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Bell Mobility Review (Cancel Bell Contract)

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Christian Bauer
#1

Cancel Bell Contract

May 18th, 2004
Bell Mobility Review

Please read the full review at http://www.canadiancontent.net/tech/..._mobility.html

Article describes the network and includes information about Customer Service, Network, Phones, Pricing, Price Plans, Features and Overall Value.




Christian Bauer
Email: cbauer @ canadiancontent.net
 
bocaj
#2

Bell Mobility Reviews

Feb 22nd, 2005
What a load of crap.
I used to work for BM and not too long ago.
Let me tell you how they like to give people the run around and never do follow ups. I have 6 friends that work there and even THEY say, they know that BM is a scam company. Pretty logo, nice commercials, clean cut image. But a load of crap.
My friends and I have BM phones under the EPP (Employee Purchase Plan), where we're getting screwed royally for things we shouldn't be charged for.
It's been 4, 5months now even, and Im still having to deal with this issue. It's horrible and I just tell everyone to go to Telus (whom Ive been with for 5years and NEVER ONCE did i have a problem) or Rogers (where a friend of mine is with and likes it).
BM is getting nothing but bad publicity out of me and rightly so.

If you're thinking of getting a cell phone, DON'T choose BM, and if it's because of their phones, which are better than Telus' I admit. DON'T DO IT FOR THAT REASON ALONE.
Trust me. Worked there, dealt with it, never again.
My friends who work there, feel horrible for ripping people off and/or lying to them sometimes.
Like I said, don't choose BM for its line of phones or fall for its image, because that's all it is...an image.
Want AMAZING customer service, try Telus.
Makes you wonder why they're the #1 cellular company in North America.
Try Rogers even, Im sure they're better than BM. Even though I never dealt with them personally.
Anything is better than BM.
 
kalok
#3

Cancelling Bell Contract

May 13th, 2005
I made this thread sticky for ppl to find it easily.

Also please put in mind the reviews are kind of out-dated, it can only give you a preview image of how it is. With the times goes, some providers are getting better and some others are getting worse. If you want more information, please look and ask around the forum.

kalok~
 
Wolfmaan
#4

Bell Mobility Contract Cancellation

Jun 13th, 2005
***MOD EDIT***

No need of repost.
please refer to :
http://www.canadiancontent.net/forum...pic.php?t=4754

Thanks.
kalok~
 
Mom_1
#5

Jun 27th, 2005
This is my debut post here. I, too, have serious issues with Bell Mobility.

Mistake #1 -We ordered a prepaid phone through an online chat. Although our addresss was given correctly, the phone was sent to the wrong address. We should have cancelled the transaction right there and then.

Mistake #2 - We believed supervisor Chris (CTV are her initials) who told us that if we went to a store and purchased the phone, that she would take care of making sure that our Bell Canada bill was credited for the original purchase. Why was I surprised when the Bell Canada bill arrived with the cell phone purchase included....and Chris, who promised to phone me back, had disappeared without the promised phone call.

It has been very clear that so called customer service is unable to go beyond whatever glib one liners are scripted for them. They seem apologetic and all but certainly have no ability to appease customers when things have gone wrong due to their errors.

The next thing I knew I had a message from Bell Mobility on my machine welcoming me to the fold and informing me that my billing date was the 11th of the month. Why did I get this message when I purchased a prepaid phone?

Mistake #3 - I try phoning and get the run around. Everyone, including Supervisor Corey who just phoned, agrees that I shouldn't have gotten this message, but will anyone bother to check into why I did get it? Or will they bother to send me some confirmation that I shouldn't be billed for a service I don't want? I tell Supervisor Corey (is that his real name I wonder?) that my Bell Canada bill is still not showing the credit for the phone which Supervisor Chris (CTV) promised and he informs me that Bell Mobility has nothing to do with this and that I must take it up with Bell Canada myself. I then ask to speak with Supervisor Chris (CTV) and he asks me why as he feels that all problems have been resolved. The fact that he has an angry & upset customer on the line doesn't phase him and he won't put through my request. So I tell him that I plan to write to his supervisor and the press detailing all that has taken place. Findng this forum is my first step.

Why don't these people realize that the bottom line is that this will cost them business. I was going to set the phone up to be used in the US which means auto top up, but now I'm reluctant to do this. I'll continue using the phone as long as it's cheap...I can stretch the prepaid minutes out for 4 months, but I'm now considering moving my local service elsewhere. My long distance went to another, less expensive carrier a year ago so moving my local service won't be hard.
 
kathlene
#6

Jun 28th, 2005
I have also had the WORST experience with Bell Mobility, more-so than any other company I have EVER dealt with.

