How to get cheap Shaw &Telus bundle prices (updated)

Telus section updated October 18th, 2010. I decided to post up this info as a lot of people were asking about the Telus and Shaw bundle deals and how to get them.

Background

Prior to the deals I was with Shaw for TV and Internet and Rogers for phone service. Combined I was paying $175 per month and getting:

• TV: basic 28 standard definition TV channels (no HD and no PVRs)
• Internet: standard hi-speed internet
• Phone: local telephone service with:
  
  • 1 call feature
  • Unlimited North American long distance calling

Shaw deal

Television

• 2 HD PVRs valued at $400 each
• 250 channels including the HD Plus service

Internet

• Extreme high speed (15Mbps) but frequently tests at up to 30Mbps
• Includes speed boost of 30Mbps for first initial access of page or file

Telephone

• Local service
• Unlimited North American long distance
• 3 call services (Call Forward, Voice mail, Call Display)

Cost

• $84.95/mo for 1st year
• $124.95 there after

Notes

• Internet neighborhood sharing. Performance affected by number of users on same node
• The unlimited North America doesn’t apply after promo period
• No contract
• No new lines to be run
• Can record up to 2 programs and watch a 3rd
• Unknown usage cap

Telus deal

Television

• Optik fibre-optic TV
• 1 HD PVR Anywhere (can record up to 3 programs from central PVR and broadcast to any TV in house in HD via existing lines)
• 2 HD Digital terminals

OR

• 3 HD Digital PVRs

Internet

• Optik High Speed Internet (15Mbps) equivalent to Hight speed Extreme with Shaw
• No neighborhood sharing

Telephone

• Local service
• Unlimited North American long distance
• 5 call services (Call Forward, Call Screen, Voice mail, Call Display, Call Waiting)

Cost

• $64.95/mo for 1st year
• $117.95 there after

Notes

• TV only has a 3 year contract
• May require running new Optik lines to your house. They would in my case
• Internet 25Mbps may be available in future
• Internet is affected by recording multiple HD programming, watching and vice versa
• 60GB cap on download traffic

Telus update October 18, 2010

I received another call from Telus this evening and they now provided two updated options for me:

1. I can now get everything as mentioned above but without a contract.  However, the price is higher without a contract and it was unclear if the promotional period would apply.  In the end it would be $129/month.
2. They still had the same deal as before but still with a contract for the TV only for 3 years.  The cost on the first year was the same as before at $64.95/mo, however, they sweetened the deal at $114/mo there after.
3. For new customers who haven't subscribed to Telus High Speed in the past 90 days, they are also offering a free XBox360 250GB slim console if you enter into a 2 year Internet contract.  Apparently you can use the Xbox 360 to watch Optik TV.  Also, when combined with an Optik HD PVR, the Xbox 360 acts as a digital box with all of PVR Anywhere's features.  Since you can enter into a separate contract for the TV and Internet, it's conseivably possible to get this deal included. Offer is available till November 9th, 2010.  If you cancel the service early, you'll be charged $13/mo for the remainder of the 2 year term.

How to get the deal

First off, these deals may not be available to everyone depending on what services you have, if you are contract or if they even have the service in your area (i.e. Optik TV is only available if they have run the lines in your area). Lastly, it seems dependent upon the customer service rep you get although this is becoming less of an issue as they are very scripted now a days.

Try calling your preferred provider (Shaw 604-629-3000 and Telus 1-800-661-2200) and ask to be connected to Customer Retentions as a regular sales department cannot offer these deals to you. Customer Retentions or is the department responsible for keeping your business if you are planning switching providers.

From here, you can take two approaches:

1. Soft approach: Mention that deal that you heard about from family, a friend or online (IMPORTANT: don't mention names!). Mention the Telus deal if you are calling Telus and vice-versa with Shaw. Ask if you qualify for the deal and find out what they offer. You may get the deal or some variation of it. You decide if you want to keep it.
2. Hard approach: Mention that you are planning on leaving as the other company is offering you a deal. At this point, you can ask if they can match it or you can really play hard ball and wait for them to offer you a deal as they will be scripted to ask for an opportunity to keep your business. At this point, you mention the competition's deal.

Closing notes

There is no guarantees that you will get these deals but everyone has gotten something. 5/7 people I know have gotten one of the deals. The rest got some sort of discount. One person, who had a connection to Telus even got the deal above at $34.99 for 1 year and $74.99 there after...I'm so jealous.

Good luck and post back what you got or didn't get.