Cornwall ON – So I’m moving. I of course need internet and after dealing with both Bell Internet and Cogeco can tell you we really need to allow more competition.
Cogeco’s internet product by far is the best here in Cornwall Ontario and I called them today to transfer it to our new home.
After five minutes with the poor customer service rep I apologized and said I simply could not do business with them.
It’s the nickel and diming and penny ante hustling.
I go to their website and see Standard High speed for $41.95 per month. But that’s a hustle. It’s really more unless you bundle.
So the rep tells me if I take their basic phone my cost would be $64 instead of $58 for just the net. Cool I say. Sign me up; let me get my poor abused credit card.
Then she stops me and tells me I have to make a 12 month commitment or it’s $10 more per month. And then of course there are cancellation fees which cost more if you have the commitment than if you don’t.
So Cogeco, you fail. I give you a big fat.
..for poor marketing and leaving me feel all dirty and abused without that fun disheveled hair kinda feeling.
The problem is that the other options here in our city of Cornwall Ontario are all slower. Primus and Tech Savvy do not offer very fast high speed service locally. I actually spoke with someone from TekSavvy who explained that they only worked via Rogers cable so could not service Cornwall. Thus the only service they offered was low speed Bell internet.
So while UBB is a problem facing all Canadians, access to true high speed Internet in my opinion is a much bigger one. Either we need to the CRTC to mandate what these monopolies are charging us and how or we need to allow true competition so the marketplace can decide on pricing.
The practices that occur when a company gains a monopoly are truly counter-productive for our society and our economic growth and futures.
Jamie Gilcig – Editor – The Cornwall Free News
If I cancel the internet and the cable and bank the $60.00 a month, in ten years I will have enough money to invest in sending my kid to college.
As a business owner let me ask this question. If I wanted a media buy on this web site on a one-year term would there be a discount vs the normally month rate and if I needed to get out of the contract would that be allowed??
Hi Chris,
We offer very clear discounts. We don’t actually try and lock people up, but I can tell you that we don’t use long term teaser rates to attract business. That practice is kinda deceptive don’t you think?
There are some great commercials running for a finance company and I think they clearly understand that consumers don’t like to be bait and deceived. If I see a price tag for $41.95 I shouldn’t have to make two additional commitments to see the price shown.
I wouldn’t really have an issue on discounts for volume, I just find it kind of humourus how this has been spun to suit your position when the same web site you described cleary says “starting at $41.95 for 12 months. not getting what’s deceptive about that, if it’s read it’s pretty clear on what the offer is on the table
Take a quick reference to what services and costs are offered in places such as India, for either Internet or cellular services. You can call from Bengal to Gujarat with no long distance fees. Here we can’t call from Cornwall to Morrisburg without paying a long distance fee.
Be careful what you wish for. Remember in 1998 when Harris and company passed the Energy Competition Act. Ontario Hydro is a crown corporation owning all distribution systems and most energy production facilities.
Now you think it would be good for the CRTC to tell Bell to do the same. Most systems run on a Bell carrier. It is difficult for smaller providers to get competitive rates using another’s delivery system. If we encourage the CRTC to enact some form of competitive legislation, what is to stop the same thing from happening to our net providers as happened to Hydro? Will we be on the hook for an additional Debt retirement fee? Will I need to pay a distribution fee to receive my services?
The delivery fee charge can create quiet a conundrum. Did you know that all any company can do is create, be it electricity or high speed internet services or any signal, you must actually pick it up. Technically you draw from the line it doesn’t feed to you. So why do I pay to have something delivered that I need to pick up myself?
and…further the earlier post, this site has banner ads “Impact plans from…” 3 month plans with TV from….” , so I can’t really see how a beef can be made about one company when this one is doing something quite similar?
Be careful what you wish for. Remember in 1998 when Harris and company passed the Energy Competition Act. Ontario Hydro is a crown corporation owning all distribution systems and most energy production facilities.
Now you think it would be good for the CRTC to tell Bell to do the same. Most systems run on a Bell Carrier. It is difficult for smaller providers to get competitive rates using another’s delivery system. If we encourage the CRTC to enact some form of competitive legislation, what is to stop the same thing from happening to our net providers as happened to Hydro? Will we be on the hook for an additional Debt retirement fee? Will I need to pay a distribution fee to receive my services?
edited it for ya Jamie