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CANADIAN iPhone Thread

I talked to Rogers associates at two different locations in Fredericton, NB and they said Rogers is expanding their VIsions 3G service and hope to have it ready in Fredericton soon, maybe even for the Iphone launch. This probably means its going on in a lot of other places if its happening in Fredericton.
 
James Howlett said:
The iPhone is not coming out till Christmas and will be $500 + with a contract. Thats what the woman told me at the store while i picked up some movies. I just left it.
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My local Rogers associate told me that you would have to get a chip implanted into your brain which controls your emotions, and makes you have an undying love for all things Rogers, in order to buy an iPhone. He also said that the plan will only be $50 per month for unlimited everything because once the chip has been implanted, you will buy everything from all of your food (basically you will live off of chips, pop and popcorn), movies, games, phones, cable and internet from Rogers, and will only attend events in buildings that Rogers owns (Rogers Centre), so they will discount the price of the plan. I didn't believe him at first, but then I looked at his name tag and sure enough it said "Rogers Associate" on it, so it MUST be 100% true. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole big brother aspect of it, but I think it will be worth it for a $50 per month plan! iPhone here I come!
 
Sometimes I feel like we need to call into their customer service, write e-mails, etc etc to surpervisors just to let the higher ups know that their employees are just speculating and providing rumors/personal opinion as fact.. but then other times I feel like I just don't care enough.
However, this past weekend I had a moment of feeling brave. Two weeks ago a clerk in a Newmarket (ontario) Rogers store told me 1) The phone would be branded 2) It would have a front-facing camera and 3) It would be a 'Vision' phone (meaning 7$ unlimited browsing on the selected websites). 4) The waiting list would be starting soon.
So as of this past weekend I knew that it wouldn't have the camera and based on photos am assuming it won't be branded. The 7$ unlimited plan is highly unlikely (why would I have a full web-browser but only be able to access certain sites?) but is yet to be disproven.
I walked in and asked for a manager (luckily the other clerk was working) and asked them, "I was told that on July 11th I can buy an iPhone with a front-facing video camera that is enabled for video calling. Where can I put my name down on the waiting list for the video-calling iPhone?" After a few moments of pause she said that she had never heard of anything like that to which I responded that one of their employees told me it would be available, specifically saying that it had video-calling. Needless to say the guy came over really quickly and denied it, saying he was just speculating on rumors he had heard (which I have to assume employees shouldn't do either).
What was the point of that? Who knows... I guess I'm kind of a jerk, but it really bothers me when people willingly give information they know is not fact but present it as fact.
It goes beyond the iPhone with Rogers though... aren't we all constantly told something different about voice plans by every representative we talk to?
 
I asked a homeless guy standing on the street just outside the rogers store and he said the government was putting tiny robots in our drinking water and the iPhone would provide the power to them via blue tooth :rolleyes:

If you guys haven't figured it out yet the rogers employees know exactly 2 things about the iPhone at this point:
1) It will be on rogers & fido
2) It's coming out June 11th

Nothing more, nothing less.
 
dornoforpyros said:
I asked a homeless guy standing on the street just outside the rogers store and he said the government was putting tiny robots in our drinking water and the iPhone would provide the power to them via blue tooth
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I heard that it's not going to be tiny robots in the water but instead will be AIDS into our chicken nuggets. I can't comment on the bluetooth power rumor though... :D
 
I thought for a change of pace it might be better to quote a news article, you know instead of some minimum wage Rogers clerk tired of people asking about iPhones. :rolleyes:

Metro News (Toronto) said:
New mobile rates to coincide with iPhone launch
TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE
June 16, 2008 08:15

Wireless prices are set to fall at the country’s biggest carrier just in time for the Canadian launch of the data-hungry iPhone, but don’t expect to see the same “unlimited” deals offered in the United States.

Nadir Mohamed, the chief of operating officer of Rogers Communications Inc., said yesterday that wireless rates will “evolve” as subscribers begin using their mobile phones for more than just talking — a trend that’s expected to gain traction once Apple Inc.’s iPhone is made available to Canadians through Rogers on July 11.

Mohamed said Rogers will unveil new pricing models in the coming weeks that are intended to “drive adoption” of such devices.

“Web browsing is real,” Mohamed said. “It’s happening on mobile broadband and our pricing will change to reflect that.”
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So there you have it; wireless prices to fall (however does not specifically address data plan costs), and no 'unlimited' data plans either. It's not packed with details, but at least it's a start.
 
