Hi everybody - to continue the progress of my ending discount options for TV and home services, and even my cell phone.
I called a month ago out of curiousity to see how it may go with TV, Internet and Home phone - I was looking at 5.00 increase, plus the 3.00 increase. Where do the increases come from - one, they removed 75 with 500 cap and made it 75 mbs unlimited - I don't need it, so not happy with that increase - cost increases in general for the old familiar explanations of higher demand and improving services, I have come to expect. So that could bring it to 8.00 or 11.00.
I called in yesterday now that the notice is now on my bill. They tell you three months in advance, but I couldn't act upon any offers - why? - because I would lose some of the discuounts that are in place until June, so no benefit to do it now, so just gathered information.
Same price, but they stated it would be 8.00 increase with the Internet change and only 3.00 on TV standard increase. I could't get them to agree to break it all out at that time, so I couldn't actually see how it all worked out to that bottom line figure, which unfortunately, I have had to make calls backs, up to 9 months to get resolved in once case 5 out of 6 years on various changes of TV packages or cell phone changes. So I will still have to call back and get them to break it all down.
For an example of confusion, I asked about my 12.00 discount on my extra box which is 12.00. They said it was now only 5.00, and yet, my package overall was only going up without the regular increases by 5.00. Made no sense without the full breakdowns because, 7.00 less on the box discount and 5.00 more on Internet, comes to 5.00 overall - I asked that they break it out line by line, but since we weren't going ahead, she said call it back, it may be different - I laughed and said, it always is and I ask so many questions, because my experience is that the quoted package and mix has never been what I was told, so excuse me if I don't trust what I hear and write down and you confirm, I so often see something different when the agreement and invoice comes that I don't believe anything I am told anymore until I see it and always have expectation that I have to go at it a few times to get what was committed to me. But I hear that is similiar with other companies too. Nobody makes it simple for the customer, or the CSR!! She had a good laugh with me and said at least we both had a sense of humour over it. I noted that I can laugh most times because I don't have high expectations - and not really a good reflection of customer relations which she also agreed.
I keep it light with them - they don't set up the system and don't get paid that well and often are working insane hours and having to deal with a lot of concerns I suspect if the forum, FB and Twitter are any representations.
So come May bill, sometime between then and June 24th when the change occurs (11 days after the end of my billing period) and will take advantage of the full lower price I can get.
A couple of discussions remain.
1. Line by line what services are changing, prices, and discounts, BCB (they clarified that it is in place to sometime in Novemenber - can't remember the exact date).
2. A more confusing one is that they told me that I have the same channel mix, the same add on theme pak, the same single add-on channel and package, yet the current packages are not the same as you see on the web site, and when she pointed me to look at the new packages on the web site, I clarified that I had, and they are not the same as I currently received, and then she fumbled on an answer and said, oh my old package model with the bonus channel, the add-on channel, that is now in the new popular list, stay set up as they were - confused - I sure was.
I will have to spend time and have them walk through the channel mix.
She agreed that I would be best contacting cancellations, or as I said, customer relations, loyalty, retentions, whatever they are calling themselves that day (she got a kick out that one) - she had a great humour and because I am not rushed at the moment, we both could get a good laugh, I could gather the basic information and a set of questions for the future call when the time comes.
We had already spent about 45 minutes just working through what I learned above, so we both agreed that I would leave the breakdown of prices and services and channels for another call.
Reality is that I can't afford even the moderate increase they are suggesting, so I have to rejig and figure out what to drop.
I mentioned to her that I liked the wording of the notice.
"Our records show that the term for your service TV STAND-ALONE OFFER will be
ending on Jun 24, 2019. Once your service agreement term ends, your service
will automatically continue on a month-to-month basis and remain unchanged
(until changed or cancelled in accordance with your agreement). Alternatively, you
may choose to switch your plan, change service providers or cancel your service
without penalty."
I got three of these notices - one on TV-stand-alone offer, and one on TV/Internet bundle - even that is confusing in ots own way - thought I had a bundle, didn't realize I had a bundle and a stand alone offer on TV.
I joked with her about the statement (until changed or cancelled in accordance with your agreement) - I spent from last may trying to get that information of agreement, key order information, list of channels and invoice of changes documents, so in effect, all I had was a huge collection of emails between the President's office and a comittment by the legal department that they would prepare manual versions, as a glitch had caused the system to not be able to process my services properly, so they put together a package (no paperwork, just correspondence with a bunch of credits to bring it to the agreed price). She saw that in the notes and seemed quite surprised by it all and thanked me for my tolerance and staying with Rogers through all that trouble. I said, I guess either I am crazy, or just loyal, or just can't be bothered changing yet. Again, a good laugh.
But that is my experience with Rogers and renewing or changing plans - I never expect to go forward easily and my tight fundts, when I do agree on the phone then it needs to be correct, as what ever price I commit to is what I can afford at the time, not a penny more.
So I will do the deeper dive into everything, seeing what I have to drop to get to a price I can afford - now less than last year - less income due to poor performance on my wife's business and my fixed income, and Rogers price increases, and increases in so many other things - house taxes, gas, water, hydro, etc, etc, etc.
We are getting close to the point where we let TV go because the only reason we have stayed up until now has been our desire for HBO - now available on Crave without TV, and a few other prefered channels, so we will see what they can offer and whether we can get our channel mix to a level where we are paying mostly for what we like to watch,, not a huge number of unwatched channels, for a few - the joys of negotiating reality and making choices.
Back to the statement on the bill from earlier to close off - the ending statement "Alternatively, you
may choose to switch your plan, change service providers or cancel your service
without penalty."
I said, that is the reality of where I am and a choice for all - it is nice to see so explicitly stated, then I pointed out that I am glad to see it, but don't give Rogers credit for it - that is a CRTC mandated statement under the new TV/Internet codes.
So, I will try moving my plans around to make things affordable first, maybe change service providers and go for a mix of companies or models of service delivery, and nice that I can cancel without penalty.
3 months to do my research.
Just thought given our previous conversations, I would pass on my recent experience - not simple, very time consuming, lots of confusion along the way, still dealing with mistakes from a year ago that didn't impact my day to day bill, but makes the discussion of keeping my old plan a bit more difficult, but still doable with work from both sides as we don't have a simple document that I can read - the key order information document, as Rogers calls it, then explains in a paragraph that it is the Critical Summary (which the CRTC manadates) - they just had to use a different name, but also had to clarify the meaning as they still had to meat the mandate - just makes for more confusion, but it works.
So will I still be with Rogers after June - I don't know, depends totaly on what is offered and the budget and whether it is true value for my money and life needs, but it won't be because I got angry. I used to get angry, but now I just expect to have to go through confusion and for mistakes to occur that are frustrating for sure, but I am lucky in a way - disability prevents me from work, and I can still talk and use a computer, and have time to do this. Now if I was still working, my patience would be a lot thinner, and each person is only willing to put up with so much.
I guess I am a little bit crazy as mentioned before, loyal with a limit, and have worked hard at not getting angry or losing patience - I do cut calls off now and then and just try again, but I let them know that I will be mentioning our discussion, their name and the ID number of the call and time in my next call - I always wait at least a day. That some times gets them to take some time to work with me more.
I don't know what is worse - buying a car or doing Internet, phone and cable - but at least, the car I only do once every 15 years or so, but the experience generally is worse, although I just walk out of those too.
Here is to success in deciding what you will do with your notice when it comes. Oh by the way, the phone, not changing anything on that one.
Bruce
