Rogers Telecommunications

Do you know what I hate?

I hate Rogers Telecommunications.

Yeah - it could be about how their Toronto Blue Jays baseball team disappointed me yet again in 2014 - but no...

I am extremely disappointed with my so-called Rogers telecommunications experience.

I was a Rogers employee for a number of years, and enjoyed a Rogers employee discount of 50% off on such items as baseball tickets, internet, TV and telephone, but didn't whine about losing it after my magazine was sold off by Rogers a few years ago to another company whom I currently enjoy working for.

I'm a pretty loyal guy.

I have always been a staunch supporter of the Rogers brand - having personally been helped by then-owner and president Ted Roger's secretary in a time of need - which sucks that I needed to use her aid when standard customer service should have sufficed.

Other ways the family is connected historically include: my father-in-law being invited to come and talk with Ted Rogers over a book he wrote on Reginald Fessenden; and my wife's great aunts both used to babysit Ted's dad, Edward, back in the turn of the last century.

So - I like Rogers... but lately, it's been a grind.

I have had no resolution on an e-mail of mine that no longer works properly - being blocked by others... since February of 2014.

I was called in March 2014 by Rogers offering me great deals that would save me lots of money and speed up my Internet - thereby reducing my monthly bill... but a fire alarm hit the call center and despite promising to call back, no one ever did.

My most recent call in was regarding my television signal cutting out. It did this in the summer of 2013 too, when a technician came out and changed the wires.

This time, no one suggested a technician, only that it was going to be looked at... right.... when? I have no proof that it was.

But what was particularly galling was the fact that I followed the Rogers technical advice left on the phone while I awaited a chat with the company... so I tried to reboot my system... unfortunately, at that time my Rogers PVR box began to fail and reboot itself and reboot itself...

The tech said I might need a new PVR box (which I now need to have my television work to receive all those 500+ wonderful channels I pay for), but it does appear as though my television signal is strong - their thought being that since the signal was strong, the PVR box might be the issue as to why my television signal would cut out and become garbled. Fine. My issue is not with the tech.

She suggested I might want talk to a Rogers Customer Service rep... to see if they could help me out.

I own my TV PVR box. I bought it a few years ago with a Christmas bonus from work and used my Rogers 50% employee discount - which was the only way I could actually afford to purchase such a PVR box. I own it.

I understand that things break... but five years? That's it? That sucks... I mean brand new that PVR box cost $500 (not including any discounts).

I was polite with the Rogers Customer Service rep I talked to and she, though terse, was also polite.

Basically, she said I need to purchase a new PVR box.

Well, guess what? I don't have $500 to spend on this. I could rent one, but I don't have the money to add to my bill. I simply don't.I informed her of my financial quandary.

Basically, I was looking for (asking) Rogers to take some responsibility for providing customers with unsatisfactory equipment for a large cost that does not work effectively for a long time... the fact that Rogers only has a 2-year warranty on the product implies that Rogers doesn't believe it to last much longer than that.  

I wanted that Rogers Customer Service rep to make me an offer of some sort of aid - but none was offered - just the silent 'boo-hoo, buy a new PVR box' telepathy offered by her.

No one is saying the equipment a customer purchases to make the service you provide need work forever... but when it fails, perhaps some customer service... some actual care for the customer would be nice - and not just lip service, but an actual thoughtful solution that won't break the customer's bank.

I have been contacted numerous times by Bell, and have been offered a rate that is pretty close to the 50% discount I previously enjoyed as part of the Rogers family. And yet I have not gone over. I nearly did thanks to the uncaring sales rep - which might not be her fault, as I am sure it is possible she was 'just following orders.' Yup - the telecommunications industry is heil (sp).

After mentioning to the Rogers Customer Service rep that Bell had made overtures to me with excellent deals, the Rogers Customer Service rep volunteered to help me change over to Bell - there was no fight in her - 'no please don't go'... 'no let me see how we can keep you as a loyal customer because we understand that not every Rogers customer is a rich baseball player'.

