Telco Blues

Tek Savvy - Not so DSL or Customer Service Savvy

2013-05-27T19:28:00.001-07:00

I switched from cable to DSL Internet with Tek Savvy.

I like that there are a few 'real' alternatives in the Canadian market vs. the oligopolistic thieves that charge 2 x what the real service is, in addition to a focus on creating fees vs. products. But I digress.

In this capacity, the market for the smaller guys like Tek Savvy and Accanet is their to gain.

So - for the most part things have been ok with Tek Savvy till I switched to DSL.

This is the deal. As much as I dislike anything associated with Bell, I now have to deal with them through a) a leased line and b) Tek Savvy makes you rent, not buy, rent a Bell modem for their higher bandwidth length. In this regard Tek Savvy @ FAIL.

More disappointing is the actual service and customer service. It kacks out on a daily basis.

When I call support, I'm on hold for 30+ minutes if calling in the evening. They have a series of looped messages and songs instead of just the radio. I think they should play Tek Savvy IVR and 'on hold' loops in Guantanamo Bay as a way to keep prisoners in line.

For the 2nd time in 2 weeks, I've been on hold for more than an hour, the first time I actually fell asleep!

How bad is their service that their tech group is soooo tapped out they can't handle the calls? Unless they have the smallest tech support group in the GTA.

In any event, I would NOT recommend DSL from Tek Savvy for the following reasons:
- need to rent (not buy) a Bell modem
- need to pay Bell for the leased line
- service is unreliable as is the modem
- when you need help you will have to wait longer than that battery in your cell phone can support.
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Tried again tonight. Here is a snapshot of their service. I'm downstairs in a house, old victorian. Modem on the 2nd floor at the top of the stairs:

Bear in mind I'm paying for a 15mps/10mps service.
Attached to the cable it's pretty good. But hey, when you have to rent Bell's modem for Tek Savvy's service, this is the result!!!!!

Not particularly Tech Savvy I'd say.

Nokia Lumina 610 and Windows Mobile - The perfect combo to great something bad

2013-02-25T19:52:00.001-08:00

So after the experiment with the LG Social P505 ended in me selling it because I was tired of:

force quitting phone calls and apps 2-5 times a day
not being able to answer a call
squinting with such a small screen
type horrible txts because the screen is so small
tired of waiting 30 seconds to find a contact

I looked elsewhere. I thought I'd tried a Nokia again.

Alas, what were they thinking when pairing with Microsoft. It's like that said - lets find a company with little to know care, appreciation or talent for user interface, coupled with security flaws and absolutely no credibility in the mobile space - AND MAKE THEM OUR PARTNER!!

Nokia stock $3 and change. Apple, somewhere north of $500.

Duh.

Ok, Nokia, learn your lesson yet?

Like most things Microsoft, the user interface is unintuitive. Add to that experience it not working, plus a platform that no one buys apps for, why would anyone buy a nokia!!! Really - smartphones are no longer novel. At the very least Microsoft and Nokia could have copied what was good out there and left it at that. It's as if they got together and said, how can make something next to useless and completely unintuitive and not user friendly. Basically, how can we make a crap smartphone. How can we take the best that's out there and F#$% it up.

While having a Google Mail section to sign in during the set up process, it hasn't been able to sync my calendar or emails. Contacts came through though.

You need a Microsoft ID to go to the apps store and marketplace, but really, why bother, there's like 20 apps there.....

Looking for a simple program like ever note to download and then something like YouTube, below summarizes my experience:

Syncing music was a bust as well.

I mistakenly thought launching the Microsoft phone App on my Mac, clicking Music, and sync would have been, uh, well, you know, what you do to sync music. But, no. Nothing happens.

I would suggest microsoft stick with Office. Nokia, go back to your original 'peanut' series. And let companies like apple and samsung dominate through superior graphic and user design, supported by solid OS's. If GE were running microsoft - they'd have xBox and MS Office, maybe Outlook. But the rest of the company - enough already, stop making bad products!

