Shaw Communications

Seriously Cable tv and Internet has become over priced and ridiculous. You pay over $ 100 and end up with nothing to watch and slow internet service. Not only do you have to pay for cable but now you have to buy or rent a cable box just to watch the Tv channels. Wayyyy over priced… best advice ever is cancel and get Netflix for $ 10 a month can watch better shows without stupid commercials.

I have been a shaw customer for over 5 years and am always impressed with their customer service and plan options.
Recently I was experiencing slow wifi and the shaw rep spent A LOT of time with me on the phone troubleshooting it. It turned out that it didn’t have to do with shaw but the rep was still overly accommodating and patient with me.

For new internet service setup, that was relatively painless. My roommate moved out and the internet was in her name. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy as just switching the name on the account. Fortunately, the rest of the process was fairly easy.
Sunday, I filled out a form on Shaw’s website to create a new account and request internet service. The form included my choice of dates and times for a technician to come and visit. I then received an email confirmation the next day that someone would be out on Friday (today) between 8−10am. Two hour window, that’s pretty sleek from the days of waiting all day for someone to show.
At 837, I saw the Shaw van pull up and a technician who introduced himself as Jat showed up at the door. Within minutes, the old modem was swapped out for the new one and we were wireless again. He ensured my laptop connected and walked me through all of the Shaw Open wifi details. He saw our tv on the way out and asked if we were getting cable because there’s a promotion on for PVRs. I replied that we are not. He didn’t push it anymore (much appreciated!), said a polite goodbye and off he went.
Next steps… register myself with the online customer service centre. This also went tickety-​boo for the most part. I just entered my phone number and the account number on the card Jat left me and everything else was there waiting for me. The only annoying part in that process is trying to guess a username that hasn’t been taken. I tried out like 5 of them before I found one. And each time I had to submit the form, then re-​enter my information. Shaw, if you’ve got the coding in there to see if my passwords match, surely you can program a query to let me know if a username is available without having to submit the form. And it would make your process that much smoother. Same comment on creating an email address once I’m inside my account.
Otherwise, like I said, relatively painless and so fast!
And while I have a beef about businesses that only provide Shaw open as their wifi network for all customers, I do think it’s a pretty cool initiative you’ve put in place for your own customers.

Two words: Shaw sucks. I have been a sucker and used this shit company for years only because Telus sucks just as much. Both companies will screw you. The choice is yours.
The customer service is about the worst you can get. They forever say it’s my problem if a channel goes out or my internet goes down. It’s never their fault of course. And when you do call them, you can never get to speak to a person right away. You either wait on hold for hours or for someone to call you back. So by the time they do call you, chances are the problem has been fixed. Perhaps this is part of their plan. Either way, the customer service idiots are simply that.
The actual service, cable or internet, is average. And lately I’m finding that channels go out, internet goes down, or my personal favorite annoyance, when a channel cuts over to the next show before the one you’re watching is finished. That really pisses me off. Do you know what it’s like to watch a show for 55 minutes only to miss the last couple of minutes when you finally find out who the killer was? Shaw likes to do this and when I complain, they blame the US broadcasters for it. Of course. Typical pass the buck shit from Shaw.
Prices are wayyyyyy tooooo high for what you get. You can get cheaper internet and tv in a third world country which is why I say Shaw screws you every chance they can. Unfortunately we’re at their mercy since it’s either shitty Shaw or crappy Telus.
I have nothing good to say about Shaw.

I’ve been very very happy with Shaw over the last five years. This is, in part, because of their awesome student discount. Getting cable, internet, and phone at a discounted rate is a huge draw for any person on a budget, and Shaw has really catered to student users by providing it.
When something on my system doesn’t work, Shaw is always good about fixing it in a timely manner. This is important to me as it means that they get my cable and internet back up and running. As a student, I often need internet access for my research – having shaw quickly fix what I’ve needed is imperative to my work.
I will continue to use Shaw for my cable service in the years to come, and am pleased with how quickly they work to fix any issues we have.

