Just slightly warmer than ice cold - Bell HDTV upgrade offer for existing customers

[treasureseeker]

This is likely interesting to people who want to upgrade their existing Expressvu subscription to HDTV

For a limited time, subscribe to an All-in-One HD package for 1 year and get free HD programming for 6 months!

More info on bell.ca

The only reason I list this is cause they rarely have any deals at all for existing customers.

[Quadcats]

You are true!! We really wanted to switch to HD at one point on Bell, but they wouldn't do anything to make it worthwhile. It was buying a new receiver and everything, while a "new" subscriber got so many perks and free this and that.

[thomas997]

I have always seemed to be able to get the new subscriber deals on receivers, but have heard of many others being turned away..

[stutterboi]

that's odd... i went to bell.ca and i only see free 2 months on a one year... i don't see a 6 month... does anyone see 6 months or am i just blind? :(

[treasureseeker]

that's odd... i went to bell.ca and i only see free 2 months on a one year... i don't see a 6 month... does anyone see 6 months or am i just blind? :(

It's a little buried:
http://bell.ca/shopping/PrsShpTv_ExistingCustomernew.page

[treasureseeker]

I have always seemed to be able to get the new subscriber deals on receivers, but have heard of many others being turned away..

Care to share your modus operandi?

[Oprime]

So how much more is it going to cost to upgrade?

You get a dual LNB setup in the instal for free?

I wonder how the numbers work out.

[thomas997]

Care to share your modus operandi?
Didnt really do anything, just walked into FS and found a kind salesperson who would set it up (they need to call bell to give them my info, etc.)

[thomas997]

So how much more is it going to cost to upgrade?

You get a dual LNB setup in the instal for free?

I wonder how the numbers work out.
They will install a dual if you dont have one, last time I checked it was free.

If you buy the 9220 in store (often advertised as 9200 but its just the the 9220 covered with a sticker), then you get a dual lnb dish and multiswitch. Not sure about the 6120.

[ChiZZad]

I work for Bell and can give anyone looking to get ExpressVu for the 1st time a special number to call that will give you an extra free month (3 total) plus 1 year free rental on a second receiver.

[spinbot]

I'm still looking for a deal on the HDTV PVR, however as being a loyal existing customer, paying $113 for virtually every channel, apparently I don't get any "deals'.

February my contract ends....maybe then I will have some leverage! :)

[tucker]

Careful with this agreement. It appears to be for rental only. You will save $10 a month for 6 months ($60 savings :| ), but the HDPVR rental is $20 per month for the year ($240 per year after which you still don't own the unit :( ). Personally I think I will just buy the unit for $599 up front so that I don't get stuck under Bell's ice cold thumb.

[euphoria18_79]

Yup not much of a deal, since then you still are paying the rental fee on the receiver. My contract was up with Expressvu about 6 months ago... i am just waiting for a decent Starchoice deal to come up. It is truely a shame that they wont do anything for existing customers. I even called and asked about the PVR promo they had a while ago.. and i got the normal "sorry thats for new customers only".

[tucker]

Here's the chat I just had with Bell :!:

Alpha D: Hello, thank you for visiting bell.ca. How may I help you today?
you: Can I get 6 months free HD if I purchase the HDPVR or is this for rental only? I already have Digital Standard plus 5 themes for $47.0 a month. How much would that increase if I added basic HD with a HDPVR purchase? Can I get free installation ?
Alpha D: Thank you for your question. You can rent the HD PVR for $20/month or you can purchase it for $599. There is an upgrade and installation fee. The cost is between $99 and $189. You have to call our marketing department for more information about this.
you: How much is the HDPVR rental and what penalty is there if I cancel after the 1 ear? Could I purchase the unit after the 1 year is up?
Alpha D: There is no buy option on the rental equipment and the price I just gave you applies to 1 year contract.
you: What about a penalty for cancelation after 1 year?
Alpha D: There is no penalty because you have 1 year contract. The marketing department phone number is 1-877-682-6873.
you: Thanks for the info Alpha D
Alpha D: You are welcome. Thank you for visiting bell.ca and have a nice day.

I wonder if it would be worth taking on the one year rental just to get the free installation. After a year you could cancel then go purchase your own unit and hook it up to the already installed lines and dish. They will probaby just want the receiver back after the year, I really doubt they would take back their coax and dish.

[Starcraftjunkie]

I recently negotiated with bell having been a customer with them for >5 years.

