I was pointed to this one by a co-worker and thought it was another example of how the Cable service here sucks - oh, btw - did I mention that we are stuck with Shaw Cable where I live? ....... thanks to Broadbandpig.com
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September 28, 2005
Telus vs. Shaw
For several years, my main internet connection at home has been via ADSL service from our incumbent telecommunications carrier Telus. These people aren't exactly known for their customer service, and I've had many, many run-ins with them over the years (both with my residential services, as well as my company's business Internet services, voice, and cellular services). For the last six months or so, they have been sending me threatening emails explaining to me that my excessive bandwaidth usage violates their terms of service. Now please understand that I'm not talking about your everyday $20 residential service. I pay $85 per month for 2.5Mbps business service with two fixed IP addresses.......
September 28, 2005
Telus vs. Shaw
For several years, my main internet connection at home has been via ADSL service from our incumbent telecommunications carrier Telus. These people aren't exactly known for their customer service, and I've had many, many run-ins with them over the years (both with my residential services, as well as my company's business Internet services, voice, and cellular services). For the last six months or so, they have been sending me threatening emails explaining to me that my excessive bandwaidth usage violates their terms of service. Now please understand that I'm not talking about your everyday $20 residential service. I pay $85 per month for 2.5Mbps business service with two fixed IP addresses.
I thought that I had better do something to help with the bandwidth consumption before I lost my internet connection. My first attempts (which were quite successful) were to set up a wifi card on my main linux router machine to 'acquire' a connection from one of several neighbour's wifi connections.
This worked fine for several months, but started to become more unreliable (such as some neighbours enabling WEP, and others moving their access points, possibly to move them away from me??) Then a stroke of luck - Telus told me that I could 'upgrade' my service to 2.5Mbps for only $40 per month. As I mentioned before, I already have 2.5Mbps, as well as fixed IP addresses, which cost me $85 per month. I pounced on the offer to upgrade my service and drop my monthly fee. The sales person on the other end assured me that I would be able to keep my fixed IP addresses and drop my monthly fee to $40 per month. This sounded great, so I signed up. Everything was fine for the first month, so I decided I would take my monthly savings, and splash out on a residential cable Internet connection from Shaw. For $30 plus $40, I now had a dual homed network in my basement. Everything was beautiful for several months.
Then I checked my credit card statement. It appears that Telus was billing me $85 again. I immediately telephoned them and asked them waht was going on. They explained that their system had discovered a configuration error with my account, and fixed up the billing. After explaining the entire story, they proceeded to tell me that the employee was in error, and if I wanted to keep my fixed IP addresses (which I wanted to do), I would have to continue to pay $85 per month.
I thought 'f*ck this', and thought I'd look into fixed IP address services from Shaw, and drop Telus completely. I called their sales office, and discovered that I could get their SOHO business class service, with two fixed IP addresses for $85 per month (sounds familiar...). I decided to go for it, with every intention of phoning up Telus and cancelling my service.
I upgraded the home Shaw service to SOHO. And then the problems began. I unplugged the Telus connection, and did some speed tests using only the Shaw connection. Quite frankly, it sucked. I couldn't get anything more than 1.5Mbps, and most of the time, it was worse. I felt like an idiot. I checked the Saw website again. There it was - 'Up to 5Mbps'. I sure wasn't getting that! A call to tech support confirmed that I wasn't getting that, and after some troubleshooting, it was recommended that I replace my modem. Instead of waiting for a service call, I went to the local Shaw office, and picked up a replacement modem. I plugged it in, and discovered that the speed was exactly the same. This time, the tech told me that I was getting a perfectly acceptable rate, and I should be happy. Well, I asked for a supervisor, and explained the whole sorry story. Unbelievably, this guy was very understanding, and conceded that the current network design wouldn't get me the consistent speeds I was looking for. He was very helpful in crediting my account and closing it.
Now, I'm back to my Telus service. I'm glad I didn't get around to disconnecting! At least I have my 2.5Mbps back. But I still have the problem of not enough traffic allowance per month...
I was sent this snippet and thought that is wholly embodied my feelings towards most of the service providers these days.. not much more to add except - "I couldn't have said it better myself".... a little dated but I beleive that not much has changed since this was written.
Link to the original article - here
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Dear Cretins,
I have been an NTL customer since 9th July 2001, when I signed up for your 3-in-one deal for cable TV, cable modem, and telephone. During this three-month period I have encountered inadequacy of service which I had not previously considered possible, as well as ignorance and stupidity of monolithic proportions. Please allow me to provide specific details, so that you can either pursue your professional prerogative, and seek to rectify these difficulties - or more likely (I suspect) so that you can have some entertaining reading material as you while away the working day smoking B&H and drinking vendor-coffee on the bog in your office:
My initial installation was cancelled without warning, resulting in my spending an entire Saturday sitting on my fat arse waiting for your technician to arrive. When he did not arrive, I spent a further 57 minutes listening to your infuriating hold music, and the even more annoying Scottish robot woman telling me to look at your helpful website....HOW?