#1 Lying Salespeople.

I was moving to Toronto, and went to a Bell Mobility in Victoria to see what my options were. The salesgirl promised that I could purchase the phone plan in Victoria, and it would transfer without a problem to Toronto, and I wouldn't have to pay a number change fee when I arrived. When I did arrive in the city, my plan did not transfer. I was told I would have to switch to another, more expensive plan. I protested, and they tried to force me to pay the contract cancellation fee - Almost $300! They had failed on their end of the contract, and were trying to force me to pay for it. I had to threaten legal action for them to acquiesce, and I had to call their service line 5 times.

#2 Phone Wait

I agree with the main review that getting through to a representative doesn't take very long. However, they seem less knowledgeable when it comes to providing solutions to problems. When dealing with my contract, I was placed on hold for literally an hour and a half, with the same elevator music reel playing every thirty seconds while the rep tried to figure out what to do. The representative didn't check-in with me, and so I was left wondering if he forgot about me, but I couldn't hang up and face dealing with the situation all over again. The reps also seem defensive and angry when you have complaints that have to do with the company, instead of trying to make your experience better. I was also hung up on yesterday!

#3 Billing Issues

Yesterday, I received the bill for the month I had used the phone. I also received the bill for the following month, for time I hadn't used well after my contract had been cancelled! I was also charged for the number change, which I had been promised wouldn't happen. And to top it off, I was charged a late payment fee for the other bill I had just received at that moment. Almost $150. Only after I started yelling did the rep even offer to do something about it.

This experience has left me soured and angry about cell phones in general. And even if Bell was the only telephone company in the world, I would gladly go without a phone. Snail mailing and sending the pony express would be less of a hassle.
 
Mom_1
#7

Jun 29th, 2005
Many thanks to the person who posted the email address for Bell Canada Executive Offices [--]. I emailed that addy after I'd posted here and have had 2 phone calls from people who seem quite sincere in wanting to get to the bottom of my situation. One of the things the first rep told me is that the call centre people CAN NOT refuse to have a supervisor phone you back. If they do so I was told to use that email address to report the incident. Frankly, I'm prone to either using that email or phoning the exec. offices at the first sign of a problem from now on.
 
bill.woodhead
#8

Jul 7th, 2005
***MOD EDIT***

No need of repost, please refer to
http://www.canadiancontent.net/forum...pic.php?t=6113

Thanks.

kalok~
 
Randal Oulton
#9

Feb 8th, 2006
This article is undated and therefore it's of no use. I have no idea if it's from today (February 2006) or 10 years ago.
 
idohavalife
#10

Feb 25th, 2006
I guess this means my woes with Bell Mobilty are just starting.
When I bought the Nokia 6225 it was advertised as Web browser 1x ready. It has not worked since day one, just a message it is "temporarily unavailable" I called BM and was told this would be resolved in a week. Two weeks later I was getting the same thing. Two more weeks and I was told this model could not browse the web... period, and they were still working with Nokia on the issue. I have written three letters since and BM customer service advises if the phone is defective to take it to an authourised Nokia repair shop. I advised as they told me this whole model has the problem that Bell should be advising the people that bought this unit and replace it and to deal with Nokia as this is a model problem, not an individual repair problem as they had advised me their data team was working with Nokia on the issue. Today I sent an email advising them to have a supervisor call me about replacing the unit.
I am sure this will be resolved very quickly.... just as I am sure gullible has no L's in it.
 
Sandhu
#11

Mar 28th, 2006
Hi Bocaj , I'm looking at prospects of employment with Telus.
Can you get in touch with me at :-- ?

Quote: Originally Posted by bocaj

What a load of crap.
I used to work for BM and not too long ago.
Let me tell you how they like to give people the run around and never do follow ups. I have 6 friends that work there and even THEY say, they know that BM is a scam company. Pretty logo, nice commercials, clean cut image. But a load of crap.
My friends and I have BM phones under the EPP (Employee Purchase Plan), where we're getting screwed royally for things we shouldn't be charged for.
It's been 4, 5months now even, and Im still having to deal with this issue. It's horrible and I just tell everyone to go to Telus (whom Ive been with for 5years and NEVER ONCE did i have a problem) or Rogers (where a friend of mine is with and likes it).
BM is getting nothing but bad publicity out of me and rightly so.

