[segacs]

Videotron telephony customers - the rate for long-distance calls just went up in October to $0.10/min (from $0.07) - but there was NO notification at all of this increase until the November bill. They charged half the calls for October and all of them for November at the new rate before any notification.

I called customer service to complain, and the CS agent fought with me. Only after I insisted on speaking to a supervisor did they agree to credit me the charges. Then she tried to sell me a monthly long-distance plan, after all that!

Anyway, if you're with Videotron for your home phone, check your November bill carefully. If they upped the rate on calls without letting you know first, call to complain. It's only a few dollars, but multiply that times thousands of customers and it adds up. Maybe it will teach them a lesson about unfair billing practices.

Meanwhile, any recommendations for cheap alternatives to Videotron for long distance? (Other than VoIP or Skype, that is?)

 

[Jake]

It seems odd they did not send a letter. I am pretty sure they cannot do this with notification. Did they say they sent you a letter?

 

[Tanta]

I occasionally use a Videotron calling card - the number beginning with 1-888-666-5557...normally 0.15 per minute North America. But over the last six months, I have placed 20 calls and I have never been billed...? Has this become a free calling card, or have I fallen through their IT cracks?

 

[Jake]

Has this become a free calling card, or have I fallen through their IT cracks

Were the calls to Videotron telephony customers?

 

[segacs]

No letter. And agreed, it's odd, because they usually send letters for increases. I got two this year - one for Internet and one for Illico - they do love to hike their rates. But in this case, there was nothing but a fine print notice on the November bill - nothing at all on the October bill, when they actually started increasing the rates.

Customer service seemed confused. At first, she insisted that "it's always been 10 cents". Then when I asked her to pull up my previous bills as evidence, she said "oh, I see it was 7 cents... were you getting a special rate?" When I said that no, I wasn't, and that there was a notice on this bill but it was AFTER they'd charged me the extra, she kept trying to tell me I must be mistaken.

Videotron's customer service has normally been OK. I mean, better than Bell's, by far. But if this is a sign of business practices to come, it's not encouraging.

 

[Tanta]

I don't know Jake, if I was conversing with another Videotron subscriber or not; I may have called 20 different numbers since I was last charged, and nothing shows up on my monthly bill. Maybe they only charge when you accumulate a certain minimum. Anyway, I don't use the card frequently now.

 

[Jake]

Since I got a cell phone my calling card just collects dust. Videotron knowingly giving away a service for free? Now that is funny.

Our calling card is included in the starter kit you received when you subscribed to cable telephony. Use it with any landline, wireless phone, public phone, or from a hotel room anywhere in Canada or the U.S. Long-distance fees will be charged to your invoice.

 

[Stefx73]

Videotron high speed internet changes

We just got a letter from Videotron

Our current internet package ( 50/2/125... 50Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 125 GB monthly limit) is going to be 60/3/150 starting in Feb 2011.

 

[Jake]

Full details here for all plans.

http://www.videotron.com/service/in...internet-en.jsp?target=evolutionaccesinternet

Be careful as some prices listed are for bundled packages. For example "High-Speed Internet" is another $10 or approximately $53, $54 after Feb 1st.

 

[Jake]

This is off topic but I just wanted to clarify this statement.

they still have a max overage of 50 dollars

Hate to burst your Videotron bubble but HS 15Mbps/60GB, 30Mbps/100GB, 50Mbps/120GB and 120Mbps/200GB are ...

$1.50 per additional gigabyte. No billing limit.

Now back to Bell.

 

[ludodivx]

@Jake, I know, but since the CRTC gave the authorization to Bell to charge everyone using over 300Gb per month, even if they use teksavy or other ISPs, I was just telling Videotron will be the only one offering unlimited internet in Quebec, for 50 dollars overage... I know the max speed will be 8mb, but still...

 

[GusX]

I was just telling Videotron will be the only one offering unlimited internet in Quebec, for 50 dollars overage...

Thats no longer the case ... like Jake mentioned, they are at $1.50 per gb with no billing limit.

 

[NeilN]

Not (so far) on the 7.5 Mbps plan. Check the fine print on their website.

 

[GusX]

You're right the 7.5 Mpbs still has the overcharge cap ... we'll see on Feb 1st if that changes along with the speed upgrade.

Sorry ... back on topic.

 

[Jake]

I moved the Videotron discussion here. I expect more chatter about this in the coming months as I see a lot of plan changes coming for everyone.

 

[Jake]

Not (so far) on the 7.5 Mbps plan. Check the fine print on their website.

Yes but that is (54+50) $104/month for unlimited (actually the cap is 300GB IIRC) for 7.5Mbps/0.82Mbps service.

TSI cable offers unlimited 7.5Mbps for $80.

 

[Tanta]

Jake, my 4 month calling card costs were finally billed in December. Mysterious are the ways of the Temple!

 

[Jake]

Wow. I wonder why they waited 4 months? But I agree. It is odd.

 

[segacs]

More Videotron woes: They screwed up my billing in January, I've been phoning and speaking to a whole bunch of different agents since then, I've had to repeat my story and go through the numbers a few dozen times. They keep blatantly outright lying to me, for instance, the agent who told me that the credit for the over-charge had been applied to my account, but when I asked him how much the credit was and how it broke down, he had no idea and finally admitted he hadn't applied it at all.

I finally spoke to a customer satisfaction rep who agreed to make all the changes and retroactively credit me for all the overcharges - and there were many, since they managed to screw up my phone, cable AND internet billing for three months straight. But then he called me back to say a "technical bug" had prevented the credit from being applied to my account. How convenient - a technical bug that allows them to keep overcharging me but prevents them from reimbursing my money. I pointed out that if that's the case, they should stop automatically charging me new billing until they resolve this, but of course, there's a 'technical bug' preventing them from doing that, too.

I tried to call him back and of course there's no way to reach him. Another agent said he would send him an email asking him to call me. That was last week, so I called again, and spoke to yet another agent, who explained that there's no way for me to reach any one of them directly, and that the so-called "notes on my file" are bullshit. Oh, and there's no way for them to confirm anything they promise to me in writing. Meanwhile, of course, no credit, and they're overbilling me this month, too.

I'm seriously going to need to start recording my calls with them. Beware, beware, beware of Videotron shady business practices. Seems like they're taking a page out of Bell's book.