Problem with outside line

[ssinfield]

It's been 14 months and my issue has not been dealt with at all.  Originally we had the 600 internet (for years with no issue, actually usually got over 700, sometimes as high as 800). Then in late Dec. 2019 we started getting speeds that were way less than half of that, hardwired, sometimes even as bad as 70-100 kb (keeping in mind I had been getting at least 50 mb since it was still Rogers @Home.  Called in many times, had techs out a couple times (first tech was first week of Jan. 2020.), and originally they told me it was my ethernet card/computer that was not capable of getting the speeds I was paying for despite the fact that it was the same one i had been using for years with no issue, and even though I physically showed one tech the actual specs/settings.

Went and purchased a new ethernet card just to be absolutely sure. That didn't help anything. Called back, kept having techs out who changed ethenet cables, coax cables and rambled on about noise on the line, but fixed nothing.  At some point I called in and was told that if i upgraded to the 1gb plan, it would do something with the firmware for the modem and it would fix the problem....so I upgrade.  Kudos to the rep for the slick sales tactic, but now instead of paying for 600 and getting 100-300, I'm now paying for 1gb and still get 100-300.  Those top end speeds are rare, and the wireless speeds are abyssmal.  Call in again and again, and have techs out, and still no fix.  ASk for a discount or something, but they say they can't do any refunds or anything until problem is fixed.  They won't even take off the pod rental.

 Speeds stay horrendous for months, they tell me they can't do anything because the issue is inside my home and by this point first covid lock down is in effect, but they tell me to maybe check my cables for any damage etc (despite them being all changed out during one of the first tech visits. I called in letting them know I rerouted/checked all cables running from inside access point to my router, nothing going through any splitters except in one spot where it couldn't be helped because I didn't have a long enough piece of coax (line runs from the basement wall across the ceiling up through my stairs along the upstairs hall baseboards then into my bedroom on the 2nd floor) and there has been only about a 25-50mb improvement at best.  I'm told they will send someone out but they're probably not going to be able to do much but I should go and buy coax long enough to not need that one splitter. That made me pretty angry, and i asked if the guy they were sending out couldn't just briing me some cable and leave it on the porch for me?  He asks how long of a piece, I guesstimate at least 60 feet.  He tells me that's not a standard amount and so that might not be possible, but he needs an exact measurement first and to call back with that and he'd add the notes to the call.  Called back the next day w/measurements he says he'll see what he can do but doubts they will leave that much cable for me, even though he agrees that if they came in the house they would use however much length was needed.

The next guy finally admits the issue is outside the house (around Aug now), which is what I have been saying for the better part of a year.  Since then it's gone back and forth between service calls getting booked, to 'it's being escalated', 'we're waiting on a special crew' back to 'just need a service call' and then 'escalating'. Keep getting told someone will get back to me, or they'll call with an update.  No on ever calls, no one ever updates me, most of the time I have to re-explain entire conversations because the 'extensive' notes the ppl on the phone are promising to document my account with are missing. 

Last call was about 3 weeks ago, was promised a call back on the following Monday, to follow up on the service call he booked. I told him i wouldn't be holding my breath because any follow up at all had yet to happen, and we'd see if he'd be the first to keep his word. There was no follow up, no service call, least not one that rang my bell, my service is still averaging the same speeds, though we did hit a record of 379 one day.

It's so hard to keep calling in, and repeating myself over and over and keep my cool...because I know it's that reps first time hearing my story.  I have been with Shaw since I was in my teens and until now they  have been very good to me and due to my own personal issues with Telus (used to work there) would prefer not to leave but come on...over 14 months is OUTRAGEOUS.  Oh and I got a price increase despite the 2yr agreement made on the 1gb package 2-3 before and also started getting charged for rent on modem. I'm now paying over $140 for 200-370mb internet....

[rstra]

Curious about what special crew that is needed, is it an extra long aerial drop, or underground? 

[mdk]

@ssinfield --  I got a price increase despite the 2yr agreement made on the 1gb package 2-3 before and also started getting charged for rent on modem.

Please read Shaw's "fine print". It freezes the prices on what they call "base" services (TV & Internet). As of 1-January-2021, every Shaw Phone customer got a $1 increase in their service, because it is not a "base" service.

I just renewed for another 2-year Value Plan, and I still have an offsetting "promotional" discount that matches the listed fee for the rental of the cable-modem. My new plan is only $8 more per month than the plan that I signed-up for, two years ago -- about a 4% increase per year. Plus, by renewing with 3 months left on my two-year plan, I got a one-time $25 "loyalty" promotion, which offsets the monthly price-increase for those 3 months.

