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Written by: Mike Borsch

Category: Blog

Published: 24 December 2022

Hits: 208

• Bell
• Gigabit
• Internet
• IPTV

So the day has come to switch back to Bell Fibe - they offered their new 1.5 Gigabit service with their new IPTV boxes.

Dec 23, 2022

The router and IPTV boxes showed up and I did the self install as I already have a Fiber bulkhead installed. The router install went well, changing the SSID, the admin password and loading the port forwarding to the NAS for webserver and VPNs. Trouble started with the IPTV boxes. The boxes would not authenticate and I spent aver an hour with the help desk until my call was escalated and it was discovered when they checked the MAC addresses that the boxes were not properly added to the order and the technicians needed to activate the boxes remotely. I inquired about the Home Phone and they assured my that the number would migrated automatically - likely later in the day.

When I was using the PVR functionality, I was getting drop outs on playback whereby the PVR would stop and say it could not play. Then would start again?? Also, the programming was supposed to be similar to my Rogers experience, however they only added the standard channels and the sports package (i.e. no news stations - CNN, CP24, etc.). Called to complain and they have escalated to see what they are going to do. I also asked again about the Home Phone and was assured that it will automatically change - likely later in the day and just wait.

I was told to install and test the Fibe TV app but when I did, the app complained that there was no TV services for the account and my home phone number is a new number when my original number is to be migrated. 

Dec 24, 2022

Woke up to the IPTV boxes being off. Turned them on and they were pixelated. The boxes then disconnected and would not reconnect. The IPTV boxes are hard-wired and not using WIFI. I decided to change the fiber cable from the modem to the bulkhead as I was using a cable from my previous install (2 years earlier) and this was when trouble really started. I rebooted the modem and it said - "Error 1201 - Low Fibre Signal " on the modem and could not connect. So now I have no services (no internet, TV or Home phone). Switched back to the previous cable and no luck as I still got the same error.

Called for help and technician had to be dispatched to check the fiber coming into the house.

The technician arrived and put a ruby (red light) on the connector at the bulkhead and recognized right away that there were breaks in the fiber cable on the bulkhead side - the cable heading out of the house. He cut and tried to re-terminate the fiber. This did not go well and he went through 4-5 kits before getting his fiber splicer to work. Once he got his splicer to work, we got the internet going again however, he also reset the modem to factory defaults so I had to re-change the SSID, passwords, port forwarding, etc.

We checked the IPTV boxes - they started but were pixelating badly?? I moved the boxes off the 1 Gig-switch direct to the Rogers modem and reset and rebooted them and they started working. Important - the Bell IPTV devices need port forwarding in order to work! They require that you leave UPNP enabled on the modem and then they have to be reset and rebooted in order that they add the port forwarding rule to the router!!!. This is likely what the issue was. Once the port forwarding rule was added (by UPNP) and the devices restarted and appear to be working without issue.

At 2:30 p.m.I received an email that my Rogers account information had changed for my Internet and Home phone. But no change to the Home Phone yet.

The Fibe Tv app is also now working as the TV services have now been added to the account.

Dec 25, 2022

Merry Christmas!! Internet and TV working still. I had to go in and force the NAS back to a reserved IP. The router had provided a static IP and had no option to reserve the IP. This morning it had moved to a new IP - so I simply set it back in settings to the old one and reserved it and restarted the NAS. So far no noticeable issues on router or IPTV boxes (with the limited channels that I have!!).

Still no change to the Home Phone - the number did not migrate. 

Here is a Speed test (without blocking traffic):

Dec 26, 2022

Called the Bell helpdesk to explain the 2 remaining issues: 1 - Home Phone not working. 2 - TV Issues.

TV Programming:

The technician had me reboot the IPTV boxes after I insisted that they are working and it was a programming issue. After the reboot - the technician confirmed that the reason I was not getting channels is because I do not have any programming! Just "Standard" (a few channels and Sports)! They went on to say that they could do nothing and I had to be escalated to Loyalty - something I already knew!

What appears to have happened is that the original agent simply put Standard programming and added each of the sports channels - and no other channels.

Over 2 1/2 Hours later...

The Loyalty agent says that they can do nothing and that I would have to pay to get channels  - after hours of discussion she simply checked what "right sizing" to the Good package (with less channels that I originally had and currently have) would cost and/or adding channels would cost. Adding the channels was cost prohibitive and the "Good" package was an additional $18 but I would have to give up many of the Sports channels only offered in "Better". She agreed to transfer me to a case manager (which basically sat me on hold for 1/2 hour)?? 

When the case reviewed the situation and went to confirm that account number - he realized that I had multiple accts and that the TV Service was also not registered properly as well. Something else that he said had to be cleaned up... Overall the case manager explained that this is definitely not typical of a Bell installation experience - most tend to go well with minor if any issues. This order seems to have a comedy of issues:

• IPTV boxes not properly associated with the account (could be the fact that multiple accounts exist) causing them not to be able to be activated
• Fiber at the bulkhead having a break in it causing intermittent service (internet and TV)
• The home phone number not transitioned despite it being escalated and was on the order to be completed. This caused a week delay and only after I complained on numerous occasions.
• The package offered did not have the channels expected

The case manager was very helpful (in spite of my bad attitude having spent 3 hours on this call alone) - he currently put me on the Bell "Better" package till we work thru the challenges. The case manager stated that he had to wait for the phone transition to occur and then will follow up on Friday and see what he can do to get evaluate pricing for the missing programming.

