Cell phone Retention Plans

[jharp]

Originally Posted by Rathji

That sounds a lot like things I have been hearing about Shaw, Telus and Rogers. They are less and less likely to give huge discounts now.

That said, I got $20 a month knocked of both mine and my wife's plan just before Christmas due to the leverage Wind gave us. We are both below $50 now.

I was offered two plans, one for $50 and one for $55, both decent plans but a little more expensive than I am comfortable paying.

Are there any other ways to re-coup some of these costs? Maybe waiving activation fees or further discounts on hardware?

[simmer2]

Just got a deal through Roger's by calling their Retention line. It's Unlimited Calls incoming and outgoing in North America for $50. If you're in the US calling you'll still have to pay but it's basically free long distance anywhere when calling within Canada. It's also unlimited calling anytime so for people that use their phone a lot during the day this is a great option.

The best part is the plan is only $50. It's called the Unlimited North America Plan.

[metallicat]

Here's my current plan with Fido:

200 daytime minutes, evenings and weekends free from 5pm -17.50
6GB data - 30.00
iPhone value pack with visual voice mail - 15.00
tethering - 0.00
911 - 0.75
System access fee - 6.95

Total - 73.72 w/GST

So my plan is up and I want to re-up for three years, but I want a better deal. Based on previous plans people have received, what should I be shooting for? I don't want to lose my free evenings starting at 5, or my 6GB of data, but I do want more daytime talk minutes. I get 2500 texts which is more than enough for me. I am currently using an iPhone 3G, and want to wait for the new iPhone, but would be willing to get a 4.

What should I say/do when I get Fido on the phone? Immediately ask for retentions or what? I've been with Rogers/Fido for many many years.

[wooohooo]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Here's my current plan with Fido:

200 daytime minutes, evenings and weekends free from 5pm -17.50
6GB data - 30.00
iPhone value pack with visual voice mail - 15.00
tethering - 0.00
911 - 0.75
System access fee - 6.95

Total - 73.72 w/GST

So my plan is up and I want to re-up for three years, but I want a better deal. Based on previous plans people have received, what should I be shooting for? I don't want to lose my free evenings starting at 5, or my 6GB of data, but I do want more daytime talk minutes. I get 2500 texts which is more than enough for me. I am currently using an iPhone 3G, and want to wait for the new iPhone, but would be willing to get a 4.

What should I say/do when I get Fido on the phone? Immediately ask for retentions or what? I've been with Rogers/Fido for many many years.

You can go about this a few ways. Call the normal rogers phone and do it during regular hours - not sure if retentions work weekends. But say your plan is about to expire, but you want to cancel. They'll ask you why, tell them it's too expensive so you're going to wind which they are offering a better deal for way less. They'll give you some crappy deal, but just say no, I'm going to stick to wind... they'll say all the bad stuff on wind but hang your ground, you will be transferred to someone else. This person is retentions/cancellations/loyalty or whatever they want to call it. Now this person has power to do a lot more. Now ask to cut like $20 off your bill, whatever... really depends on the person you're talking to. Some will give you a new plan for a lot less, take off a bit, give you additional features for same price. Keep negotiating, but if the person isn't budging hang up and call again.

That's basically how it works

[Devils'Advocate]

Okay, I think the contract I got when I got the 3GS with Rogers is about to expire.

However, I'm thinking I will want to go with Bell this time just so that I can get TSN Mobile on my phone and iPad.

Do I call and negotiate with them, call Rogers and say "Bell is offering me X" and go back to Bell and say "Rogers is now giving me Y"?

[Komskies]

I just got myself a retentions contract through Rogers to go with my new iPhone4, and I feel I got a pretty great deal.

• 1GB Data
• 200 minutes
• Unlimited Social Networking
• Unlimited text, picture, video messaging
• 6 pm evenings/weekends
• My10 Nationwide
• Free caller ID, name display, and voicemail
• Unlimited local network calling

All that for $45/mo.

[Mazrim]

I got that plan as well a while ago. Pretty nice considering I was paying double that before for nearly the same stuff. I got it by accident when calling about being double charged for text messaging, and they suggested I get a better plan.

[metallicat]

Ok I finally called Fido today. My current plan to recap:

73.75/month

200 daytime minutes
Evenings starting a 5:00
2500 outgoing texts
iPhone value pack + Visual voice mail
6GB data

New plan that was offered to me:

$52.50

250 daytime minutes
Evenings at 5:00
2500 texts
Free fido-to-fido
Call display and all that, but no visual voicemail
500mb


So the new plan no longer has the 6GB plan. In the last five months, I've gone over 500mb once, and that is with never even caring what I use because I had 6GB. I'm not a huge fan of losing the 6GB, but to save just over 20 bucks a month with more daytime minutes, is it worth it?

I got a reference number to call them back. Thoughts on this? Should I try and push for an even lower bill?

[MacGruber]

if you dont use the data its fine. tell them to include the visual voicemail or your cancelling tho.

i get the same thing you do for 49 bucks and i get 1 gig data and 1000 minutes long distance a month

[metallicat]

I wouldn't mind getting 1GB of data and visual voicemail for the same price as they offered. Perhaps I'll ask for them when I call back.