If you're thinking of getting a cell phone, DON'T choose BM, and if it's because of their phones, which are better than Telus' I admit. DON'T DO IT FOR THAT REASON ALONE.
Trust me. Worked there, dealt with it, never again.
My friends who work there, feel horrible for ripping people off and/or lying to them sometimes.
Like I said, don't choose BM for its line of phones or fall for its image, because that's all it is...an image.
Want AMAZING customer service, try Telus.
Makes you wonder why they're the #1 cellular company in North America.
Try Rogers even, Im sure they're better than BM. Even though I never dealt with them personally.
Anything is better than BM.

 
jcada
#12

Mar 30th, 2006
Bell is a rip off!!!!! Please do not deal with them if you have any other choice! Id just assume go without a cell phone then deal with them anymore. They ripped me off and I have just gone to the BBB about them. SCAM COMPANY! Sorry to hear Im not the only one that found this out!
 
Jody
#13

May 9th, 2006
Bell representative Taylor Phillips told me that being in Alberta for 4 months a Year and New Brunswick for 8 months a year was no problem as Bell and Aliant Worked Seemlessly. What a misrepresentation.

Moving to New Brunswick I had to sign another 3 year contract with Aliant and after 8 months there I have to sign another 3 year contract with Bell, now that I've moved back. After having a bell phone for a year I'm still on a 3 year contract! If I continue to travel, as I planned for another year, I'll have the contract for 5 years!

I just spent 2 hours on the phone with Melissa(rep), Jessica(supervisor) and Faras(senior supervisor) and they say that since my contract was cancelled and taking up by Aliant, my original contract won't be honored. So if I want service in Alberta, I have to sign another 3 year contract and apparently its my choice with what I should do.

I can cancel with Aliant and continue the perpetual 3 year agreement, stay with aliant and pay for a phone I won't use for months or use the phone here under no contract and pay for a phone in both places!

If you spend parts of the year in the Maritimes and in Alberta and want to easily switch numbers to avoid long distance fees and hasles, don't, don't go with BELL!
 
canadianprincess2284
#14

Nov 28th, 2006
totally the most horrible company/customer service i have ever been with.... i wouldnt reccomend it to anyone not even my worst enemy... actually maybe my worst enemy.. that would be funny... dealing with them has been hell...

on the cover of my contract folder it says "Clear Information Promise" i have no had clear information... i can not understand their bills... and in no way have they kept any promises.... do you think we could sue them for false advertisement????
 
Shjinta
#15

Dec 17th, 2006
Hey guys, first time post. I signed with Bell and got this cheapo Samsung phone. I want to cancel my 3 year plan. Its almost been a year. How much would they charge me to try and cancel it. Is there anyway to not have to pay? My new company has a Cell Phone plan with Telus I believe. So i want that.

Thank you kindly
 
canadianprincess2284
#16

Dec 17th, 2006
Now bell trys to make cancelling your contract really hard...
you need to give them 30 days notice... and pay them $200 per phone (i think you pay more for cancelling a three year contract, but i dunno i only signed a 2 yr) also even so after this they will continue to try and bill you (although you dont have to pay it after you pay the 200) my mom recieved bills for like almost 6 months after cancelling her plan.... if you dial 611 on your cell youll get a stupid bell rep who will give you the run around , but he may be able to tell you how much it cost....

i am sorry in advance for the crap bell is gunna pull... welcome to my nightmare
 
snowles
Avatar
#17

Dec 17th, 2006
Quote: Originally Posted by ShjintaView Post

Hey guys, first time post. I signed with Bell and got this cheapo Samsung phone. I want to cancel my 3 year plan. Its almost been a year. How much would they charge me to try and cancel it. Is there anyway to not have to pay? My new company has a Cell Phone plan with Telus I believe. So i want that.

Thank you kindly

Usually it's a $20/month charge to cancel your phone, up to a maximum of $200. Depending on the company though, there may not be a $200 ceiling, and you could pay up to $20/month for however many months remain on your contract. Also some companies (and I'm thinking TBaytel) also want you to return the phone (which is crazy). If you paid a deposit, you can pretty much kiss that goodbye (especially since it hasn't been a year yet).

If you're on a cheaper plan and you have a family member wanting a phone, it's likely cheaper to get them to take on the contract (it stays in your name and they pay for it with their credit card or whatever) and ride it out. If you're young, this can be a good thing for you, as it builds your credit - especially if you don't have a credit card, and want one.

