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Fellow Canadians, how good is your contract? I need negotiating tips

Idgit

Idgit

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 14, 2004
590
202
Currently I'm month-to-month with Bell Mobility on an iPhone 4. I'm going to get an iPhone SE and I'm looking for advice on how to negotiate with the cell providers to get the best possible 2-year contract, because frankly, the default plans are crappy and expensive.

I'd like to keep my plan at about $50-$60/month and get unlimited nationwide texting and calling at at least 1 GB of data. Is this possible? To me it seems like a very modest upgrade from my plan which is 5-years old.

So, any advice or tips on how best to put the screws to the cellphone providers when I go to negotiate my new contract?
 
I would think $60 for 1gb data, unlimited text and calls to be good...what plans are you seeing now?
 
bufffilm said:
Shop around...cricket, T-Mobile, etc... Can't hurt to ask.
Click to expand...

There's not a lot of competition in Canada and most of the so-called "budget" carriers are owned by the Big Three (Rogers, Bell, Telus), but usually over poorer coverage. Wind Mobile is only good in the cities.

Strangely, there are huge differences between provinces even though the carriers are the same. For some reason, Manitoba is vastly cheaper than BC (where I live). When I call to negotiate I'll see if I can leverage the provincial price differences in order to get a better rate for myself.
 
Idgit said:
Strangely, there are huge differences between provinces even though the carriers are the same. For some reason, Manitoba is vastly cheaper than BC (where I live). When I call to negotiate I'll see if I can leverage the provincial price differences in order to get a better rate for myself.
Click to expand...

Didn't know that...and certainly worth a try.

I wouldn't turn down a deal with a lesser carrier if they offered something in return. A bar or two less in signal strength for a cheaper monthly rate may be worth it. And if you don't travel much, then focusing on nationwide coverage is moot.
 
Last edited:
Question - do you have any other services with Bell (internet, TV, home phone)? The more service you have with the company, the more advantageous you are when negotiating.

Call Bell to inquire about promotions and discounts. Don't go to store. People working at the store don't have power to give you discounts. Make sure you do this before you get the phone.

This is human process, so you will hear different things from different representatives. One might offer $5 off while another might offer $10. Call multiple times, and make sure you get reference #. I am not sure about Bell, but this was how Rogers was.

Also, if you have any other services with Bell (internet, TV, etc), call Bell to tell them you would like to cancel all the services. Negotiate from there. Tell them about any dissatisfaction with Bell's services (rude Bell driver, feature removed without your permission, increased prices, etc). You will be offered all kinds of discounts to keep you as Bell customer. Be careful though. They will upsell different services ("we will offer you 100mb internet for the price of 50mb", "we will give you more channels for only $5", "we will give you 2gb data plan for only $5", etc). Tell them you want to keep 50mb internet, but at lower price. Keep the representative on the phone as long as you can. The person on the phone will be exhausted, and he/she will be at your mercy.

Also, how did you get $80-$85?
 
e93to said:
Question - do you have any other services with Bell (internet, TV, home phone)? The more service you have with the company, the more advantageous you are when negotiating.

Call Bell to inquire about promotions and discounts. Don't go to store. People working at the store don't have power to give you discounts. Make sure you do this before you get the phone.

This is human process, so you will hear different things from different representatives. One might offer $5 off while another might offer $10. Call multiple times, and make sure you get reference #. I am not sure about Bell, but this was how Rogers was.

Also, if you have any other services with Bell (internet, TV, etc), call Bell to tell them you would like to cancel all the services. Negotiate from there. Tell them about any dissatisfaction with Bell's services (rude Bell driver, feature removed without your permission, increased prices, etc). You will be offered all kinds of discounts to keep you as Bell customer. Be careful though. They will upsell different services ("we will offer you 100mb internet for the price of 50mb", "we will give you more channels for only $5", "we will give you 2gb data plan for only $5", etc). Tell them you want to keep 50mb internet, but at lower price. Keep the representative on the phone as long as you can. The person on the phone will be exhausted, and he/she will be at your mercy.

Also, how did you get $80-$85?
Click to expand...

Good tips, thanks.

As for the $80, they kept telling me that the iPhone SE is a new, premium phone and that's the starting plan for them, even if I'm an existing customer. I talked to a regular service rep. I haven't got a hold of the "retention or loyalty department" or whatever it's called.
 
Idgit said:
Good tips, thanks.

As for the $80, they kept telling me that the iPhone SE is a new, premium phone and that's the starting plan for them, even if I'm an existing customer. I talked to a regular service rep. I haven't got a hold of the "retention department" or whatever it's called.
Click to expand...

Alright. Good luck!
 
New plans start at 70$ if I'm not mistaken. I bought my iphone from apple so I wouldn't have to change my monthly plan with rogers... 68.99$ Canada unlimited +3gb :s
 
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