggesting average usage by Canadian was 15-20 Gigs and that 'heavy users' are 250-500Gigs, he did not want to subsidize them. That's a huge range, and this plant was obviously laying groundwork for the telco and cableco's to charge inordinately for those that use 20-100Gigs.
This is also laying the groundwork to stop people, i.e., YOU, the consumer, from choice of entertainment (youtube, Apple iTunes, and Netflix), so that you have to pay the telco/cableco to make up for their lost TV revenue.
The telco's and cableco's in Canada are like an extension of Revenue Canada. No matter what, they'll find a way to charge (tax) you, (screw you), for fees above and beyond what the rest of the Western world pays. Basically, whereever a competitor emerges (like Wind, or Yak) offering true value service, they get squashed. Can't fight the oligopoly.
But alas, we can try. Sign this petition, and there is another one, from an MP I saw lobbying to have cell phone companies let people unlock their phones. About time.
Please review and if you agree, visit the web site to sign the petition. Don't take it anymore, we pay enough in Canada without getting screwed more by the big cable and telco providers.
---------------------------------------------
Make a donation to help us stop the meter at http://openmedia.ca/drive (Donating to us will be less expensive than paying punitive fees.)
- The OpenMedia.ca Team
---------------
The CRTC just decided to let your Internet Service Provider put a meter on your Internet!
Bell Canada and other big telecom companies can now freely impose usage-based billing on independent Internet Service Providers (indie ISPs) and YOU. Big Telecom companies are obviously trying to gouge consumers, control the Internet market, and ensure that consumers continue to subscribe to their television services.
This means we're looking at a future where ISPs will charge per byte, the way they do with smart phones. If we allow this to happen, Canadians will have no choice but to pay more for less Internet.
This will crush innovative services, Canada's digital competitiveness, and your wallet.
We need to stand up for the Internet.
Sign the Stop The Meter petition at: http://StopTheMeter.ca
Want to know more? Here’s the lowdown:
This decision is a blow to consumer choice, to access, and to free expression. Independent Internet service providers (ISPs), such as TekSavvy, pay incumbent telecoms like Bell for access points in their networks. In applying usage-based billing (UBB) to these indie ISPs, the CRTC has allowed Bell to determine and limit how many gigabytes of usage their independent competitors can provide to their customers.
- This severely limits competition in the telecommunications market, which is bad for innovation and diversity of content.
- This also means that the cost will necessarily be passed down to you, the consumer.
- Usage-based billing or metering discriminates against certain forms of information insofar as it charges consumers more for content that requires the use of a large amount of gigabytes, such as audio and video.
- This also means that those who produce media-based art, and depend on the Internet to show the world their work, are less able to produce and disseminate their content freely. This means less innovation and more control of art, film, music, and other forms we may not yet know of!
Sign the petition and save the freest medium we have ever known (again!). Stop the Meter and save our net!
--
Read more at SaveOurNet.ca: http://saveournet.ca/content/what-does-usage-based-billing-mean-net-neutrality
Read more at OpenMedia.ca: http://openmedia.ca/blog/crtc-decision-all-bell-and-usage-based-billing-all
Read TV Versus The Internet by Steve Anderson: http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2010/10/06/TVversusInternet/
Read more at CBC.ca: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/10/28/crtc-usage-based-billing-internet.html
This is also laying the groundwork to stop people, i.e., YOU, the consumer, from choice of entertainment (youtube, Apple iTunes, and Netflix), so that you have to pay the telco/cableco to make up for their lost TV revenue.
The telco's and cableco's in Canada are like an extension of Revenue Canada. No matter what, they'll find a way to charge (tax) you, (screw you), for fees above and beyond what the rest of the Western world pays. Basically, whereever a competitor emerges (like Wind, or Yak) offering true value service, they get squashed. Can't fight the oligopoly.
But alas, we can try. Sign this petition, and there is another one, from an MP I saw lobbying to have cell phone companies let people unlock their phones. About time.
Please review and if you agree, visit the web site to sign the petition. Don't take it anymore, we pay enough in Canada without getting screwed more by the big cable and telco providers.
---------------------------------------------
Make a donation to help us stop the meter at http://openmedia.ca/drive (Donating to us will be less expensive than paying punitive fees.)
- The OpenMedia.ca Team
---------------
The CRTC just decided to let your Internet Service Provider put a meter on your Internet!
Bell Canada and other big telecom companies can now freely impose usage-based billing on independent Internet Service Providers (indie ISPs) and YOU. Big Telecom companies are obviously trying to gouge consumers, control the Internet market, and ensure that consumers continue to subscribe to their television services.
This means we're looking at a future where ISPs will charge per byte, the way they do with smart phones. If we allow this to happen, Canadians will have no choice but to pay more for less Internet.
This will crush innovative services, Canada's digital competitiveness, and your wallet.
We need to stand up for the Internet.
