The case for... switching Internet providers

Oh, Rogers.  I'm impressed at how you have grown to become a Mammoth Money Making Monster (MMMM), leaving your victims with no choice but to choose you (or choose your MLSE partner in crime, Bell).  But alas, we have a new hero (well not really new but just play along with me here) among us.  A choice for the puny retail consumer.  A Dark Knight. (cue in dramatic music...)

So you can tell I am a bit overly pumped about the Dark Knight Rises.  I am also just as passionate about competitive pricing from our telecom overlords.  So, for my first real blog since 2006, I wanted to start with an easy one - the case for saving money on Internet.

What I know about Teksavvy is that they have really cheese ads with Georges Laraque posing as their superhero (personally I would've chosen Christian Bale, but really who am I - nobody).   I also understand that Teksavvy utilizes the Rogers infrastructure, so if you go with Teksavvy, you are really using Rogers' systems.  I'm sure I could add some sort of symbolism here, but I won't (such as "Luke, I am your father!").


Comparison ($'s exclude taxes): Teksavvy vs. Rogers


Thankfully, these companies have made their internet packages quite easy to compare.  Here is a comparison of the first tier of internet packages offered by both companies:

As you will quickly notice, you get more for your dollar if you go with Teksavvy.  Rogers customers often move up to a more expensive package because the 15GB allowance is not enough.  These customers don't necessarily move up to the next package because they need faster download/upload speeds, which is what they are paying for with the next step up.  The next package from Rogers is $48.99 per month, and gives you only 80GB of bandwidth!  With Teksavvy's Lite Cable 3 package, you can get 300GB for $30.95 per month.  Out of all the ones offered by both companies, this package wins in my books - I get more than enough bandwidth and the speeds are fast enough for my requirements.  One day, if I ever start a server, I may consider looking at moving to a higher upload speed.


Additional Details ($'s exclude taxes)

• Bandwidth overage calculations: Each month, Rogers will calculate your bandwidth usage, and will add an additional usage charge to your bill for each GB over your limit (the charge ranges from $0.5 per GB to $4 per GB depending on the internet package you chose).  Teksavvy calculates your overage based on a 2 month rolling average.  This would be helpful on those months when you download an inordinate amount of cartoons.  +1 for Teksavvy.
• One-time Activation Fee + Modem Purchase: Under both Rogers or Teksavvy, you will need a modem (rent or buy).  The cost of activation + modem purchase from Teksavvy is $130, and from Rogers is $214.90 (difference of $84.90!!).  +1 for Teksavvy.
• So some people might say to me, "Hey Dufus!  I do everything with Rogers, and they give me 15% off all my bills.  I love Rogers! YAAR!!".  For those people, I would calculate what the additional 5% discount (from having a 3rd product with Rogers) amounts to.  You'll still be better off switching to Teksavvy, buddy.

Conclusion


Well, the choice is yours.  You can save 31% or $132 a year (pre-tax) by switching over to Teksavvy.  Or if you're looking to increase your bandwidth, you can opt for the 300GB package and still save $60 each year or 14%.  Make one phone call, and then sit back and watch the money rolling in!  Well actually, you'll be watching your money stay in your wallet (just as exciting).


I've been with Teksavvy cable internet for the past 5+ years and have not had any issues.  Recently, they have been restricting new customer activations in their highly congested areas, and have been trying to update their network to accommodate for this demand.  If this is the case, I give you 4 alternatives: (1) switch to DSL (Teksavvy also offers this), (2) speak with Rogers retention (I hear that they will often offer you a deal that you can't refuse), (3) have a look into Distributel, or (4) look at expanding your phone's data plan to use with your home network.


For those interested, here are the comparisons of the other internet packages offered by both companies:

I would love to meet the person who subscribes to the Rogers Ultimate package, with speeds of 75Mbps download and 2Mbps upload!!


Note: Other than being a customer, I am not affiliated with Teksavvy.  My only allegiance is to my wallet.  The above stats were based on Teksavvy and Rogers pricing in July 2012