[LordWanker]

Customer service is only one portion of the package. If the cellular coverage ( national and local) and reliability is pathetic, then is it that much of a bargain in the long run?

 

[Brandon716]

Just ordered my first Iphone this past monday, should come in by next week.

 

[that_girl_there]

Bell, Telus and Rogers are the major carriers. They are the only ones who are National carriers. Wind has just joined the batch, but I considered it and then decided not to even give them a shot. My friends all complain about dropped calls and piss poor reception. One even went back to Fido. I've heard horror stories about Rogers, but have yet to have one negative experience.

You're one of the lucky few. Pretty much everyone I know hates Rogers.

As mentioned, many people aren't switching to the new companies because their service area is small, but they're all growing - although most are focusing on urban (and specifically Toronto) areas right now. But for people who don't leave the city much, or who mostly go from city to city, the new companies do offer a lot of promise.

 

[Brandon716]

All companies seem to be good at screwing customers, it is just which ones do it less than the other which gives a company the "edge" in the market. I wouldn't put too much faith in Wind, they seem to have a lot of hype, but time will tell if they have quality to go with it. At least they are bringing competition in the industry.

 

[Polkaroo]

Another happy Wind customer here.

Rogers/Bell/Telus are highway robbery, unfortunately there was no alternative until now. Hopefully the days of 3 year contracts will soon be history.

 

[Brandon716]

3 year contracts? Now that is absurd. I thought the never-ending two year agreements I have gotten used to are absurd. Anyone remember when a one year contract was the norm?

 

[RenoM88]

If you want a smartphone that works on all Canadian networks, get this one. Better than the iPhone imo.

BillShrink has put together a handy comparison chart

 

[JasonParis]

That chart isn't completely correct as you can now multitask on the iPhone 3Gs if you download the new OS4 operating system.

 

[GraphicMatt]

Costs are way different in Canada too. As nice as the Nexus One is (and it is quite nice), it doesn't make sense to buy an unsubsidized phone as your monthly cost will be the same. Unless, that is, you're skipping the country soon or something.

The Motorola Milestone is supposed to be a nice Android phone (It's called the Motorola Droid in the U.S.) but I still don't have a lot of love for Motorola hardware.

 

[kettal]

Costs are way different in Canada too. As nice as the Nexus One is (and it is quite nice), it doesn't make sense to buy an unsubsidized phone as your monthly cost will be the same. Unless, that is, you're skipping the country soon or something.

The Motorola Milestone is supposed to be a nice Android phone (It's called the Motorola Droid in the U.S.) but I still don't have a lot of love for Motorola hardware.

Wind & Mobilicity don't do subsidized phones anyways, that's why their monthly rates are lower than the incumbents.

Plus, if you have experience with Voip... you can just sign up for unlimited internet (mobilicity, $40) and use that for unlimited talk & text too. Get an iPhone and you'll be paying Rogers $85 every month, for 3 years, for the same service

 

[khris]

Wind & Mobilicity don't do subsidized phones anyways, that's why their monthly rates are lower than the incumbents.

Plus, if you have experience with Voip... you can just sign up for unlimited internet (mobilicity, $40) and use that for unlimited talk & text too. Get an iPhone and you'll be paying Rogers $85 every month, for 3 years, for the same service

Their phones are subsidized actually. It's still not the full price of the phone. (Which is scary.)

Their monthly rates are lower because they are not greedy corporate ***holes.

 

[wonderboy416]

I can't say I miss Rogers or the other Canadian co's at all
I'm currently rocking a Samsung Galaxy S through SK telecom for about $50/month with 5000 minutes, 2gb data transfer (useless since there is wifi always within reach) and it was only $200 down on a 2 yr contract.
Wind looks decent, if they have the new BB's (with OS6) or some good Android phones I'll have to give them a look when I get back.

 

[LordWanker]

Their phones are subsidized actually. It's still not the full price of the phone. (Which is scary.)

Their monthly rates are lower because they are not greedy corporate ***holes.

If you are a start-up with limited coverage areas, how else are you going to differentiate yourself from the competition?
For them to gain a larger piece of the pie, they will need to expand their coverage areas and improve the reliability of their service. All of that will require substantial capital and guess who will be paying for it eventually?

 

[that_girl_there]

Just for curiosity's sake, does anyone out there have a Wind/Moblicity/Public Mobile phone and have any positive or negative feedback about your experiences?

I have heard that Wind has problems with dropped calls, but I've never hear anyone tell me about their experiences with a Wind phone.

Also, what's the customer service like? That was one of my biggest beefs with Fido (aka Rogers) - sure, sometimes phones have issues but you should help me deal with the issues, not tell me that I'm making them up...

 

[Brandon716]

Been using my iphone 4 for the past week and love it. This antenna issue has been blown so far out of proportion that its insane. The phone doesn't have a real flaw, it just drops the signal a bit when you touch a small part of the phone. I suppose if you're in a very remote location and have poor signal quality to begin with it may potentially drop the call quicker than if another phone were in the same edge-location, but I have had nothing but better quality and clarity than my previous phones.