Bell Legacy Package to end Shortly

  • Thread starter Thread starter jft436
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Well, I just opened my letter informing me that they will be upgrading my service as of Feb 2011 with a nice price increase. Called them up today to find out what sort of increase. I signed up with bell back in 2000 and pay $54/month. The packages they have chosen for my upgrade so I have at the minimum my existing channels will be $73/month. I asked her to cancel my account and then was put through to retentions. Pure ignorance, long time customer, have had my cell phone with them since the mid 90's, internet & satelite since 2000 (as well as home phone, but a year ago we switched to vonage) and I was told flat out that there was nothing they could do, if I didn't like it then I had 2 options, stay or go.

I really can't believe these people. I guess all that news last year about a new focus on customers was all BS.

I am staying until I can get 4 laptops together to start streaming via the net. Bell has definitely lost my confidence. I guess there is nothing for us devoted long term customers to do but shop around.

TV - $54 / mth
Internet - $45 / mth
Cell - $50 / mth

$149 / mnth

$1800 per year they will now lose from me.

They have already lost my phone service. I was paying $100-$150 / month on my phone and now I only pay $45

I'd be interested to know if that old clause would actually hold up.
 
BBC News is available in A LA CARTE but it is in the Favourites Package ( a 5$ add-on for 20 pre-selected channels).

I would imagine the take rate for the Favourites is high, given it includes such popular channels as CNN, MUCH, TLC etc.

To my knowledge, the only channels that are totally blocked out of A LA CARTE and Favourites are Speed, NFL Network, WSBK and GameShow network.

Hopefully Bell TV will accelerate negociations with these channels and get them on A LA CARTE quickly. I know Speed is a channel in particular that customers want to be able to choose individually.
 
I guess if you pick up a cheap 6141 or 9200/9242, that would work for the OTD HD recording.

Back on topic, I was asked by a neighbor to explain the self same letter yesterday, that they received.

I called Bell and asked the CSR who was very abrupt and told me that there was no way the Customer was only paying $24.99 for his Basic service. I went on to ask the CSR what the line item "1 Destination @ $6.99" was and he said he had no idea and could only 'guess'.....lol

Can anyone here tell me what channels they receive with "Destination".?

Still trying to figure out what package to advise them to go for, it will help if I know what they get now, I guess.
 
You would if you want to add HD channels, unless you get an agent who just adds in the legacy HD. There's not much to the Legacy HD package so you're actually better off switching.
 
Yes, this was discussed back in 2006, since they were trying to move people over then, and then backed down on the decision.

A programming platform is simply just the same channels arranged differently. No extra hardware is required; you don't need to buy a new receiver.

Genesis is ususally more expensive, especially when compared to a couple of really sweet packages on legacy programming.

However, a good agent can usually match a customer up with the right channels and not have a dramatic price increase. Sometimes it even works out better.

The bottom line is Know What You're Watching, and Do Your Research Before Changing to Genesis.
 
Hi im bumping up this thread again becuz today I was talking with my broker about something else in email and the broker said the CSR said we would have to give up THe Works soon. I'll start looking at the Bell website but has anyone heard when well lose the old pkgs and also what will happen if we don't pick a new pkg in time. Tnx.
 
Pinza I have a 9200 PVR and it will not work RECORD OTA programming unless I have programming with BELL.The CSR confirmed this fact for what it is worth

Tivio offers a pvr recorder called the premiere for 299 plus 12.00 rental fee per month but that unit will work in Canada but it is not sold here because it uses a cable card for cable use and few cable providers do that in Canada if any.

Best buy Canada does not sell that unit.

I surmise that the $5.00 increase is a wayfor Bell to force us to give up or legacy programming before the expiry date. Quite frankly I am tired dealing with Bell and how they treat their longtime customers. Retentions made me an offer which I will consider but I have made no decision at this point in time.
I have created a post on the OTA site.
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?p=1098412#post1098412
 
yes thats what I meant it isn't ala carte its only in a pkg. Ala carte means you take things one by one, right? Unless it means something different in Qebec French! The Favorites pkg doesn't have anything else we'd care about but we'd pay the $5 for BBC. Its in a pkg in the Ontario pkgs now, too, so if we have to change our pgming I guess were stuck with paying for a pkg to keep getting it.
 
