A notice for those that travel frequently and the Snowbirds that stay away for a few months at a time. If you typically contact your internet provider and place your service on 'vacation mode' you will be refused this service if you have signed up to any of their new contracts.
I personally have always stated these contracts are not a good deal as they are very limiting yet I fell for it myself as the deal was truly very good. The problem is when I travel for any length of time I choose to place my system in vacation mode this is not something you can do when under a contract. According to them (I'm presently with Shaw), they can not simply place my system on hold for a month or two or three and then pick up from where I left off on this 2 year contract. What really blows my mind is that they say this will 'break the contract' yet they say they can switch me to a lower plan and then when I return I would have to sign the contract again. Um,excuse me but how is this any different as you are stating I will need to sign a new contract. They assure me it doesn't .. but it does since it has you starting the 2 year deal all over again.. I refused this BS service and will simply ride out my contract, with my internet usage showing zero bytes sent or received the entire time I am gone since the modem is powered off anyway.. Very sad that after 20 years of working for the company and another 10+ years of non-stop service with them it appears being loyal to them is not something they care to take in to consideration. The fact that I am under contract and am not asking to break any contract, having them extend whatever time they place my account on hold, actually makes more sense both administratively and technically but who am I to judge how this multi million/billion dollar company chooses to conduct their business. All I can do is consult with others that ask for my opinion on 'which is the best internet service provider in my area' and use any and all stories I have received from the various people I conduct my day to day business with.