I've spent alot of money and wasted a lot of time on lower end smart phones. Perhaps that's not smart.

More of a waste of time than anything else - which ends up costing in the long haul.

HTC Maple - Crap. Won't buy HTC again.

BlackBerry - Crap. Won't buy BBerry again.

LG P505 - Crap, Won't buy anything LG again including any appliances.

Nokia E61 and Lumina - Crap - won't buy again, unless it's Nokia classic peanut phone.

Next up Samsung, lest I totally cave and buy an iPhone4.

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Update - I was finally able to sync with Google so that's a good thing.

Unfortunately for now the wifi is the only thing that works.

Some hipster musician Morgan Cameron Ross sold the phone as being unlocked which it wasn't. Also tried to say it was Android (not) and only 3 days old (not). Why do people like on kijiji or Craigs. I hate when trust is broken in such great public offerings. Anyway -

when you buy online - verify that everything is what it's supposed to be. My bad, but still not condoning lying.

The LG P505 Social & Chatr

2012-07-27T07:57:00.001-07:00

At a new provider here in the Great White North, the telco oligopoly mecca, Chatr and have a new phone from them - the LG "The Social" P505.

I should know by now, don't be such a cheap wad. So, what you get for 1/4 the price of an iPhone is a phone that is 1/4 as good..... What else can I say.

People at LG don't "get it" like Apple does.

The phone is smaller and the screen size is smaller, but it still tries to be a smart phone.

What does this mean - in real terms, it means everything is too small to be user friendly. From sending a txt message, to being able to read news or browse a site, it's ridiculously small. Few news apps have the ability to expand text, although you can use the apps Font increase feature, the screen is so small you need glasses to read it.

From a performance perspective, I wonder what engineers where thinking when they launched it, and whether or not any one at LG actually uses this phone. I use it for business. The phone is so slow it takes on avg a few minutes to send a txt message. When doing a search for a contact it takes around 30 seconds to locate it. The overall performance is slow, it actually lags, whether trying to browse, send a message, play a game, there is at least a 1-2 second lag in response.

The other issue is when i get an email, I get dropped call, or when the phone downloads anything, it hangs. I've had to take the battery out just to use the phone again, as it hung while I was retrieving voice mail. On average the phone force quits 3-5 times a day.

For Chatr, overall, I'm happy with the rate plan, and service, a few dropped calls, but nothing like the crazy Bird sounds I heard when I was with WIND. But they're a discount provider so you get discount service. You only have 15 days to swap out a phone.

If you have a problem with your phone they punt you to the manufacturer, they don't take ownership.
I spoke with a guy at the Chatr call center who thought he was doing me the biggest favor in the world suggesting that I reset the phone. Like all these guys go to the same call center school. Whether it's a modem or a phone or a PC, the first response is 'turn it off and on again.'

I hard reset, the phone still has issues. Unfortunately there are no phones from Chatr that are good. I guess Rogers doesn't want to cannibalize the business of gouging customers through its Rogers Wireless service.

My other beef is that they won't provide the unlock code for my phone. This, I'm sure, it not unique to Chatr, but it is a collective @#$% you from the Canadian wireless companies to the consumer. If we bought the phone outright, either upfront, or paid out a plan, you own it. There is no reason for them to restrict how you use the phone. Like a PC manufacture saying you can only use your computer with certain Internet providers. It's ludicrous. Why!!! Why do we take it.
We shouldn't.

[Here is a link to Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS). Let them know that we should not have to be beholden to a provider after we've bought the phone out.]

If only we have the rate plan friendly and service centric WIND join with the quality network of Chatr there might actually be a viable option in Canada to not get screwed on your cell phone service.

Don't buy the LG P505 if you're thinking you're getting a 'smart phone'. It's not that smart. Although on Android, you'll spend more time '@#$%ing around with it that is warranted.

