I have used strictly Bell and Aliant for my cell phone, home phone, internet for 8 years, and bell for my tv for 5 years. After all of this time I thought when my High Speed Internet (up to 1.5 mps) was only producing 100kbs download and 50 kbs upload for the last two years they would do something to increase my high speed. I was told there was nothing they can do and I would have to live with it. (yeah I know why did i put up with it for 2 years)

A good friend of mine living in St. Stephen paying for the exact same package gets 500kbs download, why am I only getting 100kbs? I have been told it’s my lines to my location, my jacks, even the box that they gave me, so I had a new jack added based on their recommendation and still left with 100kbs.

So I decided that I would switch my internet and only my internet to Rogers just so it would be faster. When discussing this option with Aliant, I’m then told that I will lose my long distance, my value package and more. They will knock $52 off my bill but add $20 to my cell phones and for basic long distance another $16 and that without internet through them there was no value package options.

So frustrated and annoyed as they would not work with me to come up with an alternate solution. All I really wanted was a faster internet connection, I mean online gaming, web design and web development does not work on a slow internet connection.

I called rogers and told them what I wanted and the guy on the phone says “Sir we want to work with you to give you the best services and options we can.” Even through I am stuck with Aliant on my cell phones every other service is now switching over to Rogers on the 19th. Yes now have a download cap but they said if I’m not getting my 7mb sec they will be at my house to get the problem fixed, the slowest I should see is 5mb sec which is Fine by me.

It works out that I will only be paying $30 more a month that what I am right now due to the facts that our cell phones are jumping by $20 a month. I am actually recieving way more in terms of tv with an hd pvr, hd channels and more. To get that with bell I would have had to add on $60 a month to what I’m already paying for the same thing…

So in the news Aliant is cutting jobs (sorry to those people who lost thier jobs),  well maybe if they would give better service to people living in the cities they wouldn’t be switching to Rogers. This is one customer that didn’t want to switch but was left with no choice.

Throughout 2008 I have actually done a fair bit of traveling and have found consistantly at any place i’ve stayed that I was able to dig out my laptop and log on without any issue. At PEI’s Rodd Mill River Resort, I sat down my wifi kicked in and I was going. In Halifax I was given a code to enter but as long as I was a guest I got free wifi internet. Same for both Trips to Toronto and even in Calais Maine(population 5000) in the summer I stayed at the International Motel, I thought I wouldn’t but at check in they said and you have complimentry wifi internet let us know if there is anything else you need.

So at Christmas my family headed down to meeting up with my sisters and their families for a nice visit and would be staying for a week at The Boston Marriott Long Wharf boasting their ratings on their website as follows;

• Marriott Rewards category: 7
• AAA Diamonds: 3
• Mobil Travel Guide Stars: 3

I thought for sure no problem i’m going to have internet access, I mean Boston even has Boston wifi and we are right down town so I made sure to take my laptop along with me, to keep in contact with clients etc. To my astonishment I found out no Internet was not complimentry it was 12.99 for 24 hours of internet access, so I said well i’ll have to use Boston Wifi and was informed by hotel staff not to bother trying as the hotel blocked the wifi within the hotel. They weren’t kidding could not connect at all but walking about block away and taking out my ipod touch and i could connect to Boston Wifi no problem.

If that wasn’t the biggest surprise, my wife and I took our kids out for breakfast just a block away at a small diner that had a giant sign saying free wifi access. It really through me off so I logged on and setup an auto responder letting everyone who contacted me know that I was away and would have limited access to email for the week I would be in Boston.

For a hotel that is in the heart of Boston less than a block from the famous Quincy Market I really expected complimentary internet but I guess even still you need to check hotels websites to see if you will have to pay for your internet access.