Shaw causes most connection issues themselves

[canukhed]

Even with a router, if Shaw's modem has connection issues, nothing will work.  Shaw will never admit the issue is on their end unless there are visible signs of ground disturbance by their crews in the field.  Online Shaw agents keep the customers busy by getting them to restart/reboot their own equipment multiple times until suddenly, the agent says "I'll book you a service call", and nothing changed.  That's to make the customer think that everything that could possibly be done was done by the customer.  I remember when over the phone, a Shaw agent could fix 90% of problems from their end.  Now, they are given limited tools that they won't use unless the customer requests them use those tools, and limited authority to perform fixes.  My simple fix which the online agent won't do is just to reactivate my modem because it simply got inactivated by their nationwide maintenance a few days ago. But instead I have to wait a week for a tech to come out to do the same thing, and I'll probably just end up getting a modem replacement to make me feel better, in their world.  This same scenario happened a year ago with Shaw's nationwide maintenance then as well.  Their Bluecurve TV system sucks.  Menus get slow, slow to change the channels, takes up to a half hour to reboot the TV boxes.  This is all from their end.

[mdk]

@canukhed -- quite a rant.

Shaw Agents can remotely logon to your cable-modem, to view signal-strength reaching your device, and other measurements that the device is recording.

Shaw Agents have access to the record for your account that shows every "outage". If you need proof of repeated outages, the Shaw Agent can review the record.

I had a much-older PVR that got deactivated when I upgraded to the Arris Gateway. The Shaw Agent was able to reactivate it, over the telephone. Scheduling a visit by a service-technician to make a "click-here" change is not the cost-effective method. Perhaps, the Shaw Agent needed more training on how to use the electronic "tools" at their disposal.

[canukhed]

I talked to dozens of shaw agents and had techs here multiple times, and some say wait for the tech and others say my signals are down, but never a fix.  SO YA, QUITE A BLOODY RANT. 

Lots of agents have looked at the levels on my equipment, and since I've been with Shaw for almost 20 years,  I know all that they do to look at my equipment and do nothing.  You said the Shaw agent needed more training.  Over 10 years ago almost every Shaw agent on the phone could diagnose and fix the issue from their end.  Now, most have limited tools and don't use them unless the customer pushes them to do so, and even then they are not authorized to completed most of the fixes from their end.  I went through around 7 agents this past week to find out why I had no internet and sluggish TV, and only when I uploaded the levels that I found on my Modem myself did that one agent actually say "Oh good, I'll give that to the tech for when they come to your house".  SMH.

You don't know even a small part of the story of the runaround Shaw has been giving me over ten years.  Their lines are getting old an corroded and every year the connections get worse and worse.  Yet, they want us to spend the money to upgrade, instead of them.

[mdk]

@canukhed -- another fine rant. It's too bad that there are so few contributors to this forum -- not many Shaw customers will see your message.

> Their lines are getting old an corroded and every year the connections get worse and worse.  Yet, they want us to spend the money to upgrade, instead of them.

A few people on this forum have reported that Shaw has (eventually) replaced their coaxial-cable between their "demarcation box" (on the outside of your house) and the nearest telephone-pole, and that resolved those peoples' issue, at no charge to the Shaw customer.

As I have previously written, any upgrade from a "grandfathered" Internet plan, e.g., from "Internet 300" to "Fibre+ Plus 300", will NOT result in any changes to your cable-modem, nor inside their demarcation box, nor on the cable connecting to their box on the telephone pole. So, "upgrading" will not help.

Instead, ask the Shaw Agent to remotely logon to your cable-modem, to view several statistics, including "signal-strength" reaching your modem.

[Jenschafer]

I'm a long time customer of Shaw, about a year ago I started having problems with black screen and freezing since then I've called multiple times had a dozen technicians to the house and it still isn't fixed. In fact a booked appointment for today once again but I expect nothing to change. One tech said they are waiting for parts to fix our equipment it won't work as it is, at least one person was honest.

[rstra]

@Jenschafer  What do you mean black screen and freezing? What exactly is the problem?

[mdk]

@Jenschafer --  had a dozen technicians to the house  ...

Did any of them climb the nearest telephone-pole, and check the connector where the coaxial-cable from your residence connects to the Shaw equipment on the pole?  While up there, did the technician cut off the connector, and replace it?

Did any of them open the Shaw "demarcation box" on the outside of your residence, and do the replacement of the connector, and also a replacement of the coaxial "splitter" that feeds the various cables inside your residence's walls?

Did any of them use their software tools to view the signal-strength reaching that box, and the signal-strength reaching each of your connected devices (home phone, cable-modem, TV box) ?