The telecom companies, effectively a tripoly, hold the Canadian market to ransom. I weep when I see what other countries pay for their internet and phones. But of the Big Three, the worst in every way is Rogers. Thirty-five years ago I had cable with them for a year or two. And to this day they send me mail, at least once a month if not more, asking me to sign up with them again. Which I never will, because their service goes out on a regular basis, occasionally taking half the country's ATMs with it. I have my cell phone with them because they swallowed the company I started with, and that's quite sufficient. I'm not going to have my landline and broadband  with them and risk being totally cut off from the world.

But Rogers won't quit trying. Bad enough are the Indian call centre guys, every other day, with the background cacophany and the machine gun delivery that turns anything they might be saying into gibberish. But three times in two days I've had people ringing the doorbell wanting to woo me back to Rogers with 'half the rates that Bell charges!!' -- for two years and then it's up 150%. Bell is no bargain but at least it's reliable. And I need to get a No Soliciting sign for the front door because I'm tired of limping down the stairs on creaking knees.