Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bell

What do you use your cell phone for?

Decimask — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:10:52 -0800

What do you use your cell phone for? Odd question, I know. Some short background:

I got my first cell about 3 years ago--a super-basic cell with the minimum number of bells and whistles I could find. I have yet to pay a dime on ringtones, games or wallpapers. What I've come to realise is that:

A camera would have been handy

Making calender entries without a QWERTY keyboard sucks

Now I'm planning on moving to a plan of some kind. But I'm seeing features on some phones and wondering: What the hell would I ever need that for?

So, like it says on the front page, what are you using your cell phone for?

How many chars SMS can I send from Fido to Bell?

ImaginaryFriend — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:30:31 -0800

How long of an SMS message can I send, if my phone is on Fido, and the recipient is on Bell? 140 characters? 160? How long of an SMS message can I send, if my phone is on Fido, and the recipient is on Bell? 140 characters? 160? Does it matter what kinds of phones or accounts we have? I have a... uh.... sensitive message I want to send to someone. It's 153 characters and I don't want it to get cut off....

Rogers or Bell for cable tv (Cake or death? Death or death?)

maudlin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:43:57 -0800

Toronto cable tv frustration: should I dump Rogers for Bell? I have a basic cable package with Rogers and have added on a few extra channels, like BBC World News. I'm pretty fine with the selection of channels that I have.

However, dealing with Rogers for any kind of service or billing issue is incredibly frustrating. I just got off the phone with my third different CSR regarding a switch of a couple of the extra channels that resulted in additional fees despite being told explicitly by an earlier CSR that no additional fees would be applied. The fees were finally removed today, but it's not the first time I've had to make multiple calls to resolve something.

So I'm looking at Bell and have found a comparable package that I could live with. But in your experience, is Bell generally more or less frustrating than Rogers when it comes to billing, support and installation? Are there any obvious benefits or drawbacks to making the switch that I should know about?

Cell me a phone (hur!)

synecdoche — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:18:39 -0800

Recommendations for a minimalist cellular phone and rate plan in Canada (specifically southern Ontario)? My three-year contract with Bell is finally coming to an end in a couple of months and I am in the market for a new cell phone and a new provider. I'm pretty sure Bell is ripping me off completely. My latest bill was $40 for their "Uber 20" plan (100 daytime minutes plus 1000 evening and weekend minutes), plus three text message "events," and voicemail, plus the $8.95 "system access fee."

For this, the service seems really touchy; I don't get very good reception in many locations that other people have no trouble with, and frequently incoming calls just don't make phone (a Samsung A920) ring. (The phone will be sitting in the same place for an extended period of time, and then I get a voicemail notification from ten minutes ago.) I've also had a few frustrating experiences with their customer service and will be glad to be shot of them.

But enough ranting. I'm interesting in thoughts on a low-cost, low-frills cellular phone provider that is preferably not Bell. I don't use my cell phone all that often. Most of the calls I make and receive are short, with the odd exception. I also receive far more calls than I make. I use text messages infrequently (three times in the last month, for instance). I don't make a lot of long distance calls, but when I do, I do it through Yak, a service I am happy with.

I have no interest in a phone that is also an mp3 player, web browser, or even a camera. It seems that all phones have at least some of these features now, but I'd be happy with one that is just, well, a phone. I am interested in call display and possibly voicemail.

What should I do? Pay-as-you go? A minimal rate plan? What company? I am in London, Ontario.

DSL + Bell Hell

the dief — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:38:00 -0800

Just moved into a new rental house in Hamilton, ON and I'm trying to get my DSL turned on, but oh boy. Me and Mrs. the dief moved to a new apartment last week that is a single unit that shares a house with a business, the operator of which owns the house. We have phone jacks in the unit, so I thought oh yes, now is the perfect time to throw Teksavvy, apparently Canada's best ISP, some money for dry loop DSL. I call them up, they take my money, they ship me a modem in lightning time, they have Bell come over to light up the switch last Monday, and nothing happens. No service. Figuring Bell messed up somehow I call Teksavvy back up and ask them to have Bell take a look at the line again. Bell comes out, declares nothing wrong and that the problem is inside the house with the wiring. Considering that as a possibility, I get the landlord to come out and that's where things get interesting.

