phone cancellation on 2 year plan

[kvncrw46]

I'll be renewing our 2-year plan with Shaw soon...maybe...but the fees have really gone up, so we need to drop services, either a smaller TV plan or drop the phone. If I'm reading the conditions correctly, if we continue with a 2-year TV/internet plan, we can drop the phone separately later. Is that correct? If so, are there fees for discontinuing the phone service? Finally, how long till the box is removed, etc? Thanks 

[rstra]

The phone isn’t part of the value plan, so it can be dropped anytime without charge. Call Shaw.

[mdk]

@kvncrw46 -- if you continue with Shaw Internet, consider terminating the Home Phone service, and getting free (or low-cost) mobile-phone service, through Shaw Mobile at $0/month, if you bring your own compatible mobile-phone, and if you do not want to pay for any "data" access.

[mdk · Accepted solution]

@kvncrw46 -- we need to drop services, either a smaller TV plan

The "Small TV" plan offers a limited group of local channels -- basically what you could receive "over-the-air" with your own antenna -- for $25/month, plus $5/month for the TV box, plus taxes.

> or drop the phone. If I'm reading the conditions correctly, if we continue with a 2-year TV/internet plan, we can drop the phone separately later.

Be careful. Each "Value Plan" covers only Internet and TV services, not Shaw Home Phone, but you may be getting a discount for what Shaw used to call "The Triple Play" -- all three services -- rather than just "The Double Play", for just 2 services. So, not renewing Shaw Phone may affect the number and the value of the discounts.

> If so, are there fees for discontinuing the phone service?

If you reach the end of the 2-year Value Plan contract, there are no "penalty" fees. 

Shaw just switches you to their month-to-month plan, with no discounts.

> Finally, how long till the box is removed, etc? 

If you just "fall-over" to the month-by-month plan, and continue the Home Phone service, you do not return the adapter.

If you cancel the Home Phone Service, Shaw immediately slaps a fee for "non-return" onto your account. You must immediately return the adapter to Shaw.  Into a box, put the adapter and its power-supply and a piece of paper showing your account-number. Take the box to any Canada Post outlet. They will know to ship the box back to Shaw, at Shaw's expense. When Shaw receives the equipment, they will cancel the "non-return" fee from your account.  Keep the tracking-number that the Canada Post clerk will give you, to prove to Shaw, if necessary, that it has been shipped.

Note that Shaw Mobile has changed its fee-structure. To get $0/month (with no "data") cell-phone service, you must subscribe to "Fibre+ Gig 1.5" Internet. If you subscribe to a lower speed of Internet, the monthly fee is NOT "zero".  Existing $0/month customers seem to be "grandfathered" at that rate. 

Similarly, existing Shaw Mobile customers with "Fibre+ Gig" Internet service are staying at $25/month for "full" cell-phone service (including 25 Gb of "data"), while new Shaw Mobile customers need to have "Fibre+ Gig 1.5" Internet service to get the $25/month rate.

So, the "promotion" price of $0/month for Shaw Mobile, which lasted for a quite a while, has almost been eliminated.