Raid said:
I thought for a change of pace it might be better to quote a news article, you know instead of some minimum wage Rogers clerk tired of people asking about iPhones. :rolleyes:

So there you have it; wireless prices to fall (however does not specifically address data plan costs), and no 'unlimited' data plans either. It's not packed with details, but at least it's a start.
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I wouldn't rush to conclusions just yet. I'm thinking it's entirely possible Rogers hasn't even made up their minds as to what they will be offering. No one seems to know what's going on and the reluctance for Rogers to announce firm details shows things might change.
 
SkottDMD said:
I wouldn't rush to conclusions just yet. I'm thinking it's entirely possible Rogers hasn't even made up their minds as to what they will be offering. No one seems to know what's going on and the reluctance for Rogers to announce firm details shows things might change.
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I wouldn''t say he is rushing to conclusions but its just a start like he said. We do know that there will be better plans though.
 
I just sent this letter to the National Post which owns the Financial Post about the article at this link

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=591948

If you read the article carefully,it would seem that Rogers will be telling us, "Hey, we are giving you all this wonderful infrastructure and flexible, easy-to-understand pricing for you morons, so we need to charge you for it"

"We're on a technology path that is delivering more and more to the customer," he remarked.



Interesting article by David George-Cosh on the comments made by Nadir Mohammed about Rogers pricing plans

Rogers now earns about $63 in average revenue per user (ARPU)
"Mr. Mohamed estimated the device will bring about $90 in blended ARPU to the company" .

Given the tone of the other comments by Mr. Mohammed, namely how Rogers is delivering "more and more to the customer" and prices that are "more flexible" it seems that the potential iPhone customers in Canada are being prepped for a not so pleasent pricing structure.

Many of us were hoping that when Rogers introudces the iphone 2.0 we would also see the arrival of Rogers 2.0 that recognizes that we live in an ever webified world and charging customers by usage is not practical to the in todays market. AT&T offered a $20/month unlimited data plan for iphone 1.0 and now raised to $30/month for a subsidized iPhone 2.0.

I own an unlocked iPhone with no Rogers Data plan. If what I assume will be more of the same pricing by Rogers, I will not be purchasing the new iPhone from them. So they lose out on the purchase of the iPhone and the data usage. There are many current iPhone users in Canada who will probably come to the same conclusion.

Rogers doesn't seem to undestand that you can't offer us a phone with significant web-related features but then price the usage out of reach.
 
Do you think that it's possible that those of us who sign up for a 3 year contract will be disappointed when data rates drop significantly after competition is created in the 4th quarter of 2008 because of the wireless spectrum auction? It is estimated that new entrants into the cellular market in Canada will create some competition.

Cheers.
 
Hawkeye411 said:
Do you think that it's possible that those of us who sign up for a 3 year contract will be disappointed when data rates drop significantly after competition is created in the 4th quarter of 2008 because of the wireless spectrum auction? It is estimated that new entrants into the cellular market in Canada will create some competition.

Cheers.
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I have always had a contract with cell providers (Clearnet, Telus and now Rogers) and even with the contract have been able to change my plan without penalty. I have to assume that there will be some way to change your plan while still remaining under contract for their service, even if you buy the iphone.
 
dornoforpyros said:
I asked a homeless guy standing on the street just outside the rogers store and he said the government was putting tiny robots in our drinking water and the iPhone would provide the power to them via blue tooth :rolleyes:

If you guys haven't figured it out yet the rogers employees know exactly 2 things about the iPhone at this point:
1) It will be on rogers & fido
2) It's coming out June 11th

Nothing more, nothing less.
Click to expand...

July 11th, not June.

They know 3 things, actually:
3) how to hang up on you after putting you on hold.
 
JonHimself said:
I have always had a contract with cell providers (Clearnet, Telus and now Rogers) and even with the contract have been able to change my plan without penalty. I have to assume that there will be some way to change your plan while still remaining under contract for their service, even if you buy the iphone.
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Rogers' current policy is that you can change your price plan via online self-service without any penalty as such... but your contract will automatically be renewed for a 2 to 3 year term.

I've been meaning to contact customer service about this very issue, to see if there is any way to change the plan without commiting to such a contract extension.
 
goosnarrggh said:
Rogers' current policy is that you can change your price plan via online self-service without any penalty as such... but your contract will automatically be renewed for a 2 to 3 year term.

I've been meaning to contact customer service about this very issue, to see if there is any way to change the plan without commiting to such a contract extension.
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I wonder if they've made an exception for me then? Because I know that I have made changes to my plans, I've switched back and forth between have Blackberry plans and voice plans, added features, taken away features etc etc and am still on my initial two-year contract.
 
sigh, Rogers

I know there is a bunch of people on here predicting the pricing will be nice and they won't completely screw us. I say look at how rogers is doing business as a whole. For the past few years they have been trying to impose limits on the amount you can d/l off the internet. It used to be called "unlimited high speed", but now if you go over the allocated GB/month, your bill can explode quite quickly. I think it's $1.25 / GB up to $25(which is a recent change, there was no cap before).