Sign the Stop The Meter petition at: http://StopTheMeter.ca
Want to know more? Here’s the lowdown:
This decision is a blow to consumer choice, to access, and to free expression. Independent Internet service providers (ISPs), such as TekSavvy, pay incumbent telecoms like Bell for access points in their networks. In applying usage-based billing (UBB) to these indie ISPs, the CRTC has allowed Bell to determine and limit how many gigabytes of usage their independent competitors can provide to their customers.
- This severely limits competition in the telecommunications market, which is bad for innovation and diversity of content.
- This also means that the cost will necessarily be passed down to you, the consumer.
- Usage-based billing or metering discriminates against certain forms of information insofar as it charges consumers more for content that requires the use of a large amount of gigabytes, such as audio and video.
- This also means that those who produce media-based art, and depend on the Internet to show the world their work, are less able to produce and disseminate their content freely. This means less innovation and more control of art, film, music, and other forms we may not yet know of!
Sign the petition and save the freest medium we have ever known (again!). Stop the Meter and save our net!
--
Read more at SaveOurNet.ca: http://saveournet.ca/content/what-does-usage-based-billing-mean-net-neutrality
Read more at OpenMedia.ca: http://openmedia.ca/blog/crtc-decision-all-bell-and-usage-based-billing-all
Read TV Versus The Internet by Steve Anderson: http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2010/10/06/TVversusInternet/
Read more at CBC.ca: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/10/28/crtc-usage-based-billing-internet.html
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Fido - Worst IVR Ever!!
It seems the pain of dealing with Fido never ends. I get my final bill, and am billed a month in advance. I read the Terms and Conditions, and indeed, this is one of their terms. Why? WTF? Who the f@#$ passed a law that makes it ok for companies like Fido and Rogers and other companies to charge for NO F@#$ing service? Imagine if the banks charged for extra services the stink that would be made. What is it about our telco companies in Canada that think it's ok to gang bang the customer. I'm sorry, but really, I'm just tired of all the BS around this and how we take it.
But, to the title of my post, I called at around 10:30 am today (thursday) and again I get the message, after spending 90 seconds navigating their IVR, that their office is closed and to call back during regular business hours. How F@#$'d up can Fido be? Honestly this is crazy, but I know they're not the only ones, I had this issue with Bell as well. With all the technology that is out there you'd think they could get their own phone system in order.
So, I invite everyone bit by Fido to write and complain and urge Fido to adopt a more consumer friendly attitude and look at service as marketing tool, not something to be avoided at all costs!
The big dog at Fido is:
Sylvain Roy - General Manager
and other person responsible for the freakin chaos is Fadel Chbihna, VP- Customer Relations
write to:
800 De La Gauchetiere West, Suite 4000
Montreal, PQ H5A 1K3
Heading back to the USA I can truly say I will not miss Fido or the way Canadian telcos operate!
But, to the title of my post, I called at around 10:30 am today (thursday) and again I get the message, after spending 90 seconds navigating their IVR, that their office is closed and to call back during regular business hours. How F@#$'d up can Fido be? Honestly this is crazy, but I know they're not the only ones, I had this issue with Bell as well. With all the technology that is out there you'd think they could get their own phone system in order.
So, I invite everyone bit by Fido to write and complain and urge Fido to adopt a more consumer friendly attitude and look at service as marketing tool, not something to be avoided at all costs!
The big dog at Fido is:
Sylvain Roy - General Manager
and other person responsible for the freakin chaos is Fadel Chbihna, VP- Customer Relations
write to:
800 De La Gauchetiere West, Suite 4000
Montreal, PQ H5A 1K3
Heading back to the USA I can truly say I will not miss Fido or the way Canadian telcos operate!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Fido - You're in the dog house for good!!!
So Fido, you too can kiss my ass goodbye. Sorry, but really, you suck too badly I just couldn't take it any more. Can companies in this country or the US not make $$ without have to F@#$ the consumer to do so? I mean really, can they? Doesn't seem so. Perhaps that's the way it is in Canada's wishy washy oligopolistic telco market.
Overall, I will say, of the major cell carriers, Fido screws you the least. And overall, the quality of the service, ie., getting a signal, dropped calls, was acceptable. But their customer service, mother of pearl! Whoever the asshole who's responsible for marketing should be handed the pink slip. Which leads me to the point - they, Fido, are essentially faceless. I have no idea who senior management is. I've written several customer service letters through their Web site which seem to go in to the void, you get some schmo fresh off the boat or without a hope in hell of getting any other job and they're the ones that seem to both man the call center as well as reply to customer concerns - i.e., nothing ever happens, no one really cares.
Ok, enough with the rant. Let's get down to brass tacks.