So we upgraded to the HD programming, as well as the 9120 (PVR) receiver and a 6100 (regular HD) receiver.

After talking with the sales rep, I was transferred to another rep who dealt with people that might cancel (due to other offers/incentives by competing services).. after chatting with them about my concerns, I was transferred over to a 'manager' who had more power.

At the end, I agreed to a 2 yr contract, had to pay $75 for the installation of the new dual LNB for the PVR receiver (as it requires 2 cables). They also mounted a switch of some sort so I can easily hook up another 2 receivers (or another PVR) at a later time very easily.

Their offer (to continue being their customer) was 3 months of free programming and some PPV credits (3 movies or something). Since my programming is ~$100 (darn expensive Chinese channels), I took their deal.
YMMV tho, but that's what I got them to offer.

[treasureseeker]

Careful with this agreement. It appears to be for rental only. You will save $10 a month for 6 months ($60 savings :| ), but the HDPVR rental is $20 per month for the year ($240 per year after which you still don't own the unit :( ). Personally I think I will just buy the unit for $599 up front so that I don't get stuck under Bell's ice cold thumb.

Just a detail correction .. the 6100 HDTV receiver is $299 .. the 9200 dual tuner HDTV PVR is the one for $599

[treasureseeker]

Yup not much of a deal, since then you still are paying the rental fee on the receiver. My contract was up with Expressvu about 6 months ago... i am just waiting for a decent Starchoice deal to come up. It is truely a shame that they wont do anything for existing customers. I even called and asked about the PVR promo they had a while ago.. and i got the normal "sorry thats for new customers only".

There a Starchoice thread that's been going on for a couple of months now.

It sounds like the best deal those Starchoice people have seen .. but it also seems to be restricted to Ontario

[Intense]

I work for Bell and can give anyone looking to get ExpressVu for the 1st time a special number to call that will give you an extra free month (3 total) plus 1 year free rental on a second receiver.

I have been a client with Expressvu now over 7 years. Am using 2 older 2700 units and a 3700. Called to see if I could get a deal on a ONE new PVR and was told no. Price was $299 to buy or $10 per month rental. Said I was a good client (am paying over $100 per month now) for over 7 years and asked about a free upgrade. Was turned down.

When I called, new clients were getting 1 yera free use of PVR.

I did threaten to cancel and the "girl" said that if I did, I could not sign up with the same address for at least 6 months. THAT just got me MAD :( at them. I have been forced to upgrade my services with them over the last few years but really have not gotten anything MORE out of their services.

Do you have a number or person that I can call about this issue? Have really thought about cancelling and going with Starchoice to try them out (free PVR, lower prices, etc) ... so I am not lying to them.

[tucker]

I recently negotiated with bell having been a customer with them for >5 years.

So we upgraded to the HD programming, as well as the 9120 (PVR) receiver and a 6100 (regular HD) receiver.

After talking with the sales rep, I was transferred to another rep who dealt with people that might cancel (due to other offers/incentives by competing services).. after chatting with them about my concerns, I was transferred over to a 'manager' who had more power.

At the end, I agreed to a 2 yr contract, had to pay $75 for the installation of the new dual LNB for the PVR receiver (as it requires 2 cables). They also mounted a switch of some sort so I can easily hook up another 2 receivers (or another PVR) at a later time very easily.

Their offer (to continue being their customer) was 3 months of free programming and some PPV credits (3 movies or something). Since my programming is ~$100 (darn expensive Chinese channels), I took their deal.
YMMV tho, but that's what I got them to offer.

Thanks for the info but I just want to clarify; Do you mean you got free hardware and just had to pay for installation? Or was it only the programming bonus your received for agreeing to a 2 yr contract?

[spinbot]

There a Starchoice thread that's been going on for a couple of months now.

It sounds like the best deal those Starchoice people have seen .. but it also seems to be restricted to Ontario

If I recall correctly from that thread, the StarChoice receivers Onscreen Guide is slugish. To go from BEV to SC and get slower guide speeds, you will be frustrated!

[treasureseeker]

I should share my experience as a Bell customer.

A while ago I had finished my committments. At the time they were offering free PVR rental for 2 years with minimum monthly service cost of $47 (or something) to new users.

At one point I had been told by a Bell rep that I just had to cancel and could resign up again immediately as a new customer so I tried that.

