Filed under: iPhone
Canadian iPhone: Consumer Revolt against Rogers tariffs
When Rogers/Fido announced the iPhone voice/data plans a few days ago, the proposed rates were not received warmly. Over ten thousand people are letting their eDispleasure be heard on the "Rogers + iPhone3G == Ruined" protest website.
Canadian petitioners are unhappy with the high plan rates and the lack of affordable data. The site offers a list of Rogers/Fido contacts and suggests consumers take action, sending an email or letter, or calling.
The petition itself is full of impassioned feedback, suggesting that Rogers is killing a potential new market by exploiting demand with subpar overpriced service.
Are you Canadian? Let us know what you think of the the data rates in the comments.
Thanks, heath
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 7)
Bracken said 1:46PM on 6-29-2008
I thought those plan prices were absurdly high. But they also have a 3-year contract term, so I thought I was just missing something. I'd sign the petition if I was Canadian.
Reply
chris said 2:06PM on 6-29-2008
I moved from the UK to Canada about 6 months ago and I feel totally cut off from the world sometime. No internet on my phone....well you can but it costs A LOT!
Im on Fido at the moment and I pay $65 for basic calls and text that would only cost about $25 back home! The Canadian government have obviously turned their back and dont care.
In the UK, this sort of monopoly and pricing behavior would be classed as anti-competitive and would not be allowed!
Lee said 1:50PM on 6-29-2008
Largely, most canadians expected to be paying more per month for an iPhone than anywhere else in the world based on Rogers track record. However, we were very optimistic that pressure from Apple would open up the flood gates and give us a lot more value for our loonie when it comes to data rates.
Unfortunately, that came and went. The base plan (400 MB) is a complete joke. If you add in Voicemail, Caller ID (Why does this cost money?), and the monthly service fee you are looking at just under $100 a month for the base package. Not to mention the 3 year contract.
These phones will not sell here. I just dont see it. Most parents that promised their teens iPhone's on July 11th have likely already retracting the offer.
Its sad indeed.
Reply
Mark said 2:03PM on 6-29-2008
Well put. I'll just make a minor correction: the iPhone plans all include (visual) voicemail. The total cost of a basic package with caller ID is $84.13, taxes included.
Josh said 7:31AM on 6-30-2008
You're all being gay.
Josh said 7:33AM on 6-30-2008
Dang, wrong thread.
Kyle Hance said 1:53PM on 6-29-2008
I'm not Canadian, but those prices are just GAY! Rogers really is killing off the potential of a great market here. I would definitely sign the petition if I was Canadian. Actually, can Americans sign the petition? I would gladly do so!
Reply
casey said 2:55PM on 6-29-2008
"Those prices are just GAY"
WTF? How the hell are high cell phone plan prices related to homosexuals? Way to look like a homophobic moron.
Kyle Hance said 3:05PM on 6-29-2008
Wow. Somebody obviously does not realize that that's a commonly used phrase......... I'm not a homophobe moron. I don't like homosexuality, but I wasn't referring to it in any way. Just using common slang. Besides, the last time I read the dictionary, it told me this:
lighthearted and carefree : Nan had a gay disposition and a very pretty face.
• characterized by cheerfulness or pleasure : we had a gay old time.
• brightly colored; showy; brilliant : a gay profusion of purple and pink sweet peas.
Who said I said anything about homos? Oh yeah, you did. Me using that term to look like a homophobic moron is news to me!
Hobbes said 3:08PM on 6-29-2008
Dude, using the word GAY in this context is very derogatory and in this day and age very inappropriate. Grow up and have respect for other human beings.
Michael Rose said 3:42PM on 6-29-2008
Which of those definitions did you have in mind, Kyle? "Those Canadian data prices are just carefree and happy" or "Man, iPhone users in Canada are going to have to pay rates that are really brightly colored?"
You're right, you're not a homophobe -- you're just an illiterate ass.
Kyle Hance said 3:54PM on 6-29-2008
So it's politically incorrect and completely inappropriate for me to make an extremely common slang comment that has nothing to do with homosexuality or happiness, but it's totally okay for someone to call me an illiterate a**? My first comment was to show support for Canadians and that they're not the only ones who are upset about the outrageous prices that Rogers Wireless has proposed, NOT to bash homosexuals. My second comment was to show that just because I used the word 'gay' does not mean I was referring to homosexuals, but was acutally using a common slang term among people in my age-group. I was not saying that the definition I showed was what I meant by using the word, but rather that the word can be used in many ways.