Apparently the house was at one time some sort of office or switching station for Rogers and there is a *crazy, crazy* number of phone lines in the basement. Like a junction box with at least 12 lines going in. The landlord follows wires around, does his best to rewire, tries a bunch of different things, still no light up on the modem. After me trying to explain that it's phone service but there's no phone number and him just barely believing me, I'm not sure where to go from here. Someone else suggested that it might be the modem and if I plug a phone into the line I could perhaps hear noise or some indication that the DSL was turned on.

So, any suggestions? Will plugging in a phone result in noise and therefore an indication that I have a busted modem and not a bad/wrong DSL? Is it possible that Bell flipped one of the kajillions of nonworking phone lines that go into the house and is just being, well, Bell about things? Can I hook up something to either end of the phone line that will tell me if there's a break somewhere in the middle? Should I be pressuring the landlord to call a real phone tech instead of trying to do it themselves? Is this something Bell can be forced to repair or diagnose?

Bell bug?

Chuckles McLaughy du Haha, the depressed clown — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:53:55 -0800

I've unplugged all my home phones. What should I hear if I call the number, and my service is working properly?

Can I liberate myself from Bell yet?

synecdoche — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:23:30 -0800

Is there any chance I can get out of my Bell cell phone contract as a result of their institution of fees for incoming text messages? I purchased a Bell cell phone about two years ago, with a three year contract. Two years later, and I use this thing exactly once a week. I was never happy with the service to begin with; I get a lot of dropped calls, poor reception where other people get fine reception, and the customer service has been terrible. Some of these things may be phone related but when I went back to the store to ask about them, they said all they could do was offer me a $25 discount on a new phone. No thanks.

Anyway, the new text messaging fee is sort of the last straw. Now that they want to charge me for incoming messages, I really want to be shot of them. What I am wondering specifically is if this new fee might constituted some sort of breach of my original contract, which did not stipulate per-message fees for incoming texts. If so, will this allow me to get out of my contract so I can get rid of this phone, and be free of Bell?

(I am in southern Ontario.)

Several ISPs enter the ring, only one leaves...

vernondalhart — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:48:17 -0800

What is the best ISP in Vancouver, Canada? We're moving from a house which has 'built-in' internet---i.e. we aren't dealing with the ISP---to an apartment. So who should we go to for highspeed internet? It might be worth nothing that we already have a cellular contract with Bell, so it might be easiest to go through them.

But really, I'm looking for your personal experiences. Which is cheapest? Who has good customer service? Which companies kick puppies while selling children into diamond-mining slavery?

Taco Bell in London

Mossy — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:32:41 -0800

Taco Bell in London. My pregnant wifey is desirous of the taste, but there are, alas, no branches here. Anyone know of anywhere that has a similar taste here or some recipes that actually do approximate their burritos etc? Apparently the hot sauce is to die for (?)

Help me keep my phone number a year from now

furtive — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 15:48:07 -0800

Canadian Phone Question: I'll be leaving my city and province for a year, and I'd like to make sure that I have the same phone number when I return as when I left. What are my (cheapest) options? The obvious choice would be to have my number (it's a cell number) transfered to a land line at a relative's house, but that's about $50 + 12 x $25 = $350. What other options do I have?

For the record I'm in Montreal and will be out of the province for 6 months to 1 year.

Motorola productivity

Knigel — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 22:55:19 -0800

I've just bought a new Motorola Q because I am keep on organisation; however, the tasks and calendar seems horrible and there doesn't seem to be any note function. Am I just stupid or is this thing totally lacking in functionality? I am moving over from a Blackberry 7250 which I was getting upset with, but this seems so much worse. Are there third party apps that I might need? I do not like outlook, but at this point I would like to get as close as possible. I use David Allen's GTD system, so I would like something that can help me get my computer and pda connected properly.