Here's a link to equally poor ratings on Amazon in the US.

The Witching Hour for Wind Mobile

2012-03-16T11:36:00.001-07:00

Well, good news for WIND in today's Globe and Mail. They'll be allowed to buy spectrum and they'll be allowed to grow and have foreign ownership.

Theoretically this is a win for customers. I, being one. However, as it goes, even at a low price, when you can't actually use your phone, the service is not worth it.

I think 5pm is the witching hour for WIND mobile. It just seems to be the time when their service sucks the most. That said, it's 2:30 pm on a Friday here in downtown Toronto and I have to dial a number 3-5 times before the call actually goes through. More often than not - that be 50 -80% of the time I get "Call Failed".

I hate to leave a good 'deal' and I truly admire their no nonsense approach to billing in what is otherwise and oligopolistic market where the major encumbents really @#$% over Canadians with some of the world's highest telco charges, BUT - I use my phone for business. If I can't make and receive calls - no matter how cheap WIND's service is, it's not worth it.

Sorry WIND, your service just blows too much. Or should I say suck?

When you can figure out the basics, happy to reconsider and come back. But until I can make and receive calls reliably, your service is just too expensive from a lost business perspective, not to mention the mental frustration at dealing with this as an issue.

Bye!

It's WIND Mobile Roulette!!!

2012-02-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night, 9ish, it's now what I call WIND Mobile roulette.

Basically - how many times do you have a to dial a phone number before you actually get through. Tonight I got lucky, I only had to call three times before the line went out, as in, my call when through vs. "Call Failed". The other night is was five times before I could access my voice mail.

No, I don't live in the basement. I have to go to the front of the house, or back, but usually outside to have a phone call. Kinda sucks when it's a business phone call and it's -20 out. Even worse with the....WIND chill factor. Ha ha, couldn't resist.

Anyway, I'm decide to make this blog more of a WIND journal for how bad reception is. Please don't get my wrong - I laud what the company is doing from a) challenging the major incumbents who really do screw the consumer, and b) from having really simple plans. But alas, at the end of the day - if you can make or receive calls - it's not a good deal.

Another WIND Day

2012-02-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

When I read the Globe and Mail this morning and saw WIND is trying to offer a quad play - meaning - phone, internet, tv and cell phone, I couldn't help but wonder if their TV service is as unreliable as their cell service, exactly what that would look like......

6:00 pm to 6:15 pm. made 9 calls to a 1800 number, not one went through. Oddly, when I call on skype out (a great service for 2.99Euros a month) i get through. What happened along the way where I can call people over the internet and actually talk with better reception than cell phone. Actually - I stand corrected - I got through on the Internet I couldn't even call out with WIND.

If you're reading this dear WIND management, whatever you have to do, to improve your service, DO IT. Get it done right in Toronto before you try expanding other places, otherwise you'll have a nation full of customers wondering WTF. And with the likes of Chatr on your heels, people have low cost options....

I'm just sayin.....

February 15, 2012 - Another crappy day with WIND Mobile and my Blackberry 9300

2012-02-15T12:18:00.000-08:00

It's that time of day again. 3:00pm EST. The low point for WIND, and/or Blackberry.
That stupid little icon in the upper right of my phone scrolling crazily, making me think data is preventing me from making a call, or it's just an icon that makes us wonder, WTF is that thing for.....

I made 5 consecutive calls, all failed, 3 numbers, tried one number once, another number twice, another number once and then my voice mail. Every call failed.
Yeh! And I should complain for $40 a month? Back in the USA, I'm sure I'd have no problem making a call in a major city and not need to pay twice what I'm paying just for reliable service. But alas, in Canada, you're hosed. A fair and reasonable price, with horrible reception, or you get screwed by the majors for twice the cost for more reliable service. Why does a telephone and service have to cost so much. Crazy that a freakin iPhone costs more than a freakin flat screen TV. or home theatre system. Why is call my neighbour less expensive than calling Vancouver. Like email and technology age, does is matter where I'm located? Or is this just a bullshit thing that telco's 'make up' as way to charge you more.

