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Bell Internet and Phone Complaint and Rant Thread

55K views 61 replies 42 participants last post by  zarf 
#1 ·
I just spent over an hour on the phone with Bell trying to get my billing situation sorted out.

For years we've had Cell (x2), Phone, Internet, TV with Bell on separate bills. Some time after they sent out the last set of bills, they combined everything onto one bill without notifying us.

All the services were paid to the appropriate accounts but Bell combined them all onto our most recent TV bill before the payments were received. Net net is the balance that should have been $112 was $591. When I called, they did re-assure me that the monies from the other accounts would be transferred to the new account at the end of 2 months (they claim money can only be transferred after 2 full billing periods!!).

I told them this was i) unacceptable and ii) I wanted my bills returned to the way they were. Since the agent I was trying to speak with said this was impossible to do I had to speak with her manager. The manager seems to have done what needed doing to restore things to the way they should be.

Thankfully, eventually all our services will be moved away from this idiotic company. I canceled some of our services last month and I think that may have triggered the billing consolidation. I hope I don't have to experience this joy every time I cancel something... I also had to get some bogus long distance cancellation charge reversed.
 
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#52 ·
That has a lot to do with it. Bell likes people who don't mind paying a lot for services. In fact, they insist on it. For me, it was an extra $3 or $5 per month every few months for basically the same service. They also kept changing their pricing structures to make it impossible to save money by trimming services. Trying to stay on a budget with Bell is like trying to stay on a diet in a fast food restaurant. It's almost impossible because they keep sneaking in extra fat and supersizing portions in ways that defeat customers' goals.
 
#53 ·
Notice in current bill for increases effective April 1st 2018:

$2 increase for Home Phone
$1 increase for Long Distance International Package
10% increase for long distance rates (for calls made outside an international package)
$5 Internet Service. (ouch!!)


And.... The current rate of inflation is..........?


Cameron
 
#55 ·
Two years ago I decided to go with an offered promotion that was at a very good price.
I was not made aware that my Bell copper wire phone would be going VOIP, had I known I would have reconsidered.

I had a litany of problems and was told that I was the first with FTTH in my area. I was without Internet and thus phone service several times and all the experts did not have a clue. One suggested I need a new run of wire from outside and that it would cost some $100 so I said please do it, to which he replied I don't have time ... this so-called expert.

In the end an ex-engineer new immigrant from Cuba and a regular Bell service tech. discovered that the wiring at the demarcation point was incorrectly done and solved that issue. I asked him how did he manage to isolate the problem when so many others failed and this regular technician replied "I approached the problem logically to isolate it".

Another major problem was when a second line tech. from S. America made some changes to solve a phone line problem and I ended up with no phone service and only my 50 cent per minute Fido cell phone. Only she could call me and said that she will send a service tech. over the next day since she does not know what to do. I suggested that she look a the line setup and that the tech. tomorrow will not find anything and yes she managed to restore it. For a long time I did not have the phone call me back after this which was what she was looking into but then again it started.

Then I had problem with phone service again and after countless hours they discovered that the call forwarding feature is not compatible and must be removed. To this day it is not yet fixed and no call forwarding.

A very annoying and persistent problem is getting a call back when ending a phone call. This wakes others at night and I am asked who called? I called Bell tech. support about this two years ago and the tech. refused to acknowledge this problem telling me emphatically "Sir, we have no record of such a problem that you report and if you continue to insist to talk to second level support I will end this conversation" and HE HUNG UP ON ME.

Fast track two years and my promotions have long expired and I am paying $260 per month and this ring back on call end still continues, I am considering switching to cell phone from home phone because of this and the cost. I call Bell tech. support again and report this same problem and the tech. tells me "Sir this is a well know problem and that I just need to Google it". I replied that I reported it two years ago and was told it does not exist but did tell the tech. at the time that it can be found via a Google search. And guess what ... the ... HUNG UP ON ME.
 
