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Switched my service to cable

7K views 36 replies 21 participants last post by  westmanguy 
#1 ·
Well I finally broke down and made a switch. The thought of a HD PVR finally got the better of me. Cogeco will be here tomorrow to hook up my new Motorola 6412 HD-DVR. They even gave me $159 credit for each of my Bell 3100's, and I can still sell my 5900 pvr privately, meaning the motorola HD-DVR is basically free. They are also installing outlets for basic cable in 3 seperate rooms for free, HD is also free for 2 months.
I am one happy SOB right now.
 
#2 ·
I have moved this to a more appropriate forum. This post in BEV is really just trolling.
 
#3 ·
biglyle said:
Well I finally broke down and made a switch. The thought of a HD PVR finally got the better of me. Cogeco will be here tomorrow to hook up my new Motorola 6412 HD-DVR. They even gave me $159 credit for each of my Bell 3100's, and I can still sell my 5900 pvr privately, meaning the motorola HD-DVR is basically free. They are also installing outlets for basic cable in 3 seperate rooms for free, HD is also free for 2 months.
I am one happy SOB right now.
Wow sounds great... enjoy :)
 
#4 ·
"I have moved this to a more appropriate forum. This post in BEV is really just trolling."

Sory about that, honestly never meant it as a troll. I have been a big Bell suporter on that forum for a long time, hence the reason I posted it there. Sorry if it was offensive.
 
#7 ·
The HD-DVR was the real kicker for me. I also really like the sound of on-demand as dragging my sorry arse to block buster in the dead of winter is a real chore.
I am also glad that having to clean caked on snow off my dish is a thing of the past as well, as are service interuptions during the 20 or so severe thunder storms we get every year.
I agree that sat providers reaaly need to get their acts together asap.
 
#8 ·
hugh said:
I have moved this to a more appropriate forum. This post in BEV is really just trolling.
If that post was considered trolling, the satellite aficionadoes have very thin skins.

I have had DTH since 1996 for only one reason: It was, and is, the ONLY way I can get TV in my isolated, rural location. No cable, no OTA options.

Frankly, while it was godsend, satellite is a PITA too. My dish is located on the brow of a hill, 250 feet from the house. This was necessary to get a clear shot at the satellite. Big inconvenience . . . having to to deal with getting a clear horizon.

The first couple of years I had DTV. It was very prone to rain/snow fade and was a major problem! My old-fashioned 1 metre Starchoice dish rarely has this problem . . . only with major snow fall building up on the lnb. But, when it does happen, it is no picnic slogging out there to clean it off.

While my dish is largely out of site, there is nothing pretty about dishes. They are no asset to anyone's property.

In major snow seasons, I have snow settle in around the cable, turn into an ice-like mass and begin sliding down the hill . . . dragging the cable with it. Again . . . not nice to deal with in winter.

Two years ago half of my channels disappeared. Turns out they were the ones horizontally polarized. My lnb had leaked and was half filled with water . . . cost was $150 to replace.

None of these are problems with cable.

Now the cable has been strung on my road and the final hookups should be made soon, I hope.

I will be going to digital cable just as soon as I am able. I have no fond memories of DTH and do not really understand why people have it at all unless, like me, there was no cable option.

I repeat, DTH is a PITA. And it seems very ironic that the cable companies, considered stodgy and non-innovative, seem to be ahead of the satellite companies in technology like HD-PVRs.

And, of course, with the cable, comes affordable high speed internet . . . still a pipedream for the DTH companies with their restrictive and highly-priced internet services.

Again, the popularity of satellite TV in areas served by cable is just beyond me.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I've had it with the attitude at Expressvu. Bell offered me two months free when I tried to cancel. They can stuff E545 right up their collective arrogant sphincters.

Rogers is here on Monday with my shiny new HD-PVR.
This is exactly what I went through with Bell Expressvu. I hated their attitude as well. When I went to cancel BEV I was also, offered 2 months free programming. I refused and did not accept it. Instead, I now have in my possession an SA8300 HD PVR and I couldn't be happier with Rogers cable. IMO I think I made the right choice and I do not regret it.
 
#14 ·
dawziecat said:
I have had DTH since 1996 for only one reason: It was, and is, the ONLY way I can get TV in my isolated, rural location. No cable, no OTA options.

Now the cable has been strung on my road and the final hookups should be made soon, I hope.
Just curious, but where in NS are you? I was under the impression that not very many areas were getting newly served by cable companies.

Mark
 
#15 ·
smallmj said:
Just curious, but where in NS are you? I was under the impression that not very many areas were getting newly served by cable companies.

Mark
I am on a little, dead end road near Chester Basin. Eastlink brought the cable part way up the road some three years ago and stopped 1200 feet from my house. They strung the rest of the road just before Xmas. However, for reasons known only to them, they did not join the newly strung cable to the one they left off three years ago?

I did receive a call from them about hooking me up and hope it will be done soon . . . but spring may well arrive first.
 
#16 ·
I recently switched from BEV to Roger's myself. My spin on it boils down to this: Hardware - Roger's wins hands down - I just LOVE my 8300HD :). Only thing that is a drap is that using the digital audio out to my processor I can't use the volume control on the remote :(. Picture quality ex HD - BEV wins hands down. Now granted - this is based on the signal I am pulling in my area [south etobicoke] but my BEV pic was MUCH cleaner on my 51HX83. Customer service = both are brutal IMHO.

