Sent message below to Better Business Bureau, going to CR...

[santamj]

Sent message below to Better Business Bureau, going to CRTC next and then media.  I had a response from CBC to inquire further about what has happened to me. I am not going to stop until this is resolved as this is just wrong.  

"On September 29th, 2020 my 2 year plan expired with Shaw and would then be charging me $240 for Internet, Cable TV and Phone. I called Shaw and they then signed me into another 2 year plan for $179. I guess in the fine print of the agreement it says that I can cancel this within "only 10 days" without penalty of $20 per month or $480 if it is shortly thereafter. I believe this is extremely unfair because I had a representative come to my door only 15 days after signing up with Shaw to offer me a $99 plan (without any penalties if cancelling early other than $100 for the installation charge that was waived) for a TV package with more channels and Internet that would be 1.5 Gb in speed vs only 600 mb from Shaw. When I called Shaw and said I wanted to escalate the matter, they said a Manager/Supervisor would call me back within 24 hours. It has been 2 weeks and I cannot get anyone to call me back and when I call the main number they say that the supervisor reviewed the file and that they will only apply $100 credit. I do not think this is acceptable and their customer service was never like this. They were always much better than Bell in the past. I am disappointed and cannot find any escalation process with Shaw and I believe that getting out of these contracts should not be this difficult. I have been a customer for over 25 years and feel that all of the funds I have contributed to this company is for nothing. The CRTC needs to stop these extreme cancellation fees. If I am not receiving any service from them why would I need to pay an ongoing $20 monthly cancellation charge? It makes no sense. I will pay the $20 for the first month but do not feel I should have to pay after that. Also, on my first call to them when I wanted to remain and give Shaw the opportunity to match it, the lady was rude and told me that I would be sent to collections if I didn't pay the fee of $480. I have seen other complaints and wonder if there is another avenue I can take.

[g-idk]

Hi @santamj , lol all I can say is good luck with that.  Why would anyone sign and agree to a contract without reading all the small print.  Shaw is no different that say Telus or any major Telco, they all have cancellation fees when you sign for a 2 or 3 year contract with strict stipulations, only in special promotions or special circumstances would that be waived.  I have a 2 year value plan with Shaw personally and I darn well know that if I cancel of course I'm going to be charged for the rest of the term.  Well like I said earlier I wish you Good Luck and hope for a mutually agreeable solution to this matter for you.  This is a peer to peer forum so don't know how much impact this post will have for you.  

[cpmrich36]

you can file for small claims and or force to cancel without penalty, crtc needs to step their game to get Shaw to stop gauging their customers.  hope small claims will be a good avenue.  competition bureau might be good too

good luck.  santamj

[g-idk]

Hi again @santamj I need to apologize for the lol in my post that was not called for, but I stick with the rest.  I am sorry that you are going through this mess.  To me though it is not much different than when you sign a 1 year lease on an apt, if you decide to leave early then legally the landlord can demand however many months are remaining on the lease.  Ie. if you left after 2 mos. you will owe the landlord 10 mos. rent.  There are many many buildings that do this sort of thing and there are some like where I live that will let you out with a 300.00 penalty, this is all legal, not morally correct but none the same legal.  But I do honestly wish you a mutually agreeable solution.  You can also file a complaint directly with Shaw by scrolling down to the bottom of this page after reading this and under the section About Us near the bottom you will find Your Voice, click on this link to file your concerns and complaints directly with Shaw, and there is also information there to contact the CCTS or CRTC for further follow up. Hope that might be an avenue for you.  Good Luck and Stay Safe. 

[mdk]

@santamj --  I had a representative come to my door only 15 days after signing up with Shaw to offer me a $99 plan (without any penalties if cancelling early other than $100 for the installation charge that was waived) for a TV package with more channels and Internet that would be 1.5 Gb in speed vs only 600 mb from Shaw.

It probably was a TELUS representative, because TELUS (and BELL) are offering 1.5 Gigabit speeds.

Twice this year -- once pre-COVID, once last week -- TELUS representatives offered to "buy me out" of my current Shaw two-year Value Plan, i.e., offering me up to $200 of "credit" with TELUS to offset the pain of paying Shaw's cancellation fee.  So, contact TELUS, to see if this "buy-out" offer is available to you.

Finally, Shaw is not a monopoly in the Internet Provider business. You have the right to pick any other provider, at whatever pricing and contract-terms that they may offer.

[rstra]

From the CRTC website. 

“When businesses compete, the CRTC does not intervene in the retail rates that are charged to customers. The CRTC is also not directly involved in their billing and marketing practices, quality of service issues, and customer relations”

Not sure why someone would agree to a price, accept a contract and then complain because another company has a cheaper price As @mdk mentioned, get the other provider to pay for the buyout. 

[eltayeb67]

My 2 yrs contract ends on July 3rd, so they are billing me from May 23rd to Jun 22nd. this way you will always have 10 days difference they can play with.
of course there is no customer loyalty anything, they called and give me the awesome news that I can still pay what I was paying in the last 2 years for another 2 years for the same services, I was pay $220 for Blue Curve 300. which I know I was over paying to start with. I'm really done with this company, they lost their customers trust. 

[cpmrich36]

maybe you got wrong rep, some reps can give you better, they called last week and the offered 50 for 300 down with 200 bill credit but im with sasktel 300 with 150 upload as shaw only 100 up and read not very reliable as it all wireless.  hope you get a better rep.  i could give the number they called me from 18334127429

[mdk]

@cpmrich36 -- i could give the number they called me from 1-833-412-7429

When I did both a Bing-search and a Google-search for 833-412-7429, most of the user-submitted responses called this number a "scammer".

However, when I called this number, it was Shaw ("one moment please, transferring you to Shaw Customer Service").

So, given how easy it is to "spoof" Caller-ID information, it could have been a scammer that "spoofed" the telephone-number, when they called you.

> shaw only 100 up and read not very reliable as it all wireless.

How often will you need 150 Mbps for upload through SaskTel, rather than only 100 Mbps through Shaw?

For me, Shaw has been "reliable" for many years. But, when I signed-up with Shaw, they offered just 5 Mbps for download. Soon, I got free upgrades to 7.5 Mbps, and then to 10 Mbits/second. Today, I'm happy with 300 Mbps for download. Only rarely do I see a web-site that can deliver to me at that speed. Going faster (and paying more) might be necessary, if there was more than just me simultaneously using the Internet in my home.

If your WiFi is not "reliable", contact Shaw Support, and get them to trouble-shoot. 

[mdk]

@eltayeb67 -- awesome news that I can still pay what I was paying in the last 2 years for another 2 years for the same services

I wish that I could today purchase lumber & gasoline at their prices from 2 years ago.

As of June 1, the minimum wage in BC went up, and its only the employers who are complaining about paying more than what they paid their employees two years ago.  Also, the "server wage" went away.