Stand up for Canada? What a joke!

tinz.

http://fairforcanada.ca

This has got to be a joke, the advertisements make me so angry!

The big 3 mobile phone providers in Canada (Bell, Rogers, and Telus) have a monopoly, treat their customers with terrible customer service and outrageous prices compared to other countries in the world and there is nothing we can do about it. Verizon wants into the canadian marketplace and Bell, Rogers and Telus want us to "stand up for Canada"!? you screw us for years and years.. and now you want us to help you keep them out!? unbelievable!

BRING ON VERIZON!! rant done

mervin50

I totally agree. For those of us outside of the centre of the universe (had to say it) aka Toronto and further north reception is poor. Telus, Bell and Rogers all advertise service is available but in reality none of them actually work, save for Telus/Bell in some areas.

lando

Totally agree. The big three can eat a giant bag of dicks

BLACK35

I HATE BELL WITH A PASSION :evil:

Kel Varnsen

BLACK35 wrote:

I HATE BELL WITH A PASSION :evil:

Me too. Not only that but the campaign for this is really bad and makes no sense. I mean there is one radio commercial where they have some lady who works at I think a bell call centre yammering on about how if a big US company comes in they will forget about the smaller cities and towns and only pay attention to the profitable major cities. But isn't that a good thing. I mean if they stay out of small cities then bell has a massive advantage in those places.

Also I am also super tired of those ads about how cellphone rates are competitive in Canada. After a trip to the US last Saturday I call bullshit on that. I was in a walmart in northern NY and they had signs up in the electronics section about how you can get a nationwide wireless plan with unlimited voice/data and text for something like $35-40 bucks a month with no contract. Looking at Rogers.ca they don't even offer a plan like that. Their cheapest plan is $50 per month with a 2 year contract and is nothing close to being unlimited.

polaris_x

you guys should perhaps read the article by ralph nader on verizon ... and love the toronto dig ... ... always good to know some things never change ...

tinz.

Kel Varnsen wrote:

BLACK35 wrote:

I HATE BELL WITH A PASSION :evil:

Me too. Not only that but the campaign for this is really bad and makes no sense. I mean there is one radio commercial where they have some lady who works at I think a bell call centre yammering on about how if a big US company comes in they will forget about the smaller cities and towns and only pay attention to the profitable major cities. But isn't that a good thing. I mean if they stay out of small cities then bell has a massive advantage in those places.

Also I am also super tired of those ads about how cellphone rates are competitive in Canada. After a trip to the US last Saturday I call bullshit on that. I was in a walmart in northern NY and they had signs up in the electronics section about how you can get a nationwide wireless plan with unlimited voice/data and text for something like $35-40 bucks a month with no contract. Looking at Rogers.ca they don't even offer a plan like that. Their cheapest plan is $50 per month with a 2 year contract and is nothing close to being unlimited.

I thought bell's call center was in India!? Why do they care about Canadian jobs lol

even flow - question mark

I just have a land line with Bell and seem to have it out with them more times then I should. Good news is I have the basic of basic and don't pay fuck all to any of the other companies mentioned.

tinz.

even flow - question mark wrote:

I just have a land line with Bell and seem to have it out with them more times then I should. Good news is I have the basic of basic and don't pay fuck all to any of the other companies mentioned.

My contract is up in October, I welcome any US provider to offer fair prices and to break this monopoly they have! I'm sick and tired og paying a fortune and still having to call Telus every month because they charge me too much due to "computer error" lol. But we should stand up and protect the corporate companies that have hands in our pockets because its not fair for another company to come in..

polaris_x

tinz. wrote:

I thought bell's call center was in India!? Why do they care about Canadian jobs lol

they have call centres across canada ... just opened one up in Brantford ...

****************************

http://www.citynews.ca/2013/08/22/canad ... lph-nader/


A prominent American consumer-rights advocate says the Harper government should be wary about allowing Verizon into the Canadian wireless market.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper published by the Toronto Star, Ralph Nader says Verizon has made extensive use of U.S. tax subsidies even though the wireless communications giant was profitable at the same time.

