Ontario bill challenges cellphone billing practices

Finally , the government cares about us canadians.

the only way to lower rates is to ban greed. Greed has taken over alot of companies in the world. its not that we ask for alot .its not how much you want to pay. the model is how can i get $100 bucks a month out of every customer to help out bottom line. How can a charge of $7 /mth for caller i.d be justified when its their network systems that do the work. its the old adage like Gasoline,. how much can we provoke the consumer pricing fees before they strike back.
then they have the nerve to call you. oh .im sorry how can i help you keep your business. you are all crooks. end of story.

why can you not charge $50 a month unlimited period. no hidden fees. no extra charges. Why you dont? Because your inferior technology cannot handle todays needs. its lke long distance . so who do you actually pay when we use the service . but us canadians just keep taking it . sure our phone can play songs, take pictures, play movies but it still drops calls and never works in half the places you want . and then the companies are so worried about keeping you as a customer they entice you in with 6 month specials and then nail you with a long term contract which costs 3 times a much. believe me ,its predatory business principles that are hurting this country.

Finally , the government cares about us canadians.

the only way to lower rates is to ban greed. Greed has taken over alot of companies in the world. its not that we ask for alot .its not how much you want to pay. the model is how can i get $100 bucks a month out of every customer to help out bottom line. How can a charge of $7 /mth for caller i.d be justified when its their network systems that do the work. its the old adage like Gasoline,. how much can we provoke the consumer pricing fees before they strike back.
then they have the nerve to call you. oh .im sorry how can i help you keep your business. you are all crooks. end of story.

why can you not charge $50 a month unlimited period. no hidden fees. no extra charges. Why you dont? Because your inferior technology cannot handle todays needs. its lke long distance . so who do you actually pay when we use the service . but us canadians just keep taking it . sure our phone can play songs, take pictures, play movies but it still drops calls and never works in half the places you want . and then the companies are so worried about keeping you as a customer they entice you in with 6 month specials and then nail you with a long term contract which costs 3 times a much. believe me ,its predatory business principles that are hurting this country.

It's funny that noone takes responsibility for their own actions. Cell phone companies give away thousands of free equipment.... When is the last time that Shaw gave a TV to someone for them subscribing to their service. If you don't want a contract pay the 600.00 for the Blackberry you so desperately want.

Geez, I hope SaskTel is never privatized. My bill is amost never over 35 bucks a month.

What we need is better legislation of the wireless carriers. I have two phones... one with Rogers and one with a German provider. My BASIC rate is about CDN $65.00 vs 11.00 Euro!!! I used bith phones equally when in Russia last spring and guess what? My Rogers bill was about triple compared to the German provider. If it wasn't oversea rates for those calling me, I would use that provider every day here in Canada EVEN though I pay for incoming and outgoing calls as well as roaming charges. On another note, I used to be with Telus many years ago. One day I received my bill in excess of CDN $4000.00. Of course, I enquired and ultimately disputed the charges. Telus even could not tell me who the number called belonged to!! My own investigation turned up that the call was made in the afternoon via satellite phone while I was at home (next to my land line) to a cruise ship in the Norwegian fjord. They insisted that I made the call and that it was impossible to hack their technology. Right... Not much of a choice aftre that but to pay and to tell them to go to hell.

Grow up people and use your head.

Canada has basically the lowest population density in the modern world. This means that cell phone companies have to have large networks to support relatively few people. The U.S in comparasin has a network size thats size wise about equals ours and yet they have 10X the population to support it. Of course our cell phones will cost more because of this.

Companies like Koodo are cheaper because they only service cities. However if you want to make a phone call you better be able to see a skyscraper.

I pay $67 a month for phone, internet, email, text, long distance etc. Thats about $800 a year. It would be nice if it was less but I'd also pay more if I had to. I'd happily pay 2X-3X more without even thinking about it.

