Optik TV-Internet 75 or Shaw Internet 300 + Total TV Questions

[RonAKA]

My Optic TV and Internet 75 two year bundle just ran out. I had 8 theme packs + 1 premium for about $170 a month. Now all of a sudden the customer loyalty credits have run out and I am paying $190 + Tax. Time to make a decision and I hope you can give me some advice before I call Telus (assuming they will answer during COVID). Here are some options I think I may have:

1. Keep my existing 8+1 bundle and negotiate to renew the contract if they give me the $20 loyalty credit back. This is not ideal as we are not really using all the theme packs and I would like to cut it down to around 5-6. And temporarily until COVID is over, there is no use in having the two sports channel packs. I have not looked at them in weeks. No interest in looking at year old hockey games.

2. Go to a current Optic TV + 75 Internet 2 year 4+1 theme pack for $120 a month (before tax). I may have to add one additional theme pack to that when sports come back, so in the longer term $128 a month. 

3. Go to a Shaw Bluecurve Internet 150 + Total TV for 2 years at $99 a month for first year, and $139 for second year. Average about the same as the Optic TV 4+1 option. The Total TV would however give me a lot more channels, most of which I would never watch, but still more than the option 2 above. I do use a Telus e-mail account and would have to switch, probably to gmail, which I have been avoiding. But, in any case a pain it the butt.

Some considerations and questions. I am quite happy with the bonded modem 75 Internet. True Fiber 150 is available one block away, but possibly not to our street till next year with this COVID thing going on. But, I suspect they would let me break my package when it became available? It seems to be the same cost as my internet 75. What I am not happy with in my current setup is the speed of my TV set box. I hate the new menu system, and would love to defeat it. The whole process is so slow. I see the new boxes support 4K and claim more simultaneous channel recordings. Are they faster, with a better menu system, and better speed? I presume if I go with a new package and return the existing boxes they will give me new ones?

And, anybody that has tried Shaw? Are there any downsides to it? I understand the 150 internet service is shared, and the upload speed is limited, but I don't do any heavy downloading or uploading. 

Sorry for all the questions, but this is situation I have been avoiding a decision on, and am 1 month into paying extra already. Any help you can provide is much appreciated.

[RonAKA]

I called Telus and after a couple of hours on the phone eventually talked to the Customer Loyalty group. Negotiated a suitable package at reasonable price. No need to answer any of my questions. 

[RonAKA]

To answer one of my questions, the new HD 4K UIW8001 PVR is blazingly fast compared to the old Cisco ISB7150. It is now a dream to navigate compared to that molasses in January 7150. If you still have one of these old ones, try to negotiate one of the new ones. I don't have 4K but the speed alone is worth it. 

[brians]

Yes the new STB are very fast.  I have had OptikTV since 2010 and until a couple years ago I was running the original Cisco boxes, but they upgraded me to a 4K one. Since then I have 1GB PureFibre and the other two of my boxes were upgraded to the latest that support wireless and seem a lot faster than the old ones.