Verizon has been exploring an entry into the federally regulated wireless market, currently dominated by three Canadian companies — Rogers, Bell and Telus.

The three carriers and the domestic industry’s main association have responded with an extensive publicity campaign calling for the Harper government to drop policies that they say give Verizon an unfair advantage over them.

Industry Minister James Moore has responded with a cross-country tour to explain why the government wants to increase competition in wireless services.

In the letter published Thursday in The Star’s opinion pages, Nader says that it would be a “bad idea” for Harper’s government to allow Verizon to operate in Canada with unique rights to acquire certain wireless spectrum.

Citing a report by the Center for Tax Justice and Good Jobs First, Nader says Verizon received $14 billion in U.S. federal and state income tax subsidies in the 2008-2012 period, even though it earned US$33.4 billion in pre-tax income.

“Question: Why would you allow one of our country’s most aggressive tax dodgers, a company with a track record of overtly ripping off our government, into your country,” Nader writes.

“What’s bad for the United States will be bad for Canada.”

Nader, who has been an unsuccessful independent candidate for the U.S. presidency in several campaigns, is a frequent commentator on issues that he considers of national or international public interest.

He first rose to prominence in the 1960s by campaigning for improved safety and performance standards in the U.S. auto industry.

Drowned Out

So inspiring to see corporate Canada taking a stand against globalization

Kel Varnsen

tinz. wrote:

even flow - question mark wrote:

I just have a land line with Bell and seem to have it out with them more times then I should. Good news is I have the basic of basic and don't pay fuck all to any of the other companies mentioned.

My contract is up in October, I welcome any US provider to offer fair prices and to break this monopoly they have! I'm sick and tired og paying a fortune and still having to call Telus every month because they charge me too much due to "computer error" lol. But we should stand up and protect the corporate companies that have hands in our pockets because its not fair for another company to come in..

I would love it even more if they could open things up for TV/Internet providers. Every time I read about Google Fiber I get sad about how much more awesome it is compared to my crappy rogers tv/internet service, especially when I remember that I probably won't see something like that here for at least a decade.

tinz.

It really is sad!

Kel Varnsen

Drowned Out wrote:

So inspiring to see corporate Canada taking a stand against globalization

But besides huge corporations who has the cash available to start a national wireless telecommunications network? It is not like you can start a local cell phone service out of your basement, put a cell tower in your back yard and sell service to your neighbors and then slowly expand one neighborhood at a time until you are national. You need to be a big player to start with. And if all the big Canadian players are already in the game and the government wants to open up competition, what other options do they have besides allowing foreign companies access. Now if they could just do the same thing with airlines.

Drowned Out

Kel Varnsen wrote:

Drowned Out wrote:

So inspiring to see corporate Canada taking a stand against globalization

But besides huge corporations who has the cash available to start a national wireless telecommunications network? It is not like you can start a local cell phone service out of your basement, put a cell tower in your back yard and sell service to your neighbors and then slowly expand one neighborhood at a time until you are national. You need to be a big player to start with. And if all the big Canadian players are already in the game and the government wants to open up competition, what other options do they have besides allowing foreign companies access. Now if they could just do the same thing with airlines.

I was just pointing out the irony is all.
I haven't done enough research to see if Canada's providers are just trying to prevent competition in order to continue gouging us, or if they have a legit concern about Canadian jobs and income. I'm not overly comfortable choosing sides between the Harper Cons and three massive corps. Maybe I'll hold my breath and hope they work toward a compromise that will truely benefit the consumer.

lukin2006

I welcome any company coming in and creating competition ... I am skeptical that verizon would offer much better rates than the current big 3 do ... My hope would be that maybe they'll offer a US/Canada all inclusive talk/data/text at reasonable cost.

mervin50

I just purchased 12,000 Km of string and 30 cans. This is my new communication device!

lukin2006

mervin50 wrote:

I just purchased 12,000 Km of string and 30 cans. This is my new communication device!

Sweet

tinz.

mervin50 wrote:

I just purchased 12,000 Km of string and 30 cans. This is my new communication device!

innovative! can i have a can?

even flow - question mark

mervin50 wrote:

I just purchased 12,000 Km of string and 30 cans. This is my new communication device!