#56 ·
I live in the country and the best DSL I can get is from Bell at 5Mbps down and 600Kbps up. Very long story made short, Bell has to set my line to 7Mbps profile to make 5Mbps/600Kbps work and their automatic provisioning system goes around every few months and sets the profile back to 5Mbps. I have to spend hours on the phone to get it reversed. Last time, I went through all the baloney with first line support (like reboot your modem, etc etc etc) and when they could not do anything (Them: "Your line is doing the best it can sir" Me: "I have speed test results from a month ago showing it can do much better") I said please escalate to second line support. Second line support refused to even talk to me (assuming the first line guy even tried - they probably get demerit points for escalations). We went back and forth several times and eventually the guy said the best I can do for you is pass you on to Customer Loyalty. After a bunch more back and forth she offered a discount "For my inconvenience". I said "I don't want your money; I want my service to work". She put me on to Third line support and he corrected the problem in 30 seconds. The was good for maybe three months and now I'm back to slow speed. Their provisioning system got me again. This happens at least twice a year. What a PITA.

I'm seriously considering Xplornet but they say I need a 40' tower and they can't tell me even approximately what my speed would be.

ARRGH!
 
#57 ·
Is it possible for you to get direct access to the proper individual or department that does the correct provisioning, or perhaps a "key phrase" so that you don't need to go through first level and second level CSRs who aren't able to help you?

For example, at Rogers on their forum, there is a group of "community helps" people who I'm able to contact via PM and they are almost always able to help with any problem. It may take a few PMs back and forth to verify customer information, however, the issue is almost always resolved in hours or next day. Rogers also have a "share a concern" link, as well as "live chat" that I've used and again problems have almost always been resolved without the frustration of going through numerous different CSRs by phone. No guarantees obviously, but seems to work well if you have your ducks in a row.

I'm not sure if Bell has something similar.
 
#58 ·
I asked that but 3rd level said just "Demand 7Mbps profile and 1st level will be able to do it". I haven't worked up the energy to call them yet. We're about to snowbird for 3 months so I'll probably wait until we get back. I could get it sorted now, but they'll probably cut my speed while we're on suspension.
 
#62 ·
I just want to rant right now.

I have been a customer with Bell for over 30 years and have put up with their terrible customer support, but at the moment I'm fuming!!!!

I always dread calling them as I'm guaranteed to get some bumbling idiot. I start of nice but after hours I lose my cool. Today is no exception.

This time I know there is a problem with port forwarding which is way above anyones head and being in firmware hardware design of Nortels Spectrum product line I know what I'm talking about. My simple problem, I can ssh between many of my Pi's but no longer from the outside WAN address with a simple port forwarding rule of 1:1.

Here's my call log
#1 The guy is very nice, he understands that port forwarding is over his head, he talks to his supervisor who intern allows him to pass me onto second level support. So far so good, except that he passes me incorrectly and the call drops.
#2 Surprisingly I get the same guy. He apologizes, gives me the number that he is transferring me to just in case it happens again. Sure enough, the call drops.
#3 I call the number the fella gave me. I get someone who every time I say Port Forwarding he starts talking about Call forwarding. I ask to speak to second level support and he puts me on hold forever and the call drops.
#4. This time I'm getting frustrated. When I call Bell, the person says he does not have any record of my calls and will not put me through to second level support and insists on trying to help me, but when I ask him if he knows anything about Port forwarding he says that's what I'm here to help you with, just explain the problem to me. I ask to speak to his manager. His manager will not come on the line. I insist to speak to his manager. His manager says that while Port forwarding is part of the HH3000, they do not support it and I ask them then to send me a new HH3000 she says no, the because it will just be the same. She knows better and refuses to do anything to help me.

I can tell you that at no time did I curse or swear, you could tell I was mad and I have every right to be.

Tell me please why do we put up with this crap!!! I pay over $200 a month for all my services with Bell and this is what I get.

Disgusted customer,
John Talbot
 
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