So everyone who thinks Rogers will become all nice with data usuage just because the Iphone is now on the block, be warned, you may be completely wrong.

I know, it sucks, and if the plan they create is actually not bad I just may go out and pick one up (Pure novelty as I use a blackberry from work for voice), but I like the platform and feel it really pushes a fully functional wireless internet device.

Also everyone has to be aware, anything you do on the iphone (GPS maps, internet surfing, etc) is going to use a lot of bandwidth. The websurfing isn't the cheesy blackberry websites which push very little data to your device, but it will basically download a full formatted website which can lead to significant sizes.

So the question is, will Rogers shoot themselves in the foot and screw everyone with bad plans? Or will be have a little foresight and actually play nice and sign up thousands of new customers who are willing to switch carriers to get their hands on the iPhone. no clue, but i'm sure we'll find out July 11th (I doubt we'll know the plan until launch day, sneaky b@stards are going to try and fool the early adopters who will be just about everyone now that the price is 199/299)
 
JonHimself said:
I wonder if they've made an exception for me then? Because I know that I have made changes to my plans, I've switched back and forth between have Blackberry plans and voice plans, added features, taken away features etc etc and am still on my initial two-year contract.
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yes same for me, i hve changed plans many many times, maybe 4-5 times in teh last 2 years and i ll still be done this august i signed contract with them almost two years ago....diff prov dierent rules??i dunno but i am pretty sur eyou cna chnage yourplans whichever way you want and not get charged or extended contract, the contract its only to have service from them not the plan...
 
I've changed my plans quite a few times and I've never had to renew/extend a contract or pay a penalty for doing so.
 
JonHimself said:
I wonder if they've made an exception for me then? Because I know that I have made changes to my plans, I've switched back and forth between have Blackberry plans and voice plans, added features, taken away features etc etc and am still on my initial two-year contract.
Click to expand...

I can't take a screenshot right now because the Rogers website appears to be undergoing technical difficulties. However, when it is working, if I click on "Manage Wireless Services" and try to change my price plan, I am presented with a web page that is laid out somewhat like this:
Code: 
Please choose your renewal term:
=========================
( ) 1 year renewal      ( ) 2 year renewal      (X) 3 year renewal
=========================
Please choose your new plan:
[Drop-down list of available plans]

The 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year renewal options are mutually exclusive with the 3-year option initially selected. It is not possible to unselect the default option except by selecting a different one, and there is no "no renewal" option.

Again, I've been meaning to get in contact with an actual human being with Rogers customer service about this issue for a while now, because there's no way I'm going to agree to a contract extension if there's a chance to avoid it.

juanster said:
diff prov dierent rules??
Click to expand...
Maybe. I'm in Nova Scotia.
 
Someone posted this on ehmac.ca ... I didn't bother to reformatted the bolded text or anything but this is just copied and pasted. There is no press release on the Rogers.com site as of yet so take it with a grain of salt. I find it to be unbelievable, but am optimistic ::

Rogers and Apple today announced that the iPhone 3G will be available in Canada on July 11. iPhone 3G combines three products into one small, lightweight device: a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod, and it puts the Internet in your pocket with the best e-mail, web browsing, search and maps applications ever on a mobile phone.

The new version of the iPhone harnesses the power of Rogers's broad and powerful 3G mobile broadband network, which offers 3G mobile phones download speeds of up to 1.4 Mbps.

Key Device Features:

Operates on Wi-Fi, EDGE, and 3G networks
New enterprise e-mail capability with support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
New iPhone software development kit (SDK) to support new innovative applications

New Activation Process and Return Policy:
The iPhone 3G will be activated at point of sale when the device is purchased, in store. The Fido grace period will change from 15 days to 30 days and will require the device to be returned to place of purchase before service is cancelled. The 30-day Rogers grace period will remain unchanged with the exception of no limits being imposed for voice or data usage.

Pricing and Plans
Device Pricing:
$199 8GB and $299 16GB for new activations and qualified upgrades with existing 2 or 3-year agreements.

Data Plans and Pricing:
The iPhone 3G will be activated on existing Rogers and Fido voice rate plans, but new data plans have been created for the 3G device.

All iPhone 3G customers are required to have one of the new data plans and qualifying voice plan.
Customers intending to use the iPhone 3G for access to corporate e-mail, business applications, or access to corporate intranet are required to activate with Enterprise Data Plan for iPhone.
SUP service discounts for both voice and data plans will apply to iPhone 3G.
RAC service discounts for voice and data will apply to iPhone 3G, when on a qualifying data plan.
Ambassadors will not get a discount on device purchase for iPhone 3G.
Data Pricing will be as follows:

Consumer Data Plan (must be added to qualified voice plan):
$30 - Unlimited Data (E-mail/Web), includes Visual Voicemail when subscribed to any voicemail service.

