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Getting out of BellTV Contract to get FibreOP

6K views 19 replies 12 participants last post by  Cylac 
#1 ·
Hey everyone,

Great news! BellAliant just announced that they are rolling FibreOP out here in Gander, NL starting in a few weeks, and I am at the top of the list for hookups.

My conundrum is, back in March, I was told by BellAliant that they had no expansion plans for here(not surprised though, the CSR I spoke with today hadn't even heard about the new expansion yet), so I signed up with BellTV 2 year term.

Has anybody here tried, or successfully gotten out of a BellTV contract to switch to FibreOP? I have heard of this being done to switch from BellTV to FibeTV, however, I assume they are able to do this because they are both Bell products, managed by the same people. I could see them arguing that even though it's the same type of switch, and still the Bell name there, BellAliant is operated as a separate business unit.

Thanks!

- M
 
#3 ·
That's an option I'll take if needed, I'd just prefer not to, if there is a way that they will allow me to just switch. Overall monthly savings, combined with the promo rate offered would still save in the long run, even if I break contract, I'd just prefer to maximize my savings.

- M
 
#7 ·
You might want to try the reverse approach - call Aliant sales and tell them you'd like to subscribe but you have an ongoing Bell Satellite contract and ask if they can do something about it. They're not actually the same company but they do have a relationship, so Aliant might be better positioned to get that contract terminated without a fee if the customer is staying within the Bell family, so to speak.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for all the great ideas, Aliant has said that I need to speak to Bell about my contract with them. I would hope they have some business agreement buried somewhere, sadly, in true Bell style, none of their CSRs know about it, and will argue to no ends that it doesn't exist. It would make sense, as they don't penalize customers for switching from Sat to Fibe in Ontario, furthermore, Aliant is investing in expanding the FibreOP network in Ontario.
 
#12 ·
Yeah, this is where the issues are. Fibe is still "Bell". FibreOp is "Bell Aliant", which is not the same company.

It's screwy, but there it is. You may just have to go through the rest of the contract on the TV side, but it probably won't stop you from getting FibreOp Internet.
 
#11 ·
Even if such an agreement were to exist it would effectively be Bell Aliant paying the termination fee on your behalf and absorbing that cost in return for potentially making it up long term. Both companies are separate, down to the finances. You leaving Bell prematurely (even by going to Bell Aliant) is a revenue loss to them.
 
#14 ·
I was on a 12 month Bell Aliant TV bundle contract when I switched to FibreOp. I called them as soon as they announced it in my area and asked what would happen if I wanted to switch. They told me they would release me with no penalty when it became available, which I'm happy to report they honoured.
 
#17 · (Edited)
Oops, sorry read that wrong. I thought he meant that he is in the same boat I was.

I still think it's a bit of a cop out to say that they are two different companies. In the end, aren't they both owned by the same parent corporation? Any artificial separations between them are likely purely for tax saving measures.

It's kind of like me owning two Tim Horton's franchises in one city, running out of cream in one location, and the manager of the other saying, sorry can't give you any cream, that's a loss for us. Both bundles are listed right next to each other on the Bell Aliant website. They should let him do what I did as far as I'm concerned.
 
#20 ·
BellTV tried to give me a hard time in getting out my contract.
They said I had 6+ months left on my current 2 year contract.
I said really? I don't recall committing to a 2 year contract. They said I did commit. I said ok.. prove it? They said, we'll have to pull out a audio recording to prove I renewed my contract over the phone. I said fine, please do so.
After 4 days they were NEVER able to pull any proof I renewed my contract, therefore my current contract became NULL and VOID! :cool:
 
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