Thinking about Upgrading Internet Package

[dalekphalm]

I'm currently a subscriber with TekSavvy, which is a very well known Independent Canadian ISP (wholesaler/reseller mostly, though they do have their own small network in their home town). They offer both DSL and Cable, which, in Ontario where I live, is resold Bell and Rogers lines.

 

I currently have a 16Mbps/1Mbps DSL plan with 300GB/mo cap, for $32.95/mo. This is the fastest DSL package you can get in my neighbourhood. Bell has really been dragging their feet here, and I'm getting impatient for them to upgrade their lines.

 

Rogers recently upgraded their lines in the area, and I can now get the following through TekSavvy:

150Mbps/10Mbps

300GB Cap

Unlimited between 2am to 8am

$84.95/mo

(There is an unlimited tier but the price jumps to $219.95/mo, which is way too much)

 

I would have to buy a DOCSIS 3.0 Modem (Looking at the Thomson/Technicolor DCM476), plus pay a $65 installation fee (Minus $20 if I buy the modem from them), plus I'd have to pay for a month's service in advance (This is normal as all their services are pre-paid, and any overages, etc, are applied to the next month).

 

So I wanted to get as much feedback as I can from everyone:

 

1) Given the Canadian Market, is this a good deal? I live in Kitchener, ON, so there are NO independent Fibre ISP companies, like you see in Vancouver or Toronto. There are no contracts, and the overage fees are $0.50/GB to a max of $50 extra

 

2) How is the Rogers Cable service in Ontario? (Even better if you could give me specifics about Kitchener-Waterloo) Is the service fast, reliable, low latency? I download a ton, I stream even more, but I don't play a LOT of online multiplayer (But when I do, I want it to be good of course).

 

3) Is there still any appreciable difference between DSL and Cable? One of the benefits of DSL used to be that you had a dedicated line to the POI/Demarc/Remote, meaning that your neighbours couldn't drown your line out if they were torrenting. Obviously yes congestion can still happen but it was less sensitive. Whereas with Cable Internet, it used to be that you shared a common large "pool" to the remote.

 

Now I live in an apartment building, so the remote is just outside by the road, but I'm 90% sure it services both this building and another one across the street. (I know a lot of newer apartments have the remote in a service room inside)

 

Anyway, thoughts? Worth the upgrade?

[TheSLSAMG]

I think it is definitely worth it, but I can't answer the 3 main questions. Sorry.

[Fun.]

1)  Worth it, the price is pretty cheap considering you live in Ontario (I also live in Ontario)

 

2) Connection is pretty good, very low latency and fast. 

 

3) I don't think so. 

 

To be honest, the package is a great deal. (I'm with rogers with the extreme plan with no data cap, 30/3 for 77.99 dollars a month) 

[thedave5000]

I would do it based on those speeds and unlimited over the off peak hours, I pay 140 a month for the same privilege here in NZ with a terabyte of data

[dalekphalm]

So I contacted Rogers, who is the incumbent that my ISP (TekSavvy) resells from for Cable, and told them the plan I could get from TekSavvy, and asked them how good could they beat it?

 

Response?

Not one bit it seems.

Their regular price is $41/mo more expensive and comes with 50GB less cap, with no unlimited periods overnight. The best price they could offer was $25/mo off for the first 6 months then $15/mo off for the next 6 months. Then presumably it would go back up to full price? They weren't too clear on that.

 

Either way, over a year, I'm saving about $300-400, even including modem purchase and installation service fee.

[Blade of Grass]

So I contacted Rogers, who is the incumbent that my ISP (TekSavvy) resells from for Cable, and told them the plan I could get from TekSavvy, and asked them how good could they beat it?

Response?

Not one bit it seems.

Their regular price is $41/mo more expensive and comes with 50GB less cap, with no unlimited periods overnight. The best price they could offer was $25/mo off for the first 6 months then $15/mo off for the next 6 months. Then presumably it would go back up to full price? They weren't too clear on that.

Either way, over a year, I'm saving about $300-400, even including modem purchase and installation service fee.

Who were you talking to? Normal customer support? If yes, talk to customer retention. If you were talking to customer retention, ask for a supervisor.

Their call centers are shit, I've had reps talk to floor support who agreed with the rep, to then talk to a supervisor and have them say the rest were wrong.

[dalekphalm]

Who were you talking to? Normal customer support? If yes, talk to customer retention. If you were talking to customer retention, ask for a supervisor.

Their call centers are shit, I've had reps talk to floor support who agreed with the rep, to then talk to a supervisor and have them say the rest were wrong.

I was actually talking to the Rogers Rep that works in my neighbourhood. I wouldn't even bother with normal customer support.

 

As for customer retention, that is perhaps a possible way, but since I'm not currently a customer, they have no risk of "losing" me since I was never their customer to begin with.

 

But honestly, even if they did come up with a better deal - unless it was SO MUCH AMAZINGLY BETTER, with guaranteed grandfathering with no price increases - I'd still go with TekSavvy, I want to give rogers as little money as possible, so that in the future, people WON'T HAVE to go through customer retention to get a good deal. TekSavvy has earned my loyalty with excellent service, prices, and fantastic customer support.

[Blade of Grass]

I was actually talking to the Rogers Rep that works in my neighbourhood. I wouldn't even bother with normal customer support.

 

As for customer retention, that is perhaps a possible way, but since I'm not currently a customer, they have no risk of "losing" me since I was never their customer to begin with.

 

But honestly, even if they did come up with a better deal - unless it was SO MUCH AMAZINGLY BETTER, with guaranteed grandfathering with no price increases - I'd still go with TekSavvy, I want to give rogers as little money as possible, so that in the future, people WON'T HAVE to go through customer retention to get a good deal. TekSavvy has earned my loyalty with excellent service, prices, and fantastic customer support.

Oh, yeah, your local rep can't offer shit. I've gone that route, they basically have no power.