Is Bell any good?
 

Perhaps this is a dumb question considering that at this point in time any of the big 3 or 4 if you count Fido are reliable but I'll ask anyways. So I'm thinking about jumping ship to Bell in the near future but before I commit to another 3 year contract I was wondering what your experiences are with their Mobile Service? I've been with Rogers/Fido for the last 15 years or so and don't know anything else.

- Cell phone reception in Metro Vancouver?
- Coverage in areas where it's sometimes not as great i.e. basement etc?
- They always seem to advertise that their speed is fast, is it?
- Are they so called less evil vs Rogers, Telus? Well everyone should probably be less evil than Rogers I suppose.
- Overall experience?

As I pointed out it may sound like a dumb question but another reason I ask is both my gf's parents have ben using Bell for a few years now and quite often when my gf or I try to call them it will go straight to VM even though their phone is on or it will disconnect while we are talking. Now they aren't using the top of the line phones nor are they using some ghetto phone either so it just seems shady. With that said, I know a lot of other people with Bell and I don't experience the same problems with them.

Thanks!

your GF's and family live in a lead lined basment suite.

any of the big three are fine. as far as 3 year term goes....why? buy your own phone and live free.

The Bell reception problem I explained doesn't apply to the basement suite. In the past this would happen regardless if they were home or out but I've only experienced this with them so who knows.

As for buying my own phone, I don't have the cash flow I used to when I would just buy phones straight up anymore. Even a crappy phone at retail price is quite a bit.

I'd go with telus. You might pay a bit more, but customer service wise, if you keep on pushing, you will get credits, grandfathered plans, anything you want really.

its all about customer service... tbh bell and telus are using the same LTE network (anyone that says otherwise don't let me school you)...

so if you are going for LTE network, the signal does not matter between bell and telus.


ps. ive had TELUS for years and have got nothing but great service, and customer service. the only reason i switched over to mobilicity for my personal phone is because i got a bunch of telus/bell cell phones for work.

Have you thought about negotiating with Rogers/Fido??? Since you've been a customer for 15 years I'm sure you could get a much better plan/price than if you were to jump ship to Bell. At bell you will get a regular plan any joe walking off the street gets, with Rogers you actually have some leverage. Call up retentions a few times and see what they offer you...unless you are getting an awesome plan from Bell

15 years in theory but to Rogers it's 1.5 years. I was with Rogers for 12 years then transferred over to Fido for 2 then back to Rogers for 1.5 now. I've talked to Rogers numerous times and they won't budge on any decent retention deals. This is the fault of the company itself, not the reps. They have changed the direction of their company to only focus on high end customers and have also put limits on their system so reps can't give out the type of credits they used to.

My plan is decent but nothing spectacular and at this point I'm pretty much going to paying the same amount anywhere I go plus or minus maybe $5. It's really the crappy customer service Rogers has now that has made me want to leave.

If it means getting better customer service and saving a few bucks over dropped calls, sure, why not?

Depends on what you value more.

I've been with bell for about 6 years now, switched over from Telus. I love it, great customer service, and they try hard to keep their customers happy. I wouldn't change for any other carrier. I've never had a problem with my reception and the LTE is super quick. Too bad you're choosing to switch now, you just missed the 6gb superplan

Go with Telus.

Coming from a guy that works at bell

Fetched - lol any specific reason? Disgruntled employee? :)

Araaadi - Yea the Superplan was solid but I suppose deals always come along. I'm not switching this moment but in the very near future I'm going to leave Rogers for sure.

Well I can't really talk about the reasons since I'm bounded by a non-disclosure agreement. Therefore I can only give you my personal opinion as I would recommend to any friend.

Telus has one of the lowest CHURNS in the wireless industry. That should give you an insight on how well the company treats its existing client base.

Fair enough mang :)

i was with them for 12 years, they said thanks and "see ya".

I noted dead spots with Virgin (Bell) that I have perfect reception with Koodo (Telus). As far as data speeds, Koodo's also been far more consistent and speedy than Virgin. (7.5mbps down/3.5mbps up vs 5.5mbps down/2mbps up).

Don't even get me started on how shitty Rogers' data speeds on their 3g/HSPA+ network were comparatively. All of these data tests were done over a 2 week period, overlapping. Same phone. Same areas.

In terms of pure customer service, I will have to side with Telus on this. Trying to talk to people at Virgin, or in other instances, Bell (going a bit further back) was like pounding sand. Poor knowledge, poor understanding. No real ability to resolve issues.

Telus will at least try to make it right, or transfer you to someone (at their suggestion) to someone who can help you.

PS. As far as "owned" towers go, in the lower mainland, here are the latest figures:

Rogers: 423 towers
Bell: 232 towers (503 if you include "shared" towers)
Telus: 271 towers (503 if you include "shared" towers)

Source: Canadian Cell Tower Map Finder