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Old 05-19-2012, 11:02 AM   #1
stampsx2
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Default How do you like Wind? - Shaw Purchases Wind

Is anybody on wind mobile here?

How has your expierience been? Would you recommend it? Their prices seem much better. I've heard $15 a month means you pay $15 at the end of the month not $72.

How's the coverage?

Their customer service also seems to be better.

Last edited by stampsx2; 12-16-2015 at 04:39 PM.
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Old 05-19-2012, 11:20 AM   #2
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i did a lot of research on it a few months ago and it sounded like although they are expanding coverage via new towers, there are still some dead zones which get worse depending on what phone you use. there was a google map kind of thing that had reception quality at various locations recorded online somewhere
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Old 05-20-2012, 07:14 AM   #3
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In terms of how their coverage is in their zone, it's fine. It has its bad spots just like Rogers, Bell, or Telus. Coverage is never perfect.

The drawback of course is outside the cities you're jumping on Rogers networks and pay more for it. Doing that you're still going to pay alot less then on similar plans with the big three.

Customer service can be a pain, but overall I've been with Wind for a year and a half and am happy with the service.

My plan, 40 bucks a month for every damn think can't be beat.
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Old 05-20-2012, 07:22 AM   #4
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Its fine. The reception can be better but the company is still fairly small. Overall i'm fine with it.
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Old 05-20-2012, 07:55 AM   #5
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I have been with Wind for 9 months and have loved the experience.

The coverage within the city is identical to other carriers.....finding a place without connectivity isn't easy and urban connectivity really shouldn't be a factor in the decision. And just to be clear, Wind offers a trial window (7 day, iirc) in which a no fee cancellation can be made if you're not satisfied.

Once you leave the city (Cross Iron Mills area) you start roaming. Connectivity is never a problem (QE2, Hwy2) and the rates are perfectly normal. You won't break the bank to use your phone and it would take A LOT of roaming voice/data to get your bill into the $70, $80, $90 range that the big three charge for their plans.

My bill doesn't really fluctuate. The plan is $29/month (Unlimited voice, unlimited data, unlimited text, voicemail, call forward ) and comes out to $30.45 with tax. No connection charges, no "Government" fees, nothing. Depending on my out of town usage, the bill has gotten up to about $35.00.

I tallied my 9 bills this morning and can say that for $282.31 I have obtained 9 full months of superior quality voice/data service (on a subsidized smartphone no less). That's $31.37 on average and easily half (probably a third) of a Telus/Rogers/ Bell bill.

There have been comments in other threads that Wind is going to close down (or be bought out or run out of money) because of foreign ownership rules. The Canadian Government has made it clear that competition is here to stay, and has relaxed ownership rules to ensure it remains.

Further, with the fear mongering behind them, Wind has finally begun to achieve the user growth it expected. They increased the year-to-year Q1 subscription rate by 52.9% and sit at well over 400,000 users.

In short - there really isn't any reason for Calgarians to continue overpaying for cell service.
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Old 05-20-2012, 07:57 AM   #6
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I switched from Rogers to Wind back in September and have never looked back.
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Old 05-20-2012, 08:03 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WilsonFourTwo View Post
In short - there really isn't any reason for Calgarians to continue overpaying for cell service.
This is one of the main reasons why we switched to wind. Rogers was a pain and they lied to us about a lot of stuff. They ripped of my mom and she told them to go to hell. It was rather sad how Rogers tried to keep us with them by saying all of this bad stuff about wind which is a bunch of bull. Wind has been better for my mom and for me i don't even really notice much of a difference other than reception is some areas. I defiantly recommend wind for people who don't use their cell phones as much as others.
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Old 05-20-2012, 11:55 AM   #8
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I'd recommend it. Found some deadspots in the NW Costco and for some reason a certain spot in Edgemont's World Health (might be my phone) but other than that have had no problems. Even did some texting in Montreal and rates were normal out of town texting rates. My plan is amazing as i pay $40 ($42 with gst) for unlimited everything compared to Telus where I paid $47-$50 dollars (why does it fluctuate) for limits on everything and no data .
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Old 05-20-2012, 12:23 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CarlW View Post
I'd recommend it. Found some deadspots in the NW Costco and for some reason a certain spot in Edgemont's World Health (might be my phone) but other than that have had no problems. Even did some texting in Montreal and rates were normal out of town texting rates. My plan is amazing as i pay $40 ($42 with gst) for unlimited everything compared to Telus where I paid $47-$50 dollars (why does it fluctuate) for limits on everything and no data .
Yeah, I've had this plan since December 2010 and have never paid over 42 bucks. Several months later I finally realized I never used my house phone so dropped that too, I was only keeping that for long distance, so saved however much per month there.

I can't recall correctly but I think my home phone service through Shaw was higher per month then all of my cell bill because of the long distance.

