Slay the rip-off dragons of the Canadian cell phone industry
Cats: Canada, geeky things|This typist is delighted to see Canada waking up from the coma it has been in on the matter of rip-off cell phone pricing.
The government is promising to open up the wireless industry to more competition in the hope this will stick a pin in the Bell-Rogers-Telus oligarchy, which has kept prices so ridiculously high.
Having used cellphone services outside of Canada, I was shocked to the toenails to see the prices charged in Canada – two and sometimes three times as much, for less service.
Even more shocking was the apparent lack of outrage by Canadian cell phone users who simply didn’t know (or care?) they were being ripped off so spectacularly. Blank faces and WTF? responses convinced me that Canadians were happy with the status quo.
Happily, things have changed. People are mad. And rightfully so. Good.
If Canada ever hopes to compete in the 21st-century global economy, it needs to slay the Bell-Rogers-Telus rip-off dragon. And that looks set to happen when they open the airwaves to new competitors.
December 2nd, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Having cellphones for two kids (tracking devices) is ridiculously expensive even under a so-called family plan. Sometimes I phone Rogers and say “is there no way we can bring this monthly cost down?” and they say “sure, we’ll do this, this and this” and then the next month I get my bill and they’ve done none of what they said they were going to do. I call and complain and the whole process starts all over again.
I hate them. But once they’ve got you, they’ve kind of got you.
December 3rd, 2007 at 3:48 am
What makes me nutty is all the free stuff a new client gets,,, Join Rogers and “get a New Car” (well maybe not a car but they do get free stuff…) I have been with Rogers for over 10 years and what do they give me??? Nadda!
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:45 am
I have a Rogers pre-paid cell phone. I used it once in 2005. I find that it’s quite affordable.;-)
Generally I find that people use their cellphones way too much. I hear conversations / calls like:
I just wanted to say hi.
Do you need anything from the store?
Where are you?
What are you doing?
I’ll be 5 minutes late…
I find the world keeps turning without knowing these things. So you have potatoes instead of pasta.
It’s funny, people even get pissed at me when I don’t answer my phone like it’s some kind of moral obligation.
Take from a practicing phone avoider…you are paying big $$$ for something that is unnecessary. I do have an answering machine / service though…I’m no dinosaur.
Just ask your folks how they managed.
December 3rd, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Jacy, I’ve just started a family plan with Rogers and went through all that how-do-I-get-the-price-down crap with the robot people they hire to do their phones. The day of the big announcement, I asked them if they were aware of the fact that the government is opening up competition and the prices would soon change. No, they said, blandly. And they truly did not have a clue what I was talking about.
Nada Nanc? For you? They are silly people. But you need one for business too, don’t you?
Dick, too funny and too true on inane cell phone convos. Trouble is that once a technology like cell phones, or say, the car, becomes standard, you are at a disadvantage in business if you don’t have one. I’m like you. I’d rather not have one, but right now, I need one. So the oligarchy has me.
December 3rd, 2007 at 4:07 pm
True dat.
Please tell me that the zygotes don’t have cell phones…even if it’s not true.
December 5th, 2007 at 11:18 am
Dick can’t say, Christmas is coming.
December 8th, 2007 at 7:25 am
I rarely use mine and just to have it costs a bundle (a word I no longer love thanks to Rogers and their advertising). I love listening to people blather on them though, it makes my life seem like it has a whole lot more meaning.
June 9th, 2008 at 8:49 am
[...] I’m on a personal campaign to slay the rip-off dragons of the Canadian cell phone industry, I take every opportunity to stick a needle in their [...]
December 27th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
I can only speak about Rogers – but what a rip off! What is going on Canada, Rogers is takening you for every penny, Paying for answer machine, paying to receive CALLS, what rubbish, paying $47.00 a month for internet. This is a crime. Someone is making a lot of money. These services are almost free in other parts of the world. Who on earth is made to sign 3 year contracts with $400.00 get out clause. Get some real competition in this market and stop this happy fat cat party. Richard (UK)
January 4th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
I come from Australia where $30 p/m is the standard. When i say $30 a month I mean that is it, there is no extras added onto to that. I move to Canada and get a couples plan with my girlfriend for $70 p/m and every bill we get comes to around $120 p/m, and we hardly use the things. Also my phone broke within 3 months, they shipped it away and got it fixed then it broke again. Do you think they would replace it ? Fuck no !! So I bought 1 off craigslist. We have been with Rogers for 15 months now and I went to upgrade today and they wanted to charge me $500 for a new phone. So do these fuckers ever give anything back ? These companies have us all by the balls, there should be a law against what they are doing to us!