Anyway - I'm near ready for the next low fee provider, Chatr Wireless.

I look forward to the day when WIND's service doesn't blow as badly as it does.

As for RIM, we'll see if they're around. Or maybe they'll realize it's not cool to make people figure out their design and that the design goal, should be simplicity of use, to the point where a manual would not be required. At least easier than what they did with the 9300.

Wind - Still Blowing & Rim has joined the Party

2012-02-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

I think this blog should really be a survey of the best of the worst, but cheaper than the overall best.....

I have a Blackberry 9300 now, I went through 5 HTC Maples in less than a year, what piece of @#$% of a phone, how could HTC so screw up?

Now, with a Blackberry, and I just bought a Playbook, I understand why their stock is in the tank, and Apple is the world's largest corporation and it's stock is pushing $500. Not only do they make 1 phone, a great phone, it's game changer. As was the iPod, as was the iPad, when they get it right, the really knock it out of the park.

So I don't know who to be more pissed at RIM with it's poor design and zero attention to usability, or Wind Mobile, with it's consumer friendly pricing but horrific service reminiscent of the late 80's.....

I like the data service on my call, except for, uh, let's see, oh yea, when you get email or you see RIM's funny little data icon spinning, you lose your call over 50% of the time. Or, you just cut out. This phone and company are ok for personal use because they're so cheap, but for business, not so.

My RIM does not work with wifi - or if it does, it's not obvious how it can work without the overall data being on, in which case, if you're roaming, which is when you might wanna use wifi, it doesn't work. My RIM 9300 hangs. I drove back from the US and must have sat on it funny hitting certain keys, and alas, my phone stopped scrolling.

I got a Blackberry Playbook, and you'd think RIM would have automatically included plug ins for their own phones, but alas, no. That was a process too.
And it hangs, and crashes. Given it's weight I might have thought they configure the device to be used with your thumbs more. There's no skyp app. No netflix app. With Gmail I just the one account set up, don't know how to add more.

But I digress. I'm kvetching today because I'm tired of having so many dropped calls - this is an anathema for WIND, their service really sucks, unless of course, it's RIM and they hadn't figured out how to deliver an email or text message without dropping a call. Either way, dealing with my RIM is a daily piss off.

They should learn from Apple, it's about usability stupid.

2011-11-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

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.......

Cogeco and their digital phone. Crapoloa so far

2011-10-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

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 : )

Wind Mobile - Blows

2011-10-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

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!!

Good explanation on how the big Cable & Telcos try to screw Canadians.

2011-04-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

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.

Some credit where credit is due: Bell and T-mobile.

2011-04-03T14:58:00.003-07:00

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.

Some credit where credit is due: Bell and T-mobile.

2011-04-03T14:58:00.001-07:00

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.

OMFG - Bell, What the hell. The horror never stops!!!

2011-03-03T12:35:00.000-08:00

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.
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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

Wind Mobile & the HTC Maple

2011-02-16T17:37:00.001-08:00

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!

Sign a Pettition - Say NO to Internet Metering.

2011-02-09T11:40:00.000-08:00

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

Fido - Worst IVR Ever!!

2011-01-20T07:52:00.000-08:00

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!

Fido - You're in the dog house for good!!!

2011-01-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

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.

Bell - SSSTTTTOOOPPPPPPP!!!!!

2010-10-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

With Bell Canada, the pain just never seems to end.
I canceled my service in prep for moving back to the US.
This was two months ago, and it seems every few weeks I get new bill.
Some F#$% up that never went through. I mean, at this point, it's almost comical except all the time I've wasted on this.

