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iPhone Without Data Plan in Canada and Accidental Data Usage

Spliff said:
Don't know if that's possible as they make you sign a waiver :rolleyes: Stupid mobile phone companies, I feel like I'm dealing with a bunch of used car salesman.
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but the fact that you called them and they put a block and still you recieved data, it is not your fault......i know what you mean, i have had to argue a lot with them to get things fixed.
 
I'm on the phone right now with them for the 3rd time. What a bunch of F$%$cking retards. I mean honestly, this guy on the phone is now saying he didn't know there's a "data block" AND an "iPhone data block". How stupid are these people, and yes I'll be arguing to get that **** removed from my bill.
 
Ok I got off the phone with those incompetent clowns, and the guy asked me if the last rep told me to power down my phone. When I said "no" (because nobody told me to do that to update the changes etc), he said "man that's so irresponsible".

I then said, so I assume the data that I've used won't be on my next bill and he said I'll be billed but I can call in and get a credit for that when the bill comes. I can just imagine the fiasco that's gonna be when I call in at the end of the month and they'll be like "ya right" why should we credit you etc etc. He said it's all documented on my account that I requested the block and still received data so it shouldn't be an issue when I call in at the end of the month :rolleyes:

This rep was the best so far, he was compassionate and he told me that there's no way I should have to pay for it etc, and he "guaranteed" that I won't have to pay. Let's hope so because I now have about $50 in data charges (not much but it's still $50 because of their F$%ckup)
 
Spliff said:
Ok I got off the phone with those incompetent clowns, and the guy asked me if the last rep told me to power down my phone. When I said "no" (because nobody told me to do that to update the changes etc), he said "man that's so irresponsible".

I then said, so I assume the data that I've used won't be on my next bill and he said I'll be billed but I can call in and get a credit for that when the bill comes. I can just imagine the fiasco that's gonna be when I call in at the end of the month and they'll be like "ya right" why should we credit you etc etc. He said it's all documented on my account that I requested the block and still received data so it shouldn't be an issue when I call in at the end of the month :rolleyes:

This rep was the best so far, he was compassionate and he told me that there's no way I should have to pay for it etc, and he "guaranteed" that I won't have to pay. Let's hope so because I now have about $50 in data charges (not much but it's still $50 because of their F$%ckup)
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yes. and i have a feeling you should get a credit, since they charged my old phone with blackberry service and i said take that off, they told me to pay first and then they will give me a credit, which they did, but make sure you give them a call and get the credit.....
 
i read somewhere that you can call robbers and they will disable your data for you so it won't work no matter what. Also, you can turn 3G off (although edge would still be active...) - you need to call them so they can turn them off.

theyre just trying to sucker you into buying the plan. i dont know if this applies to rogers also, but with fido i was told i can remove my data plan at any time with no penalty. im hoping for a 3gb/15$ plan to surface.
 
Hey this is an old thread and I've been lurking around, but I've been worrying about the same thing.

As a student, I don't really want the data access, especially since I have WIFI access pretty much everywhere. Some people might say that you're better off with the touch and a cheap phone...well maybe I'll have to resort to that (in which case I would appreciate any help in finding a good phone :D), but the iphone is a pretty good device, and it's nice to have everything in one device :) (besides, at some point maybe I'll want the data plan).

First off, I'm not too sure how, and if you can still get a plan on the iPhone without the Data plan (and if the phone itself would cost the same). If you can, I'm wondering what kind of voice plans are available to me, etc.

Basically, iPhone & Canada 101 :)

oh, also for people that can't turn off EDGE, i found this http://iphonenodata.com/site/

which supposedly turns off 3G and EDGE on your iPhone. I'm really curious if this works, and if it does, sounds like it's gonna be a life saver for most people :)

TIA!
 
you can get the iPhone on any Rogers voice plan. If the plan is above $31/month (the plan itself, not including any add-ons or SAF), the iPhone is $199/$299. If the plan costs less than $31/month, the phone costs $249/$349. You need to sign a 3 year contract to get the iPhone, regardless of what plan you're on. If you don't want data, call Rogers and tell them to block data on your account. If they do it properly, it works perfectly (but it disables visual voicemail... but regular call-in voicemail works).
 
