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1. •  
     CommentAuthorcancelbot
   • CommentTimeJul 1st 2008

    
   Moderator
   This snippet is from cbc.ca:
   
   

   The basic Rogers monthly plan begins at $60, plus a system access fee of $6.95, and gives subscribers 150 daytime minutes and 400 megabytes of data usage.

   
   
   That is terrible.
   
   $67 for 2.5 hours of talk time and 400 MB (?!?!?!?) of data?
   
   You'd have to be a grade-A Apple fanboy to spend your own money on that kind of a lousy deal.
2. • CommentAuthorFort Garry Dark
   • CommentTimeJul 1st 2008

    
   The Apple fan boys (@macrumors) note that 400 MB is like loading the Rogers main page 5 times each day. That is not much web cruising.
3. • CommentAuthorlight11
   • CommentTimeJul 1st 2008

    
   yea now that i heard about the plans from rogers/fido im not buying it.
   
   im waiting for the HTC Touch diamond/pro
4. • CommentAuthorMr. Nobody
   • CommentTimeJul 1st 2008

    
   My kid was in Hawaii and his cell phone had a fart. he lost all his ringtones. So he goes on the web , accesses his MTS account and requests all his ringtones back ( once you pay for them, they are free forever ).
   
   Anyhow, lo and behold, he got a download bill of 118 dollars. 2.5 meg, 13 ringtones. So I played bad cop, wifey played good cop, they removed the charge, but we still cancelled all our services with MTS.
   
   The least they can do is alert you that you will be charged x amount if you are not in Manitoba. Cell phones, what a conjob perpetuated on the masses.
5. •  
     CommentAuthorOmega
   • CommentTimeJul 2nd 2008

    
   What it takes to operate cell phone infrastructure is nowhere near the figure they rake in on billing. Especially with such widespread mindless adoption. You could fund a cell phone tower with one or two corporate contracts, let alone the thousands of subscribers being extorted by deliberate predatory billing practices.
   
   Non services, user fees, overpriced services...
   
   MTS subscribes to Bell's quarterly greed newsletter and shadows them in morals: AKA, none.
6. • CommentAuthorMr. Nobody
   • CommentTimeJul 2nd 2008

    
   Agree omega, a lot less expensive then establishing a traditional copper based network. mind you the kill each other over federal licensing auctions ( thats the big cost ), but really. does every freaking person need a cell. OH OH, its only for emergenices. lol. what a scam
   
   What is incredibly stupid is that their call centre didn't push the big OH OH button and escalated my call to a supervisor.
7. •  
     CommentAuthorOmega
   • CommentTimeJul 2nd 2008

    
   In terms of adoption - while I can rationalize that they are not high priority - people should be allowed to buy whatever they please and enjoy it for whatever reason they want. I don't like the way they've been turned into a fashion icon, but that's part and parcel of the problem the providers introduced.
   I resent cell phone adoption because unlike other technologies where the early adopters incurred the highest costs, the inverse is true with cell phones. Instead of the increased adoption exhibiting all the bragged about benefits of free market economics, the exact opposite happened.
   
   <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walled_garden_(media)">Walled gardens.</a>
   
   Cell phones simply got targeted by a marketing and management methodology. The technology took the back burner (innovation and quality stop there) and adoption and profits became #1 (service and value, dead).
   
   I've said this before: I don't find profits reprehensible. What I do find disgusting is the total burnout markets have turned into because they're so strictly driven by taking one service or product and making zero improvements to it.
   Cell phones are a good example of this, where they will burn out the consumer with impossibly high prices (we should be paying a quarter of what we're being charged for cell phones) and nigh backwards moving innovation.
8. • CommentAuthorumcrouc0
   • CommentTimeJul 3rd 2008

    
   It's pretty sad when we only have one 3g network option. Rogers can basically do whatever they want for data charges because they are the only option with adequate transfer rates. There won't be any changes unless a real competitor shows up.
9. • CommentAuthoralex
   • CommentTimeJul 4th 2008

    

   Posted By: cancelbotThis snippet is from cbc.ca:
   
   

   The basic Rogers monthly plan begins at $60, plus a system access fee of $6.95, and gives subscribers 150 daytime minutes and 400 megabytes of data usage.

   
   
   That is terrible.
   
   $67 for 2.5 hours of talk time and 400 MB (?!?!?!?) of data?
   
   You'd have to be a grade-A Apple fanboy to spend your own money on that kind of a lousy deal.

   
   
   Most telco companies charge that system access fee. As for the $60/month, you still get free calls on weekends and after 5pm. The available talk time is only during the day.
10. •  
      CommentAuthorcancelbot
    • CommentTimeJul 4th 2008 edited

     
    Moderator
    It isn't the worst deal ever from a phone perspective (although it's close), but it is downright lousy when it comes to data. The iphone's internet capabilities are a big part of what makes it attractive - these Rogers plans limit its usefulness unless you are prepared to pay significant amounts in over-limit data fees.
    
    This is about as attractive as Ford charging you extra money every time you drive a new Mustang over 150 km in a month.
11. •  
      CommentAuthorOmega
    • CommentTimeJul 4th 2008

     
    http://ruinediphone.com
    
    It's making some pretty good headlines, head over and sign it.
    
    It's no lie that telecom companies in Canada are making disproportionate profits compared to their operating costs.
12. •  
      CommentAuthorgrumpy old man
    • CommentTimeJul 4th 2008

     
    Is it true that all businesses are out to screw everybody outta their last dime?
13. • CommentAuthorgrumpyrom
    • CommentTimeJul 5th 2008

     

    Posted By: grumpy old manIs it true that all businesses are out to screw everybody outta their last dime?