I alleviated the boredom by playing with my testicles for a few minutes - an activity at which you are no-doubt both familiar and highly adept. The rescheduled installation then took place some two weeks later, although the technician did forget to bring a number of vital tools - such as a drill-bit, and his cerebrum. Two weeks later, my cable modem had still not arrived. After 15 telephone calls over 4 weeks my modem arrived... six weeks after I had requested it, and begun to pay for it.
I estimate your internet server's downtime is roughly 35%... hours between about 6pm -midnight, Mon-Fri, and most of the weekend. I am still waiting for my telephone connection. I have made 9 calls on my mobile to your no-help line, and have been unhelpfully transferred to a variety of disinterested individuals, who are it seems also highly skilled bollock jugglers.
I have been informed that a telephone line is available (and someone
will call me back); that no telephone line is available (and someone will call me back); that I will be transferred to someone who knows whether or not a telephone line is available (and then been cut off); that I will be transferred to someone (and then been redirected to an answer machine informing me that your office is closed); that I will be transferred to someone and then been redirected to the irritating Scottish robot woman...and several other variations on this theme.
Doubtless you are no longer reading this letter, as you have at least a thousand other dissatisfied customers to ignore, and also another one of those crucially important testicle-moments to attend to. Frankly I don't care, it's far more satisfying as a customer to voice my frustrations in print than to shout them at your unending hold music. Forgive me, therefore, if I continue.
I thought BT were sh*t, that they had attained the holy piss-pot of god-awful customer relations, that no-one, anywhere, ever, could be more disinterested, less helpful or more obstructive to delivering service to their customers. That's why I chose NTL, and because, well, there isn't anyone else is there? How surprised I therefore was, when I discovered to my considerable dissatisfaction and disappointment what a useless shower of bastards you truly are. You are sputum-filled pieces of distended rectum incompetents of the highest order.
British Telecom - w**kers though they are - shine like brilliant beacons of success, in the filthy puss-filled mire of your seemingly limitless inadequacy. Suffice to say that I have now given up on my futile and foolhardy quest to receive any kind of service from you. I suggest that you cease any potential future attempts to extort payment from me for the services which you have so pointedly and catastrophically failed to deliver - any such activity will be greeted initially with hilarity and disbelief quickly be replaced by derision, and even perhaps bemused rage. I enclose two small deposits, selected with great care from my cats litter tray, as an expression of my utter and complete contempt for both you and your pointless company. I sincerely hope that they have not become desiccated during transit - they were satisfyingly moist at the time of posting, and I would feel considerable disappointment if you did not experience both their rich aroma and delicate texture. Consider them the very embodiment of my feelings towards NTL, and its worthless employees.
Have a nice day - may it be the last in you miserable short life, you irritatingly incompetent and infuriatingly unhelpful bunch of twats.
Found this while surfing around and thought it was a great site for those of you who are looking for something fun to do online or maybe you just have a boring job and oodles of time to waste playing one of the millions of games found here.
Kinda like bored.com
Found this in the news this morning, looks like finally someone is grabbing a backbone and sending a clear message to the youth of BC to quit dangerous street racing in Vancouver.... After all, he DID kill someone performing an illegal act and given all the attention that street racing has in the media these days, it is about time someone pounded the message home, maybe this will do it - thank you. Instead of keeping the convicted locked up in our expensive prisons, spending our tax dollars - the court has decreed that deporting him to his own country for them to deal with would be best... thank you.... hmmm, maybe there is hope for our justice system after all.
Here's the link to the news story - thanks Canada.com
Man convicted of street-racing deported
Broadcast News
September 14, 2005
VANCOUVER -- A man convicted in a street-racing death is on his way back to his native India.
The Federal Court of Canada rejected an appeal by Bahadur Singh Bhalru to stay a deportation order.
At a press conference at Vancouver International Airport today, Bhalru made a brief statement to reporters surrounded by dozens of family supporters.
He says it's been an emotional time for his family and community.
Bhalru says India is the country of his birth but Canada is his home.
Yesterday, the judge ruled there is no evidence of possible harm to the 26-year-old or his family.
Bhalru, who immigrated to Canada in 1997, has been fighting to stay on humanitarian grounds, arguing he faces the threat of corrupt police in India.
Bhalru was involved in a street race that led to the death of 51-year-old Irene Thorpe in November 2000.
He and his co-accused were convicted of criminal negligence causing death.