Another BEV price increase?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Granite
  • Start date Start date
"Gloucester, they're always from Gloucester" (in a thick Boston accent)

-from the movie "The Perfect Storm". ;)
 
Just to make the client feel you are doing something exceptionnal, something you don't do for all clients...

Agents were told to do that when client call to deactivate due to the price increase too...
 
What really bothers me is that Bell ExpressVu advertises that they have a 100% digital service. So a bolt-on digital services access fee is ridiculous.
Bell--if you can't loft a new satellite without increasing your prices, then increase your prices and explain why. Don't dress it up as some bogus fee.
Who ARE YOU trying to fool? The marketplace will decide if your product is worth the price.

I'm waiting for the gas stations to clue into this little scam. With oil over $100 per barrel, perhaps ESSO stations will offer gas for 98 cents a liter, but they'll add a $20 "petroleum access fee" at the pump!
 
I wonder if 2008 programming brochures will include the $2.99 fee as part of the regular price point? Or will it be like Bell Home Phone for $19.95 only to read the fine print and discover this includes a $10 discount -- $5 for a Bell Home Phone bundle, $5 for another Bell product bundle discount -- but all of it taken off the Home Phone product price point. Then there is the $2.80 "touch tone" fee, etc etc. That "$19.95" grows for almost $35 before taxes if all yuo want is the darn phone service.

Legally misleading? Maybe not. But mis-representing the facts, yes. Your bill won't be anywhere near $19.95.

Hopefully, the previous Bell ExpresVu strategy, "making it simple", where there were genuine "all-in-one" pricing, won't be thrown out the window. Somehow I doubt if the $2.99 will be included going forward in advertising -- just the legal. Another sad day in Bell marketing IMO.
 
It is disappointing since Bell ExpressVu pricing prior to the buyout was reasonably transparent -- a laudable business practice.

Back in the summer, a new subscriber could get "Digital Standard" for $34/mth and it was advertised this way as an "All-In-One" solution.

Today, without any price increase, this same "solution" is $38. How?

Digital Standard is $32 (that's $31 + $1 for optional US time-shifting which you have to ask to decline or you get it automatically)

+

$3 rental for the SD receiver

+

$3 digital service fee (not to be mistaken for a price increase)

==========

$38/mth or almost 12% higher than the summer. I guess they have to find some way to pay off all the new debt.

(The interest payments will run to about 6 million dollars per day. The debt payments alone significantly are greater than the entire Gross Revenue from Bell ExpressVu before a single dollar is spent on providing the service -- salaries, programmers, satellites, call centres, buying receivers to sell to subscribers, etc.)
 
i looked at ebay...9200's were going for about $450 and a 5900 was going for about $200...might be an option if you want to offset the cost of purchasing any other types of decent hardware.

i still think the rogers trade in deal is a pretty good offer though.
 
I have relatives that refuse to subscribe to EV because they hate Bell. I will be the same soon, because I hate the way EV has treated it's customers lately, especially it's legacy and HD customers. It's getting so I hate to turn on the TV due to the ridiculous number of technical problems with EV HD. The same goes for *C. That leaves Rogers but with CRTC regs the way they are I might just take another option. The only reason I am staying with EV for now is due to receiver investment. Once I can write that off, I'm gone for good.
 


All clients suscribed after this summer (I don't have the exact date) automatically have the US extra feed. It is not an option for them to remove it and have the Digital Standard at 31$ instead of 32$. As soon as they enter Digital Standard when they create the programming they get the "new one" which includes the US extra feed.
 
It is hidden in that it is not advertised prominently in the literature. EV advertises hundreds of channels for $xx. Then when you get your first bill it's $xx + $3, or worse. These types of charges are rarely disclosed to new customers unless you look for them or ask. I've even had Bell reps blatantly lie to me about these charges by saying none would be applied. When they showed up on my bill no compensation was offered.
 
You would get about the same thing from the greedy pirates at Rogers.
It's funny the way the two transmission methods work out to the same cost to consumers.
You might want to "find the alternative".
 
If they would have sent a seperate paper to tell you would ou have read it, or justthrow it away?
 
Thats right, I remember now that you escaped the evil clutches of Express Vu a while ago.

I too escape this Friday, enough is enough.

You can only bang your head agains a wall for so long.
 
Bell had multi rec. fee years ago and many people still have that programming.

When I see the fee I will call them up and complain with my argument being that they told me no more fees if I move to the new packages.
 
Rogers VIP package is "as low as" $58.97 with up to 225 digital channels and 24 timeshifting channels. God only knows what's really included here, their website bites.

And while Rogers does increase rates as well, they rarely get into the range of the ExpressVu/Star Choice annual $3 grab plus all the fun fees that they levy every now and then.
 
We are on the one bill system through the internet and have not received any notice regarding a price increase. In the past such information was available but was not there this week when I paid the bill. Currently have the HD package.
 
oddly enough, one place i saw it at sold Bell products too...i thought that was quite funny.
 
I have a new item under "Programming charges" of "Le Special Gros Appetits" $3.00, only taxes listed under "Fees and Taxes". The rest of the bill is english, so would this the new service fee? I would expect they would be able to list it under "fees and taxes" and put it in ENGLISH, or are they just hoping I don't notice? I'm already peeved about not getting my $100 credit I was promised in November. Never really had a problem before, but it sure makes me want to look at other options.
 
Well I hate ALL things Bell so I may have just thrown it away.

I do not know the correct way to inform all customers but I do know that Starchoice have, or did have, a message system where it would tell them about important issues that were coming soon. I guess it's too much to ask that Express Vu do this.?
 
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