I truly hate my ISP...

Bean · 04-25-2011, 12:09 AM

So I get internet through Bell Aliant. Essentially a monopoly in the atlantic provinces. We have another major ISP (Rogers) but Aliant has the monopoly on phone service whereas Rogers is cable.

So Aliant has a policy (that they deny vehemently) of lowering peoples internet speeds for as long as they can get away with yet still charging for higher speeds.

Basically, I subscribe to a package where I'm supposed to get 7mbps. After a month or so of great service, my speed dropped to about 1.5mbps (Exactly the rate of the package beneath mine. What's going on is that Aliant doesn't have the bandwidth available in NB for all the super connections they sell. So, they continue to sell (kinda like overbooking a flight) and then after a customer has had service for a few weeks, cut them down to the lower speed. Now, I can only surmise that if they do this to enough customers, there will be a large portion who don't notice and continue on like that.

Well, customers like me notice. So I call, complain, it gets fixed (all the while with complete denial that anything was wrong) and I go on my merry way. Well, a month or so later the process starts all over again. So, the following is the email I just shot off to them.

Quote:

Dear Aliant,

After the first few months of service with Aliant I noticed a dramatic drop in my internet speed. I went from averaging around 600-700 kb/s to around 250 kb/s.

When the problem persisted for several weeks I called Aliant tech support. I was told that there was nothing wrong with the service. At first the representative informed me that the advertised speed included a caveat stating "up to" the advertised speed.

I remarked how I could subscribe to the internet package one down from my current one and get the same speeds I was getting for less money.

I was put on hold for several minutes after which time I was asked to run the speed test again. I did and lo and behold my speed was back up to the 600 to 700 range. I asked what the problem was and was told again that there hadn't been a problem. Apparently it's a TOTAL coincidence that the problem that had persisted for several weeks went away at the EXACT MOMENT I was on the phone with tech support. Yeah, gotcha. (wink wink)

Now, a couple of weeks later I've noticed another significant drop off in my speed. While not as severe as previously, it is still a large difference. Last week, my average speeds dropped to about 500 kb/s. Now this week it's gone lower. Averaging around 350 kb/s. What's most notable about THIS time, is that it seems to be decreasing incrementally on a weekly basis, but again, I'm sure there's not actually any problem right? (wink wink, nudge nudge)

I've done my research, I've heard from several people who have previously worked for your company and am very much aware of Aliants unacknowledged policy in regards to hindering users speeds for as long as you're able to.

I am not writing to you to seek acknowledgement of this, nor am I writing to you looking for tech support as the problem is undoubtedly once again "not really there" despite glaring evidence to the contrary reflected by the consistent speed drop offs.

I'm writing to you to make you aware that the next time I have to contact Aliant about my speed decreasing drastically, it will not be to receive tech support. It will be to have my service disconnected at which point I will return to Rogers. While Rogers currently has a monthly bandwidth cap (which is the reason I went with Aliant to begin with) their speeds are consistent. They don't play with their users speeds, then treat said users like idiots by denying there was ever a problem.

Please see to it that you mark this in my account information so that the next time someone goes to adjust my speeds, they will do so knowing they'll be losing a customer and providing one to the competition, and most likely earning your company a call to the Better Business Bureau.

Just another one of your dumb schmuck customers,
A.Smith

I fully expect a generic email in response that both denies the existence of such a policy, as well as anything being wrong with my speeds. It will probably include some quip about peak traffic hours (despite my speeds being consistently at the levels mentioned) and thank me for my continued business. It may even include a phone number so I can contact one of their ridiculously useless customer support reps.

Ah well, I'm actually looking forward to the subsequent phone call to disconnect my service, and then the call to the BBB after that.

Brikar · 04-25-2011, 03:46 AM

You might also want to attempt the EECB - Executive Email Carpet Bomb. CEO's HATE getting emails from customers, and often end up giving the customer what they want to shut them up.

Bean · 04-25-2011, 08:16 AM

I never even thought of that... I'm gonna wait till I get the inevitable canned response telling me there's nothing wrong before I do that.

Closet Racist · 04-25-2011, 10:24 AM

Quote:

"Dear sir or madam,

Thank you for using Bell Aliant. We appreciate your concern..."

.

Bean · 04-25-2011, 11:07 AM

Omg CR.. that's not even funny...

Bean · 04-26-2011, 01:57 AM

Wow.. they didn't even respond despite the promise on their website to respond within one business day.

For the record though, I know the email was received and read by someone. My speeds are back up to 700 or so...

NX-47 · 04-29-2011, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Brikar stopped drinking long enough to mumble

You might also want to attempt the EECB - Executive Email Carpet Bomb. CEO's HATE getting emails from customers, and often end up giving the customer what they want to shut them up.

That's a great idea.

Also... might be interesting to take this to Reddit to see what shitstorm might brew from there....

04-25-2011, 03:46 AM	#2 (permalink)
Brikar The Dude Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 3,606	Re: I truly hate my ISP... You might also want to attempt the EECB - Executive Email Carpet Bomb. CEO's HATE getting emails from customers, and often end up giving the customer what they want to shut them up. __________________ "A million monkeys typing until the end of time will produce the complete works of William Shakespeare. Ten thousand monkeys typing for ten thousand years will write a Hemingway. Ten monkeys typing over Columbus Day weekend will give you a Dan Brown." http://olympusmans.blogspot.com http://benforrealz.blogspot.com

04-25-2011, 08:16 AM	#3 (permalink)
Bean The Awesome One Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: Canada eh! Posts: 5,055	Re: I truly hate my ISP... I never even thought of that... I'm gonna wait till I get the inevitable canned response telling me there's nothing wrong before I do that. __________________ "I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. I've tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing." --James T. Kirk

04-25-2011, 11:07 AM	#5 (permalink)
Bean The Awesome One Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: Canada eh! Posts: 5,055	Re: I truly hate my ISP... Omg CR.. that's not even funny... __________________ "I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. I've tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing." --James T. Kirk

04-26-2011, 01:57 AM	#6 (permalink)
Bean The Awesome One Join Date: Dec 1969 Location: Canada eh! Posts: 5,055	Re: I truly hate my ISP... Wow.. they didn't even respond despite the promise on their website to respond within one business day. For the record though, I know the email was received and read by someone. My speeds are back up to 700 or so... __________________ "I haven't faced death. I've cheated death. I've tricked my way out of death and patted myself on the back for my ingenuity. I know nothing." --James T. Kirk

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