Computers & Electronics

VMedia is increasing my internet fee by 25%

  • Last Updated:
  • Feb 24th, 2015 12:39 pm
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Sr. Member
Feb 2, 2009
512 posts
45 upvotes
Kanata

VMedia is increasing my internet fee by 25%

Beginning of rant...skip thread if it bothers you.

Well, this morning I got an email from VMedia informing me that they are increasing my internet fee from $39.99 to $49.99 per month, starting March 01, 2015. This is less than one week away. There is hardly any time for me to react, other than sucking it up, for at least a month or two. I found this practice quite nasty. I have been with them for almost two years now (March, 2013). The recent downtime and inconsistent download speed have affected me, but I was willing to suck it up. Other than that, I have been happy with them, until now.

I understand, if you have to increase your fee to make your business viable, that is perfectly fine with me. Everybody has to make a living. But at least have the decency to inform your customers well in advance so they could react appropriately.

Thanks to the good folks here at RFD, it seems Primus has a decent deal going on:

primus-internet-through-costco-25-10-ds ... m-1673627/

primus-costco-fibre-internet-25mb-10up- ... m-1675673/

I don't mind locking in for two years, as it seems the rate has been going up anyway.

If you are a VMedia customer, be aware if you have not received this notice. I am not sure if the rate increase happens on the anniversary.

End of Rant..


Good day!
8 replies
Deal Addict
Jan 10, 2009
1782 posts
1207 upvotes
Toronto
I'm pretty sure they have to give you at least one billing period notice of an increase in prices.
Deal Guru
User avatar
Feb 10, 2007
13940 posts
5439 upvotes
to what its worth

[QUOTE]In the case of most of our internet services, when purchased with our TV service, the rate adjustments we announced today are discounted by half. However that discount was not reflected in some of the notices we sent out today. They we be resent with the right amounts, and the information in your My Account portal will be changed to reflect that as well. Specifically, the 25M and 45M, grandfathered services, as well as the Cogeco 30M and 55M services. have the benefit of the discount if you are a TV customer as well. For those subscribers, the increase in internet service is reduced to $5.
[/QUOTE]
The sweetest gyal
Deal Expert
Oct 6, 2005
16872 posts
2557 upvotes
toisanwu wrote: Well, this morning I got an email from VMedia informing me that they are increasing my internet fee from $39.99 to $49.99 per month, starting March 01, 2015. This is less than one week away.
I believe wholesale rates have gone up - also, no contract = no price protection. It's give and take.
Sr. Member
Mar 25, 2006
757 posts
162 upvotes
Hamilton
yeah my rates went up as of march as well... im not impressed they sent it a week prior to the increase happening.
Deal Addict
May 2, 2011
1380 posts
549 upvotes
Oakville, ON
I was not happy to see the email this morning either, but its still cheaper than start.ca or Teksavvy for me... First thing I did was look for a cheaper alternative and could not find one.
Member
Aug 24, 2006
269 posts
199 upvotes
Toronto
coolspot wrote: I believe wholesale rates have gone up - also, no contract = no price protection. It's give and take.
Very true; I wouldn't complain if that were simply the case, but 4 days notice is not enough for a price increase for an essential service. This is just shady business and should be illegal, IMO. I'm currently reading up on regulations that prohibits this behavior.

They claim their prices are still much lower than anyone else's (and it's mostly true), but their service is not up to par with their competitors, they are not a mature business (especially with technology - frequent downtime, especially in TV services - and in dealing with customers - hey, look at this crappy example!) and their discounts are also motivated by a need to attract customers; with the sum of these, I don't think their discounts are worth it.

Their pricing increase is not significant in sum ($10), but it is still a 25% increase and it's a matter of principle an abuse. Even though they have no contracts, there is a significant (~$200) price of entry to their services, so it's not exactly "free" to switch. This to me is equivalent to a contract since most contracts have buyout clauses, many of which are cheaper than this.
Deal Expert
Oct 6, 2005
16872 posts
2557 upvotes
Deep_Stich wrote: They claim their prices are still much lower than anyone else's (and it's mostly true), but their service is not up to par with their competitors, they are not a mature business (especially with technology - frequent downtime, especially in TV services - and in dealing with customers - hey, look at this crappy example!) and their discounts are also motivated by a need to attract customers; with the sum of these, I don't think their discounts are worth it.
On a side note, I saw George Berger at Canada Computers on Sunday. I only realized it was him a bit too late - otherwise I would have given him a piece of my mind about the TV service as well.
Sr. Member
Mar 25, 2006
757 posts
162 upvotes
Hamilton
how many customer mishaps are they going to have until they learn.. wow.

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