Shopping Discussion

Start Communications Cable Internet Improvements

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  • Apr 30th, 2018 11:44 pm
Jr. Member
Dec 15, 2016
157 posts
178 upvotes

Start Communications Cable Internet Improvements

Start Communications (Start.ca) just changed their cable internet plans (upped their bandwidth and made all but one plan Unlimited). They're located in London, Ontario and service the Cogeco area. They run off Cogeco's lines but have their own separate network. I've been using their internet and VoIP service for several years, very positive. They have positive reviews on dslreports - http://www.dslreports.com/comment/2941/86787

$40 - 15 download /2 upload 200gb
$50 - 40/10 Unlimited
$65 - 60/10 Unlimited
$85 - 120/10 Unlimited

"Free transfer" if you have existing active cable internet.
You can buy a modem (on their list) from anywhere or purchase from them. Or you can rent a modem from them, $5 fee each month.

Very reasonable prices AND excellent "Canadian" customer service support. They're NO fly-by-night company.

Enjoy
36 replies
Newbie
May 29, 2014
46 posts
45 upvotes
Windsor, ON
Have been with them for more than a year.
Great customer service!
Speedwise I got what I was promised.
Recommend.
Banned
Sep 28, 2016
126 posts
61 upvotes
Currently Rogers has their 100/10 deal for $60 (feild agent pricing), modem rental included and Carrytel just launching their $40 100/10 service, modem purchased separately. Is there something I'm missing or is this deal pretty cold ..
Deal Addict
User avatar
Dec 24, 2006
3171 posts
2298 upvotes
Barrie
MercyHeals wrote: Currently Rogers has their 100/10 deal for $60 (feild agent pricing), modem rental included and Carrytel just launching their $40 100/10 service, modem purchased separately. Is there something I'm missing or is this deal pretty cold ..
Some people refuse to go with Rogers for reasons I don't quite comprehend. I have had Rogers for years now and ALWAYS have paid less than the resellers and have always had the speed advertised. I know I will get flamed and hated on for this but I don't think any other infrastructure in rural Ontario communities compares to Rogers.
Sr. Member
User avatar
Dec 14, 2008
722 posts
323 upvotes
Toronto
RunnerForDeals wrote: Some people refuse to go with Rogers for reasons I don't quite comprehend. I have had Rogers for years now and ALWAYS have paid less than the resellers and have always had the speed advertised. I know I will get flamed and hated on for this but I don't think any other infrastructure in rural Ontario communities compares to Rogers.
People dislike them because they're underhanded, contract centric and you often have to call and deal with them to either correct errors or get better deals.

Most of the resellers are no-nonsense here's your fee until you cancel sort of thing. One time setup and you're done. That kind of peace of mind has value.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Mar 17, 2006
6913 posts
5816 upvotes
Burlington
RunnerForDeals wrote: Some people refuse to go with Rogers for reasons I don't quite comprehend. I have had Rogers for years now and ALWAYS have paid less than the resellers and have always had the speed advertised. I know I will get flamed and hated on for this but I don't think any other infrastructure in rural Ontario communities compares to Rogers.
Agree with this. I always went with Rogers when possible, I had always been able to negotiate prices with customer relation, and got prices down significantly, 50% had been the normal. It took 10-15 mins on the phone, and the results came way cheaper than others. Some people don't want to do this, it's their choice, really. I never had to pay more than expected. And always got way better speed than promised (300+ Mbps on 250mbps).

I am with cogeco now, and I have no other options. I am paying $130 taxed for 250/20 unlimited, while it was only $55 when I was with Rogers for the same deal. There's no room for negotiations, nor discounts.

I wish I still had Rogers.

Edit, I had the options with starts, but at the time, starts unlimited package for 120mbps was more expensive than cogeco. And starts does not have 250/20 for my area.
Deal Addict
Oct 31, 2009
3746 posts
1003 upvotes
Toronto
MercyHeals wrote: Currently Rogers has their 100/10 deal for $60 (feild agent pricing), modem rental included and Carrytel just launching their $40 100/10 service, modem purchased separately. Is there something I'm missing or is this deal pretty cold ..
i guess you missed the part that they service the Cogeco area - hence no Rogers available
Newbie
Feb 26, 2008
10 posts
5 upvotes
Toronto
On pricing alone you probably wouldn't pick Start, but personally I've been with them for quite a while now and the service is really top, top notch. They're super friendly, no pressure, etc... I had even cancelled with them once because I started renting a place that had Internet included and they made the cancellation process as easy as possible. Probably the best service from a 'service' provider I've ever had (including Internet, phone, cable, utilities, web services, domain hosting, music/video streaming subscriptions, etc...)