Shaw Shaw Shaw. I had to track you down all the way in Calgary where I have to call to talk to someone about the service or lackthereof that I’m getting from you.
Shaw Shaw Shaw, where for art thou? I’ve been waiting for your driver in Vancouver to come and install the goods for my new phone service and Broadband 50 (which was due back in October).
The first time it too a 2 hour call of waiting, reconnecting, transferring and waiting and hangups.
The second it was 35 minutes of pretty much the same. This time someone behind the person I was talking to was whispering instructions in response to my «beratement». (is there such a word?)
I asked for the phone, but you said $ 29.99, then $ 24.99, but I said, it says on the website $ 14.99. Oh! OK We’ll give it to your for $ 19.99.
I was quickly on the phone to Telus for all this turnaround I was getting from you. I felt like I was trying to communicate and reason with a contemptuous mistress.
Shaw Shaw Shaw. after I get my scheduled appointment between 6 and 8pm, your guy shows up at 4 pm at the wrong address and my neighbour gives me this letter from you that kindly states you came by and left. Not a single phone call.
And finally after getting this all fixed, a new time, precise location confirmed and the person who was going to come to do the installment personally said he would be there between 6 and 8 and do the dirty deed that will leave me happy with broadband 50 and a new phone.
Well it wasn’t him that showed up. It was another installer who didn’t show up. I waited by the door, by the window, listening for the doorbell, checking the car port, the street. Not a single Shaw car came by.
I called Shaw and got ahold of a deal lady who had voices in her head. It was a whimsical little conversation (that took 22 minutes of waiting on my cellphone minutes before I got hooked up). We chatted about my delimna and that Telus was tempting me and beckoning at my door. Yet I was still faithfull, barely.
She asked me to wait again, They’re in the area and will call me. I was informed that this other installer called but was giving my old number. How could that be? The previous installer who was supposed to show up called me on the right phone number. What nonsensical mess-​ups could further insue? What could test my limits of patience more than have someone tell me someone will call and they don’t.
Oh Shaw Shaw Shaw. I give thee one more chance and then you shall be booted out the door. The media shall be advised of your disspassionate dispositon. And I will be left wanting to succomb to second best.

I wanted to wait until I had fairly been with Telus for enough time to evaluate both fairly. In terms of service, I was only regular HD with Shaw, so this new PVR technology was crazy to me.
The difference between Shaw and Telus overall is like night and day for everything except actual service. They both are extremely friendly and courteous, unfortunately by the time you actually get a HOLD of a Shaw representative it’s hard to have a civil conversation
The wait times for Shaw are ridiculous and inexcusable. Three hours to get support for something you’re paying up the (@# for is not a good business model for any company. And to talk about what their unjustifiably high costs, there is no reason to go with Shaw.
In addition my area doesn’t get really great connectivity so my internet was out 2 days at a time and to call and get support was 2 – 3 hours of listening to Shaw’s elevator music… so I’d rather just not have internet for 2 days. Whats the point of paying for service like that.
I can’t even believe how much I was paying for Shaw service after being with Telus for two months now. Even to call and cancel with Shaw I was on the phone for 2 hours and 45 minutes with no option to have them call me back. This made me very sure that I wanted to cancel.
Shaw always claims when you’re trying to cancel with them that Telus packages are the same when you compare packages that are actually similar, but after using both, I’d say you don’t notice the channel difference a whole lot but I definitely noticed the differnce in the bill… very glad to have changed won’t look back again!

I have never had a bad experience with them and I have been with Shaw for many years (5+? — can’t remember actually). There have been times when mistakes happen or service is off, but hey, stuff happens. They have always been happy to help or explain what the problem was. Once my phone went out and they had a tech there in 15mins and fixed the problem. Another time they talked me through some internet problem I had (I’m not tech savy) that had nothing to do with them– very helpful! …and what do you mean «ENDURE» their commercials? Google «Shaw Handy Hand» — I laugh every time, I will NEVER get sick of that commercial :)