Bell TV: Price increase again?

  • Thread starter Thread starter alienc
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This is getting crazy, price increases, all the time. I think I should go to starchoice, as they don't have price increases like Bell!
 
Finally got my bill earlier this week. Amount of the increase was exactly as indicated a month ago ($2.00). One dollar extra for Digital Standard (now $32.00) and one dollar extra for 6 SD theme packs (now $26 in total). Also billed for old HD pack ($10.00), one standard SD receiver ($3.00) and lastly the infamous Digital Service Fee ($3.00). Grand total is now $74.00 where before it was $72.00. All of this before taxes of course.
 
If that's the big complaint then they got something right.

Is that like saying if you don't like it then why don't you go back to where you came from.

Hay guys! all I'm saying is Bell pricing is more and more like buying a cat in a bag. :(
 
My point exactly. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to this increase. I guess we'll have to wait for our next bill to find out what costs have changed.
 
Spun14, you've got it right but so what? All of us with Bell signed the contract. There was nothing said in it about keeping the same price for the life of the deal. One sided? Yes. But we all knew or should have known what we were getting into. Why complain now?

I'm also not so sure about your rationale for this increase. My Bill goes up by $2.00 only. I'm taking Basic+6 SD Themes+Old HD Package ($10)+4100 receiver. I own my own 9200 HD PVR. Since I'm only seeing a $2 increase I'm still paying less than I would on the new HD themes deal if I were to take them all five themes.
 
Well, based on some of these other posts my increase of $1 seems rather low. I have all the theme packs, Base Num
 
Reading through this forum I think I can tell you why people don't complain about *Choice as much. In brief there seems to be a pathological hatred towards Bell. I'd bet you that if Bell lowered their rates people here would still somehow find something wrong with the reduction. Bell can do nothing right in many people's minds.

Strangely despite this they still have millions of subscribers (who obviously don't read this forum).
 
It looks like I am the "Winner" (not). I just got my bill and my cost is going up $5.00 :( in January 2009. I have not seen anyone else list this amount yet.
 
After finding some more info on the Bell website and then phoning to downgrade my programming, I think I now understand the pricing for HD timeshifting for the U.S. networks:
  • The (no-longer-available) $10 "HD Value Pack" included both the "nearer" and the "further" (that is, timeshifted) U.S. network HD channels, regardless of whether or not you received the U.S. SD timeshifts. This is the Pack that I have now dropped.
  • Ever since the HD channels were recently organized into HD Theme Packs, the nearer U.S. network HD channels have been "free", that is, included as part of Digital Standard. Furthermore, the timeshifted U.S. HD channels have been free to anyone subscribing to 4 or more HD Theme Packs. Otherwise, you have to pay an extra $1 to get the timeshifted U.S. HD channels.
  • The $1 for HD timeshifting is separate from the $1 for SD timeshifting. The latter is included in "Digital Basic" and you have to explicitly ask to drop it.
If anyone knows or learns anything different, please let me know!

Anyway, instead of my bill going up by $5, it will now be going down by $14 (by dropping 4 of 6 SD Theme Packs, dropping the HD Value Pack, but keeping the HD timeshifts). Thanks, Bell, for the incentive to take a good look at which channels I really care to receive.
 
Finally got notification of my increase. $4.
I called to get a breakdown of what the increase is.
Digital standard is going up by $1.
The "5 SD themes" pack is going from $20 to $23.
 
It's the Goliath mentality although Bell isn't exactly the Goliath it once was. Rogers might take up that post soon.

-Mike
 
As a sidebar, you would think our subcription fees would go down since Bell has outsourced customer service to India! Pass on those savings Bell!
 
I can't agree that there was "more to watch when I only had three channels".

Here's a thought though: consumer inflation is up 473% since 1970. That $4.95 ought to $23.41 in today's cash. For three channels.

Many of us here subscribe to around 200+ channels and pay $60ish monthly or more. We are also getting WAY better picture quality and access to dozens of channels filling our own niche needs that were unthinkable in 1970.

I dunno: it looks to me that the sheer "entertainment value" we get from our cable/satellite subscription is actually pretty good.
 
$5 increase showing up on my latest bill. 6 themes + movies went up $4.

Then I get a nice letter from Bell the other day telling me how they've added HBO and SN to my package "at no additional charge..." :rolleyes:
 
In fairness to Bell, what price increases are you talking about. My bill hasn't changed since last Jan. Most businesses raise their rates about once a year. That's all this latest increase seems to be.
 
I don't think that will last long if I remember correctly 828,838 were on free preview till Jan 09.It would not surprise me if you have to purchase the theme to get them. $5 more ?
 
On this months bill, my increase notification shows on page 3, directly above the detailed monthly breakdown of the charges.
 
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