NICE!


I just hate when a bird decides to sit on the string and my reception goes down.

Idris

tinz. wrote:

BRING ON VERIZON!! rant done

Boooo,

I really dislike the big players in Canada (rogers etc), but for me, that does not mean I want some American snake of a company coming in.

tinz.

Idris wrote:

tinz. wrote:

BRING ON VERIZON!! rant done

Boooo,

I really dislike the big players in Canada (rogers etc), but for me, that does not mean I want some American snake of a company coming in.

So lets keep the devil we know? While they continue to screw us and run a monopoly? No thanks

polaris_x

tinz. wrote:

So lets keep the devil we know? While they continue to screw us and run a monopoly? No thanks

how is it a monopoly? ...

also .. there was a thread on the AET a while back comparing cell phone plans ... they didn't look that much better except they have nationwide calling down there ...

i pay $55 a month all in for my iphone and i get 1 gb data, UL text and video messaging, 250 daytime mins plus 100 long distance mins ... that wasn't that off from what the americans were getting ...

Idris

tinz. wrote:

So lets keep the devil we know? While they continue to screw us and run a monopoly? No thanks

(yes)

We have allowed them to screw us, if we made more noise over the years, we would be in a better position today. The answer is not allowing 'the devil we do not know' in.

We need to use this time to really go after our local companies, strangle them, humble them.
-

lukin2006

Why not let them in? If they can offer better plans ... the great. If it forces the other 3 to be more competitive perfect and offer better rates ... also great. If nothing changes ... oh well. Either way I doubt rates will go up, and I figure if they come in they'll be buying Wind Mobile and Verizon will have the cash to bring Wind nation wide and they offer far better plans ... just poor coverage.

lukin2006

so why are some of you afraid of a little US competition? I would also love to see a US satellite provider in the market as well ... but that doesn't matter as much, since I have antenna, but I'd consider satellite if I could get some of those stations in the states that we can't get ... living in the Detroit market the majority of people here are fans of Detroit sports teams and can't get Fox Detroit (unless you have a US satellite), so really I guess I just want the US programming and I don't see that happening with the CRTC around ... and I definitely don't miss the Toronto Sports Network .

polaris_x

because things aren't so black and white ... consider walmart ... if cheap stuff is all one cares about - sure ... but the issue has implications to jobs and long term implications ...

dignin

polaris_x wrote:

tinz. wrote:

So lets keep the devil we know? While they continue to screw us and run a monopoly? No thanks

how is it a monopoly? ...

Not a monopoly, but it is a oligopoly.

polaris_x

listen ... i can't stand bell or rogers as the next guy ... service can be offensive ... but at the same time - i don't see too much reason offered up here outside of an expectation that service and prices will get better ... the industry analysts aren't sure that would happen ...

there are some laws put in place in canada to protect us from ourselves ... i'm glad we have that ... otherwise we'd just be another state in the US ...

all i'm suggesting is that people look beyond their immediate needs and look at the entire picture ... and try and be objective about it ...

harper cut gst by 2% ... did it really have a great benefit to the average person? ... not really ... now, we run a deficit and austerity measures are in place forcing cuts to major programs ... so, you may save a few dollars a month ... but are you considering the consequences of that?

lukin2006

Considering Wal Mart is now the largest employer in Canada and a devastated manufacturing sector in which we now have more and more people at the lower end of the income scale ... I bet sure appreciate Wal Mart.

A US cell provider will be entering the Canadian market at some point. Keep them out line of thinking sounds like so many people in the 70s about foreign cars.

polaris_x

lukin2006 wrote:

Considering Wal Mart is now the largest employer in Canada and a devastated manufacturing sector in which we now have more and more people at the lower end of the income scale ... I bet sure appreciate Wal Mart.

A US cell provider will be entering the Canadian market at some point. Keep them out line of thinking sounds like so many people in the 70s about foreign cars.

walmart is nowhere close to being the largest employer in canada and you think the desolation of small businesses is good for canadians!?? ...