They put me through to some customer retention department who told me that I couldn't sign up again right away and that I'd already gotten my bonus when I signed up years before. I told them that I had met my contract requirements that I agreed to for that bonus and it was no longer relevant.

The CSR was going to go to their manager for discussion so I made it clear I was willing to commit to the same conditions that they were placing on new customers to get that deal.

The manager approved the deal and I got free install too (they wouldn't let me hook it up myself since it was a rental). Although they seemed to think it was a hot deal, I considered it nothing but fair (and I think most customers would agree).

The story hasn't ended yet because they still don't have the billing correct after many months .. but it seems they are trying to live up to their end of the deal.

I think the magic was twofold:
1. my willingness to cancel which got me through to the customer retention department whom I think has more decision making power than normal staff.
2. my willingness, expressed at the right time, to commit to a term contract like a new customer would

[careh]

If I recall correctly from that thread, the StarChoice receivers Onscreen Guide is slugish. To go from BEV to SC and get slower guide speeds, you will be frustrated!

If you are having problems with receiver guide sluggishness and have a spare computer and some spare cash - maybe try using a computer based PVR system. This can be used with any type of reception from satellite to cable to off air.

The system will require a video capture card (something like a Hauppauge PVR-150 $90 or so on a RFD deal); a video out card with a RCA or s-video jack on it; a 160 GB or larger hard disk and software such as GB-PVR or Myth TV both of which are free - or Beyond TV a $60 USD commercial product that (for me anyway) actually worked right out of the box. The new Windows Vista has a Media Centre feature (which has PVR-like capabilities).

We use BeyondTV & we hardly EVER watch live TV anymore. The only down side is we are at a loss when people talk about the latest cute commercial they saw. We never see commercials anymore as the PVR software marks them for us & we can then skip them with a single button press.

The Internet downloaded guide we get from BeyondTV has the next 14 days of programming in it - so we don't even use the satellite receiver guide.

..and we can login to our account on the BeyondTV web site from anywhere and select programs / movies to record. Our PVR then downloads those requests. Great when someone at work tells you of a movie you want to see.

The computer also has a DVD player in it - and we use another piece of software - Beyond Media to watch DVD's. Truth be told - we don't use the DVD feature much seeing as we have tons of movies pre-recorded.

[treasureseeker]

If you are having problems with receiver guide sluggishness and have a spare computer and some spare cash - maybe try using a computer based PVR system. This can be used with any type of reception from satellite to cable to off air.

The system will require a video capture card (something like a Hauppauge PVR-150 $90 or so on a RFD deal); a video out card with a RCA or s-video jack on it; a 160 GB or larger hard disk and software such as GB-PVR or Myth TV both of which are free - or Beyond TV a $60 USD commercial product that (for me anyway) actually worked right out of the box. The new Windows Vista has a Media Centre feature (which has PVR-like capabilities).

We use BeyondTV & we hardly EVER watch live TV anymore. The only down side is we are at a loss when people talk about the latest cute commercial they saw. We never see commercials anymore as the PVR software marks them for us & we can then skip them with a single button press.

The Internet downloaded guide we get from BeyondTV has the next 14 days of programming in it - so we don't even use the satellite receiver guide.

..and we can login to our account on the BeyondTV web site from anywhere and select programs / movies to record. Our PVR then downloads those requests. Great when someone at work tells you of a movie you want to see.

The computer also has a DVD player in it - and we use another piece of software - Beyond Media to watch DVD's. Truth be told - we don't use the DVD feature much seeing as we have tons of movies pre-recorded.

Only an experienced computer user should attempt this .. most novices will find it way over their head.

Also, a cable hookup is easier than a satellite receiver .. contolling the channel on a separate satellite receiver from your computer adds a whole other layer of complexity.

[Aske001]

My 2 cents worth from using Star Choice for the last 5 years (after Shaw cable):

Don't waste your time hopping from one television service provider to another. The all have a similar business model of milking their customer base for the maximum $ they can get out of them, rather than improving service. Their packages are carefully structured to split up all the interesting channels you would want into separate extra-cost bundles padded with junk. In the 5 years I've been with SC, they've raised the monthly price of my package from $26 to $50, and taken away a couple of the channels I had and made them extra-cost (with no notice). They offer plenty of enticements to get new customers on board, but no breaks at all for existing customers. We're especially disadvantaged here in the West, as time-shifting generally doesn't work for us, and SC only provides eastern time-zone HD feeds for some of the networks.