I'm being bill for somethings, not other things, I'm getting two different bills, I'm getting charged different rates. It seems I'm on the phone with Bell every other week canceling my service over again. I said when I canceled my account I'm moving and they did, kindly say they wouldn't charge me the early termination fee. That didn't make it through the system and two months later, after thinking I'm finally done, and several hours of phone calls, I get this bill with another charge.

I can only hope at this point, to the telco gods, that this is it. No more!!1 Bell, I can't stand it, you're driving me crazy! If it wasn't for a telco oligopoly and Canada's wishy washy trade policies that keep you protected from providing better service, you would have been done for years ago. I'm not saying that things are so much better south of the border, but I can say, rates are better, service is better and I've never in my life encountered as many billing issues as with you. Good luck.
And hopefully, au revoir!

What multi million consulting engagement buys you at Rogers.com

2010-10-14T07:15:00.000-07:00

With bad internet and customer service from good ole Bell Canada I recently switched over to cable Internet and TV with Rogers. I'm expanding my blog here to cover telecommunications - phone, internet and TV, since it's become a staple in our lives, and more often than not, all controlled by the same company, in what is an monopolistic environment.

For the most part, I've been happy so far with the underlying service - tv and internet. As usual, add in customer service and marketing and that's when things go wrong, or more eloquently, get f#$%'d up.

I tried to sign up with Rogers over the Internet using their online site - to select my package and set up my account. I did not find the site user friendly. I could not easily identify what I'd end up paying with combined packages and ultimately when trying to set up and account (i tried this three times), I got an error message saying there was a problem with there system, please try again later. Really? This is a tech company. I've heard from some people in the industry a major consulting firm was hired to redevelop their Web site. Really? You end up with an un-user friendly technically broken site. So much for hiring high paid consultants. I'm sure their powerpoint deck looked great though!

So, I'm two months in to this service and I see I'm not being billed. Let me clarify, I am being billed, but despite providing my CC number when I finally called up on the phone to set up an account, I'm not being charged. I am indeed being billed, but now I'm behind a month and paying late fees. I just went through this with Bell. Who the f@#$ works on these billing systems. It's a non-stop pain in the ass for customers and a brand killer for the communication companies.

My other beef with the set up and becoming a new client was having the tech guys that installed things tell me that my internet would work from any of the previously installed cable outlets (I'm in an older home up here that had cable installed previously). Indeed, they did not. I was told I would not be charged for the guy to come back and actually make more than one outlet work. He only set up one when he came to install cable. And oddly, I had two cable boxes. So that cost another $50, $50 more than I was told I would be charged.

I went back to the web site to inquire about my bill and got another error message.
I called their main phone number for help and got the usual 'we're experiencing higher than normal call volume". You know that voice, the same one you hear any time you call any customer service line. I wonder if they're all using the same company for their billing system, that might explain the higher than normal call volume : )

Of many things I will probably wish for on my death bed, it's to have all the time back I spent dealing with cable and phone companies. Life is too short for so much BS.

Hey T-mobile, Go procreate yourself! - Follow up to last rant

2010-10-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

So, indeed, when going to the USA again I'll have the opportunity to get another cell provider. While in Canada, and after spending 2+ hours with Tmobile last week trying to sort out getting my old number back and my account re-instated we arrive at todays fun event!!!. After all that I've gone through, I finally get a 'temporary' number so that I can get my old number back. Guess what, some dude at AT&T now has my number. It's been re-assigned. What else can I say, in the most polite way possible - T-mobile and your marketing team - Go 'procreate' yourselves. You cost me time and money. Your service sucks. Your call center people are dumbasses. All the goodwill you have built up from someone decent rates and decent reception is lost on bad customer service. I will NEVER buy from you again. You f'd it up royally.

T-Mobile - We're breaking up, kiss my A** Goodbye

2010-10-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

Up until a few months ago things were going so well.