What a scam.
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Old 05-20-2012, 12:31 PM   #10
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I really wish I had gotten onboard the unlimited data Wind plan. I would listen to internet radio all day long.
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Old 05-20-2012, 12:37 PM   #11
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Switched over from Telus to Wind back in Dec 2010 and have never looked back. I don't often travel outside of Vancouver or Calgary so roaming is never an issue.

There are some deadspots inside malls and such, and they have no coverage in the underground portions of the Skytrain in Vancouver, but overall its quite reliable.

I was paying $55+ for a bare bones Telus plan with no data and limited calling and texting, I now pay $36.75/month for unlimited calling text and data. Dropping my Telus home phone also saves another $40 a month! Unless you travel outside the home zones a lot, I really don't see any reason to not go with Wind.
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Old 05-20-2012, 12:48 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hack&Lube View Post
I really wish I had gotten onboard the unlimited data Wind plan. I would listen to internet radio all day long.
I think it's a permanent plan now, unless there is some minor detail I'm missing.
http://www2.windmobile.ca/en/Pages/v..._utmk=20235320
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Old 05-20-2012, 04:19 PM   #13
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How much does it actually cost to go out of the home zone?

Considering they are putting up their own towers, I'd imagine Wind will just keep getting better and better with more and more coverage.

For me I know if I actually bother to check the amount of time I spend in my 'home' area its WAY over 90%. Probably closer to 97%. So for me their plans would work perfectly.
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Old 05-20-2012, 11:31 PM   #14
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are there any issues with being in what they say is home zone but your phone is roaming? i know you can get them to lock roaming to prevent roaming charges and it might not be that applicable here, but i did remember reading lots of problems with this (roaming in a home zone) in the GTA and some in VAN. also what phones are you guys using with them?

i have been mulling over switching for a while now, but i keep hearing rumors that the new iphone might be compatible with their frequency and for me that'd seal the deal.
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Old 05-21-2012, 07:19 AM   #15
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Yes, there's been a lot of pressure to have an iPhone operating on AWS and it looks as though its actually going to happen. The big push comes from T-Mobile who have almost 150 million customers worldwide and are the fourth largest in the USA.
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Old 05-21-2012, 08:00 AM   #16
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I read an article on The City of Calgary cellphone expense and it was astronomical!

5,816 users

$3.2 million

$550.21 average cost per public servant!

Crazy Cellphone use paid for by our taxes!

Being that Wind is a $40.00 cost/month I think the city should switch over...

5816 x 40.00 = $232,640

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Old 05-21-2012, 08:31 AM   #17
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interesting tid-bit (observed in TO, but likely similar nationally):

wind piggy backs a lot off roger's network for rural area coverage, however, this can disrupt your signal carrier in urban areas....

This means when you are coming out of a basement/garage/etc, the signal strength algorithm on the phone/bs may result in you first catching signal with rogers (show's as a gsm connection) where you won't actually have any service at all.

This was frustrating, as it could mean that you woudn't have service for 10-15 mins until you reach a handoff point to a stronger signal wind network bs.

Solution: Change your network settings to "3g only" and it has made my service/signal restoration period much more satisfactory.

i don't pay for my phone (work), but once i set up the above, i really have no complaints with wind. If you're saving $, especially if it's substantial, it's not a bad carrier thus far.

Last edited by bubbsy; 05-21-2012 at 08:39 AM.
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Old 05-21-2012, 11:24 AM   #18
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How is their data? The guy at future shop told me not to get it, it's really slow.
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Old 05-21-2012, 11:41 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by To Be Quite Honest View Post
I read an article on The City of Calgary cellphone expense and it was astronomical!

5,816 users

$3.2 million

$550.21 average cost per public servant!

Crazy Cellphone use paid for by our taxes!

Being that Wind is a $40.00 cost/month I think the city should switch over...

5816 x 40.00 = $232,640
You are comparing apples apples and oranges...the editorial is using an annual figure, and you are giving a monthly figure...that $550.21 a year is actually fairly near what you are advocating,.
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Old 05-21-2012, 12:49 PM   #20
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You are comparing apples apples and oranges...the editorial is using an annual figure, and you are giving a monthly figure...that $550.21 a year is actually fairly near what you are advocating,.


I've only have 4 hours of sleep in the last 2 days... Is that a valid excuse?

Okay. So not every phone needs Long distance or large amounts of data.

Wind 25 is fine for most and for the managers and executives Wind 40.

5,816 users

10% or 581 Managers and Executives (guessing): 40 * 12 = $480/year * 581 = $278,880

90% or 5235 regular use users: 25 *12 = $300/year * 5235 = 1,570,500

$1,849,380 VS 3,200,000 is a difference of $1,350,620.

Heck that can even create a job or two in cell phone monitoring to catch frequent abusers and still clear 1 250 620 in savings!
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