Shaw is up to it again lol!

We have 5 boxes (1) 6412 and 4 DCT2000. Our bill has always shown one billing for $1.99 -- for years. They keeping phoning every once and a while to argue that they need to increase the bill to cover the boxes.

We have always argued with CSR and they never have posted the increased. Even when activating the 6200 series in the spring! We always pay a year in advance so its frustrating to have them keep phoning after agreeng (on a contract) and taking the money on one day only to come back and hassle us over and over again.

They keep saying it is a computer software glitch/problem or the have updated their system and they just found the problem...on and on.

Is it because they technically don't have a legal right to bill this to old boxes of customers etc so they try to convince consumers to voluntarily pay it?


Anyone else know this Shaw routine?

Hi, some people are grandfathered and don't get the charge. That is until they change anything in their package. I had the same issue, wasn't getting it but changed something in my package and boom, $1.99 per extra dct outside of my bundle. The people I talked to all claimed that it was going system wide and everyone who had additional dct's would be paying the extra $1.99 per set. So, if you didn't change anything recently on your package what they said to me has come true.

I think it should be included as you pay so much for a bundle but nothing we can do unfortunately.

I have an additional box and has been charged $1.99 for 2 years. And they make it very clear in the small print on their website right now that they charge $1.99 for each additional box.

"Cost for Shaw Digital Features (access to Interactive Program Guide, Pay Per View, Shaw Video On Demand, Digital Music) for customers with less than Shaw Full Cable Service is $1.99 a month. Monthly digital features fee may apply for each additional Digital terminal. "

Unless your in Winnipeg.... 3 or less boxes - 1 fee

Thats one benifit to MTS competition! lol - They will try and impose this on some customers but most of the time - they take it off as long as its 3 or less boxes here

Shawguy

I have an additional box and has been charged $1.99 for 2 years. And they make it very clear in the small print on their website right now that they charge $1.99 for each additional box.

"Cost for Shaw Digital Features (access to Interactive Program Guide, Pay Per View, Shaw Video On Demand, Digital Music) for customers with less than Shaw Full Cable Service is $1.99 a month. Monthly digital features fee may apply for each additional Digital terminal. "


Hmmm I Should get some of that back my box doesn't allow VOD yet. I think I should get back 50 cents of that what do you think.

the fee is for everyone
no exception and since there is no control right..
can't really say wahts grandfather or not

the fee is for everyone
no exception and since there is no control right..
can't really say wahts grandfather or not
Problem is THEY do have control. As much as they say they don't - they have a code to reverse charges on your account every month, but not all of the CSR's know this, and nor do they want to reverse charges ever. I know many people who have Mulpile DCt's and do not pay this fee

Shawguy

I have 1 6200 and 3 2500 and I dont pay one single 1.99 fee not one :p

Recently, I acquired a new 6412 box and displaced a 2000 box on my account (I now have a 6412 and 5100). When my February bill showed up Shaw had charged me $3.17 to prorate the January time for the box plus $1.99 for February. When I called Shaw to inquire about the charge and explained that I subscribe to their TEB bundle with 2 boxes since 2002, they said it was an oversight and these charges had always been there. I replied I don't think so and wasn't happy about it. Bottom line was the CSR wasn't prepared to reverse the charges. So I logged a complaint with the CRTC. I'm not hopeful that the CRTC will order Shaw to reverse the charges, but somehow it may me feel a whole lot better.:D

I dunno guys... I didn't know anything about it until one month about a year ago I happened to look at my bill and called to ask about it. They explained why the $1.99 is charged (to cover software maintenance, and so on...) and I said "no problem". I still don't see it being a big hassle.

With more boxes, you are likely to require more support, more splitters, maybe an amp, extra cable plus they do still update the software and maintain it. Oh and did I mention that should it break, have a remote crap out or pretty much anything go wrong Shaw comes out for FREE to either fix or REPLACE it? I see it being a $1.99 pretty well spent.

But hey -- that's just me.

Actually its not the money. I think its well spent too. I have a couple of issues. One, it was not announced to me or other long time subscribers with multiple receivers and two, I believe the fee should be dependent on the services you subscribe to. Star Choice does do this for certain packages.

