phantom76: Did you by chance put an apostrophe in your message?

I'm feeling really important today... I just can't figure out why....

Oh Yah, it's because they've been telling me that for 2 hours on hold now!

But they do say the "call" is important, not me specifically.

And still no option for a call back.

PS - My wife just got home, she's been gone for 3 hours and I still haven't gotten through on Chat or Phone... She's laughing at me now...

Now I'm pissed... Approximately 3 hours on hold and then it starts beeping busying signal... WTF!

I have just wasted my whole morning puttering around my house to get Tech support and get hung up on... not happy. And to make things worse I am calling to have them fix my internet modem then was reset to gateway mode last Wednesday night (it was in Bridge mode) and I have been playing tag for 2-3 days now trying to get fixed.

So just to summarize today, I have been on hold for an online Chat for about 45 mins and missed it because I had to help my kids then I was on hold for 3 hours (without being given the option for a call back as it was "only" going to be 1:15-1:50 wait time...) and now I am back to square one and have wasted my Saturday morning....

And just to clarify I am on Shaw Phone so if there was an issue with the connection it's their fault too ;)

GRRRRRRR......

Just drove to the local Shaw office and waited in line for 20 minutes to talk (very nicely I might add) to a CSR and Tech guy in the building, I have now driven home and am waiting for a call back to fix my issue (bridge mode / gateway mode internet). 5 hours down as of now.

Update: 1:05PM It's been an hour since I left the office, so much for the TSR call back in 15 minutes... Also started an Online Chat session to see if I can get through again... waiting...

And we're done... 7 hours of my life I'll never get back... unacceptable.

TSR was great and got things going within 15 minutes, CSR in Nanaimo office was very nice and got me to the right person.

I wonder if hold times will fall with those new TSRs/CSRs in India.

Cslusarc no one in India is answering a phone when someone calls Shaw. Someone in Canada will answer.

They have opened up a centre in India that is doing outbound calls to target Punjabi & Hindi customers. I work @ Shaw, this is confirmed. I don't know why the company has not made it public yet.

@shawchamp - true or not true? Outbound call centre outside Canada?

roopster77; It's true. It's supposed to be a 'short term' fix until they can set up a targeted group here somewhere. Take it with a grain of salt, as always. I would be surprised if you get any responses from Shaw employees on here but now that it's 'out in the blogosphere' they might be allowed to talk about it.

I have heard that the India call centre is outbound marketing calls only. Most of that work has always been contracted out anyway (and I hate companies that telemarket ... it's why I took my phone service to Shaw from Telus was the incessant and unrelenting telemarketing they do).

It has no impact or bearing on the CSR/TSR wait times. I have never experienced what's being reported lately, but it is pretty unacceptable and I do hope the Shaw employees who read these forums are feeding that back.

A call centre is a call centre, even if it's in India. When Shaw is making customers wait for hours on hold, disconnecting them, not calling back, I think it's safe to say that there's a major problem. Their first priority should be TAKING calls, not making them to sell products...from India.

Some blatantly false posts removed along with posts responding to the false information.

Again more false posts by Wiremonkey, a Telus Employee, were deleted along with some responses from those questioning him.

I too have felt the frustration of dealing with Shaw service over the past 10 days. One thing I could always rely on in the past was getting a Shaw tech or CSR in 20 minutes. The last two waits were 2 hours and 2.5 hours. Clearly Brad has decided that the service side of the family business is not nearly as important as Jim felt it was when he ran the show.

Staff are obviously under stress and it's clear they are not working in a positive environment. As other frustrated Shaw clients have posted this has the dual effect of killing morale and business. It is clear that the only thing that Shaw employees want to comment on here is whether the new Indian site will be outbound only. I guess they should never have canned everyone in Saskatoon. The first post I saw on the Indian calll centre was from a telus employee. I found that interesting.

I have been reading the posts by Rock1 and I, too am very concerned about the impact of the cessation of my bundle price. I will have to consider options very carefully, as the increase to my package as it stands now will be $85/month!

Only way to save is to switch. Only way to stay truly loyal is to stop asking for deals and offer your suggestions the more shaw gets about 1 concern the more they will do what they can to get it for there customers ie:data limits,timeshift channels,free wifi,whole home pvr. Yeah it may be better for business but they obviously have better intentions than what we are aware of suck it up chaps, or switch providers and you will still be in the same boat this time talking about oh when I was with shaw...

@shawexpert - You can always rejig your plan to save. The point of this and other forums is to see what others do and what works. I have no intention of moving to another provider. I do agree that feedback to your provider is the best way to go, and I do just that... IMHO, a bad day with Shaw is superior to a good day with Telus...

my two bits... (whatever happened to the cent key?)

Just want to comment on Thunder Shawexpert etc.
On customer service I can say this- Shaw's people once you get through to them is very good to excellent in general. I've had a poor experience about 3 or so months ago- but that was an exception. The long waits however are a real problem that Shaw needs to fix. Been that way for awhile and I can remember Shaw telling me a year+ ago they were going to improve it. Hasn't happened.
I don't think continuously saying Shaw good Telus bad all the time is helpful. Both have good points. Both have bad. I've been with Shaw for over 20 years so I can't comment on the negatives I've heard about Telus yet but I'll let you know as I am trying them out. I may be back with Shaw but in less than a month I will be giving Telus a try. Just a 1 year TV contract. No other commitments on internet or phone. Ironic thing is if I return to Shaw- I qualify after 90 days to their specials.
I would have stayed with Shaw but for these reasons- money a major one- Telus promo will save me over $500 in one year. Optik PVR- I like the features. Chat is instantaneous with Telus. Now that may be because I am a potential customer and story may be different when trying to get a tech- but Shaw is awful in this regard.
We'll see- I've done a lot of research and I don't fear trying them out. I am staying away from contracts- but to upgrade my PVR's with Shaw I need to buy Gateway at 599 + tax or same over 3 years. With Telus 249 + tax or for me rent and get a bundle discount.
We'll see??

I agree with your comments Rock1. It is an issue of their approach to service presently. That was the basis for my comment. In the main their support once you get through has been excellent. However the waits are interminable and I also feel that they are not as focussed on their present customers as they used to be.

There is always "another option" and once customers are fed up enough they will take it, even if it means they are cutting themselves off from what they want.

At the present time I am staying with Shaw, but the promo I have ends in December and the service I am receiving right now does not justify the amount I will have to pay after the promo ends.

@Thunder and Rock1 - I agree with both of you. Customer loyalty honestly doesn't come into play with me. I want the best service I can get and presently Shaw is that for my purposes.

It is unfortunate that the wait times are so bad right now, as once you get through their people are normally very helpful, the rare exeception occurs no matter what organization you deal with.

I did my bit insofar as I wrote my letters of complaint with regard to the service response and Shaw did call me and met my concerns. I like the new Gateway and am willing to put up with a few bugs for now as the potential far exceeds the old Motorola units.

People will make their choice with their wallets, and at least we have a couple of service providers to choose from. We may eventually have more but for now I am relatively happy and have addressed my concerns with Shaw who have responded accordingly.