Why I left Fido - the mauling that broke the doggy's back was this. Fido has a rewards program. Great. Good idea. I liked, in general. I go to cash in my rewards to buy a phone for when I travel to Europe for other GSM networks. Lo in behold - that asshole in marketing strikes again - Fido charges $25 real dollars to redeem my $80 reward dollars to buy a $70 phone. So, as my finance teacher always told us " there's no such thing as a free lunch". I could see if you could combine your rewards and pay cash to buy a phone above $80, but charging an admin fee to just get the phone (I wasn't planning on switching phones, I just wanted to use my reward $$). Really? This is just bullshit. And I wonder who the dick in Montreal was making six figures a year that came up with such bullshit cheap way to screw the customer.
That was it. That was the final straw.
The ongoing pain is that a) I still paid way too much for service, and still about 2x what I'd pay in the USA, and b) lousy service.
I called recently to find out what the outstanding balance was on my account after I had ported my number over to Wind Mobile. I called at 10:30 am in the morning. Aside from the fact that there is RARELY an IVR # that applies to my query and I have to stay on the f'n line for minutes on end going down one track or the other trying to find A REAL LIVE PERSON, when I finally get to the end of the line, what do I get? "Sorry our offices are closed now, please call back during normal business hours."
WTF - I know things are a little more lax in Quebec, but 10:30am on a weekday is even 'normal working hours' in Latin America. This isn't the first time it's happened. They f'k this up all the time.
So here's the bottom line with Fido if you're interested in them for carriage.
Of the major providers, they're probably the cheapest, but still more expensive than the upstarts.
Ok coverage.
If you want to pay your money and NEVER talk to them again, maybe Fido is for you.
God help you if you need to reach them.
I've called with tech issues and have been stuck in IVR hell for 8 minutes because there are no options to address your issue, and when I don't get the 'we're closed' message, it's something else.
Bad dog Fido, bad dog!
You lost a $65+ a month account and 5 year customer because your IVR and customer service sucks, you're petty and you're now no longer a 'value' base provider after Wind Mobile entered the market. So, take this bone and shove it. Hopefully that asshole that's VP of Marketing or the President can get a clue about how bad things are from the consumer perspective, but you may not get another chance to recover from years of bad service.
Salut mon chien.
Overall, I will say, of the major cell carriers, Fido screws you the least. And overall, the quality of the service, ie., getting a signal, dropped calls, was acceptable. But their customer service, mother of pearl! Whoever the asshole who's responsible for marketing should be handed the pink slip. Which leads me to the point - they, Fido, are essentially faceless. I have no idea who senior management is. I've written several customer service letters through their Web site which seem to go in to the void, you get some schmo fresh off the boat or without a hope in hell of getting any other job and they're the ones that seem to both man the call center as well as reply to customer concerns - i.e., nothing ever happens, no one really cares.
Ok, enough with the rant. Let's get down to brass tacks.
Why I left Fido - the mauling that broke the doggy's back was this. Fido has a rewards program. Great. Good idea. I liked, in general. I go to cash in my rewards to buy a phone for when I travel to Europe for other GSM networks. Lo in behold - that asshole in marketing strikes again - Fido charges $25 real dollars to redeem my $80 reward dollars to buy a $70 phone. So, as my finance teacher always told us " there's no such thing as a free lunch". I could see if you could combine your rewards and pay cash to buy a phone above $80, but charging an admin fee to just get the phone (I wasn't planning on switching phones, I just wanted to use my reward $$). Really? This is just bullshit. And I wonder who the dick in Montreal was making six figures a year that came up with such bullshit cheap way to screw the customer.
That was it. That was the final straw.
The ongoing pain is that a) I still paid way too much for service, and still about 2x what I'd pay in the USA, and b) lousy service.
I called recently to find out what the outstanding balance was on my account after I had ported my number over to Wind Mobile. I called at 10:30 am in the morning. Aside from the fact that there is RARELY an IVR # that applies to my query and I have to stay on the f'n line for minutes on end going down one track or the other trying to find A REAL LIVE PERSON, when I finally get to the end of the line, what do I get? "Sorry our offices are closed now, please call back during normal business hours."
WTF - I know things are a little more lax in Quebec, but 10:30am on a weekday is even 'normal working hours' in Latin America. This isn't the first time it's happened. They f'k this up all the time.
So here's the bottom line with Fido if you're interested in them for carriage.
Of the major providers, they're probably the cheapest, but still more expensive than the upstarts.
Ok coverage.
If you want to pay your money and NEVER talk to them again, maybe Fido is for you.
God help you if you need to reach them.
I've called with tech issues and have been stuck in IVR hell for 8 minutes because there are no options to address your issue, and when I don't get the 'we're closed' message, it's something else.
Bad dog Fido, bad dog!
You lost a $65+ a month account and 5 year customer because your IVR and customer service sucks, you're petty and you're now no longer a 'value' base provider after Wind Mobile entered the market. So, take this bone and shove it. Hopefully that asshole that's VP of Marketing or the President can get a clue about how bad things are from the consumer perspective, but you may not get another chance to recover from years of bad service.
Salut mon chien.
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