I love my iPhone, but without data it is only a mediocre phone at best. Without data I would just go with a cell phone and a Touch. Even cheap (free phones) have more features than the phone in the iPhone, get a Razor and a 32GB Touch. This isn't a slag against the iPhone as its the total package that makes it a great device when you take away the data you cripple its best features.
 
So if I just go into a store and ask about it, I don't have to get the data plan with it, because I know a lot of reps say that you have to get a data plan with it, or would I have to cancel it after? I don't really need visual voice mail, it's more of a luxury than anything.

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Why do you say that it's mediocre as a phone at best? What kind of features do "cheap" phones have that it doesn't, could expand on this a little bit please, I'm really curios to why you say that it's a mediocre phone at best. I understand why the data plan is important to you :) This way, not only is everything in 1 device, it should end up being cheaper too, and who knows? maybe I'll want a data plan down the road sometime...
 
I'm a former data plan user. Initially, I didnt subscribe to the data plan. Just called about half a dozen times to tech support to ensure APN 175 code was implemented on my account, asked to block goam and everything else. I also downloaded via Wifi FAKE APN creator (sorry dont have the link handy) and had 3G turned off on the phone.

Then, I realized how crippled the phone is with real time data access, I decided to subscribe to the data plan. I had a promo where I had 1 month unlimited data. After two weeks, I ditched the data plan because 3G speeds were unacceptable and intolerable. While the Rogers/Fido 3G network is rated as 3.5 mbps, I was averaging 0.3 mbps.

Now, I routinely go the Rogers/Fido kiosks where there is an iPhone hooked up with 3G access and I run the speed tests. 3G speeds in Metro Vancouver are still unacceptable. The main test site I used (I use several) is www.testmyiphone.com.
 
4yBaK said:
So if I just go into a store and ask about it, I don't have to get the data plan with it, because I know a lot of reps say that you have to get a data plan with it, or would I have to cancel it after? I don't really need visual voice mail, it's more of a luxury than anything.

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Why do you say that it's mediocre as a phone at best? What kind of features do "cheap" phones have that it doesn't, could expand on this a little bit please, I'm really curios to why you say that it's a mediocre phone at best. I understand why the data plan is important to you :) This way, not only is everything in 1 device, it should end up being cheaper too, and who knows? maybe I'll want a data plan down the road sometime...
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You might have trouble getting one without a data plan at a store, because they don't get as much commission on data-less iPhones. They might hassle you. If you really want to avoid a headache, order it over the phone (you can get them to block data at the same time).

It's not necessarily a mediocre phone, but it's definitely missing some basic features that every other phone has (MMS, text forwarding, etc.). I think it's a great phone, and even without a data plan it's great to have a cell/iPod/PDA/wifi device.
 
Well, the speed of the 3G is a part of why I don't really want it. Financially it wouldn't make sense to me right now either.

What exactly do you lose without the data plan excluding the visual voice mail, especially if most of the time I'll have access to a WiFi network?

Also, there seems to be other ways of turning 3G and EDGE off, even without jailbreaking it -- perhaps I'll need to go on the internet at some point in a life or death situation? Of course that is something to look into...

I know it has crippled bluetooth, that kind of doesn't really bother me either. At most I would use bluetooth for a headset, which it supports of course. The sound quality & volume is pretty good, although I know some units are defective in that retrospect. The Wifi and the appz, etc. is really what's attractive.

I'm kind of wondering who I should call though. Should I just find a phone# on Fido's website and call them, or call the/a store? and I'm sure there are specific things to say in order to get a decent plan, even if I am a new user. Any help would be appreciated :)
 
4yBaK said:
Well, the speed of the 3G is a part of why I don't really want it. Financially it wouldn't make sense to me right now either.

What exactly do you lose without the data plan excluding the visual voice mail, especially if most of the time I'll have access to a WiFi network?

Also, there seems to be other ways of turning 3G and EDGE off, even without jailbreaking it -- perhaps I'll need to go on the internet at some point in a life or death situation? Of course that is something to look into...

I know it has crippled bluetooth, that kind of doesn't really bother me either. At most I would use bluetooth for a headset, which it supports of course. The sound quality & volume is pretty good, although I know some units are defective in that retrospect. The Wifi and the appz, etc. is really what's attractive.