No... none of that was offered... it was just, 'let me transfer you over to someone who can help you leave Rogers.'

So she did just that. She transferred me over to the disconnection section of Rogers Telecommunications.

The wait time, I was informed by a recorded message was 20-minutes before I would be able to talk to someone.

It's sad that there are that many people trying to leave Rogers... or that they even have to wait that long to leave.

Hey Rogers - do you really want to know how my Rogers experience is?

No one at Rogers fights to keep me as a customer. No one fights for me to stay... and when I do try to leave, they tell me I have to wait 20 minutes before even that can be begun to be accomplished.

I hung up. I have work to do.

I mean... all told... if I hung around the requested 20 more minutes... I might have wasted some four hours of my life in 2014 trying to resolve issues or trying to receive some imaginary cost-savings... which is funny, because my time is worth $125 an hour. At least.

It's many months later as I complete this essay (I began it moments after talking to the curt Rogers Customer Service rep - and no one from Rogers has ever dared to call me again to make me an offer I can't refuse. No one has ever called back to tell me my e-mail issues are resolved.

Yeah - I know they don't have to offer me any help whatsoever with regards to a new PVR box for my television. But it would have been nice if they had been human about it.

Oh yeah - all these months later... that same PVR box seems to be working just fine. So it wasn't the PVR box that was the problem, though there is still the occasional seconds-long garbled signal on the TV.

Rogers tried to get me to pay $500 or whatever it costs now for a new PVR box... or what... pay a monthly rental fee for a NEW PVR box - when obviously I didn't need one.

Rogers never adequately resolved the Television issue for me - the PVR box I own is in remission on its own, or the television signal took some steroids even though I was previously told it was strong enough.

Rogers never resolved my e-mail issues. Not only did they never call me regarding their handling of it - my phone number and OTHER e-mail account was always given, but they would claim they resolved it, shut down the ticket (complaint project) - not actually checking with me to see if it WAS resolved to my satisfaction.

It never was... and I had to open up I think four (for sure) or five tickets to try and resolve the problem after all other tickets were closed by Rogers prematurely.

I still am unable to properly send and receive emails with one of my e-mail accounts - one I have used for about five years until this past February for one of my writing businesses.

Rogers never called me again to provide me with the once-offered cost savings for my TV, Telephone and Internet. I guess the fire alarms must be ringing so loudly at Rogers that they must have had their Bell rung.

And NO - I don't want to bundle in any wireless telephone for more cost-savings because I don't have a wireless telephone. This WAS asked of me during a couple of times I called in - I realize you have to ask, but...

No - I don't want a wireless telephone form Rogers because - haven't you been listening?! - I can't afford one. Certainly not after losing my Rogers 40% employee discount. Besides... who would I call? Certainly not Rogers Customer Service!

In short, Rogers has failed in its customer service.

So... who wants to make me a better offer? Yes... I'm still with Rogers... it's that damn loyalty thing.

Do you know what I hate?

I hate Rogers Telecommunications. There... you made me say it. I don't like saying it... but dammit... you just don't care about me - the customer.

I will say, however, that Rogers is pretty damn quick to contact you should not make a bill payment. So someone knows how to do their job. Hey... they need the money to pay for all the hockey and baseball... I guess Rogers likes its games.

People... feel free to write in about your own Rogers 'experience'. I don't judge.

By the way... the TD Bank wants me to come into their bank with my wife this weekend, but the person my wife talked to today (Tuesday) refused to properly explain to her why.... I'm the principle on the second Visa card (I also have one with CIBC that I use solely), but that was because my wife couldn't get one on her own. She's maxed out, but still makes the minimum payment on it monthly - sometimes late admittedly, but always pays it... and the line of credit we have with TD Bank.
So... I'm wondering if I'll have another tale to tell shortly. 
You can read about the fun myself and others have had with the CIBC HERE.