ordering Bell PPV outside of Canada is it worth the risk?

[hockeyfan75]

set up my bell account today as im using my cousins address in ontario. they have rodgers. called bell 416 number blocking my caller id.. account set up no issues.. im not using the phone line. can i still push the button to order ppv? will this work?? i dont want to order on interent either afraid they might track the ip address. am i being over cautious or do they turn accounts off if the phone displays a number or ip address outside of canada?

 

[Slartibartfarst]

I would order over the internet, much easier and the PPV's appear on all your receivers, not just the one you are pointing a remote at.

 

[bradleys]

Owners of 800 numbers and large companies with fancy phone systems can see your phone number even when you block caller ID. The facility is called automatic number identification (ANI). ANI is completely separate from caller ID.

It's up to the company what they do with the info, of course. It sounds like the folks at the 416 number you called either don't care or don't capture the incoming number info. Just don't assume that your phone number is secret when you call (or when your sat box calls).

 

[QCK]

Bell watches this stuff closer than you might think. I have Bell telephone & Sympatico internet and signed up with Skype. I kid you not, within two minutes Bell Mobility was calling my home phone. They had never ever called before this. I ignored the call seeing who it was with caller ID. They tried two more times within the next hour. This was no coincidence. I'd stick with the internet if I were you, and to be even safer let your cousin or another friend/relative from Canada log onto your account and do the ordering.

 

[robtsk]

Owners of 800 numbers and large companies with fancy phone systems can see your phone number even when you block caller ID. The facility is called automatic number identification (ANI). ANI is completely separate from caller ID.

It's up to the company what they do with the info, of course. It sounds like the folks at the 416 number you called either don't care or don't capture the incoming number info. Just don't assume that your phone number is secret when you call (or when your sat box calls).

ANI does happen when you call a toll-free number; the party paying for the call must be able to know who the call comes from.

Caller ID blocking when you pay for the call should be anonymous, because it's part of the deal you have with your phone company not to pass anything to the other end. I know of no way it could be thwarted.

 

[SpaethCo]

Caller ID blocking when you pay for the call should be anonymous, because it's part of the deal you have with your phone company not to pass anything to the other end. I know of no way it could be thwarted.

Again, CID and ANI are different elements of the call. CID can be populated or not as it is an end-user feature, but the ANI component is always present as part of the call setup because the telcos use this to maintain call records for reciprocal compensation. (ANI applies to every call, not just 800 number calls)

If you have a standard phone line or even small/medium business service like a PRI you only get access to CID data. Large call center operators / Fortune 500 companies generally have direct SS7 handoffs into their upstream carrier's phone switch, and that connection supplies full call detail information including originating ANI details. Blocking CID does absolutely nothing for hiding that detail.

 

[Mojo]

Not worth the risk just for PPV.

But that's just me

 

[OnlineLC]

Again, CID and ANI are different elements of the call. CID can be populated or not as it is an end-user feature, but the ANI component is always present as part of the call setup because the telcos use this to maintain call records for reciprocal compensation. (ANI applies to every call, not just 800 number calls)

Another major reason for ANI delivery is for 911 calls. The information is ties to a database which brings up all the home information for the call center as soon as the call is answered.

For ISP coverage you can always route through a Canadian Proxy server. I use that all the time to access a web site that has science materials only available with a Canadian IP number.

 

[Mr Tony]

If you MUST do PPV, do it online. Way much easier

dont chance it otherwise

 

[Juan]

ANI doesn't work very well with Voice over IP (aka Vonage)

 

[bluereef]

Ordering

I would have to say pass on Bell. They have the capability to track your IP address as I was one of the unlucky ones who got traced back to the US and they conftronted me. I would stick with the phone ordering and pay the LD charge. Went with Star and very happy witht hem and the picture quality

 

[OnlineLC]

I would have to say pass on Bell. They have the capability to track your IP address as I was one of the unlucky ones who got traced back to the US and they conftronted me. I would stick with the phone ordering and pay the LD charge. Went with Star and very happy witht hem and the picture quality

I believe you 100% and it still amazes me a little that we see a company who actually spend quite a lot of time and effort (and money) to find ways to reduce their revenue stream.

I know Bell cannot knowingly sell service in the US, but a witch-hunt makes no sense at all.

 

[bluereef]

Yes IP tracking software is very cheap and anyone can buy it of the net. Its the same programs that blocks or alters your IP address thru foreigns servers. Don't know if this helps but they knew exactly what DSL carrier I was on and there was no way around it once they stated talking with me. I was actually doing a on line chat with them about something and that's when it happened. Maybe its only limited to on line chatting but who knows. And yes they cut there nose off to spite themselves.

 

[bradleys]

Depending on how important this is (and how much you want to spend), you could get a Canadian cell phone. Telus Mobility in BC has a $25 per month "Your Choice" plan. Or, get a prepaid phone and buy $10 or $25 cards. That doesn't help if you have the box connected to your land line, of course. However, you could order PPV manually over the cell phone. It's possible that the phone system will still know that you're in the USA, but I don't know what kind of routing info (if any) is presented with ANI. For the main "US vs Canada number" question, it's real easy to have a list of prohibited area codes to check against the basic ANI number.

As far as "why are Bell folks being such twits about this?", that's a good question. One would expect that any auditing done by programming providers would be the same for both Bell and Shaw. Likewise, any government restrictions should be the same. Maybe Bell has more restrictions from the programming folks because of some earlier problems? Or, maybe the folks who run Bell simply don't like Americans?