3 years ago while in the back country I saw an avalanche about a mile away (across a bowl) sweep 3 people. 20 seconds later on 911 I reported it and less than 12 minutes later a helicopter was directed to the exact location with a rescue squad. Those 3 people are alive because of my phone alone. 4 years ago a guy didn't look left at 6:30 in the morning and drove into the side of my father's vehicle while he was driving down the highway. This happened more than 100km from a hospital in a very sparsely populated area. If the guy behind my father hadn't had a cell phone I wouldn't have a father today. What is $800, $1,600 or even $4,000 a year versus the potential to save lives?

I think the law above making it so people can swtich easier is a good idea. I think having a warning that you are going to be charged extra is also a good idea (ie hit your minutes limits).

People that have a cell phone have it because they consider it cost effective to have one. If you get one without understanding the costs you signed up for then that isn't the company's fault, its yours. Most of the people complaining appear to stil have cell phones that they use. That means you still find it worthwhile to have one but you like to complain anyways (you have already proven by having it that you consider it worth as much or more than you are paying or you wouldn't be paying for it).

Lastly, think you are getting gouged by Bell and Rogers. Well, you are in luck. They are public companies so you can buy their stock and nullify any costs to you. Congrats.

Also for you conspiracy buffs I am in no way affiliated with any telecommunications companies beyond owning some stock. :)

I WAS WONDERING ID ANYONE HAS ANY INFO. ON WIND, OR MOBILICITY PLANS. I WOULD PROB ONLY USE PHONE 6 TIMES PER.MO. BUT I WULDLIKE TO HAVE A PH. WITH ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES FOR A REASONABLE MONTHLY PLAN. NO CONTRACTS,AND NO SNEAKY FEES THROWN IN AT THE END OF THE MO.

I think you all need to stop hating the player and start hating the person who invented the game. All this anger is always aimed at everyone except who is responsible. We need to get rid of the provincial government or the Municipal government. Because of the 3 levels of government nobody is responsible for anything, they all say they are not responsible. With less duplication of duties we would be able to make them responsible for their actions. When this happens we will get the representation and the protection that a government owes it's citizens. It makes sense to get rid of the Provincial that way the municipalities will report to the Federal government directly and our communities can become communes as the word community means. With out the middleman we would get better representation and all local issues would be put on the agenda. People would also start to vote for people who they know more about and stop voting for Political parties. As we all know voting party lines doesn't get us representation. When this happens they will have to hear the people and there will be a return of POWER TO THE PEOPLE>

Rogers and Bell are the worst culprits, I agree with Shahid...its all due to complacent Canadians with no back bone to stand up to the government and these lousy crooks who run Rogers and Bell.
The bottom is soon going to fall out of these companies much like the whole Canadian economy...and I am leaving Canada......AND HAPPY ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!! this is no longer a great country compared to other thriving economies decades ahead of it in every way, especially concerning wireless services.

When I was living in Canada it used to really bother me that when you loan a cellphone company money (put money on a prepaid phone) they not only didn't pay you interest like all utilities are required to by law {strange the difference there} BUT that they said that the money that you lent them 'expired' and they would need more at the end of every month.
Living in the UK I put $20 on my phone every 3 months, no roaming charges, 150mb Data, 300 text's and if I ONLY used the 150mb Data & 300 texts's the $20 would still be there at the end of the 3 months. Some idiots say "Read your contract/compare/change providers". I'm sorry, but if you're being financially violated by an oligopoly / cartel who owns your 'elected' politicians you are SOL.
Ask yourself this, if your government isn't looking out for your interests, who's interests are they looking out for?

PS as for how big Canada is the important thing to remember is that 90% of Canadians live within 100 Miles of the US border and the farther you head from the border the clearer you can see why the Rogers family, et al are among the richest in Canada

Western Guy is correct like most of his blogs (no affilliation here). I am one of those who pay dearly for their phone for my business. I cringe at having to lock myself in for 3 years so from the get-go I paid the $600 Blackberry. I am not bound to anybody. I am still with Bell, happy with the service in outlining areas. Price is relative. Just like my mortgage, I have the option of variable rate or locked-in rate. Rates will fluctuate during this period and other banks will offer better deals but nobody chooses but you.