Enterprise Data Plan (must be added to qualified voice plan):
$45 – Unlimited Data with personal and corporate e-mail, web, includes Visual Voicemail when subscribed to any voicemail service.

Upgrade Eligibility and Qualified Upgrade Pricing
Upgrade eligibility will be determined based on standard upgrade eligibility rules. Customers must be upgrade eligible to receive the qualified upgrade pricing. However, not all customers will be qualified upgrades. Rogers has not determined the price of the 3G device for non-qualified upgrades.

All customers will be required to sign a 3-year agreement. There will not be a "no commitment" price or a 2-year agreement for the iPhone 3G.

Activation Process
The new 3G device will be activated in store in Rogers, Fido and Apple stores. Customers must accept Rogers and Apple terms of service, sign a 3-year agreement, and select the data plan for the iPhone 3G before leaving the store. A short tether process to unbrick the 3G device will be performed in all Rogers and Fido stores (tether cords will be provided). Apple stores will also perform this tether process, however in the event that a customer's device is not tethered in the Apple store, their device will be inoperable until they get home and tether through iTunes. Prepaid will not be allowed on the iPhone 3G device.

RAC tools, including TOE and Salescentral have been modified to allow agents to enter customer's information, select rate plans and data plans, device price (if applicable) and output a document that will allow store reps to quickly access the customer's information and save time for data entry in the activation process.

Compensation
Because the 3G device will only be activated in store, compensation for the 3G device will be BAU. RAC reps will receive compensation for upgrades and new activations with a 3-year agreement.

Purchase Limit
The device purchase limit will be three (3) per customer for iPhone 3G in Rogers and Fido stores.

Direct Fulfillment
The DFU tool will be available at launch at RAC for iPhone 3Gs. Customers will be required to pay for the device when the order is placed and the phone will be shipped to the store in the customer's name for pickup.

Return Policy
The return policy for Fido iPhone 3G is changing from 15 days to 30 days for both Apple and Fido stores. The 30-day Rogers grace period will remain unchanged with the exception of no limits being imposed for voice or data usage.

To cancel service within the first 30 days, the customer must return their equipment to the place of purchase (no exceptions).
If the customer cancels service after 30 days, they will be charged the ECF and DECF. The customer is not required to return the device to cancel after 30 days.

Merchandising/Marketing

3G demos will be pulled from stock when they arrive following launch process for display devices.
Video loop content will be pushed to stores when it is available.
The following merchandising elements will be in stores for launch:

Rate brochure and display rate card
22 x 28 poster
Window banner

Training

Device training, including features and functionality, will be available via Library and Fidoversity by 6/30.
Training for all representatives will begin no later than 7/1.
Launch preparedness training, including last minute details, will be conducted the week of launch (if needed) by team leaders.
Communications/Library
All iPhone-related communications, inclusive of training announcements, will be posted to Library. Search on keyword "iPhone 3G" to locate.

Launch Plans
Support logistics for launch day will be available:

Letters will be sent to all landlords under VP/GM signature for advance notice of store hours, crowds expected, possible parking issues, etc.
Security will be provided for locations requesting armed police or unarmed, uniformed guards.
Manager checklists will be provided to support managers to set expectations and help them be prepared to complete all required actions.
Documents will be posted on TGP to let managers know when to expect delivery of launch support materials.
Job descriptions for key launch day functions will be provided for: Back Office Manager, Crowd Manager, Greeter, Product Demonstrator, and Security Support.
 
JonHimself said:
Good to know, thanks.
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I wouldn't confirm it's fake just yet.
The original source of this was from someone on Howard Forums and that person has been historically credible/correct on past rumors. As well, another person on that forum that apparently works at Rogers HQ said he received the memo.
 
Xyl said:
I wouldn't confirm it's fake just yet.
The original source of this was from someone on Howard Forums and that person has been historically credible/correct on past rumors. As well, another person on that forum that apparently works at Rogers HQ said he received the memo.
Click to expand...

The only thing that confuses me is the, "... announced today..." from the start of the memo,
 
Xyl said:
I wouldn't confirm it's fake just yet.
The original source of this was from someone on Howard Forums and that person has been historically credible/correct on past rumors. As well, another person on that forum that apparently works at Rogers HQ said he received the memo.
Click to expand...

There does seem to be a lot of people willing to vouch for the person who originally posted the info. It does seem really odd that from what I hear it is identical to the AT&T leak with only the carrier names being changed. The only thing I can think of is that Apple made Rogers follow the same pricing structure as AT&T...I don't think that's likely though.
 
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