I feel that Bell is not doing anything for their loyal customers who have been paying their bills month after month on time. They are rolling out the red carpet for new customers but I feel like we're just crap and they don't care. I have a co-worker that cancelled his Bell subscription yesterday. It makes me wanna do the same thing.
 
I believe the rumour is probably false. CSRs are always trying to get you to switch to current packages (I wonder if they get an incentive if they convert someone). Bell has offered "promos" including xx free movies and so on to get the legacy clients to migrate, probably unsuccessfully on the die hards who have low price packages.

Many of us have the "...guarantee your package as long as you remain a customer in good standing" clauses in the package based on being early adopters of ExpressVu back in 1998.
 
You get some basic HD channels with the $30 channel, as well as the HD channels that come with the movie network. To be honest, there is absolutely nothing that appeals to me in their HD list.
 
All the companies run practically the same way. Leave Bell if you like, go to Shaw Direct, and in 5 or 10 years you'll be saying the same thing again.
 
I was away on vacation and re connected my service with a very hepful agent from Bell.
I raised the issue of the Legacy package ending and he confirmed it. I asked what was the replacement package and the issue of grandfathering. He could not answer the question about grandfathering but his replacement answer to the alternate platform was surprising.

He told me once they get the program package working properly in Quebec that will be the package that will replace legacy. As I understand it you buy the individual stations and not a theme. But I beleive at the end of the day it is not much cheaper but offers a better selection of channels. The time frame for this will be soon whatever that means ?

Roman Centurion advice on changing to Genesis is very good as I have been tempted on the past to change tor a few dollars more but I am staying with Legacy.

When I started it was 9.95 and the HD was free, then things esclated from there to the present
 
BBC is not available A LA CARTE (one by one pick), but it is available in Favourites.

The way the new platform is structured, you cannot get the Favourites pack unless you first have chosen A LA CARTE 15, 20 or 30.

When I said BBC is available A LA CARTE, I meant that it is AVAILABLE. As opposed to WSBK, Speed, NFL and Game Show which are not available at all (A LA CARTE or Favourites) unless you choose a "TOP" package.

TOP packages are prepackaged groups of channels for 20$, 30$ or 60$ which have zero flexibility (no substitutes).

5$ for the Favourites is a good deal, given it has 20 channels in the pack.

I think Bell's attempt at A LA CARTE saves most people money, but it seems to have fallen short for a few people.
 
The problem with the American channels is that they are opposed to a la carte and don't want to be carried like that, so we are out of luck.
 
I was under the impression that it would work for OTA if it had Sat Signals....

I have a spare 9200 I will try that later and report back.

Not that I do not believe you, just that I have learned to question almost everything that comes out of Bell.....lol

EDIT;

The 9200 will record OTA with no problems as long as it is connected to a Satellite feed.
 
I just rcvd the letter also today.
If you want to talk long time customer, when I first subscribed:
- expressvu wasn't even bell yet
- my 24" sat dish said Dishnetwork Canada
- my echostar rcvr was a Dishnetwork 3500 (still using as of today)
- Nimiq 91 didn't exist - we were pointed at Anik with a linear lnb

I have kept the same channels all this time - sure the price has gone up and they've tried to get me to move to a newer package but I've always refused since it is all the channels I want/need.
I have been getting a little fed up with bell in the last while and I do plan to upgrade to HD, just not with bell.
Think I'll give Shaw Direct a chance for the next 15 yrs or so..........
 
Hey, peskeyjoe, I hear ya.

Just heard a new promo on the Radio today, offering a "Free HD PVR for 3 Years".

They still owe me for the 3 Free PPV Movies they charged me for in 2004......lol
 
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