50 out @58

I’ve got the triple-play with Bell. I remember the initial offer (many years ago) was all three services (phone, internet, satellite) for $89.99. And yet by dint of dark magic (even after several attempts by my wife, bless her soul, to purge our account of useless features and ersatz value-adds), the bill never comes in under $150.

The would-be easy-to-view One-Bill™ online view is insanity itself… with it’s endless list of items, recurring credits, licensing fees, and system access fees. To this day I can’t make heads or tails of it. I am precariously close to dumping the land line and the satellite TV. I am precariously closer to jumping ship to Videotron—except I don’t expect the situation to be any better there.

Over Christmas I’m going to dig deep, spend lots of time on the phone with a Bell customer service rep, and see if I can’t enter the new year with an arrangement that at the very least is predictable and comprehensible.

Like the NHL owners of 2004, I want cost-certainty. If I’m actually pleased with the pricing, that’ll be a bonus.