I'm kind of wondering who I should call though. Should I just find a phone# on Fido's website and call them, or call the/a store? and I'm sure there are specific things to say in order to get a decent plan, even if I am a new user. Any help would be appreciated :)
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Here's the real question why would you want a smart phone with the data turned off so that it isn't a smart phone, basically just a regular low end phon e that you're paying $199 or $299 for? Like I said earlier the phone is probably the weakest part of the iPhone (no voice dial, no mms, weak bluetooth). For the same money you can get a Touch which has more memory and a basic phone (which has all the basic phone features such as MMS and voice dial for either the same or less money. The only reason I can see for buying an iPhone with no data is so that one can look cool because they have an iPhone. It's like buying a car without an engine so you can sit in it and listen to the really good stereo in it.
 
CrzyCanuck72 said:
It's not necessarily a mediocre phone, but it's definitely missing some basic features that every other phone has (MMS, text forwarding, etc.). I think it's a great phone, and even without a data plan it's great to have a cell/iPod/PDA/wifi device.
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What makes the phone part of the iPhone great?

The iPhone is great, I love mine, but to say the phone part is anything but mediocre, is well bull. I had phones 5 years ago that had more phone features.
 
That would mean that I would still need to look for a phone :p

Also, you can get voice dialing on the iPhone, as well as MMS, etc. and maybe down the road I will switch to the 3G data plan, so that is keeping my options open too. It's still a smart phone if I pretty much always have a wifi connection.

Question is: if there was an iTouch that supported 3G, would you get the Touch and a simple phone, or the iPhone?
 
4yBaK said:
That would mean that I would still need to look for a phone :p

Also, you can get voice dialing on the iPhone, as well as MMS, etc. and maybe down the road I will switch to the 3G data plan, so that is keeping my options open too. It's still a smart phone if I pretty much always have a wifi connection.

Question is: if there was an iTouch that supported 3G, would you get the Touch and a simple phone, or the iPhone?
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that doesnt even make sense. 'itouch that supported 3g' = IPHONE.

and yes i would completely agree with others that the PHONE part of the iphone is absolutely terrible. plus the iphone camera has got to be the crappiest cellphone camera ever.
 
I'm keeping an open mind.

and by iTouch w/ 3G I meant a theoretical product that had data access like the iphone. Basicallhy an iPhone without the phone. I wanted to see if he would get a cheap phone and have the Touch (with the data access) or jsut get an iPhone.

he asked why..so i tried to explain it to him, I'm definitely keeping an open mind though :) if I find a cheap phone and get a good plan with it, then yeah, why wouldn't I go for that?
 
3G is a Cellular standard, so how would you get a wifi only device with 3G. By the way wifi is faster than 3G, from your statement I'm not sure that you understand that.

Actually i'd wait for the theoretical implants that give me data access, mind reading and thought control. I don't believe the discussion is about mythical products, its about what's available now. I do have an iPhone and like I've said many times before its great but I would never have bought it for its phone features alone, the only thing that makes it great is its data features, which with out cell data you get the same with the Touch which also has more memory.

What the does an open mind have to do with anything? You asked for opinions and as usual it looks like what you want is for confirmation that what you want is right.
 
Hutch1 said:
3G is a Cellular standard, so how would you get a wifi only device with 3G. By the way wifi is faster than 3G, from your statement I'm not sure that you understand that.
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But it is perfectly conceivable to have a device that uses its cellular radio ONLY for data, and never for voice.

Rogers and other cellular service providers around the world already sell such devices, which are typically delivered either as PCMCIA/ExpressCard cards, USB dongles, or Ethernet routers (with a cellular radio taking the place of the WAN port), into which you insert a normal SIM card.

When you purchase such devices, you only subscribe for a data plan with the carrier. You do not subscribe to any voice plan at all. Depending on the carrier, you may not even be assigned a real phone number, nor would you receive any voice service even if you were to insert the SIM card in a regular phone. It is also possible to sign up for both voice and data service, and swap your single SIM card back and forth between your regular voice+data phone and your data-only network adapter.

Conceptually, selling it integrated within a non-phone handheld computer device would be quite possible. (In fact, the Amazon Kindle does exactly that, albeit on a CDMA network instead of a GSM network.)
 
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