Is anyone using Bell Cell, or have you switched from Telus to Bell?

[Ken07AOVette]

What are the pros and cons you are seeing from either?

I am on a very old TELUS CDMA unlimited DATA plan, 500 minutes, unlimited Domestic long distance, evenings and weekends, no texting (which I like), voice mail and caller ID, waiting etc, paying $110.00 per month.

BELL has a plan for $85.00 per month which gives 1500 minutes, 6GB of 4G DATA, unlimited incoming, unlimited evenings and weekends, but is the coverage as good? Are there as many dropped calls? What about customer service?

I would appreciate any information I can get. TIA

[Willowtrail]

Bell and Telus use the same towers Ken.
I have Rogers and would switch to Bell in a heartbeat if I wasn't stuck in this stupid contract.

[jungleboy]

Ken, I am on Bell for about 5 yrs now , It's okay . Not better not worse than Telus.( My work phone is on Telus,although I sometimes think it's the Blackberry more than it is a Telus problem). All in all I have grown to dislike Bell just as much as I dislike Telus they are all bloodsucking s.o.bs when it get's right down to it. :thinking-006:

[wwbirds]

I don't know how relevant my experience would be Ken but I had Telus maybe 10 years ago and often had no service in remote areas, remember not being able to make or receive calls near Bindloss, Blood Indian Resevoir as well as south of 501 near research station or Manyberries. I have had Bell Mobility for at least 5-6 years and cant recall the last time I couldn't make or receive a call. Maybe Telus has improved during the same time frame.

hey we have the family plan of unlimited texting so whether I am in states or talking to my daughter in Vancouver or son while he is on the road we text more than talk but it is free and almost every day.

[leeaspell]

I went from TELUS to bell. Never noticed any difference in coverage. Another plus is when you call bell, 90% of the time you get someone who speaks English and is polite lol

[wheeler_1]

Have a look at Virgin mobile , I get unlimited long distance, unlimited text , a 500mb data package and some other goodies that i dont really know about for 85.00/ month. Im in Saskatchewan and some parts of southern BC and I have excellent coverage there. I had Telus and didnt have service in quite a few parts of southern sask and bc.The plan is called unlimited 50. They also have a deal called a super tab thats worth looking into also.

[wheeler_1]

I forgot to mention that I have unlimited local minutes too. I have had upto 8000 minutes of calls on my phone because of work and its all for 85.00. I should be a salesman for Virgin mobility instead of drill bits lol.

[Rozmahel]

I can't say I like any cell service provider, but I prefer bell over telus since it had a limited time offer that I managed to get my hands on. Mind you if you've been with a service provider long enough then you can make your plans a little sweeter. After being with bell for a while, I was able to strong arm them into giving me a pretty good deal for my next plan. Threaten to leave and any service provider will make it worth your while.

[lone wolf]

Have a look at Virgin mobile , I get unlimited long distance, unlimited text , a 500mb data package and some other goodies that i dont really know about for 85.00/ month. Im in Saskatchewan and some parts of southern BC and I have excellent coverage there. I had Telus and didnt have service in quite a few parts of southern sask and bc.The plan is called unlimited 50. They also have a deal called a super tab thats worth looking into also.

Virgin also piggyback on Telus towers, so the coverage will be the same. I have been looking at the Virgin plans, and will likely drop Telus in favour of Virgin in the near future.

[Twisted Canuck]

Much better packages with Koodo, and they also are Telus network. I have my work phone with unlimited minutes, including long distance in Canada, unlimited texting, 500 mb Data, caller ID, voice mail...the works. Runs me about $105 a month including taxes and everything. Also have my wifes phone, and two phones for my daughters on my account, smaller plans of course, mostly txting for the girls but some data....all in I never pay more than $180 a month. For 4 phones. I only wish I had the thousands of dollars I wasted with Rogers over the years, I switched as soon as they made it possible to take my phone number with me (business phone #, couldn't afford to change all the letting on vehicle, letterhead, etc etc).

Also, and this is a very big Also, the customer service with Koodo is much better than Telus or Rogers....you can actually talk to a human being fairly quickly and they generally speak english. Can also change plan online very simply.

[javlin101]

My work Black berry is on Bell. At the lake up near Ashmont I get clear reception everywhere. I see a lot of people around there drive up on a hill to makes calls. Can not complain about bell reception

[Ken07AOVette]

BELL has told me that they will take over my existing cell # for no charge, which I thought at first was very cool, second that maybe TELUS and BELL are in some way the same company???

I used to be a salesman for TELUS, have had the same # since 1994. Once you have been with then for so long they really no longer care.

I am 85% sure I am going to switch to BELL this week, but will call Loyalty and Retention one last time and see what they will do.

One thing- TELUS told me that they will never take away my grandfathered unlimited data plan, whereas in the next couple years the new plans may be ridiculous. I use a lot of data, hate the thought of losing it. Most of it is using the phone as a wifi hotspot so I can use the IPAD or laptop anywhere, and when our ISP which is wireless goes down, I still get highspeed by tethering my phone.

