To: [email protected]

From: John R.

Date: September 16, 2003 2:24 AM

Subject:

Hello fellow ranters;

In my previous rant, I was in the process of fighting my case with Rogers and Dependable IT, regarding my missing Bell ExpressVu equipment and resulting Digital Terminal charge.  Well, read the Sept. 10'th rant from me, John R. to learn the story.

(Located through this Link — JOHN R. 3^rd link from the top)

I'm writing to say that Rogers has finally credited my account the $200 for the Digital Terminal.  But, to get that credit finally pushed through, I had to hound them for TWO WEEKS!

Dependable IT still doesn't know what happened to the equipment.  Oh well, so what.  I got my money, right?  I'd rather not relax just yet, thanks.

I'm still waiting for a letter from Rogers to resolve me of any further responsibilities for the loss of my old equipment because of the incompetence of the people they hire to do their work.  I don't want them to come back on me when they still can't find this equipment.  Now, you say, "well you got your money back, they won't bother you again..."  Bull.  I'd rather not take that risk after the CRAP I've been through, and from what I've read on this site.

Why Rogers would call me, asking me to come back to them as a customer and treat me the way they have is frustratingly beyond me.  Why in the world would you treat people that are solely responsible for the very reason you EXIST at all??????

Rogers Communications, Rogers Cable, Rogers Wireless, Rogers ETC!!!!  - - - You can all take a long, hard, suck on my ^^&&#$$% and rot in hell!!!!

Boy ranting feels good!  Now then... where are those cable cutters?  I've got some work to do....

John R.

IhateROGERS.ca Comments

Get it all out John. Ranting does feel good. This the outlet for all of your ROGERS woes. You and all of Canada. Only I would rethink the prospect of letting them "suck on your ^^&&#$$%". Chances are they’ll show up late to do it or they might try leaving in the middle, they won’t know how to properly make the connection, the speed will be all wrong and when they’re finished you still won’t be satisfied.

To: [email protected]

From: Terrence E.

Date: September 17, 2003 10:49 PM

Subject: Rogers Rant

hi, I'm writing a letter to try to help the people getting screwed by Rogers, I was a customer service rep for Rogers wireless up until about a month ago when I left to finish my engineering degree. Anyways, the main thing to do is not get too upset with the reps, it does not help you at all, it works against you. Personally, when I talked to someone having problems, if they were reasonable, I tried to help them everyway possible. But when someone calls and they are yelling, swearing, or generally acting like an idiot, they got absolutely nothing that they weren't legally entitled to. People who's monthly minutes were screwed up, if they were nice, they usually got something in return, it may have been small, but something, like free caller id, voicemail, extra minutes, or even if they did go over their minutes, remove the charge for the overage. But if they called yelling and screaming about it, id keep them on the phone for an hour and count every single minute just to piss them off for annoying the shit out of me. Now, things you should know are some of the things you can get away with and help yourself, remember, I dealt with wireless exclusively, so may not work for cable or internet, but with wireless, they do have 'goodwill credits' as per policy, a customer can receive one every 6 months up to $75.00. The trick to getting something like this is through the original rep, not a supervisor. Supervisor's will not give something like this out, they are told specifically to back up the original rep, unless that rep is actually wrong. I've seen people get offered some really good deals but not take them and want a supervisor to get more. Then the supervisor will give them nothing, and tell them that the offer was from that rep and that he/she was being overly generous and they will not allow them to give such a discount/deal. Also, call customer service and ask them to check if your company's employees are set up to get a discount, There are literally thousands that are. Usually the discount isn't much, something like 50 bonus minutes a month or free caller id. But its all a help. As I stated, the trick to any of these things are to basically make friends with the original rep, that is the key. Supervisors that you talk to, usually are not supervisors, they are what's called 'floor support' basically they cannot do anything more then the original rep but they are just a second voice to confirm the original rep's decision. Also, you can't let on that you know what they can do for you. If you say something like 'I know you can give me a $75 discount, the first thing you'll hear back is 'I'm sorry, but I cannot' But if you call in talking about how your phone is cutting out on a regular basis and your wife is having a baby (or your having a baby) and need to be able to contact your spouse in an emergency but your phone doesn't get reception, you'll get the person to listen on more of a personal level, they will be much more inclined to help then if you say 'I use this phone for business, I can't afford to miss calls' the rep will just think to themselves that if they are that important, you would have a business telephone that is a landline, case closed, no new phone for you. Also, your phone is broken and it doesn't have warranty, their policies on new phones are this, 2 years from your activation date (or last upgrade) is the earliest time you can receive a discount on a new phone, calling bitching about it doesn't help, unless you've had a phone there since 1990 and spend over 100 dollars a month, they aren't going to do much for you. Normally the response you'll hear is 'You will have to visit a local dealer and purchase a phone from them' its the easiest thing for them to say to get you off of the phone, they don't mention that without signing up for a new contract, a phone is $300. You have a couple of options remaining though, first, the lost/stolen/broken phone program. Instead of getting a new 2 year contract, you can extend for 1 year and get another phone at a sensible price (50-100 dollars) Which if you talk to them enough and get their sympathy, you can get $75 dollars waived. Most cases they will only offer to waive the shipping ($25) but if you keep them long enough and stay cool, calm and relaxed, for the most part you can talk them into it. Remember, these people are at work, so every couple of hours they are going on breaks, lunches etc, so if they are waiting to go on lunch and people are waiting on them, they will give away almost anything (within reason)to get off the phone. Dont try to scam a $500 dollar phone for free, it wont happen. Also dont say 'if you dont give it to me, ill cancel' the very next thing you will hear is 'well, if you would like to cancel, you would have to speak to our customer relations dept, would you like me to transfer you there' Now, going to this dept is both good and bad for getting discounts. Their job is to retain you as a customer, BUT if you have say 20 months left to a 2 year contract and your threatening to cancel because you dropped your phone in a pond and we wont give you a new phone, they will let you cancel and slap on a $200 early cancelation fee (its in your contract) If you contract is almost up, they will give you almost anything to re-commit. Ive seen people paying like $10 per month and having a plan that costs closer to 80 per month. So, in conculsion to this long rant, win over the rep (not hard, as they like nice customers) and you'll get much better customer service from them, you'll be alot happier.