Blog - Bell Canada 2022 - Case Manager Contact Information - Restricted

Home Phone:

The technician could not figure out what was wrong and had to escalate the call to try to get things working. She came back on the line to say that "I need to call to get an order entered to move the number" as apparently it was never ordered. I responded asking how that can be given that I called prior to the move date to confirm that it would be done and multiple times in the interim with the technical team, escalated technical team, and the Loyalty team?? It appears that this order is totally messed up and I will be following up again with their Loyalty team as this is brutal customer service! Basically, missed Christmas as no one could call!! Now it will take two more days!! Now scheduled for the 28th!!

Dec 29th - the home phone number transitioned.

Dec 29, 2022

I just received a bill for internet services from Roger for December 24th for $47. This is a one day charge resulting from delays in the cancellation from Bell. I had reviewed the dates with the Bell representative as to when my dates were in setting up the transition. I also contact the helpdesk prior to the 23rd to make sure hat I did not have to notify Rogers to avoid any potential costs. They assured me that I did not have to take any action. I will be adding this to the issue with the transition services from Bell. I have called Rogers to let them know what happened to see what they will do?

• Rogers reviewed the account and confirmed that the disconnect was broken into 2 orders and they are not sure what happened. Apparently the original disconnect order from Bell was not placed correctly. Understanding that it was not my doing - Rogers is willing to waive the fee. They said to not pay the bill (in fact I was instructed to remove the automated payment) and send the equipment back - and then the costs should be reversed.

Dec 31, 2022:

Had to call Rogers regarding outstanding costs and receipt of modem. They have launched an investigation.

Bell case manager called and we negotiated and outcome resulting in me being permanent moved to the “Better” package.

Remaining Issues:

• Get Bell to add the required programming that they promised. Still waiting for a call.
  • No call - had to call and escalate - so underway with case manager who will get new pricing once the home phone is migrated.
  • After reviewing all the details and all the challenges, the case manager changed the programming to "Better" while he does a further investigation. He will then call back at the end of the week to determine next steps.
  • Dec 31, 2022 - working with case manager - agreed to pay an incremental fee to remain on “Better” package.
  • Closed
• Get the home phone number migrated
  • Waiting for migration Dec 28, 2022
  • Successfully transitioned on Dec 29th.
  • Closed
• Get Bell to credit the $47 from Rogers for the delay in cancellation of services.
  • Rogers reviewed the account and confirmed that the disconnect was broken into 2 orders and they are not sure what happened. Apparently the original disconnect order from Bell was not placed correctly. Understanding that it was not my doing - Rogers is willing to waive the fee. They said to not pay the bill (in fact I was instructed to remove the automated payment) and send the equipment back - and then the costs should be reversed.
  • Dec 31, 2022 - Rogers confirmed receipt of IPTV boxes but not the router and launched an investigation into receipt of the modem.
  • Outstanding costs remain.
  • Open

Blog - Bell Canada 2022 - Case Manager Contact Information - Restricted

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Written by: Mike Borsch

Category: Blog

Published: 30 November 2022

Hits: 205

Here is what Elon Musk sent to Twitter employees outlining his thoughts in meeting effectiveness. Can’t say I disagree with many of his points??

Avoid large meetings

Large meetings waste valuable time and energy.

They discourage debate

• People are more guarded than open
• There’s not enough time for everyone to contribute

Don’t schedule large meetings unless you’re certain they provide value to everyone.

Leave a meeting if you’re not contributing

If a meeting doesn’t require your:

• Input
• Value
• Decisions

Your presence is useless.

It’s not rude to leave a meeting.

But it’s rude to waste people’s time.

Forget the chain of command

Communicate with colleagues directly.

Not through supervisors or managers.

Fast communicators make fast decisions.

Fast decisions = competitive advantage.

Be clear, not clever

Avoid nonsense words and technical jargon.

It slows down communication.

Choose words that are:

• Concise
• To the point
• Easy to understand

Don’t sound smart. Be efficient.

Ditch frequent meetings

There’s no better way to waste everyone’s time.

Use meetings to:

• Collaborate
• Attack issues head-on
• Solve urgent problems

But once you resolve the issue, frequent meetings are no longer necessary.

You can resolve most issues without a meeting.

Instead of meetings:

• Send a text
• Send an email
• Communicate on a discord or slack channel

Don’t interrupt your team’s workflow if it’s unnecessary.

Use common sense

If a company rule doesn’t:

• Make sense
• Contribute to progress
• Apply to your specific situation

Avoid following the rule with your eyes closed.

Don’t follow rules. Follow principles.

Details

Written by: Mike Borsch

Category: Blog

Published: 29 November 2022

Hits: 155

I have all my Covid shots (including the bivalent shot) as well as my flu shot and still am getting COVID 🙃

My latest result just shows the "C" and “T” line on the test. This is the "positive" result which means that you have Covid?? Bizarre how you can still get after all shots. I have had 3 confirmed cases plus the one prior to the declaration of Covid.

In fact, a buddy of mine had a trip around the world planned and also got a positive test attempting to board the plane… Had to wait the 3 days and catch up to the plane!

Here are the test kit instructions

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Written by: Mike Borsch

Category: Blog

Published: 26 November 2022

Hits: 299

• Shots
• Jello
• Jello Shots

With just 2 ingredients (plus water), this Fireball cherry jello shots recipe is a tasty shooter with a delicious cinnamon flavor that will add a kick to any adult party.

Read more: Blog - Fireball Cherry Jello & Malibu - Island Pineapple Shots