Carrytel woes

[Jason]

I saw this, too. I get notifications from them as well. I may have signed up for the alerts after you first posted one. I'm really unhappy with Carrytel after their second modem in 6 months broke down. I'm switching to Cogeco on Monday in response because they're the fastest that can get us up and running again. But they charge a lot more. I would love for the CRTC to take a stricter stance on the big guys.

[ssfc72]

Yikes, having to sign up with Cogeco. :-(  Too bad you couldn't hold out for TekSavvy.  My cousin has been with them for a number of years and has not had any issues.

[Jason]

Yikes, having to sign up with Cogeco. :-(  Too bad you couldn't hold out for TekSavvy.  My cousin has been with them for a number of years and has not had any issues.

I was going to go back to Start. Never had a problem with them and they have a cool app for troubleshooting any problems you might have with your connection. But I'm not on a contract with Cogeco so I could switch in a few months. $80 seemed excessive only because I don't need 60 Mbps. But comparing it to TekSaavy's 40 Mbps connection at $60/month, it's actually a deal. I'm surprised how much Start has gone up. It's $55 now for a 40/50 Mbps connection.

I was fine with Carrytel for years. But the fact that it's the second modem dying after such a short period and them not offering anything for my trouble, either faster shipping (they say 3-5 days, but up to 7!) or paying for the shipping back of the old one, or even a credit, forget it. I'm done.

[William]

I was fine with Carrytel for years. But the fact that it's the second modem dying after such a short period and them not offering anything for my trouble, either faster shipping (they say 3-5 days, but up to 7!) or paying for the shipping back of the old one, or even a credit, forget it. I'm done.

Sorry to hear that, Jason, since I think I'm the one who recommend them.  I'm still with them, because Carrytel is $30 cheaper than Teksavvy for Cable 75 ($45 vs $72).  I don't have problem with modem because I bought Motorola modem from them when they were selling instead of renting.  Main issue for me is, Carrytel has lots of outage.

[Jason]

If I recall, William, you mentioned them but weren't sure if they'd be any good. And I gave them a shot and even recommended them to Bill who signed up. Either way, not your fault!

I noticed the frequent outages, too. Usually, they were late at night but not always.

Anyway, it ended up not being the modem. I was required to have a Cogeco tech for installation and he discovered the cable outside the house was in poor condition. When Carrytel said they'd ship out a new modem, he said, "Why didn't they just send us out to look?" I guess that's what you get for cheap! Their answer to everything is to send out another modem. But Cogeco had me waiting 7 hours past the time it was to be installed to actually get it. And it took conversations with multiple reps to find out wtf was going on.

Do you get 75 Mbps with Carrytel for that price? Because I was paying that and only got 40 Mbps. However, in a few months, I'll likely switch back to Start. I had a good experience with them years ago and they have 50 Mbps for $55. Never had frequent outages either!

The Cogeco modem/router is pretty cool. It has 802.11ac although I don't have anything yet to take advantage of that. It looks like a mini-mainframe from those old sci-fi movies. Solid black with a vertical array of lights and a blue eye staring at me!

[William]

Do you get 75 Mbps with Carrytel for that price? Because I was paying that and only got 40 Mbps.

Yes, I get 75/10 as advertised.  It's lower during peak hours, of course.

[Jason]

Yes, I get 75/10 as advertised.  It's lower during peak hours, of course.

You're getting a steal at that price! Even with the outages (assuming they don't interfere with your work or enjoyment). The benefits of living in or beside a big city, better prices!

[ssfc72]

So Jason, what's the latest on your Internet provider?
Are you still with Cogeco or did you go back to Start?

[Jason]

I'm back on Start. Cogeco is just way too expensive. Start isn't as cheap as Carrytel but cheaper than Cogeco at their base package. Cogeco gives you 60 Mbps at $75/month if I remember rightly but it's going up to $80 in September. Start is $55 for 40 Mbps. I think they have a lower tier but just in some locations. They have a 60 Mbps package for $65/month.

Start always treated me well. I only went to Carrytel because of the lower cost. Cogeco has abysmal customer service. Friendly but they make promises and don't deliver. If you don't have any issues with them you'd do fine. Start phoned me the changeover day to make sure everything worked and if I had any questions. Now that's service. No setup fee but I think that's pretty much normal for any internet provider as long as you have active cable service. They charge $5/month for modem rental.

Their modem doesn't include wifi so you have to bring a router if you want that. I bought a TP-Link one that I really liked. It uses Linux-based management software and was rated highly on Amazon. I can also put DD-WRT on it later if I want to - fully supported. I may just do that.

I guess I've had the service for about a month. I'm pleased with it. And the modem is great. Much more powerful than the older one and still supported with patches. It has 4 x 5 mW antennae that work as one more powerful antenna. The old one was 12 years old!

[ssfc72]

Thanks for the update details about your going back to the Start internet provider, Jason.
I am still with Carrytel and my internet service with them has been very good over that last number of years.