P.S. I am no longer a Rogers AT&T employee, my opionions and statements are my own, and personally, i think Rogers is a horrible company, just trying to help the people who were talked into a contract.

IhateROGERS.ca Comments

I think we can condense all of this to, "You can attract more flies with honey than you can with vinegar."

I have a better solution though. Stop paying ROGERS if you’re not happy with the service. That applies to ALL of their services. Forget semantics and ass kissing. Find a company that will make you happy and never look back.

To: [email protected]

From: Gail P.

Date: September 18, 2003 4:15 PM

Subject: More of an unbelievable story

Further to my last email about a week ago (Located through this Link — GAIL P. 1^st link at the top), we had our satellite dish from Star Choice installed a week and a half ago. We had our Bell Sympatico high-speed internet installed a week and a half ago. I called Rogers to cancel my account a week and a half ago (Sept 9, 2022). They actually had the nerve to ask why I was cancelling. I told him to just check my account - if it could go wrong it did go wrong! He did look it up and noticed that I had quite a high number of calls regarding problems (SURPRISE).

Everything has been working beautifully and I can honestly say that Sympatico is faster than Rogers and much more reliable (but that was a given - a full hour of continuous internet service would make it more reliable than Rogers).

Yesterday, Sept 17, 2003, I had a call from Rogers regarding an open ticket to "bury cable at my house". I proceeded to explain that there was no cable needing buried anywhere on my property and that I was not a Rogers customer. She looked into the matter and said that the ticket was from Aug 29, 2003, which was when our local power company cut my cable and it took 2 days to get that issue resolved. I didn't even bother asking why she was called me on Sept 17 for an issue that was reported Aug 29.

I also received a very nice phone call from my Rogers customer service contact in Toronto, who I was put in touch with after I sent a 4 page letter 2 years ago. She said she didn't blame me for closing the account due to the problems I had been having and she even offered to reconnect my TV service for free if I ever wanted to go back to Rogers - she's a nice lady, but you can never go back!!!! I gave them 3 and a half years to get it together and it just isn't going to happen in this lifetime.

So for all of you out there thinking about changing, but not wanting the hassel (and yes it is a hassel to get everything set up and connected), take my advice and take the plunge. Don't wait a minute longer. There are services out there that actually work like they are meant to. I'm just sorry I waited so long. I've had uninterrupted service now for over a week and it has been unbelievable.

And thank you for providing a forum for people to share their Rogers horror stories. I find it hard to accept that Rogers is allowed to continually increase their fees (which they have recently done) and yet the service keeps getting worse. These companies have to be made to sit up and take notice that the public just isn't going to take it any more.

And with the election coming up, maybe you would like to run for Premier of Ontario? We need sensible, intelligent, independent-minded individuals like yourself to clean up all this crap.

Thanks again. GP

IhateROGERS.ca Comments

Gail knows exactly what she’s talking about. There are plenty of alternatives out there for ROGERS’ services that will make you happy and deliver what they promise. Your satisfaction will be important to them and you will sacrifice absolutely nothing. In time Gail I hope more consumers will see the light. There’s nothing to lose!!!

Thank you for the praise regarding this site by the way. As far as politics go…well let’s just say enough people already don’t like me…LOL.

