Bell Canada1 just called me up (ostensibly to make sure I was getting the “best value for my money,” see the footnote below) to try and sell me satellite TV and DSL internet service. I was surprised that the sales woman, after I told her that no, I didn’t have cable but had rabbit ears, cautioned me that “if I didn’t get cable or satellite TV that I would no longer be able to watch TV in the future.” Luckily, I knew that her line was a bunch of bollocks.
True, on August 31, 2011, broadcasters in Canada will be required to switch to transmitting a digital rather than analog signal. With an old standard-definition TV, you won’t be able to watch these digital signals without purchasing a converter. With newer HD TVs with digital tuners built in, you can already watch high-quality HD programming over the air (OTA) without having to get cable or satellite TV.
It’s a bit smarmy and somewhat of a scam to call people (current customers, really) and tell them that they need a solution to a problem that doesn’t really exist. It just happens that I’m a bit literate in this field otherwise, I could have be sucked into purchasing a service that, at the end of the day, I don’t need. I wonder if Bell Canada is aware that SP Data is misinforming clients in this way?
Industry Canada has a bunch of information if you want to know more.
- Actually, the number that called was 866-507-8350 which, when I called it back says that it is a “customer contact centre” of a company called SP Data, calling me with information about “products and service offerings on behalf of Bell Canada.” It seems that they specialize in, among other things, what they term the “warm upsell” which is marketing bullshit for using a pre-existing sales relationship to try and sell you more stuff that you don’t require. [↩]