"Since then she has had phone bills well into the hundreds. Every month has been a headache trying to pay the bill."

Seriously, take the phone away from her. yes i understand she is mentally challenged, but since your the one bitching and paying the bills, then that would suggest that she is living with you.. TAKE THE PHONE AWAY, or break the plan which will be cheaper then letter her run up the bill. Even if her plan was $45 a month before "Other " charges, then either take a hammer to the phone so she can't use it and run up the bill, or break the plan. sure it will cost you about $500 but if your paying "Hundreds" of $$ a month anyway. pay it once and be done with it. then get her a pay as you go phone and load it with $25-50 a month, when it's gone... its gone untill next month

"They even sell the cell phone to teenagers with no jobs. these companies make a lot of money that way and they don't care"

Hahaha what country do you live in? they CAN'T sell the plans to teenagers in Canada because they have to be 18+ because it is a legally binding contract. if your under 18 you CAN NOT enter into a legally binding contract without your parrents concent/signature. OR if you are immancipated (declared an adult by the courts..good luck on that)

"My phone bill was hundreds of dollars"
STOP USING IT

Hahaha everyone runs up the bill and comes here (except Rob, different situation there) to bitch and moan about THEIR OWN CHOICES
would everyone like some cheese with their whine?

Chazztbay said:

Cell phones are a privilige, not a right. With that right comes some responsibility (unfortunately) for you people.

O.o what ?? you MUST be a politician.. you do a lot of talking son but your not saying anything.

nanl: Why are you yelling ??

ROGERSANDBELLSUK your leaving canada? BUH BYE!

Honestly people what do you expect when cell phone providers in Canada are run by two corporations namely Bell and Rogers?
If and when the CRTC stops with the corporate protection they already exercise and open the marketplace to true compitition, only then will we pay less than now!

If you cannot cancel your contract(and u cANT) CANCELL ALL THE SERVICES, YOU HAVE TO LEAVEON 911, BUT THAT LEAVES A MUCH SMALLER MONTHLY BILL. sO YOU ARE ONLY PAYING ABOUT $10 A MONTH

this is for rob who has a disabled daughter. I have a friend who is has a mental disability and he was given a credit card, he maxed it out , he never paid then he went to court and they said he was not responsible for the bill because of his disability.

joe from kingston canada

I agree we are overpaying as a whole. I have been a Koodo customer for over a year, no contract. Nation wide plan w 300 minutes (coast to coast, maybe spotty service in the praries, check it out first) is 45 bucks I believe and I pay 12 bucks extra for the "free" time to be extended from 7 pm back to 5 pm till 8 am on weekdays and of course 5 pm friday till 8 am monday. Unlimited text and photo's. There is call display and forwarding,and a couple of things i don't use included with the 12 bucks as well. "Tab" is not a bad way to pay for phone, just be aware if you don't pay it off you are on the hook for the amoung owing on the phone, not really an issue if you are a long term user. Some complain about lack of selection of phones, LG Keybo meets all my needs. Not often compelled to compliment a phone company but for just under 70 bucks I get what I need.

Last weekend I had about 6 bozos on phones bump into me at the mall. I watched another fool texting while driving around the parking lot and a group of 4 girls sitting on a bench texting the girl sitting next to them. ( Oh Yeah, like, it came through, like, I can read your like message like. ) I hope they all get bills of astronomical proportion and end their days in cell phone hell. I have no sympathy for any person who cannot go 5 minutes without sticking a grossly underpowered yet overpriced piece of Chinese junk up to their ears.

Bell, Telus, Wind, Fido, etc., etc., are businesses. They all labour under the rule verbalized by P.T. Barnum. There's a sucker born every minute. Cut phone usage in half and watch the service suppliers drop their prices trying to win you back. Don't blame them! You might even enjoy not bumping into people, furniture and cars while you pay attention to what your doing instead of who you are calling.