Apologies for how long this story is. I want to highlight the fun time I've had with Bell Fibe installation stretching out over 2 weeks. After you glance over the activities below can you tell me what you would do if you were in my shoes regarding asking for free stuff. After everything that went on, I received a bill (in fact a high bill which actually included some mistakes including a $50 installation fee that was supposed to be waived). My thinking is they should have apologized profusely and offered a few months of free tv & internet service. What would you do? Ask for more, ask for less, or just pay the bill and say nothing? Part B of that question - if you think I should get something free but they refuse, should I cancel and give up on these people? My only choice left is Shawdirect as I just dumped Cogeco.
-Feb. 16 - very nice tech calls and shows up around 9am to begin installation. Gets the internet working ok but the tv not so much - he is able to get a channel up for about 5-10 seconds before it drops and we get a "network connection error" message. At 4pm I have to kick him out because I have to pick my sister up at the airport. I have internet but no tv, he believes there is an equipment error and someone should be able to fix it tomorrow. I'm freaking out at even the idea of 1 day without tv, but hey at least I have internet.
-Feb. 17 - no one from Bell calls about fixing my tv prob so I call them. On the phone for about a half hour with another very nice person. She says the equipment problem can't be fixed on a sunday because the required technicians aren't back until Monday, but Monday it should be fixed.
-Feb. 18 - still no tv and no one calls. I call Bell again, another nice person, another 30 mins on the phone and they explain that it must be a problem inside the home since the internet is working. So a tech will call me later in the day to set up an appointment. No one calls.
-Feb. 19 - another 30 mins on the phone trying to get the person up to speed and find out when it can be fixed. Guy goes to talk to someone and comes back to say there's a problem - some sort of equipment or part problem and they don't know when the part can be fixed or replaced because they don't know when it's coming in? Obviously this doesn't sit well with me. I ask them to please have someone call me in the next two days to update me on the status of this "part".
I get home from work and oh lookie here. My internet isn't working anymore either. So no tv, no internet. I call Bell and they start trying to figure out why I have no internet. Then they find a note in my file about my account not being activated until the 20th. What?! I explained I have had internet since the 16th so can they please just turn the internet back on. They say they can't, it's automatic but it should turn back on on the 20th which is a few hours away so I just let it go.
- Feb. 20 - well internet should be back according to the guy I spoke to last night, but it's not so I call again - another 30 mins on the phone first thing to start my morning. They can't figure out why the internet isn't working so they say they will send a tech later today between 12pm and 6pm. Well this means I'm going to have to take a half day vacation but what choice do I have. I can't live without both tv and internet.
I get home at 12pm and sit and wait in a communicationless cave until 7:30 pm when the tech finally shows up. So great, I took a half day vacation day for nothing. Very nice tech, but at 10:30pm he hasn't accomplished anything and I have to get up at 5. Oh and his van has broken down up the street so I have to drive him back to his van when CAA has shown up (I offered because it was a bit of a walk and freezing cold out). It's 11pm and I still have no tv and internet. And as he’s getting out of my car, he asks me out on a date. He’s 12 years younger than me. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
- Feb. 21 – the supervisor I had requested to call me still hasn’t called and no luck from last night so back on the phone again. They want to send a tech today but I say no, I can’t take more vacation time, I will have to survive until Saturday. So we set up an apt. for the 23rd.
- Feb. 23 – tech calls at 9pm to say he will be here in an hour. 3 hours later he comes (I don’t even care he’s late, I just want someone to fix this!) 6 hours later, he has managed to fix my internet by replacing the port in the box on Philbrook. Unfortunately still no tv though. He has to go because he has another job. He says his supervisor will call me on Monday to discuss next steps.
- Feb. 28 – supervisor never called, I still have no tv. I call yet again, another half hour to update the same story for the millionth time. We set up an apt for Mar. 2.
- Mar. 2 – finally a saviour, the guy comes in and in about 3 hours is able to determine that the last guy did a good job changing the port but he forgot to do a final step to reactivate the tv. I now have tv and internet for the first time in 2 weeks. I spend the rest of the day just playing with the remote and enjoying the lack of silence in the house.
To summarize:
-14 days without tv
-5 days without internet
-½ day vacation day from work, wasted
-Approx. 3.5 hours on the phone will customer service
-Approx. 20 hours stuck in my house while bell techs try to fix problems
-0 returned phone calls
-1 full months bill due Mar. 18 that includes a $50 installation fee and a $2 paper fee even though I set it up for e-delivery
What would you do?
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