I am thinking about returning the phone and getting another one from Bell (I'm in Vancouver Canada)

It seems my only choices are:
Motorola Q
BlackBerry® 8830 World Edition
BlackBerry 8703e
Palm Treo 700p
Palm Treo 700wx

Should I stay with my current Motorla Q and find some new software?

Should I return it and then just wait for something better?

Should I switch phones?

Or am I missing the best solution to this problem?

I did a bunch of research beforehand, but now I do not think it was enough.

Torn between two TV lovers, feeling like a TV fool

unSane — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 19:28:04 -0800

ExpressVu vs. StarChoice -- help me choose. I am about to move into a house I built in a rural area in Ontario. I have clear line of sight to both the ExpressVu and StarChoice satellites, but no cable and (currently) only satellite internet.

I am now torn between ExpressVu and StarChoice for my Satellite TV.

Here are your data points:

-- I've had StarChoice for the last five years and am sort-of satisfied but I would like better HD choices and better picture quality overall
-- I've had endless, horrible experiences with Bell customer services. I've never had a call that ended well with them. I would like to limit my exposure to them as much as possible
-- I want to buy an HD PVR in the new place. The reviews for the Bell equipment are generally much more positive than the reviews for the StarChoice equipment
-- I already have some StarChoice equipment (a conventional STB and an HD decoder)
-- I like MSNBC but Bell doesn't carry it
-- the relative cost of services is sort of irrelevant to me

I guess what it comes down to is that I'd go with SC but I have a sneaking suspicion that BEV has better picture, more HD choice and a better PVR. But does that balance out the excruciating pain of dealing with Bell customer service?

You tell me!

Bell's Thugs

Napierzaza — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:50:48 -0800

I stopped my Bell DSL account several months ago (2-3) because I realized I hated their company and their service. Just today I get a bill from a "Financial Services" office saying I have to pay 200$, but I never got any bill! What can I do? I'm in Montreal Canada,

I'm really not sure what this bill is for as my understanding was that the last month was paid for (they told me that I didn't owe anything). So it's really strange that they're now telling me I owe (a lot). I haven't gotten any Bell bills in the mail since I stopped the service so I'm not sure what it's for. I did pretty much cancel my service with them BECAUSE they were administratively incapable.

What are my options in this situation?
I'd like to know exactly what I'm being charged for, as I suspect that most of it is invalid.
Would this affect my credit rating?

What can I do? I don't want to get a lawyer or anything.

What are my choices for Broadband Internet service in Toronto?

chunking express — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 08:30:31 -0800

What are my choices for Broadband Internet service in Toronto? I just dumped Rogers Extreme; they started throttling bit torrent traffic again, which I find a bit annoying. Is my only other option now to go with Bell? If so, are there any Bell plans that are particularly good?

Bell DSL is now capped

Napierzaza — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 11:41:51 -0800

Legalfilter: I accidentally signed onto a 2-year contract for Bell DSL (Montreal Canada). Now just a month ago they changed their service from unlimited bandwidth to limited to 30 gigs a month with penalties up to 30$ a month. This will not pass, it essentially means that I will definitely be paying double for my internet access for the rest of my life. I tried to appeal to the Bell people but they said that I can't get out of the contract unless I pay 100$ to get out of it. The only thing they have offered me is either a downgrade in speed, where apparently the bandwidth is unlimited, or an upgrade to a cap of 60Gb a month which isn't enough anyway.

I think it sucks that my service was changed and I'm not able to opt out of it and find another ISP. Is there anything that I can do to avoid this fee and get away from Bell?

Also, anyone have any recommendations for a new provider?

Taco Bell Bean/Meat ratio?

Darth Fedor — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 12:32:30 -0800

TacoBellFilter: What does the sign on the tortilla warmer that says something like %71 Bean %29 Taco mean? I can't remember if that's exactly what it says. If not, it is something very similar. Is this propaganda reminding the employees that on a menu item containing both beans and taco meat, the prescribed ratio is 71% beans to 29% meat? If so, that sucks! 70/30 is bad enough...but 71/29? I don't like the idea of subliminal suggestion being used to shaft me out of getting the taco meat I deserve! Can any former employees shed light on this?

