any Telus Optik stories out there

[crs]

I just found out from Telus that they now have Optik TV (no satellite dish required) FINALLY available in my 'hood. Now before I dive in & make a 3 yr commitment (I HATE that part) and say adios to Shaw, has anybody recently made the switch from Shaw Cable/Internet to Telus Optik? In some of the comparision blogs, I'm reading where your internet speed is impaired with Telus when you're watching Optik TV or recording shows on the PVR. While it would be nice to have phone/cable/internet all on one bill, I'm in no hurry to make the switch if it comes with a few "surprises" you don't find out about until you've made your 3 year commitment. Thanks in advance.

[Buckley]

I just found out from Telus that they now have Optik TV (no satellite dish required) FINALLY available in my 'hood. Now before I dive in & make a 3 yr commitment (I HATE that part) and say adios to Shaw, has anybody recently made the switch from Shaw Cable/Internet to Telus Optik? In some of the comparision blogs, I'm reading where your internet speed is impaired with Telus when you're watching Optik TV or recording shows on the PVR. While it would be nice to have phone/cable/internet all on one bill, I'm in no hurry to make the switch if it comes with a few "surprises" you don't find out about until you've made your 3 year commitment. Thanks in advance.

It claims to use "Fiber Optics", and then in the fine print that "all or part of the network may be covered by fiber optics", so what's the rest? Phone line? If so that's basically DSL, and if you've got cable now I wouldn't switch from Cable to DSL. I'm going to guess it is VERY unlikely that anywhere other than a major market would be completely covered in fiber optics, and even then that's also unlikely. Networks are only as strong as the weakest link, so if at some point it's just running through 20 miles of phone line, that's going to be a bottleneck.

I guess if the TV is connected to the router in some way, that would explain the Internet speed problems while watching TV/using the PVR, if they're separate lines/not running through the same equipment that should not be the case. That would be something I'd look into (the website doesn't seem to explain that). It's interesting though, those claims of 25Mbps for $50 ($28 a month for the first 3 months). That service is available from Rogers for like $120 a month. Though they cover themselves with fine print and claim that you might get "5.0 to 25.0 Mbps" (a MAJOR difference) with that service depending on network traffic, overall usage in your area, and where you are actually located. If you use www.speedtest.net you can find out what your speed is right now and what you're currently paying for.

I guess I haven't really answered your questions, but hopefully it helps with the decision making. The fine print also shows an $8/month charge for getting out if you want, so I mean if after a year you think it's garbage, it'll "only" cost $192 to get out and go back.

[jon]

Although I am pretty close to running a TELUS-free household -- I still can't resist their pay as you go cell phone service -- my recent experience trying unsuccessfully to change my mother's credit card number to auto-pay her TELUS phone bill demonstrates that TELUS customer service still has major problems, and I wouldn't go back to them if they paid me.

Above and beyond all that, I would never recommend having a contract for TV, phone (long distance, local or cell) or Internet services, from anyone. Service, technology and competition can change so fast that even a year seems like an eternity. Even with large companies, Customer Service can "crater" in months thanks to some great new initiative. Many Seniors, for example, have been completely buffaloed by the TELUS voice recognition that answers support calls.

As for speed, I pay an extra $10 a month to Shaw and get a pretty consistent 15 Mbps download speed after the first 10MB of a file, which averages 21 Mbps thanks to their free PowerBoost feature.

Finally, even one of my techie relatives who loves TELUS is pretty ticked that they consistently DO NOT offer their current customers the kind of long term pricing (i.e. - I'm not even talking about the 3-12 months intro offers) that they offer new or past customers, especially for long distance and local phone service. My in-laws asked for better pricing from TELUS several times, didn't get it, switched to Shaw and are paying almost half what TELUS charged them for the combo local and long distance service they have. Four months later, TELUS was phoning them, begging them to come back and offering the same deal as Shaw. What marketing genius devised that concept?

[Mike Cleaver]

Do NOT sign a contract for anything.
As pointed out, with constantly changing technology, you'll be left in the dust with inferior service.
For tv, try an antenna.
The HD is amazing, better than cable or satellite.
As for Telus tv, there's only so much data you can stuff down a copper pair, which is what most of us still have running from Central Office or remotes in our neighbourhoods.
I now have only basic cable from Shaw and DSL internet from Teksavvy, which is cheaper and faster than Telus with a 200gb monthly download cap, way more than Telus offers.
It's month to month.
And I have Pay As You Go with Rogers, which, if you buy time in $100 dollar blocks, doesn't expire for a year.
Don't lock yourself into a contract for any communications service.

[crs]

Thanks for the input folks. Yeah, making the 3-year commitment to Telus Optik is a BIGGGGGG stumbling block. As is the "not knowing" part...not knowing if my surfing speed will be compromised if someones watching Optik TV or recording on the PVR. Telus won't be getting a callback anytime soon!