[covey ridge]

I think that both are about the same as far as phones they will sell you, but for me I have had a few bad experiences with service and billing from telus. I also have nothing good to say about the telus store in High River.

[Alberta Bigbore]

I switched from BELL from telus and have been happier than ever. Less dropped calls etc etc. I would never go back to Telus.

[Erik]

I think that both are about the same as far as phones they will sell you, but for me I have had a few bad experiences with service and billing from telus. I also have nothing good to say about the telus store in High River.

Telus doesn't own the stores. They are independent retailers that carry Telus products. I think the same may be true of other brands as well. If you are dissatisfied with the service of a retail outlet you have more recourse then you think. They are often locally owned and operated. You could ask to speak with the owner and complain about the service.

[hunted]

My company made me switch to bell from telus has been great so far but. When I get a long txt that gets split into 2 messages it always only sends me part of the txt. It will send the first half or the last half but never both. Have phoned numerous times always get the run around. Very annoying!! They say it has something to do with my old telus number and it gets lost at the towers. But the signal is very good.

[jrs]

Switching to TELUS was the best move I've made. Bell killed me with extra fees, and telemarketing (call a week trying to sell me a new phone/ add on). Bad service too. With tELUS, I'm paying $55 month with data plan and fav 10. Rogers, I won't even get started, yikes!

[gitrdone]

Bell

6gb data (whatever that means?)
200 daytime mins
Unlimited text
Unlimited social networking
Fab 10 (unlimited talk, anytime to those ten numbers Canada wide)
Free evenings and weekends
Call display
voicemail
Call waiting
3 way calling

($75/month)

-Very good reception!
-No telemarketers......ever
-And 98% of the time if I have a question and I call them, I'm talking with someone who actually speaks English!!! Worth every penny right there!

[Nickote316]

BELL has told me that they will take over my existing cell # for no charge, which I thought at first was very cool, second that maybe TELUS and BELL are in some way the same company???

I used to be a salesman for TELUS, have had the same # since 1994. Once you have been with then for so long they really no longer care.

I am 85% sure I am going to switch to BELL this week, but will call Loyalty and Retention one last time and see what they will do.

One thing- TELUS told me that they will never take away my grandfathered unlimited data plan, whereas in the next couple years the new plans may be ridiculous. I use a lot of data, hate the thought of losing it. Most of it is using the phone as a wifi hotspot so I can use the IPAD or laptop anywhere, and when our ISP which is wireless goes down, I still get highspeed by tethering my phone.

Are you switching phones also? If so make sure the new one has good reception. I used to have a blackberry storm (bell) which had good service but was a chit phone. Switched to a Galaxy S2 and its 3x the phone that the storm was but it doesn't have the greatest service in certain areas

[SouthernBowHunter]

I had bell for three years and would never deal with them again. they have more dumb fees and some how cost more then what they quote even on the most expensive plan. i got virgin and love it because i use tons of long distance and have a plan for call and text anywere in canada and usa unlimited minutes with 1G i think its called for internet crap which i only use for emails and it cost $108.23 and has never changed.

[Siroutdoorsalot]

Bell

6gb data (whatever that means?)

You realize you can hook up your laptop to your phone and use it like a "data stick"? It's called a "hotspot". 6 GB will give you TONS of surfing and downloading. Can use your laptop anywhere you have cel coverage.

I had bell for three years and would never deal with them again. they have more dumb fees and some how cost more then what they quote even on the most expensive plan. i got virgin and love it because i use tons of long distance and have a plan for call and text anywere in canada and usa unlimited minutes with 1G i think its called for internet crap which i only use for emails and it cost $108.23 and has never changed.
You know that Virgin is a subsidiary of Bell eh? ;)

[Yéil]

We use Bell for our cells... so far happy with service, haven't had a call dropped since we got here and there's a zillion different plans to pick from for mulitple users/families.

[Kingfisher]

I have been with Bell for about 4 years now. I seem to get reception where a lot of people with Telus or other providers don't. I even got a call once while at the Rogers Pass summit.

Rob

[TreeGuy]

Bell

6gb data (whatever that means?)
200 daytime mins
Unlimited text
Unlimited social networking
Fab 10 (unlimited talk, anytime to those ten numbers Canada wide)
Free evenings and weekends
Call display
voicemail
Call waiting
3 way calling

($75/month)

-Very good reception!
-No telemarketers......ever
-And 98% of the time if I have a question and I call them, I'm talking with someone who actually speaks English!!! Worth every penny right there!

X2! :)

Thanks for saving me some typing, Git.

[Siroutdoorsalot]

What are the pros and cons you are seeing from either?

I am on a very old TELUS CDMA unlimited DATA plan, 500 minutes, unlimited Domestic long distance, evenings and weekends, no texting (which I like), voice mail and caller ID, waiting etc, paying $110.00 per month.

