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iPhone rage boils over
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by Barry Artiste | July 10, 2008 at 04:47 am
620 views | 14 Recommendations | 9 comments
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Barry Artiste. Now Public Contributor
The old Bell Canada motto "Reach Out and Touch Someone" is certainly a Motto virtually every Cell Phone carrier in Canada adhere to, in figuring Canadians are an easy Touch, with all their mumbo, jumbo, legalise on how, who, what, when, why when it comes to a myriad of conditions on using your Iphone or any phone for that matter.
Trying to understand the legalise even confuses the hell out of Retail clerks trying to explain all this legalise to an eager public jumping up and down with a bad case of the "Gimmes", who Rogers feels just want to get their phone and get out of the store Pronto so they can start using it, ultimately suffering Buyers Remorse when cell phone bill arrives. Consumer outrage over limited service, but additional fees and conditions seems to be reaching a breaking point.
Canada's Minister of Industry Jim Prentice is calling Cell Carriers on the carpet to explain all these fees and conditions. One can be sure these Cell Carrier execs will be just as clueless about explaining all the nickel and dime ploys as the Retail Clerk.
http://www.ottawasun.com/News/National/2008/07/10/6114871-sun.html
iPhone rage boils over
Rogers bows to public pressure, introduces better rate plan
By STEVE TILLEY, SUN MEDIA
Apple's iPhone makes its long-awaited Canadian debut tomorrow, but the firestorm of controversy surrounding its release has threatened to become a bigger story than the hi-tech gizmo itself.
From online petitions generating tens of thousands of signatures to calls for a boycott of exclusive provider Rogers Communications Inc. and its Fido subsidiary, iPhone rage has reached a boiling point.
But Rogers bowed to public pressure yesterday and threw water on the fires of discontent, introducing a new iPhone rate plan which -- depending on who you ask -- is either a great deal or too little, too late.
LISTENED TO CUSTOMERS
"It's kind of comforting to know that a big corporation can listen to customer reactions," said Amit Kaminer, an analyst with Toronto-based telecommunications consulting and research firm SeaBoard Group.
A combination of a mobile phone, multimedia iPod and Internet-surfing device, the iPhone has been the hottest gadget in the U.S. since it launched there just over a year ago. Tomorrow marks the debut of the second iteration of the iPhone -- the first to be officially offered in Canada -- capable of running on faster, next-generation wireless networks.
Rogers' rate plans for the iPhone began at $60 per month with a relatively meagre 400 MB of data transfer capacity for things like Internet surfing and music downloads. The plans were blasted by thousands of potential buyers in Canada and met with clucks of sympathy from iPhone owners in the U.S. and abroad, who enjoy more favourable rates and perks.
The new offer, which customers must sign up for by Aug. 31, will allow users to combine any Rogers voice plan with a $30 monthly fee that grants up to 6 GB of data downloads, enough to watch more than 6,000 minutes of YouTube video clips per month.
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Barry Artiste
Vancouver, Canada
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (9)
at 05:08 on July 10th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.
Iphone
at 08:53 on July 10th, 2008
Great story!
at 08:54 on July 10th, 2008
I'm very excited to ditch my 3 year old Bell mobile and Palm Pilot for this dream of a gadget :)
at 09:32 on July 10th, 2008
Yes, buy look-out after Aug 31...all fees double and more added!!!
at 14:00 on July 10th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 19:47 on July 10th, 2008
Thanks everyone for your comments, in BC Rogers is opening their store an hour earlier as they expect a rush for those who wish to Status Themselves up before they walk into their office. It has been said a basic 3 year Rogers Contract for these phones to be around $2,500.00
at 19:52 on July 10th, 2008
I own a 5 year old small silver Motorola flip phone, the best feature on this cell phone, is that it is actually a phone, not camera, no music, no other fancy gizmos which will confuse the hell outta me. It has basic text and that is it, that is how I like it. My office has been trying to buy me a Treo Model 5 billion, or whatever it's called. I told them , no thanks, this Motorola is fine for me. It's a phone!!
at 20:06 on July 10th, 2008
hahahaha, Thanks Zichi, my point exactly. My son at dinner this evening is salavating at the chance to buy an Iphone, he just went on and on its computer, mpeg features, till I told him about the 3-Contract for $2500.00 . Dad's can be soooooooo mean, bursting a kids bubble.
at 05:20 on July 11th, 2008
Hey my Motorola, has a contract, but as I do not pay for my phone, my work does, I guess I don't care about my Face Five, Family Plan, Weekend talk rates, etc.