> nothing going through any splitters except in one spot where it couldn't be helped because I didn't have a long enough piece of coax

If you used a "1-to-2" coaxial-splitter to join two runs of coaxial-cable, you will lose 3.5 decibels of signal-strength on each "output" from the splitter. There does exist a "female-to-female" coaxial-connector, that should be used, instead of the splitter, to avoid any loss of signal-strength.

> The next guy finally admits the issue is outside the house 

Other contributors on this forum have reported that the cable from their residence to the telephone-pole has either been:

• too tight, causing less-than-optimal tightness of connectors at each end,
• frayed cable, that sways in the wind, interrupting the signals,
• excessive summer heat, or heavy rains, also interrupting the signals.

It is disappointing that a "line crew" has not replaced that run of cable. Even during COVID-19, they can safely do their work.

[ssinfield]

Well the increase was due to the agent not updating the service agreement date.  So I only got the 'deal' for two months I had left on my last agreement.  So it was agent error, not starting my agreement terms over.

I'm signed up for the 1Gb plan and so far my best speed (wired) to date is 402).  Keep in mind I've been in the same unit for 10 years, modem's location has not changed, and when this started I was on the 650 plan; consistantly getting well over that sometimes close to 800...then one day it dropped to under 300.  Then continued dropping.  There were days when I was in the kb range....dial up range.  Before this issue started the guy who put in the cable, there were splitters everywhere...the one tech was surprised I ever got decent speeds at all LOL.  I was the one who disconnected everything down to the single splitter just trying to get to a useable speed when the techs couldn't come in when Covid first started.

I've been with Shaw since it was Roger's @Home.  My first cable internet I believe was 25gb.  Even when I worked for Telus i refused to switch services despite the fact that for phone/internet (Telus TV was just starting to roll out) I could have paid $25 for both with employee discount...and I was paying double that just for my internet lol.  Only time I've ever not been with Shaw was when I spent a brief time in Hanna and a stint in Wasa Lake...where I couldn't get Shaw.  So it's not lack of experience or understanding how their system works. 

It's the way it's being handled that's my problem.  I've only had one other incident that was lengthy and ongoing; noise on the line they couldn't find which was giving me very inconsistant speeds and drop offs, but they didn't charge me full price for service I wasn't receiving, they were in constant contact.  They also added in some extra cable packages etc for the hassle.

This time, however the line going to my house still has not been dealt with (First call in Dec. 2019) there have been promises of followups, escalations, special teams and call backs that never happen.  Not even one single phone follow-up out of probably 10 that have been promised to me.  I have to keep calling and re-explaining the whole story, and then having to argue that it is not an issue inside my home, to please read the notes etc.  And then it finally gets back to them sending out a tech.

The techs show up, confused as to what they are supposed to do, tell me a new line needs to be run to my house.  I tell them that I know that, because it's what the last 5 or 8 (I've lost count) techs have said.  They say they will put it in their report that it needs to be escalated and later, rinse, repeat.  I did find out from the last tech who came out that it's not only me but my whole side of the complex/crescent...basically everyone on this node is affected.  

The line going to my house (and later found out from a service call tech my whole side of the complex/crescent) still has not been dealt with.  They've continued to send out o.  I've been told there's a special team needed, that there's no special team at all. My issue being escalated was somehow removed and had to be re-escalated.  And after that call I have gotten some credits on my account.  So that has been nice, but the problem still is ongoing after 18 months which I feel deserves some better communication as to what's going on.

As of today (I called because our whole node is down/complete outage and figured I'd check in on the situation) I was told it was sent to the operations dept in April but nothing after that .  So I was told by the rep (who was super nice) "we may need to get a service call out to do another Field Referral done. I dug into it and they actually rolled out a truck to replace a piece of equipment on the box at the pole somewhere near by.  So we do need a Field Tech to request that a truck roll out to replace the cable."

So I have a service call on the 7th.  That's the update.

[mdk]

@ssinfield -- on March 1, I helped a friend move to a new (to her) house. Due to her sensitivities to odors, she demanded that Shaw dispatch a tech at 8 AM, as their first service-call of the day. So, to oblige her, the first-available 8 AM booking was on March 6. She turned-down a mid-morning appointment on March 4 -- 2 days earlier.

When the tech arrived, and he immediately noticed that there was NO coaxial-cable from the telephone-pole to her house.  Turns out that the previous tenant had "Telus-everything".  So, the Shaw tech could not do anything, because he came alone, and did not come with a "cherry-picker" truck to go up the telephone-pole. He called his dispatcher, and scheduled a "line crew" (two-person team) to come with the correct truck. To Shaw's credit, that line crew arrived only 3 days later, and did everything that was needed to get her connected. 

I consider that to be good service.

In your case, I can see that getting the Shaw "infrastructure" repaired is not the typical service-call. Did Shaw not notice that the issue affected consecutive houses? Did you poll your neighbours, to give a "hint" to Shaw?