To: [email protected]

From: 000

Date: September 21, 2003 1:13 PM

Subject: jennifer, the rogers rep without a rep number

at 1:05 pm sunday, september 21, 2003. i called rogers and ended up speaking with someone who said her name was jennifer. she asked me what my name was and i gave it. i then asked her for her rep # which i understand they are to give out upon request. she advised me that unless i give her my address and other account information she would not give me her rep #. i asked to speak to her supervisor when she told me this and after putting me on hold for  over  10 minutes. she then came back and told me that until i give out my phone number and other account information no supervisor would come and she would not give out her rep number. i said, oh, so you will hang up on me? she said no, we'll just sit here. i said ok, at which point she left me on hold. i wonder why
some people are not happy with rogers cable?

IhateROGERS.ca Comments

I know that you’re a loyal ranter, but I have to say the response you got from ROGERS’ Jennifer seems logical. Why would you want a rep’s number if you’re not calling to inquire about something? So, logically you must have been inquiring about something. To get an answer to your query, wouldn’t you have to give that information about yourself anyways?? Were you calling Jennifer to find out the weather or the time? I’m not sure what to say about your complaint.

PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME SIDE WITH ROGERS AGAIN!!!!

To: [email protected]

From: Anonymous

Date: September 23, 2003 3:35 PM

Subject: how to connect your own cable

The information contained in the following e-mail submission is strictly for theoretical use alone. www.ihaterogers.ca will bear no responsibility for any use otherwise. It would be wise to note that the personnel who do perform these tasks as part of their legitimate job description are skilled technicians and are more knowledgeable in these matters than the average layperson. www.ihaterogers.ca does not recommend using this information beyond the realm of casual or theoretical curiosity. We are not proponents of stealing cable, internet or any other service or material and again want to stress that this information is posted only as theoretical material.

Hi everybody!!  I used to sort-of work for Rogers.  You see, they sub-contract the majority of the work that is available to allow for indirect exploitation of "their" workers.  Most of the techs who work for Rogers are very well paid and have benefits for full time and the like, but their brothers in sub-contracted outfits do piecework.  For those NOT in the know, piecework is when you get paid directly for the work you do, not for your time spent working.  Generally there are no benefits.  It's easy to think that if you work hard you then get paid handsomely but that would make you a Rogers pawn.  Techs work outside mainly, and it's bloody hard to make the same amount of money on a rainy day as a clear one.  You don't get paid for driving time, no scheduled breaks, nada.  Then there's a ton of paperwork to do after you finish disconnecting people's cable, generally 1-2 hrs a night.  You also do not get paid for that, but if you don't do it you don't get paid at all.  So in a nutshell, the job sucks balls. 

They do teach you a lot of stuff though.  There is a tool manufactured by a company called Gilbert with which you can remove something called a terminator lock.  Any good cable supply store will know what you're talking about, you may just need to explain it thoroughly.  The terminator is a small, silver cylinder that is usually put on the cable coming from the ground to stop it from being able to connect to the cable coming from the house.  It can be the other way around, and it can also be at the tap.  The tap is the cable connection that is in the bright green boxes in your neighbourhood.  DO NOT OPEN THE DARK GREEN HYDRO BOXES.  To open the tap if it is shut by a bolt you will need a 7/16 nut driver.  In some neighbourhoods the tap is on an aerial connection and needs more skill to monkey with.

The terminator needs a bevel tool (at least I think that's what it's technically called) to unscrew it.  The outside will turn with your fingers but the inside threads will not-the thing needs to be turned from the inside.  Once that is off, the two cables can be connected and voila!  One issue may be that there are 2 male connectors or 2 female.  This can be solved by a quick trip to a cable/electrical supply store.  Male connectors have little things sticking out of them that go into the female ones.  Should be simple unless you are horribly unpopular.

The same techniques can be applied if you have some cable services already and would like a free upgrade.  You can't get pay TV like this anymore, Rogers wised up and made it only available on digital.  You CAN get more than basic cable channels e.g..BET, Superstation, TSN, Discovery, etc.

There are things called filters that can be found attached to the cable connection, either at the house or at the tap.  They are stopping the flow of some cable channels to your house.  Remove them using a 7/16 wrench, pliers, or brute animal strength. 

In apartment buildings the only way to do it is to make friends with the super.  The cable connections are usually all together in the room the mailman goes into to put mail in the mail boxes.  I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that if you offer him free cable it'll be easier.  Make sure he's not been overexposed to the crappy commercial warning us that stealing cable is a sin or he may freak out when you approach him - or make sure you don't care.  Just don't say I didn't warn you. 

There is also a way to make a tool using a fork but I have yet to see proof of this or test its reliability.  I will keep you posted.

I'd like to note that I am against price gouging monopolies of any kind save Parker Brothers, not just Rogers. 

Anonymous

IhateROGERS.ca Comments

I again must stress that this information is only posted as it was received as someone’s rant. I do not recommend using this information for anything beyond theoretical use. If you’re not happy with the company, FIND AN ALTERNATIVE!