BELL has a plan for $85.00 per month which gives 1500 minutes, 6GB of 4G DATA, unlimited incoming, unlimited evenings and weekends, but is the coverage as good? Are there as many dropped calls? What about customer service?

I would appreciate any information I can get. TIA
As Willowtrail said, they both use the same towers, so your coverage will be the same regardless of who you're with. (see a good explanation here. (http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1697449-HSPA-network-Do-Bell-phones-use-Telus-towers-So-can-Virgin-phones-use-Telus-too)).
You can carry your phone number over no matter which provider you go with.
If Telus is truly letting you keep your "unlimited data" then I wouldn't lose that. Somehow I doubt that will be the case with a new contract and new smart phone though.
That being said, Bell's package of 6 GB will probably be more than you'll ever need. My wife was in BC and tethered her phone to her laptop. Used it every night for a few hours, even d/l'ed a couple of movies, and was still under 3 GB's.
As for customer service....well that's like asking someone who they like better, Ford or GM. You'll find a million praises/complaints from users of each provider.

If you want to find technical answers about cellular phones and providers head over to Howards forums. The "bible" of cellular.

http://howardforums.com/

[Homesteader]

Another vote for Koodo. Switched from Telus in December, no unexpected charges, and good plans if you don't want to be locked in. If you do go to a 3yr contract, I don't know if there are any big diffferences.

I went with the "tab" from koodo so I can switch my plan around if I choose without penalty. No long distance in Canada is a nice perk.

Telus, Koodo, Bell, and Virgin all use the same towers to the best of my knowledge.

Pay me now, pay me later, in the end they'll all get there pound of flesh. If you buy your phone up front I'd go with Koodo, if not I'd probably suggest one of the others especially if you want an iphone.

My iphone 4s 16g was $500 on the tab, seemed like the best deal for me, I added data saver for $5 since I don't us alot of data, the more I use it just bumps me to the next higher data plan so no big unexpected bill. $5 gets me in the door, and 3gb would cost me an extra $25, with a few more steps in between depending on usage.

[Gunfighter]

Telus , bell, back to telus, coverage ok in Canada , south of the border bell coverage was so spotty it was painful.

[covey ridge]

Telus doesn't own the stores. They are independent retailers that carry Telus products. I think the same may be true of other brands as well. If you are dissatisfied with the service of a retail outlet you have more recourse then you think. They are often locally owned and operated. You could ask to speak with the owner and complain about the service.

We have had trouble with telus over billing us. When my wife challenged them, they corrected our bill, however they would not back correct for over payment.
Years ago when our 3 year contract was done I asked telus store in HR to perk us with new phones. Would not do, and would not give us new phones even if we started new contracts. I was not asking state of the art stuff, just wanted something better than the POS I been stuck with for 3 years. So went to fido and got new phone for less per month than High River Telus sold us. When I finished with fido went back to telus HR to give them another chance. This time we wanted a pair of iPhones. Their price was the same as everyone else so why not. Not knowing much about iPhones I asked the lady if she would set up my email. She said that she charged an extra $120.00/phone to do that. I decided to think about it.
A day later after a Timmy break I saw a Bell store. Went in with wife just to check them out. About half hour later my wife and I each had new iPhone and not a bad small business deal on phone usage. Before I left I asked the fellow how much he would charge to hook up my email. He asked for my phone, looked at my email address on contract and tap tap tap then handed me the phone and said put your email password here. Tap tap done. No charge. :) :) It was so easy I did my wife's email on the drive home:) After a month with the new phones I had my land line disconected:)

I am not saying that the Bell connection works better than telus, but I like the service I got from the Bell store In McKenzie, and we like our iPhones:)

[Ken07AOVette]

Their price was the same as everyone else so why not. Not knowing much about iPhones I asked the lady if she would set up my email. She said that she charged an extra $120.00/phone to do that. I decided to think about it.



????????????

AYFKM????


What a joke, did she ask for cash?

[covey ridge]

????????????

AYFKM????


What a joke, did she ask for cash?

No! The girl that I was dealing with did not know how but refered me to another lady rep who said she would do the email hook up and a few other things for $120/phone. At that time I did not know how easy it was and just left feeling really dumb. Thought it must be something that only the learned could do. Since then I bought an iPhone 4s for dumbies book and most things I want to do is easy. Just goes to show me that a dumby with a bit of knowledge seems to know a lot viewed by someone with no knowledge.

[dugh]

I switched my company's cells from Telus to Bell after about 15 years. They seemed to take my business for granted. Immediately after switching Telus wanted to know what they could do to get my business back, too late. I have had no issues with Bell in the five years since so cannot say anything about their customer service.
Doug

[JB_AOL]

I've switched from rogers to telus about a year ago... I switched strictly because of coverage maps.

The one thing I can tell you is they are all the same. you get some good customer service and some bad. All of them have very similar plans, and all are usually willing to negotiate. I've started purchasing my phones outright so I can switch whenever a good deal comes up. BUT I will be sticking to telus/bell/virgin for coverage.