Michael Rose said 4:32PM on 6-29-2008
Just keep on diggin' there, Kyle, there's a nugget of learning for you at the bottom of that ditch full of rationalization and defensiveness.
"So it's politically incorrect and completely inappropriate for me to make an extremely common slang comment that has nothing to do with homosexuality or happiness, but it's totally okay for someone to call me an illiterate a**?"
a) yes, because "gay" used as a derogatory slang term DOES HAVE EVERYTHING TO DO WITH HOMOSEXUALITY. Your ignorance of the meanings of the words you use and their power to hurt does not change the facts, regardless of what people of your "age-group" may believe.
b) I apologize for calling you an illiterate ass -- I don't know you, and you may not in fact be a donkey who can't read, I'm just going by first impressions here.
"My second comment was to show that just because I used the word 'gay' does not mean I was referring to homosexuals, but was acutally using a common slang term among people in my age-group. I was not saying that the definition I showed was what I meant by using the word, but rather that the word can be used in many ways."
a) It's "actually," not "acutally." See (b) above.
b) When you join a community of discourse like the comments here on TUAW, there are expected norms of behavior (hard to believe, but there are). You violated them, perhaps innocently, and other members of the community pointed this out to you. Your response to being chastised was juvenile and somewhat incoherent.
You don't have to participate here, but if you do we ask that you participate constructively.
steve said 4:46PM on 6-29-2008
so which exactly of those dictionary definitions applied to your usage of "gay"? i guess you must think roger's rates are cheery and pleasurable.
the use of the term in a derogatory sense has always been linked to homophobia. get your head out of your ass.
steve said 4:58PM on 6-29-2008
damn michael rose beat me to the punch, and far more thoroughly too. but seriously, kyle, if the word is too big for you to know what it means, maybe you shouldn't be using it. also, "getting your head out of your ass" is a colloquialism of "stop being ignorant" although if you actually have a condition where you've managed to stuff your head in there, my most sincere apologizes.
harrywolf said 5:42PM on 6-29-2008
Your use of the slang term 'gay' meaning 'bad', is, of course, perfectly acceptable.
It might be argued that by supplanting the original slang use, meaning homosexual, you are changing the language in a good way.
The term gay for homosexuals was never really complimentary, was it?
Reality is that homosexuality has benefited from the Poltically Correct atmosphere of recent times, but still does not have the approval of mainstream society, despite all the protests that - "Hey, some of my best friends are gay!" - type of Jerry Seinfeld nonsense.
Gay is a putdown, whether for homosexuals or Rogers Wireless Plans.
The language lives! Be Happy, just dont be gay.....
LuminousNerd said 7:02PM on 6-29-2008
You're all being ridiculous. Gay has several entirely separate meanings and using the word in a different way is absolutely, positively, NOT intended to be derogatory. I have several homosexual friends (who happen to use the word gay to describe stupid a LOT more than most others I know), and I have absolutely no problem with homosexuals.
That said, all the people thumbs-down'd this guy and responded with sub-intelligent comments justifying your outrageous behavior are GAY.
TomWBrowning said 8:10AM on 6-30-2008
Here in the UK 'gay' is a perfectly acceptable slang term for something being a bit rubbish, like saying 'that's crap' or 'that sucks'.
I have gay friends who use the word like that. It's perfectly harmless, not some massive attack on homosexuality.
I believe there have been studies done on the word. It's just standard word development. 'Gay', where I come from, now means 'rubbish'. I assume that Kyle is a brit too.
Much like you americans use 'bugger', a word meaning sodomy, as 'critter' or 'bastard'. And 'bastard', a word meaning a child born out of wedlock, to mean 'bad person'. Or douche, or cocksucker, or ass, or.. well, you get the picture huh? What's wrong with douches, cocksuckers and asses?
Political correctness is gay.
TomWBrowning said 8:11AM on 6-30-2008
Kyle says he is American. Ah well, maybe the same transformation is happening in the US. Whoooo knows. Or maybe Kyle is just a bigot. Shrug.
Kyle Hance said 10:26AM on 6-30-2008
Yeah, I'm American, but I've seen the word being used as Tom described for years. This is the first time I've ever seen anybody get upset over it...