iPhone in Canada - such a scam!!

[miggitymac]

I just talked to a representative from Rogers about the iPhone 3Gs...

Apparently if you get the phone with a data plan ($25 or more per month), the phone itself costs $199.

If you get the phone but don't want a data plan, the phone costs $399.

I live on a University campus where I have access to free wireless internet everywhere I go so I have no need for a data plan.

IF I sign up for data, and then cancel the data, they charge a $100 administrative fee.

So, it looks like I'll be paying an extra $125 dollars (plus tax) for something I won't use...

 

[thegoldenmackid]

Umm...this is no different then most places. Nor is it a scam...no phone company makes money on selling the phones, they make money on the plans thereafter. Rogers figures how much they are going to make per customer with voice and data, if you aren't going to use one of them they need to regain some of their losses.

 

[dejo]

Welcome to subsidized pricing.

 

[iSee]

Yeah, it's not exactly a scam. They pay part of the cost of the phone upfront because they know they'll make it back (and more) over time.

You're actually better off than we are in the US on this. AT&T requires a data plan on the iPhone, whether you want/need one or not.

 

[Pak^Man]

If you want to use WiFi, get an iPod Touch.

Secondly, if a company is giving you a $399 phone $199, they will try to make that $$$ back somehow..... nobody does it out of goodness of their heart. Therefore, if they can't sell you the service to make that money back (data in this case), why should they charge you $200 less? Think about it....

 

[bartzilla]

I just talked to a representative from Rogers about the iPhone 3Gs...

Apparently if you get the phone with a data plan ($25 or more per month), the phone itself costs $199.

If you get the phone but don't want a data plan, the phone costs $399.

I live on a University campus where I have access to free wireless internet everywhere I go so I have no need for a data plan.

IF I sign up for data, and then cancel the data, they charge a $100 administrative fee.

So, it looks like I'll be paying an extra $125 dollars (plus tax) for something I won't use...

Welcome to the world. This is how mobile phone companies work. Part of the cost of a phone on contract is offset against the phone contract. Essentially you're getting a loan or being subsidised (depending on whose terminology you use) part of the cost of the phone against the standard contract price. Don't want the standard contract? You can't expect the subsidy.

 

[miggitymac]

Actually, the guy I was talking to on the phone told me that they didn't have the cancellation fee for data plans when the 3G first came out (but put it in after it became obvious they were losing a lot of money).

And that's why everyone I talked to (my friends, family, etc) told me that there wasn't a fee involved with cancelling data since they signed up when the 3G was first released, and didn't know otherwise.

That's pretty much why I was disappointed to find out about the fee...I was expecting there wouldn't be one.

BUT, it doesn't really matter to me anymore b/c Rogers just gave me a kick-ass phone plan that will save me double the cost of cancelling the data, over the duration of my contract.

Bottom line: I'm getting a new iPhone 3GS, and I'm extremely happy!

 

[Love]

Eh, my plan (about $40USD + tax and SAF) seems pretty reasonable considering in USD we pay less than them...

 

[vanmacguy]

We're not really back to this are we?

Rogers has to make some kind of killing out of this. Of course it's more without a plan.

We went through all this when the 3G came out.

I had an original iPhone, cracked to work on Rogers and then got the 3G with the 6Gb data plan from Rogers for about 100 a month all inclusive.

An iPhone without a data plan is totally not worth it. No question. It's a crippled device without a data plan.

A side note, I just found out that because I got it before September last year and because I spend 100 a month, I can upgrade to 3Gs (16Gb) for 199.

Rogers, here I come.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

So you call it a scam and "kick ass" in less then a couple of hours...i'm confuzzled?

 

[miggitymac]

So you call it a scam and "kick ass" in less then a couple of hours...i'm confuzzled?

Well, my deal went from sour to sweet in that time. What's the confusing part?

It helped that my previous contract was finished, and that I've been with Rogers for about 7 years now.

Also, my friend is a customer of a competing phone company (Fido...who is owned by Rogers....if that makes sense) and she has a very good plan with Fido. Fortunately for me, Rogers' customer retention department was willing to match their plan and beat it (by a sizable margin).

An iPhone without a data plan is totally not worth it. No question. It's a crippled device without a data plan.

Not if you live in a place that has free WiFi everywhere you go. It's actually quite functional in those places...

 

[aristotle]

Not if you live in a place that has free WiFi everywhere you go. It's actually quite functional in those places...

But what if you want to go on a trip somewhere even within Canada to say, another city? With a data plan, you have a network on the go.

 

[miggitymac]

But what if you want to go on a trip somewhere even within Canada to say, another city? With a data plan, you have a network on the go.

True. Doesn't happen that often, but true.

I guess I'll have to manage with the old-fashioned...write directions down on paper or run into a starbucks for Wi-Fi.

Still, until I'm in a position where I'll be needing to travel more or until I move away from the Wi-Fi area, I'd rather save the $300 plus tax per year.

 

[Demosthenes X]

You do not need a data plan to get an iPhone on Rogers. I got mine for $299 last year with no data plan - you simply have to have a plan that is at least $30/month. Any rep at a Rogers store will tell you you need a data plan, but if you go to an indie store like Wireless Wave, they're more open.

BUT, it doesn't really matter to me anymore b/c Rogers just gave me a kick-ass phone plan that will save me double the cost of cancelling the data, over the duration of my contract.

Care to share? I'm on a decent Rogers student plan, but now that tethering is here (and officially supported), I wouldn't mind adding a data plan, but Rogers' data pricing sucks.

An iPhone without a data plan is totally not worth it. No question. It's a crippled device without a data plan.

I've had an iPhone 3G without a data plan for almost a year, and I'd hardly call it "crippled". It does everything I need it to and more, and can count on one hand the number of times I've wished I had a data plan.