Your rates were reasonable.
I've been a T-mobile customer on contract for most of my life in the USA, and then when I transferred to Canada for a work placement, I switched to pre-paid. Reasonable service, reasonable rates, and for the most part I was happy with reception. I travelled a lot to the USA and always used my Tmobile phone to avoid roaming charges on my Cdn. cell providers, who's rates are about double.

Then, we dropped the ball Tmobile. In a big way.

First, I guess my balance 'went to zero'. Now, I did have a period of time when I wasn't in the USA and the last time I was I guess I used most of my minutes, but not to zero. Then one day I go to check my voice mail, maybe 75 days after the last time I was in the USA. No voice mail. No account!!! WTF?????

I called Tmobile and asked them WTF and was told they cancel an account if it goes to zero and stays zero for more than a few months. Maybe it was 3 months. But no notice. I'm thinking EMAIL would be one way to let me know!!! The problem is, that phone number is on all my business cards and you know, I've had the number for 4 years now.

So I'm told I have to get another sim card. And of course, they can't mail it to Canada. So I have to have it sent to a friend in the USA, in this case an ex in NYC.
She kindly sends it up to me via fedex. Ok, good to go, going to get my number back.

NO. I've been on the line with Tmobile for 75 minutes now. I've been bounced between post paid and prepaid 3 times. The dufusses in Prepaid can't figure out what to do and punt me in to the main voice mail system, and I end up back in Post paid, only to hold again and get transferred back to Prepaid. I'm getting dizzy now.

So, with SIM card in card and eagerly awaiting the reclaiming of my phone number, I'm told I need an activation code. Most unfortunately that was not in the package I received. Ok, back to square 1. Have to go back and go to a store I'm told. Ok, let's get in the car and drive to Buffalo!! Really, really! I'd like to know why I can't active a phone with just the f'ing sim card, now I have to have a code.

I'm at 80 minutes now and no closer to resolving my issue. The dipshits at the call center aren't smart enough to handle anything off their script. Your IVR system sucks. You've wasted more time than you're worth. By tmobile - kiss my ass. Life is too short to deal with such an inept customer service company.

Here's a time breakdown:

Call 1.
2:30minutes in IVR land before I get to a rep. Then transferred to Pre paid
1:30 on hold
11:42 talk to a pre paid rep, realizes I don't have an activation code. punts me back to the main IVR system.
13:30 on hold
16:15 no live agent, can't find my way out of the IVR, stuck trying to enter my social security number, which of course, they don't have.
19:22 back to Prepaid on hold
22:14 lady from the main service stays on with me to make sure Prepaid takes care of my issues, then hangs up
29:31 Agent can't figure out what to do, puts me back in to IVR system but tells me I'm hold?
31:45 on hold
33:19 new accounts, starting from scratch here.
49:19 On hold for 16 minutes with prepaid. put back in to main menu IVR
call back - start over
2:50 IVR
6:00 minutes chat with Post Paid, transfer me to Prepaid
10:25 talk to Prepaid rep, I elevate to a supervisor,
32:34minutes on hold, transferred to another group
38:25 minutes on hold. women is over the top gushy, like a grandma that's slightly dumb. "Oh I'm so so so sorry, I do apologize for that. Now let me see, I'm going to raise my hand and get a supervisor. I'm sorry for that, we do apologize, just one moment"........ Said in a slow slow tone like an old women. She was nice, but just so over the top, just handle me case competently, I don't need apologies, just solutions!!

45:23 transferred to auto IVR for activation. Over an hour of my life given to IVR and incompetence at Tmobile.

Total time: 100minutes, still not activation.
Hey T Mobile - Get a clue!!!

If I were to send this to customer service, some dumbass making $9 an hour is going to write to bad so sad thanks for writing bullshit response letter, so, I'm taking a draft of this transaction and mailing it to the higher ups. Ever notice how you can't find real people to talk to at these companies. The ones actually responsible for the screwups or non friendly consumer policies.

So, I'm going to write to and if you have a beef with T Mobile, you should write them too!

