Telus and Bell to charge 15¢ per INCOMING Text [SPLIT]

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by Azure

Is this confirmed?

Good news if true.

I have no link or anything to "confirm" it, however I spoke to someone personally who is very high up within Telus.

They said(paraphrased)"the news is overreacting and causing people to overreact over spam and provider text messages, however it will be very clear that anything not going from mobile-to-mobile will not be charged. This is to insure that we have a cell phone signature so if there is abuse or harrassment we can go back and deal with it. Anything sent from spam/free services (5 digit #) or from the internet will not be charged."

So people can still actually use the the companies webpage to send free text messages without the cost of incoming. Its just texts incoming from another mobile phone, which to me sounds fair. If you receive alot of incoming you probably reply so you should have a texting package anyways.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by HOOT

I bet this new fee won't effect 99% of people that are complaining about it.

Then why is Telus and Bell doing it? A huge potential backlash for a small potential return. Unless they have something else in the works, and this is the first step to going there.

Originally Posted by HOOT

So people can still actually use the the companies webpage to send free text messages without the cost of incoming. Its just texts incoming from another mobile phone, which to me sounds fair.

Something isn't right there, because as of right now the receiver gets charged for incoming texts via the web. So they can't "still" be doing the opposite of what they are currently doing.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Then why is Telus and Bell doing it? A huge potential backlash for a small potential return. Unless they have something else in the works, and this is the first step to going there.

Because people are abusing it. I am saying it is stopping people from abusing the system set-up right now. However if you are doing so, now you have to have a package else it will cost for incoming.

Something isn't right there, because as of right now the receiver gets charged for incoming texts via the web. So they can't "still" be doing the opposite of what they are currently doing.

No they don't. If you send them from the companies webpage you do not. So if your friend if on Bell, for example, you go to their webpage and send/receive them for free. Even Verizon, who currently charges for incoming text message, has the same deal in their terms & services.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by HOOT

Because people are abusing it.

Question: How exactly are people abusing incoming text messages?

[HotHotHeat]

Originally Posted by calculoso

With the price of data plans, it's still the cheapest non-voice way to communicate.

Is $15 ($30 on rogers) really that bad for unlimited data?

Unlimited texting packages are about $10....

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by HOOT

No they don't. If you send them from the companies webpage you do not.

Care to place a wager on that? Try texting yourself, and see if it doesn't show up on your bill.

I used to use it all the time to text myself. If I needed an address or something I would text myself the address to have it on my phone. Then one day I started getting chaged for it.

Edit- and just to add, a few months ago when I was charged for more texts that what was showing up on my data usage summary, the first thing the CSR asked me was if it was possible that people were texting me from the website. So I know it's still an active policy.

[llama64]

Originally Posted by HOOT

So with your business you have never increased prices? How large is your business? Are you comparing your business skills to someone who has to run a company with millions and millions of customers? Its a lot harder to keep everyone happy when you get into those kind of numbers.

Again with the misunderstanding.

We increase prices due to market forces. You know, kinda how Smith described. What we do not do, however, is coerce customers into new and unneeded deals. The size of the business should not ever justify unethical business practices.

This is not a simple increase in prices. As I've said again and again and again (to which I have received a total of ZERO comments), why don't they simply increase the cost of SENDING a message like EVERY other mail based business does?

Adding in some convoluted method of trying to allow people to block incoming messages is a pointless waste of time. I guarantee its going to be cumbersome, unintuitive and just plain messy, resulting in customers needing to upgrade their monthly service fee to include unlimited incoming messages. Like I said, it's bad business.

[Barnes]

Did anyone else receive a letter from Bell telling them their call display and voicemail was going up $2 in Aug?

[SebC]

It's not just "spam" in the conventional sense. I get text messages from random wrong numbers and some that seem to be intended for the person who had my number before me. If I didn't have a text messaging plan, is it right that I would have to pay for those?

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Care to place a wager on that? Try texting yourself, and see if it doesn't show up on your bill.

Whats a cell phone bill? I honestly haven't had a cell bill for over 4 years now.

So you could be right however, when they started those services they were not charging so it could have changed, or maybe Telus has plans to change that so people can't text bully people through that online service.

If not they could have some major issues and I would not want to be someone working in a call centre for a month of August and September!

Originally Posted by llama64

I guarantee its going to be cumbersome, unintuitive and just plain messy, resulting in customers needing to upgrade their monthly service fee to include unlimited incoming messages. Like I said, it's bad business.

Yes it will be a rough ride for Telus/Bell for the first few months however all will be forgotten once some new policy comes out that people will want to complain about and this whole situation will be put on the back burner. Also you don't need "unlimited" text messaging bundle to avoid the charges, you just need a text bundle.

It may be bad business in your eyes however once Bell/Telus pulls in there billions of dollars in profits I don't think too many people from a business standpoint would complain about that if it were their business.

I think we can agree to disagree on this topic because I think its pretty clear we are not going to change each others minds on this.

Originally Posted by Barnes

Did anyone else receive a letter from Bell telling them their call display and voicemail was going up $2 in Aug?

I have heard rumblings of this and I think it is to align themselves with Telus/Rogers for their CDP/VM feature prices also probably to push people to their bundles.

Originally Posted by SebC

It's not just "spam" in the conventional sense. I get text messages from random wrong numbers and some that seem to be intended for the person who had my number before me. If I didn't have a text messaging plan, is it right that I would have to pay for those?

Yes you would have to pay for those however their will be a system in place were you can block a single number from texting you and once you do so it will deduct that charge for that single text message. Will this system actually be put into place? I have no confirmation for sure or when it will happen.

[calculoso]

Originally Posted by HOOT

Whats a cell phone bill? I honestly haven't had a cell bill for over 4 years now.

Which pretty much explains your position:

Extra charges? No big deal... I don't pay them anyway!

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by HOOT

........

I have heard rumblings of this and I think it is to align themselves with Telus/Rogers for their CDP/VM feature prices also probably to push people to their bundles.

.............

I have a bundle. Some people call it aligning, I call it collusion. No big deal, I will be canceling before it takes effect.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by calculoso

Which pretty much explains your position:

Extra charges? No big deal... I don't pay them anyway!

I don't get free gas, I don't get free food...I dont get everything else going up in price for free and you sure as hell won't hear me complaining about it. I realize its life...if I need/want that service I understand I will pay whatever the companies decide I will be paying.