The IT Nerd

I guess all the scrutiny from users who are ticked off about usage based billing must have caught Bell’s attention. That’s because they admitted today that they’ve been overcharging their Internet users because of a software “glitch”:

A Bell spokesperson confirmed the company’s software, which was provided by an outside vendor, has been pulled offline because of glitches. As they test the fix, the service remains offline but could be operational by as early as this week, the spokesperson said. Although Bell is not the only company that leases its networks to smaller Internet service providers (ISPs), as it is mandated to do by the regulator, it has found itself central to the debate since so many companies offer service over its vast network.

Now this isn’t new. Savvy Bell Internet users have been saying for a very long time that their software was faulty. But Bell always dismissed those claims. It’s nice to know that Internet users in Canada were right. Oh, but there’s more. Shaw wants to “consult” with users about usage based billing:

At the same time, Shaw Communications, a cable provider based in Calgary, announced on Tuesday that it would hold public consultations on usage-based billing for its own providers, even though the regulatory shift wouldn’t affect how they sell Internet access. Shaw’s customers have monthly download limits, but are not charged so-called “overage” charges for exceeding their set amounts — relying instead on a tactic used in the United States, where heavy users who go over are contacted about their contract terms. In the U.S., after being notified, customers who exceed the limit again in less than six months can be booted off.

My take?

A whole lot of consumers have been looking at their Bell, Telus, and Rogers Internet bills and comparing them to what they could get from other providers like Teksavvy and Acanac. In the process of doing so, they’re concluding that they can get better deals elsewhere. So the big three have to do whatever they need to to keep customers from defecting. If you want my advice, if you’re an Internet user on Bell, Telus, or Rogers, I would shop around for a better deal. Trust me, there are better deals out there and they’re not with the big three. Now if you’re Bell, Rogers, and Telus, my advice to you guys would be to offer your services at a fair and competitive price. Right now, it really looks like you’re ripping consumers off. That of course may have something to do with the fact that you are given the fact that Internet service from companies like Teksavvy and Acanac are way less than with any of the big three.

So big three, are you going to do the right thing?

This entry was posted on February 9, 2011 at 9:40 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Bell, Canada, Internet, Shaw. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.