    
    
    Yes. That's whats wrong with our "free market" economy at the moment. No CEO gives a damn about the long term viability of any company, only next quarters profits and how big their performance bonus will be this year.
    
    Screw the customer, and the shareholders.
14. •  
      CommentAuthorOmega
    • CommentTimeJul 5th 2008 edited

     
    <blockquote><cite>Posted By: grumpy old man</cite>Is it true that all businesses are out to screw everybody outta their last dime?</blockquote>
    
    Yes, yes it is. Don't use typical right wing incredulity to bat this one off. It really is that bad these days.
    
    You can sit there and turn your nose up at the notion, but the fact is that products and services across the board have been killed by thousands of little cuts. We get so much less these days than we have in the past and pay so much more. One or both of those are wrong and unjustified.
    
    You can say "well give me an example other than this" to delay the argument. But that's conservative point persuasion at work again. Look for yourself and see. If it isn't communications services we're being gouged for, look at food, look at fuel. Look at anything you buy.
    
    If you can't perceive a difference, don't obligate other people to lower their standards and pretend like nothing is wrong. All a CEO cares about these days is sponging the money that should be feeding through to their company in R&D, materials and wages.
15. •  
      CommentAuthorgrumpy old man
    • CommentTimeJul 5th 2008 edited

     

    Posted By: OmegaYou can sit there and turn your nose up at the notion, but the fact is that products and services across the board have been killed by thousands of little cuts. We get so much less these days than we have in the past and pay so much more.

    Omega, that is an outrageous statement. Justify it.
    
    

    Posted By: OmegaYou can say "well give me an example other than this" to delay the argument. But that's conservative point persuasion at work again. Look for yourself and see. If it isn't communications services we're being gouged for, look at food, look at fuel. Look at anything you buy.
    
    If you can't perceive a difference, don't obligate other people to lower their standards and pretend like nothing is wrong.

    Ummm, where did I even hint at such a horrid suggestion? I believe I asked a simple question.
    
    Try not to be so aggressively dismissive of others posts and opinions Omega. You might find people will react differently. You might also be wrong from time to time. Is that possible?

    Thankful People: jim
16. • CommentAuthorumcrouc0
    • CommentTimeJul 5th 2008

     

    Posted By: grumpy old manIs it true that all businesses are out to screw everybody outta their last dime?

    
    
    No. A business will take a look at how their rates will influence their overall profits. Some work on low profit high volume, others the opposite. For a market like the cellular one it's pretty much saturated so you can basically take a lot of the 'volume' influences out of the equation. Then it becomes 'we will charge as much as we can without losing so many people to our competitors such that we will make less than if we charged a little less'. Because of the limited competition and the exclusivity of the iphone in the Canadian market Rogers will charge amounts that aren't quite high enough to stop people from buying it. If they thought they could charge $65 for the $60 plan and lose less than 8% of users looking to buy that plan they would do it because it would increase their sales. That's how a company works in a pretty much non-competitive market. People get paid a lot of money to make sure their prices are correct. It isn't about doing things that are bad for consumers, just doing things that are best for the company. That's the way it is and it will never change.
17. •  
      CommentAuthorOmega
    • CommentTimeJul 5th 2008 edited

     
    <blockquote><cite>Posted By: grumpy old man</cite>Omega, that is an outrageous statement. Justify it.</blockquote>
    
    See the next paragraph in the post you quoted. I understand you want to take what I said, break it into a thousand pieces and reorder them. Really, I do. It's just another conservative window dressing tactic to sidestep the point.
    Then, when you decide that paragraph needs a wrinkled face and round of "oh my gosh!", see the paragraph after that!
    
    If you read it in order, instead of going in there with the scissors, you'll see I'm three steps (and now five) ahead of you. Are we far enough removed from the point now for you to turn around and start firing distortions at it?
    
    Yeesh.
    
    <blockquote><cite>Posted By: grumpy old man</cite>......You might find people will react differently. You might also be wrong from time to time. Is that possible?</blockquote>
    
    For how frequently you suggest that, I'm surprised something hasn't dawned on you yet. Perhaps the amateur analysis is best left out GOM.

    Thankful People: stefanp
18. •  
      CommentAuthorgrumpy old man
    • CommentTimeJul 5th 2008

     
    I'm humbled. Really I am. I will strive to be better. One day, sigh, perhaps.
19. •  
      CommentAuthorjim
    • CommentTimeJul 5th 2008

     
    The least they can do is alert you that you will be charged x amount if you are not in Manitoba. Cell phones, what a conjob perpetuated on the masses.
    
    It is called long distance duh
    
    It isn't about doing things that are bad for consumers, just doing things that are best for the company. That's the way it is and it will never change
    
    If they don't they don't survive so you have a toy to play with .
    Omega suggest you become a politician as you say lots of nothing at all
20. • CommentAuthorMr. Nobody
    • CommentTimeJul 5th 2008

     
    its not called long distance duh...its called roaming charges.
    
    As for alerting someone duh, or having a popup discalimer, duh....that they may incur a huge charge to download ringtones they already purchased , duh, I think it would be very easy since you are on their website anyways....duh.....its called customer service ....duh. Its either that or your customers drop your service ...duh
    
    We got the roaming charges cancelled once a senior manager got the story , but it was too late...we dropped the carrier.....3 cell phones 3 business lines, one residential.......duh.
    
    But since you duhhhhhn't seem to unduuuhhhhhrstand much of anything, whats the point in saying anything at all.....
    
    Arriveduhhhhrci

    Thankful People: stefanp, Omega