As soon as I bought my own house I went back to Start.
Deal Addict
May 9, 2006
2108 posts
432 upvotes
MercyHeals wrote: Currently Rogers has their 100/10 deal for $60 (feild agent pricing), modem rental included and Carrytel just launching their $40 100/10 service, modem purchased separately. Is there something I'm missing or is this deal pretty cold ..
+1. I got the Rogers $60 deal Nov 2016.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Jan 17, 2002
7777 posts
948 upvotes
Toronto
pumpkinpies wrote: i guess you missed the part that they service the Cogeco area - hence no Rogers available
They service Rogers areas as well. From the CEO's post on DSL reports:

High-level overview of changes on residential services:

r-cable:
15/1 .. no change, 200GB @ $40/mo
30/5 unlimited @ $50/mo
60/10 unlimited @ $60/mo
100/10 unlimited @ $70/mo

c-cable:
15/1 .. no change, 200GB @ $40/mo
40/10 unlimited @ $50/mo
60/10 unlimited @ $65/mo
120/10 unlimited @ $85/mo

dsl:
15/1 .. no change, 300GB @ $40/mo, unlimited available for same $10/mo
25/10 unlimited @ $50/mo
50/10 unlimited @ $60/mo
Deal Addict
User avatar
Jan 8, 2007
4879 posts
2787 upvotes
Ontario
Where I live there are only cogeco lines. I had the 30/10 package and just got bumped up to 40/10 for free. Love start and would never change (been with them ~3 years with 0 complaints)
Deal Expert
Jun 24, 2006
15768 posts
11164 upvotes
I still find it cheaper to stay with cogeco and deal with a yearly retention phone call.

I can't remember exactly what I pay for my service, but I know I have 60/10. It is the $40s, like $47.99 or something like that sounds about right.

Service is always good, and fast. So I still see no reason for me to switch, until I can't get a good retention plan that is.
Member
Jan 10, 2011
485 posts
306 upvotes
I had Start for a few years, but switched to Ebox because of their promo before. Start was really great, especially customer service wise but Ebox slightly won on the price/cap so I just stuck with them after the promo ended. But if Start is now 40/10 with unlimited bandwidth, for the same as I'm paying Ebox for 30/10 1TB, I'm gladly going to switch back ASAP. Thanks for the heads up OP.

*Edi* Just called and found out that the 40/10 is only available to Cogeco areas. Im in a Rogers area so that's not available to me. But it's still slightly cheaper than Ebox so I'm still going to switch.
Last edited by Chep on Jan 9th, 2017 5:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Newbie
Jul 30, 2016
18 posts
10 upvotes
Been with start for a year, great service, haven't had a single problem yet
Member
Aug 28, 2016
313 posts
552 upvotes
I will try stick with teksavvy, they are a great company, with excellent customer service. They are headquartered in a very economically depressed area so I want to continue to support them. Plus I can't go with Rogers/Fido cable cause I have cellphone with them and currently they believe I still live in Quebec ;)
Jr. Member
Jun 19, 2011
155 posts
46 upvotes
GTA
I had service with Start for well over a year and was happy with it. The initial startup was delayed 'due to the provider (aka rogers' in their words. It took three days to get me online. I was paying $80/mo for 60/10 Unlimited.

This May I was able to get the $100 VIP/Gig deal -- comes out to $60/mo for 1Gb/50Mb Unlimited. From what I've read you are still able to get 100/10 Unlimited with Rogers for ~$60. For a lower price and faster troubleshooting I don't see a reason to switch..
Deal Addict
Sep 26, 2010
1095 posts
322 upvotes
andrewnoonan wrote: On pricing alone you probably wouldn't pick Start, but personally I've been with them for quite a while now and the service is really top, top notch. They're super friendly, no pressure, etc... I had even cancelled with them once because I started renting a place that had Internet included and they made the cancellation process as easy as possible. Probably the best service from a 'service' provider I've ever had (including Internet, phone, cable, utilities, web services, domain hosting, music/video streaming subscriptions, etc...)

As soon as I bought my own house I went back to Start.
I always post in threads that mention Start. I agree 100%, they are by far my favorite "service" provider ever. Very customer centric with responsive helpful staff. Simple, honest and straightforward. I would happily pay 20% more to stick with them (luckily with the prices now, it's extremely price competitive too).
Deal Guru
User avatar
Jul 27, 2006
10963 posts
791 upvotes
Scarborough
knock on wood but I have been with Start for almost two years now and the service has been impeccable.

I think it was down once at like 3am but nothing major. I have never been throttled either. My Rogers connection use to always slow down around 5-7pm and last well into the evening. Also, no matter how much haggling and threatening to leave,they would'nt budge on any promotions especially since it was the only product I had from them. Also, their usage meters was the worst (when it mattered). I used to not have unlimited and twice (within the span of 4 months), my internet overage went crazy even when no one was home. Once they charged me and wouldn't budge, I made the decision to leave.

Nice to see that the price has been reduced.

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