Inversely, you should keep in mind that if you cancel a contract with a cell phone company, it usually does some less than pretty things to your credit score, and may affect the deposit you need when you apply for a Telus phone (or anything else involving credit, like a loan). If you're really unsure, phone Bell, find out exactly what it'll cost to cancel, and if you want to do it still, find out all the costs associated with Telus (especially the deposit). If it's to your liking, get the Telus phone and then cancel your Bell phone. Prepare to pay at least $300 for everything by the time it's all said and done.

My honest opinion would be to try and find a family member to take on your Bell contract though, and then sign up with Telus or whoever you want. Don't get a friend involved on your contract though - trust me when I say that 99% of the time it ends badly and you'll be saddled with two phones, two bills and no friend (I know from working in the cell phone sales industry and seeing it happen a lot).
Last edited by snowles; Dec 17th, 2006 at 01:55 PM..Reason: Added info.
 
snowles
Avatar
#18

Dec 17th, 2006
I should add that if you plan on moving to Thunder Bay, despite what the nice folks at Bell will tell you, you will be paying long distance on every call you make and every call you receive, usually unbeknownst to you. There is no Bell towers or Bell office in Thunder Bay (it is run by a privitized company run locally since the early 1990s) and you will not be able to secure a Thunder Bay phone number to make it your home calling area. You are merely piggy-backing off of the TBaytel towers. If you have a Bell pay-as-you-go, they will not function at all.

I can't tell you how many dozens of college and university students I had to deal with every September because Bell lied to them (either intentionally or through sheer ignorance I don't know) and they signed up on new plans before moving for school. They ended up with a phone they could use fine in the summertime when they went home, and a really expensive payphone where they paid roaming and long distance for (both incoming and outgoing) for the other 8 months of the year.

edit: what I wrote not only applies to the city of Thunder Bay, but an area of northwestern Ontario stretching from about Winnipeg to Sault Ste. Marie (where the closest Bell service places are), from Hudson's Bay down to the US border.
Last edited by snowles; Dec 17th, 2006 at 02:04 PM..Reason: Added info
 
Mr.Roboto
#19

Dec 17th, 2006
I must say that my experience with Bell has been horrible from day one. When we moved in our appartment last september, we called them to have a home phone number. Now, i'm not a phone technician, so I don't know how it was possible, but they gave us a number that we shared with some local commerce fax number...so basically, you had a chance out of two to get to us, otherwise you landed on the other places fax machine.

So of course, we called to tell them of this pretty anoying problem. Now, the obvious thing to do in this case is to give another phone number on the spot right? NO, they wanted us to pay them 75$ to change our number, like if you do a normal number change. But the thing is the number they gave ous in the first place didn't even work properly. After a long ugly discussion with the Bell representative, they finally backed down and gave us our new number.

Now, it seems that Bell still wanted to «win» this ordeal by giving us the old number for a local Hertz Car Rental shop...that is still in the phonebooks. So I get daily calls for car rentals, and messages on my recorder about someone that wants to rent a car on a giving day...soooo fun...

I will probably change for Vidéotron cable telephone when I move in a new appartment next summer.
 
Hotshot
Avatar
#20

Dec 17th, 2006
I have had no problems with Bell Mobility, other than them wanting to get their bill paid... And when i was in a pinch during that time, they were still helpful.

When I lost my phone , they were more than helpful.

Bell gets a bum rap.
 
Jane6453
#21

Feb 7th, 2007
When my faithful, old brick-sized Nokia died, I decided to purchase a new Audiovox flip-phone (mistake #1, see below) from Bell. I had been on a pre-paid plan for some time and paid 35 cents per minute during the day and 5 cents per minute in the evenings. I mostly use my phone at night. The young guy in the Bell Mobility store was transferring the service to my new phone and announced, "I just changed you to a new plan. You now pay 30 cents per minute all of the time. It will be cheaper for you." I said, "How is 30 cents per minute all of the time cheaper than what I had? Change it back." He went back to the computer and you could see it in his face that something was wrong. "I can't change it back," he said. He got on the phone and Bell Mobility REFUSED to change it back. I took the phone from him and demanded to get my old plan back. "We can't," they said, "we no longer offer that plan" "But, I didn't make the change!" I exclaimed, "the kid did it without my permission!" I was told "Too bad, we have no way of putting you back on that plan." I went up several levels of management and the answer was the same. Nice way to forcibly move customers to the new, more expensive plan! I should have told them where to go, but I live in a semi-rural area and Bell is the only cell that provides reliable service. I want to have a cell as a backup in case my car breaks down or if my home phone service is out. I took the phone anyhow. The prepaid plans changed a couple of months later and I am now charged 30 cents per minute for the first two minutes, then 10 cents per minute thereafter. Still more expensive.

