Quote:
Originally Posted by blankall
Nice work.
I have a question. Right now my big issue is with being able to get new handsets. I find that the handsets don't really last much beyond 2 years. However, I'm with Telus and they only give out handsets when you get a new contract.
Are the other providers better off with giving out new handsets? If so, it might be time for me to buy out my Telus contract and switch to another provider.
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Every provider is the same with regards to new handsets. Upgrades are available after you complete two years of your three year contract.
iPhones are a different story, though. Most of the carriers will offer some sort of early upgrade promotion if you meet a certain criteria. As far as I know, Telus is the only Canadian iPhone carrier that refuses to participate in this.
If you're not an iPhone guy, you can still usually talk the other carriers into letting you switch phones (depending on the circumstances)... but if you're with Telus, you'll have a much harder time. I have yet to talk to anyone that was allowed to upgrade (without paying an arm and a leg) before their 2 years was up. I suggested (in a different thread) that a Telus customer here try phoning them and reminding them how much money they'll lose by not allowing an upgrade, but someone else responded saying they did the same thing and was told that they were more than welcome to cancel.
Moral of the story:
There are two types of cell phone consumers. Those who care about what their phone can do (besides making calls) and those who don't care about the phone itself and are more concerned with how much they're paying and where they can get service, etc.
Telus is for the latter, everyone else is for the former.
(I suppose there is a third category that even I fit into, which is "all of the above" but people like me are generally screwed in that regard.)
Edit: Sorry, I should clarify. I'm not saying that Telus doesn't have good phones, because they do. I'm just saying that people who are interested in new phones coming out with different features, etc, will not like being with Telus as there is zero negotiating room for switching phones early.