Lisa LaFosse - Sr. VP - Retail Sales
or
John Fierrer - Sr. VP - Customer Loyalty

T-Mobile USA
12929 SE 38th St.
Bellevue, WA
98006

Fido - No Customer Service

2010-10-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

This post was originally posted in a blog dedicated to why i f'ing can't stand fido, but I've since consolidated my angst towards Canadian telcos in this blog. Here is my previous post on Fido here:

OK, open caveat here, the issue could be the uber cool, but rarely performing up to hype iPhone, but, I haven't been getting txt messages for 36 hours.

So, what do you do when that happens to you?

Hmmmm, well, for me, I call *611 to call fido and let them know about the problem.

I call at 7:36am. I have only 4 options. Tech support is not one of them.
Boldly optimistic but sadly in vain, I hit 'O' hoping for a person, but alas, no. So then I start at the beginning, listen to all the options that have nothing to do with my problem, and try dive in to Fido's IVR to find a person. I end up in the 'changes to my account' stream. I think I'm getting some place. I get the now omnipresent and annoying 'due to a high call volume, callers may experience longer than normal call wait times'. Yah right. So I wait.

I then get something to the extent like, "We're sorry, our offices are closed. Please call back between 8am and 8pm, EST". Really? Really fido, you couldn't have told me that at the beginning? And still, no freakin ability to find out how to fix the text message problem. Why fido, why????? I like that your rate plans are relatively simple compared to the competition, I like that your rate plans are somewhat cheaper than the competition, but do you have to spoil that goodwill with completing non-function, inaccessible support? You take a good thing and screw it up.

I do send my frustrating rants to Fido, but they're filtered in the customer service department, i.e., our English is bad, we make less than $30K a year, I can't wait to get another job..... that department. So basically, you get form response thanking you for your business. How about leadership?

How about the head marketing or the CEO actually giving a damn. Learning about what's really going on. Trying to fix it. What a waste of a brand.

Fido, you're in the dog house again!

Again with the Billing Mess Ups - Bell!!

2010-10-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, I'm going to try to mitigate expletives from my blog posts. I can't even begin to tell you how difficult this is, given the level of frustration dealing with Bell, and telco companies in general. Sometimes no other word more accurately defines the depths of ineptitude, greed or bad service. That said, heres the rant this week.....

After canceling Bell's TV and Internet service 6 weeks ago, and several phone calls to Bell Canada and their call center in the Philippines, I thought (and I should have known better), we're all done. But alas, no. I had, in mid September an outstanding balance that had not been paid since I opened the account, for Internet. Because when I signed up, although I was billed at a rate of the bundled price, their two different billing systems 'didn't talk to each other', so apparently (i only e-bank so i don't really read what's going through my account ) I wasn't being billed for Internet. I get different paper bills and I get ebills. So after closing the account, and being on the phone several times I pay off the outstanding amount of my Internet bill because there couldn't figure out how to bill it together.

Today, October 4, I get another bill. Some nominal amount, plus interest for late charges. Really. Ok, so I call Bell. Then of course, they can't take my call, I have to be transferred to Internet. I have two numbers on my bill - a phone number, and an account number. Naturally, rather than finding my account info from, uh, my name, which might be easier, or the phone number, which would be 2nd easiest cuz you know them off the top of your head, they want a unique B1 number. I don't have this on my bill. So then we go with the 16 digit account number which they can't find. Then we go back to the phone number. Why didn't we start with this?

Well, the ending is good - I didn't owe any more money and the account shows a 0 balance. This after 8 minutes of my life spent and a call back to the Philippines to confirm that the twits up in Canada indeed should not have sent out a paper bill.

Just when I thought my relationship with the phone company was finally done - bad service, non-stop billing errors, screwed up IVR prompts and one massive waste of time and productivity dealing with Bell was over...... it continues!!!

Stay tuned, or cross your fingers.