Source: Tom's Guide | Keywords: apple, iphone, rogers | Themes: Smartphones, 3GSM
On July 11, Canada will receive its first officially support iPhone, but not all prospective customers are rejoicing. In fact, the latest report from AppleInsider figures that Apple is so “disgusted” by the local iPhone plan offerings in Canada that the Apple retail stores of the North won’t be selling the new device on Friday.
While Canada’s neighbor to the south enjoys unlimited data options with AT&T, Rogers Wireless, the only GSM carrier in the Great White North offers no such data freedom. iPhone plans from Rogers start at $60 and offers 150 daytime minutes, visual voicemail and only 400MB of data. Call display and system access fees are extra charges, and data overage costs start at 50 cents per MB.
Even on the most spendy iPhone plan offered by Rogers, which costs $115 as a base, only includes 800 minutes, 300 text messages and 2GB data. To make matters worse no iPhone plan, which are only available on three year contracts, may be activated on a family plan.
Customers interested in the iPhone quickly blasted the plans offered by Rogers, with many disappointed customers venting on message boards and signing petitions. More than 53,000 signatures have been collected on RuinediPhone.com as a form of protest of Rogers’ proposed plans.
Such public outrage over the perceived limitations of the iPhone plans has likely caught Apple’s eye, who in turn may be diverting some of its iPhone stock to Europe rather than Canada. First such details came from the blog of Daniel Smith, a Canadian sales and marketing consultant, who also claimed to have it on good authority that the additional staff that some Rogers stores hired to manage the iPhone demand have suddenly been “fired without notice.”
Apple representatives have distanced the company away from Rogers’ iPhone plans, saying, “We have nothing to do with the service plans. Those are Rogers’ plans.”
Rogers’ main defence against customer backlash is that its offered plans are what the company feels as appropriate for the market. “Unlimited plans could end up costing customers more for what they don’t use,” the spokesperson said. “Our iPhone plans more than accommodate the vast majority of customers.”
Since when does a manufacturer dictate what a customer does or doesn’t need?
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This is a simple case of supply and demand. If you are a Canadian who is tired of high cell phone prices even if you are not in the market for an iPhone make your voice heard. Sign ever petition you come across! Let Ted Rogers know that he had a chance to be a "visionary" and offer cell phone plans that would be ahead of the curve so that everyone could enjoy today's technology the way it was meant to be used...without restrictions inside of a reasonable price point.
ruinediphone.com
http://www.davidmcguinty.com/engli [...] acces.html
So why can't AT&T come to Canada?...As long as they don't rip us off like Rogers and bell
So why can't AT&T come to Canada?...As long as they don't rip us off like Rogers and bell
The Canadian government restricts the foreign ownership of the wireless industry. I'm sure if it were possible, T-Mobile would have bid for Microcell (Fido) rather than Rogers.
Oh well, at least the recent wireless spectrum auction made provisions for new entrants. As it stands, Canada is a harsh place to be a cell phone addict.
overall, as a Rogers costumer; I say Rogers Sucks! They're awful, the only reason that I signed a contract with them was he fact that they are the only GSM networks available in Canada.
Anyhoo! There has been some development on the case of the iPhone:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/ser [...] _mostemail
Rogers Sucks!!! I have been their costumer for around 2 yeras now, and the only reason that I did go with Rogers was the fact that they are the only the GSM network available in Canada.
There has been some development regarding the data plan for iPhone, you can read more about it here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/ser [...] _mostemail