If You Subscribe To StarChoice...CANCEL!

If you subscribe to StarChoice do yourself a favour. Cancel the service. We have had a problem with them that dates back to June 2008 when a thunderstorm passed by the area and rendered our converter virtually useless. We had the local dealer 'bench test' it in case it was something else and we determined the unit was fried, although we could still get a few channels on it. We were in the process of canceling anyway (not because of the damaged unit) as Summer was coming and we thought it best to shut down the TV service for a few months. I was also a little tardy with the monthly bill and there was a disconnection notice. It actually all seemed to fit in really nice, so we accepted the disconnection (by this time we could barely receive anything) and I chose to catch up on our outstanding account.

Once it was caught up, unknown to us, StarChoice reactivated the account. We received a bill for the reconnection and another month of programming. I contacted StarChoice to correct the misunderstanding and was fairly sure everything was sorted out. Until we received another bill for another month of service. I had about six different conversations over the following weeks and never got the same answer, which should have clued me in. StarChoice, owned by Shaw Communications, does not know what they are doing. Finally, a few weeks ago, a very helpful customer service rep indicated to me that 'everything will be taken care of' which I understood to mean our problem was solved. That was until I received a letter from a collection agency today demanding payment of $155.50. I contacted StarChoice again and after making a bit of a fuss I finally got the problem solved. I'm writing this to warn you about StarChoice.

Do not believe what they tell you on the phone as they really don't seem to mean what they say. I also suggest that if you do have a situation with StarChoice, be sure to record the date and time of your call. Get the name and employee number of who you spoke with on the phone. Request they repeat back to you everything you have discussed with them. Confirm that they have properly recorded the details of your call and set a time limit of when your problem should be solved and what will have to be done if that situation is not recitfied in a timely manner. I had to threaten writing the CRTC to get much of any help from StarChoice. I also suggest you copy and paste this into an e-mail and spread it around to your friends warning them of the potential dangers associated with StarChoice. I have nothing but praise for the company other than how they bungled my account. If you are currently a StarChoice customer, consider yourself warned.