[Hockeyguy15]

Hmmm I wonder if I can get a free iPhone out of Telus...My contract is up in Jan and my BB screen is going all funky when I type

[Jing]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Ok I finally called Fido today. My current plan to recap:

73.75/month

200 daytime minutes
Evenings starting a 5:00
2500 outgoing texts
iPhone value pack + Visual voice mail
6GB data

New plan that was offered to me:

$52.50

250 daytime minutes
Evenings at 5:00
2500 texts
Free fido-to-fido
Call display and all that, but no visual voicemail
500mb


So the new plan no longer has the 6GB plan. In the last five months, I've gone over 500mb once, and that is with never even caring what I use because I had 6GB. I'm not a huge fan of losing the 6GB, but to save just over 20 bucks a month with more daytime minutes, is it worth it?

I got a reference number to call them back. Thoughts on this? Should I try and push for an even lower bill?

You could get a better deal for sure. Here is what I was offered recently.

$52.50
300 minutes
Evenings/weekends starting at 6
2500 texts caller id and voicemail
6 gb data
100 long distance minutes
Choice of Rogers to Rogers or unlimited incoming.

[sa226]

Haha that was embarrassingly easy....I'm not a good negotiator so I was kinda nervous that they would rangle me into paying more for less....

I have been a rogers customer for a grand total of 2 months and I went from:

Paying 78$ for,

400mintues
500mb
Unlimited text\evenings
Voice mail caller ID

To Paying 62$ for the same stuff except 200 minutes less and 5.5GB more

Its not as good as some have, but I figured after only 2 months they would tell me to get lost.

[fundmark19]

SO 6 gig data for 30 dollars is back? When I got my deal a couple months ago there was no way for them do do it so I got stuck with 3 gigs for 40 and a note saying I can upgrade when 6 gig becomes available

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Bumping this thread as I'd like some feedback,

I'm with Rogers and love my Blackberry, it fills it's use for me perfectly (wouldn't mind if the browser was faster but that's not a need more of a want)

Anyway, here's what I've got

My-10 Nationwide
500 MB of Data
250 daytime minutes
Evenings & Weekends at 5pm (I think, might be 6)

I pay extra for Texting Plan, and Long Distance

What I use:

Talk between 2 of the My10, as well as text between them all
Text outside of the My10
Less than 100MB of Data/month
Less than 5 minutes of talk/month (outside of free stuff)

I rarely use the phone to talk, mostly to my girlfriend and parents
I have long distance on it because I'm home and not in my local calling area at the moment.

I called Rogers but didn't get retention the girl was less than useful.

Any idea what I should be paying for with the amount I use, and how do I get to retention quickly/efficiently without the airheadedness?


Price, right right right:

$45.00 Student Plan
$ 6.95 system access fee
$ 0.75 911 fee
$ 0.53 New Brunswick 911 fee
$ 5.00 Texting
$ 5.00 Long Distance

[Rathji]

Right off the bat, without considering anything else, you should not be paying a system access fee. If you call Rogers and ask them to remove it they should without question.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by Rathji

Right off the bat, without considering anything else, you should not be paying a system access fee. If you call Rogers and ask them to remove it they should without question.

The girl I was talking to wouldn't, and when I questioned her on it she didn't make any sense what so ever

Me: If you eliminated System Access fees, why am I paying one?

Girl: Because it's in your contract, no we have Government Regulatory Recovery Fees

Me: Wait, why aren't I paying that if it's a government fee?

Girl: Because you're on an old plan

Me: But it's a government regulation, if the tax rate went up my cell phone bill would go up, government regulation has nothing to do with your contracts

Girl: Well the GRF is to pay for our systems and upgrades and such

Me: So it's not a government regulation? Then why is it called Government Regulatory?

Girl: This is what the computer says

Me: Then credit me the difference

Girl: I can't do that

I'm getting food before I call again

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

The girl I was talking to wouldn't, and when I questioned her on it she didn't make any sense what so ever

Me: If you eliminated System Access fees, why am I paying one?

Girl: Because it's in your contract, no we have Government Regulatory Recovery Fees

Me: Wait, why aren't I paying that if it's a government fee?

Girl: Because you're on an old plan

Me: But it's a government regulation, if the tax rate went up my cell phone bill would go up, government regulation has nothing to do with your contracts

Girl: Well the GRF is to pay for our systems and upgrades and such

Me: So it's not a government regulation? Then why is it called Government Regulatory?

Girl: This is what the computer says

Me: Then credit me the difference

Girl: I can't do that

I'm getting food before I call again

Figure out what you can get from Telus or Bell and then call them up and explain how the savings mean you can save $X a month and make up for your cancellation fee + get you a brand new phone.

If they don't cave right away, I suspect that if you offer to renew your contract up to 3 years to get you onto a new plan rather than have you switch, if they will waive the system access fee and give you a full hardware credit + some other bonuses.

[Sr. Mints]

I called Fido with the intention of renewing my contract with them (which runs out in April '12) if they could meet my needs.

Nothing, no budging, no negotiating.

The lady I spoke with wouldn't move on anything. And the biggest sticky point for me was data - she kept repeating that I had to get 500 MB for $25. Which is more than I'll probably use in a month, but from my research, I found I could get 6 GB from Bell.

I told her I was going to shop around and that was that.

Today at Costco I signed with Bell. I bought a Galaxy S2, for $150, and they gave me $125 in gift cards, which I used at the checkout--so I paid $25 for the phone. I suspected afterwards that I could have pushed for more gift cards. Plus he ported my number for free.

3 years
Unlimited E/W (6pm-6am)
200 mins
6 GB data
Call display
Voicemail
no network fee
no activation fee
and My 10
-----------------
$70/month

I would have preferred to stay with Fido--they've been painless--but, you know, money walks...

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

I would have preferred to stay with Fido--they've been painless--but, you know, money walks...

Customer loyalty is a thing of the past with these companies. Don't feel too bad about it.