Where can I buy Men's Bell Bottoms?

lukeomalley — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 06:45:28 -0800

Where can I buy men's bell bottoms? I am not interested in boot cut or flared jeans. Hopefully the source will be new so that I can buy from them from now on. I am currently wearing the extreme flared jeans that H&M sold for women. They have since discontinued them and my current pairs are getting threadbare.

I am not above wearing women's bells, but they have to be more on the plain side (no glitter and no surplus grommets).

Please don't say ebay. I know it is tempting, but don't do it.

Is this homemade diving bell story credible?

Phred182 — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 22:06:25 -0800

A friend thrice removed claims that as a kid, he used to shut out the world by inverting a trash can, tying a few cinder blocks to it, and submerging himself in his parents' swimming pool. I dig this story... ...but upon further reflection I think it's crap. The number of cinder blocks would be prohibitive, execution tricky, buoyancy overwhelming.

The first degree friend who told me this story disagrees. She shares my skepticism, but, as friends do, she directs it at my reasoning. Boyle, Archimedes, arithmetic, stories about tech diving lift bags, conservative assumptions--all left her unmoved. She believes; I am an infidel.

In the spirit of this post, I appeal to mefites. She and I share a need to be pompously, geekily correct on technical issues. Help us settle the argument and in a way we'll both be winners. Although in another, more accurate way, one of us will be the winner.

Some constraints:

--The story as told said "a few" cinder blocks. The 2nd degree friend says four.

--Let's say it's a 32 (U.S.) gallon plastic backyard garbage can.

--The storyteller implied that he stayed down long enough to have some thoughts and sulk.

--Let's say the kid was 80lbs-95lbs and 10yrs old.

--No more information is available, but we have agreed on other assumptions if people need them.

p.s. there's no reason for this to get back to the storyteller. This is between my friend and me. And some 30,000 askmefites.

you call him tarzipan!

MarvinJ — Thu, 11 May 2006 01:58:05 -0800

soundeffectfilter: Looking for the sound effect that is used when a bad joke falls flat. This sound effect was used, most recently on Shooting Stars(UK TV show).

What usually happened was the host, Vic, would deliver a joke with a bad punchline and, of course, no-one laughs.
You then hear the sound of a lonley church bell and the wind blowing.

I am looking for this as a wav sound effect but can't seem to find it any where on t'internet.

help!

Can anyone read the characters (Asian) on this bell my friend's had for about 13 years?

Lockeownzj00 — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 19:38:05 -0800

IHateHateHatePhotobucketFilter: Can anyone read the characters (Asian) on this bell my friend's had for about 13 years? Album here.

Knowing a bit about Asian culture myself, I realize this could technically be of multiple ethnic origins, considering how many countries have used/still use Kanji/Hanzi characters. Long story short: can anyone read these, or at least explain what language they're in?

I can identify these (some may be wrong), though they make no sense in Japanese (what I know--unless I'm too stupid and you're supposed to read it sideways or upside-down or with 3d-glasses or something):

１--- |---２
國 | 曽男
？ | 吉希
民 | ? 齡
安 | 教 ???
| 送???

３-----|------ ４
木武仲光 | 風
恩帝春　 ? | 調
弟案 ? 十 | 雨
子前旦六 | 順
李吉年
立

PS: I hate Photobucket, but. Desperate times, and all that. Ultimately, I realize my chances are slim, but...meh.

Taco Bell Beans or Fancy Feast?

roguescout — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 16:26:17 -0800

I hope this doesn't wreck the experience for anyone... But why do the refried beans at Taco Bell smell just like canned cat food? This really bugs me.

Fax Spam on my cell phone

RockCorpse — Tue, 14 Dec 2004 09:40:16 -0800

Fax Spam on my cell phone - does anybody else get this? Every once in a while, I get a call on my cell and when I pick up I hear a fax machine on the other end.

So I called Bell and they can't do anything about it unless they know the number. So they made me pick up the Call Display option. However, even when it isn't an unlisted number when I call it back Bell gives me a message saying "the number is not in service."

This is driving me nuts and I have a feeling I don't have any recourse.