UPDATE:
We still haven't paid the extra $1.99 charges (total $10 month) and after some heated debating they haven't demanded any further response. Yet-- BUT, I imagine the next time we phone for customer service issue, this will definetely come up!

Think about what this means to SHAW ...

SHAW's Digital Cable customer base (those with boxes) was 473,870 in 2003. By now in 2006 let's say its now easily at at 500,000 subscibers with boxes (many with 2 or more).

500,000 customers @ $1.99 =$1 million a month MINIMUM working for Shaw -this really saves Shaw having to go to the regulating Body to get permission to raise cable rates by $1.99

-even better because they can charge customers like myself $10 a month or $120 a year.

Come on people--This is the bottom line! not the conflicting CSR reports about on going support for cable boxes, or its support for the menu guide which i have no choice to refuse!

Or now I get to pay for a free TV Guide Advertising screen saver. I.m sure that TVGuide didn't pay a single cent for that feature-- right! LoL

....and so on

northport

Sorta. But not really.

They only charge the $1.99 for every extra box past 1. I would be surprised if even 10% of those had more than 1 box.... math is slightly (a lot actually) skewed.

I am an installer for Shaw and sure, lots of people have 1 box... but only one located at their "main" TV. Every other TV is just hooked up to straight cable.

Like everything though there are two sides to the story.

I can see Shaw's point as to why they want to charge the $1.99 per box, but I can also see Nanuuk's point, as If I subscribe to all your services, and I am already giving you $130+ a month, you should be allowing me to have more than 1 box connected and not be charging me for each additional one.

I have more than one box, and on my bill it shows $1.99 DCT maintenence, and then -$1.99 DCT maintenence for each of my other boxes, but that could be once again to competition by MTS here, or different markets have different rules.

Shawguy

Actually I had a change of heart and withdrew (I think) my complaint. I'm not sure you can do that once you've created one with the CRTC.

Hey travisbell, thanks for the input.

I assumed (bad thing to do) that "Digital Cable" meant that customers need a digital terminal not just straight cable. Shaws website defines it this way.

The 2003 stats came from - http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/insmt-gst.nsf/en/sf08379e.html

"In July 1997, Shaw introduced digital cable to its customers and by their fiscal year-end 2003 had 473,870 digital cable customers, a 9.2 percent increase from the year before."

I take your personal experience at face value. But since digital boxes have become cheaper it is more likely that like a 2nd computer or a 2nd car, todays households will budget in for the extra STB.

It would be interesting to view the statistics on this trend...but then maybe Shaw knows and sees it coming. lol

I personally dislike having to purchse all the stb's simply to have ease and continuity of use of TV watching in a single household.

But like Shawguy stated:
"I have more than one box, and on my bill it shows $1.99 DCT maintenence, and then -$1.99 DCT maintenence for each of my other boxes, but that could be once again to competition by MTS here, or different markets have different rules."

Nothing about Shaw ever seems straightforward and and for a $100 a month, as a consumer it, these additional $1.99 charges to committed customers is just bad business.

I'm sorry -how much PROFIT did you say they made last year?? (Just teasing..lol)

northport

(Hey! this good therapy)

Isn't the $1.99 DCT fee to cover the cost of the guide listings, and these listings are charged to Shaw by the digital box??? That being said... I only get charged $1.99 for 3 boxes - but maybe I'm grandfathered since I paid $349 for my first DCT 2000 back in January of 2000.

When the $1.99 started being charged I was ok and still had no $1.99 extra for my extra dct. As soon as I called in to change something on my package the $1.99 was added. So basically the way I figure it is that your ok until you make any kind of change to your package. Then at that point if you hadn't been getting hit with the $1.99, you will start.

when you say change to your package are you meaning such as moving from say Total Home to Total Premiere, or any change on your account such as pick n pay channels, because I could see if it was the first case I mentioned, but if you are saying any change, I would have to deny that as I move pick and pay channels on and off about twice a year.

Shawguy

Hey Shawguy, I only know from my scenario which was switching from Total Home Bundle to Total Home Bundle Lite.

From that I assume at least in my area that if you make any switch you will start seeing the additional dct charge if you didn't before.

Perhaps in Winnipeg if you were even to switch from say the Total Home Bundle to the Premiere Entertainment Bundle there would be no change in price for you based on your province and city.

When questioning CSR's at that time I was told it was system wide and everyone would get hit.