About ten months down the road, the Audiovox wouldn't hold a charge for long or even take one at times. The phone SHOULD have been under warranty but Bell insisted that it wasn't. They offered me a loaner phone for $30 while the Audiovox was in for repairs. I said "No thanks!" and bought a car charger. The charge on the phone now depletes after one call.

I am going to purchase a new Nokia from Virgin Mobile. Same network, nicer people. I have never had a problem with a Nokia phone. They literally take a beating and still keep working for years. I now have Primus VOIP for home phone service and satellite from Star Choice. Just say no to Bell, people. If enough of us do it, they may eventually get the message.
 
DurkaDurka
Avatar
#22

Feb 7th, 2007
Starchoice? I pity you. I would sooner watch colour patterns on my screen then subscribe to their ghetto service.
 
Jane6453
#23

Feb 7th, 2007
No problems with Star Choice. Excellent signal strength. Was able to cut the bill down to $20 with tax per month when laid off. Lost signal much less often in bad weather than Bell.
 
DurkaDurka
Avatar
#24

Feb 7th, 2007
Quote: Originally Posted by Jane6453View Post

No problems with Star Choice. Excellent signal strength. Was able to cut the bill down to $20 with tax per month when laid off. Lost signal much less often in bad weather than Bell.

The problem with Starchoice is their lack of programming & minimal hardware choices. I find it hard to believe that starchoice gives you a better signal... perhaps your expressvu dish wasn't aligned correctly?
 
J_Hay
Avatar
#25

Mar 21st, 2007
Quote: Originally Posted by canadianprincess2284View Post

Now bell trys to make cancelling your contract really hard...
you need to give them 30 days notice... and pay them $200 per phone (i think you pay more for cancelling a three year contract, but i dunno i only signed a 2 yr) also even so after this they will continue to try and bill you (although you dont have to pay it after you pay the 200) my mom recieved bills for like almost 6 months after cancelling her plan.... if you dial 611 on your cell youll get a stupid bell rep who will give you the run around , but he may be able to tell you how much it cost....

i am sorry in advance for the crap bell is gunna pull... welcome to my nightmare

Well right now I too am having problems with that... thety somehow upped a $200 cancellation fee to $400 is this entirely legal?
My plan is a 3 yr one, I also asked for a specific phone but the sales-person who was serving me pulled out a different one and then said it was a better deal.. please help ^^
 
Sleezyc
#26

Mar 28th, 2007
I'm also having a difficult time with Bell. I signed a 3 year contract with them which will be up this November. I have recently been hired by Telus and want to take advantage of the deals they are offering me. I called Bell to ask how much it would cost me to cancel my contract that has 8 months left...$400! It's odd because with a 1 year contract (more months then I have left) you can get out of it for $100, but I have to pay $400. So I figured, alright I'll keep the contract up until it's done and move on although the only problem is my phone can barely keep a charge and it's been through everything. I asked a rep if I was able to get some sort of discount on a new phone and she said that yes I could, but only if I renewed my contract.

I'm contemplating on biting the bullet and paying out the $400 just to get away from that ****hole of a company.
 
karrie
Avatar
#27

Mar 28th, 2007
Quote: Originally Posted by SleezycView Post

I'm contemplating on biting the bullet and paying out the $400 just to get away from that ****hole of a company.

If your phone's essentially dead, chuck it, cut your plan to the bare minimum, and stay on til Nov. It will probably cost you less than $400, and then go get yourself a phone from Telus.
 
Sleezyc
#28

Mar 28th, 2007
Funny thing is, I calculated it out and I would save $10 by staying with Bell and cutting it down to bare minimum compared to the offers I can get with telus.
 
J_Hay
#29

Apr 2nd, 2007
Quote: Originally Posted by SleezycView Post

Funny thing is, I calculated it out and I would save $10 by staying with Bell and cutting it down to bare minimum compared to the offers I can get with telus.

haha no kidding^.^
 
Viviand
#30

Apr 13th, 2007
We've got cell phones thru President's Choice (Bell provider). They're prepaid and we find that we pay a lot less ($25 for max. 2 months) than we would if we'd go with an actual cell phone plan. It may make a difference that we don't deal directly with Bell but thru President's Choice.
 

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