Overall - I'm happy with the switch to Roger's. Going HD made me consider it and the 8300HD [8000HD when I first started lookin'] swayed me over. Welcome to Ted's World lol! Just a hint - watch your first month's bill - it took me a few calls and a few drinks to sort it out with Roger's CSR's but I FINALLY got it fixed ;).
 
#17 ·
Boardman said:
Now granted - this is based on the signal I am pulling in my area [south etobicoke] but my BEV pic was MUCH cleaner on my 51HX83. Customer service = both are brutal IMHO.
Not that this thread should become one of "where are you?" posts but I'm also in south etobicoke and I'm reasonably happy since I switched to Rogers from BEV a couple weeks ago. The SA8300HD is more buggy than the Tivo I was used to and I also notice that non-HD digital channels are not nearly as clear. It's pretty touch and go...on some stations (treehouse for instance for my son) has terrific quality but others are downright unwatchable. Thankfully most of my watching is now in HD because I just don't want to watch anything that's not. :)

Have you ever tried getting Rogers to address the lower quality? Wondering what their response is?
 
#19 ·
peano said:
I think south Etobicoke was wired with RG-59.;) My SD and HD from Rogers are both very nice. A wee bit "crisper" than BEV.
I know little about cables but it really doesn't explain why some channels will be pristine and others unwatchable....clearly the cable is capable of carrying solid HD and SD digital signals...just some channels are really horrible. I'm sure I'll call Rogers when I think I want to hang around for a day waiting on a cable technician to pay a visit.
 
#20 ·
mmorais said:
............Have you ever tried getting Rogers to address the lower quality? Wondering what their response is?
I did call Roger's about this. Basically, they said that as I in a new buidling which is not fully occupied as of yet they won't even look at my issue until at least 75% of the suites in my buidling are "turned up". I'm going to call them back in a few weeks when this criteria has been met and see what they have to say then.

BTW - on BEV I was running older equipment 2700's / 4700's and I miss the fucntion in the IPG to only view the channels you sub to. Other than that, as noted above, I LOVE my 8300HD over anything BEV has out there now.
 
#21 ·
Boardman said:
I did call Roger's about this. Basically, they said that as I in a new buidling which is not fully occupied as of yet they won't even look at my issue until at least 75% of the suites in my buidling are "turned up".
Then since I'm in a house they should take a look at it right away...100% occupancy here. :) BTW, I would have immediately escalated that. What they really said was you're a second class citizen as far as they're concerned because you live in a building rather than a house. You're paying them they should investigate your problem.
 
#22 ·
mmorais said:
Then since I'm in a house they should take a look at it right away...100% occupancy here. :) BTW, I would have immediately escalated that. What they really said was you're a second class citizen as far as they're concerned because you live in a building rather than a house. You're paying them they should investigate your problem.
At that point I realized I was just spinning my wheels and since my building will meet thier 75% guideline soon I thought I'd just leave it for now as I don't need the hastle. They should look into your prob for ya farily fast. I bought my folks a plasma and the Rogers picture looked crap so my father called and they came out the next day and installed a signal amp no charge and it made a HUGE difference.

BTW - anohter thing L like about Roger's over BEV - you only have to wait 10 minutes to talk to a CSR and get nowhere at Roger's where with BEV I had to wait at least 45 minutes to do that lol!
 
#23 ·
Chiming in

I just wanted to chime in that I have just switched from BEV to Rogers.

Four years ago I moved and unsubscribed from my Rogers cable. The "high pressure" sales tactics were in full force in those days and they wouldn't let me just CANCEL my accnt they demanded to know why and where I was moving. I told them I was switching to BEV and the CSR kept trying to SELL SELL SELL!!! I had to get rude and tell them to please just cancel my sub and let me get off the phone!! I swore I'd never... never say never...

Two years ago I pick up a shiny new BEV receiver w/ DVR, it rocked! I was a DVR/PVR addict and could never go back.

I JUST bought an HDTV... well, after a fair bit of research I was buying an 8300 and getting my Rogers hooked up at my new house for the first time.

I have no problems with BEV but they've really missed the boat on this DVR stuff and I have cancelled them.

BTW the Rogers CSRs are easier to talk to these days, I hate automated voice activated number punching computer voices but at least they're not trying to sell me phone service.
 
#24 ·
Co-worker leaving ExpressVu because of horrible business policy

I have Bell for all of my services as does one of my co-workers. He has far more services than I do, including multiple recivers (three I think). Recently ExpressVu suspended his satellite service because he didn't connect his three receivers to phone lines so their inventory information could be validated!!!

His response was that he rarely watches TV, and when he does, it had better work. His job requires travel and plenty of early mornings and/or late nights at work. He tried calling ExpressVu to find out what they needed. Unfortunately, they only accept calls during business hours. During business hours he is not at home and certainly not watching or near his ExpressVu equipment. Duh!

His two year lock-in period is up at the end of the month. His plans include switching all services to Rogers. <sarcasm> I hope ExpressVu is happy with their policy.

I can tell you that if ExpressVu tries to enforce this policy against me I will follow suit. Given a generous incentive I might be willing to act as an ExpressVu technician and help them perform an inventory. Othewise, they can get stuffed. My time is my own.
 
#26 ·
I left BEV for similar reasons after over 7 years as a BEV customer. I took everything except by local telephone service from them which included my BEV service [$90 per month], my cell [C$100 per month], all my long distance [C$125 per month average] and my HSE [C$45 per month]. Maybe if enough people bail on them they MIGHT get the clue lol!

BTW - if your moving over to Roger's for your cable service don't forget to take advantage of the "Real Choice" offer for new Roger's customers!
 
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