Not sure what to do.. partly a rant.. seeking advice

[toban]

Sorry this is long..

I posted I'm changing cell phone carriers. I'm looking for a cheaper plan and a company with better coverage. The plan I had was reasonable... 200 min a month including Canada wide callings, free weekends, unlimited text for $25 plus taxes per month. However the coverage is poor in my Province.

I own my phone (smartphone)

So I'm looking for a company that offers better coverage and cheaper plan ($15-20.00 before taxes). I text once in awhile, 200 min is great but could probably get away with 50-100 min.

There are two-three companies (Rogers, Fido, MTS) which offer good coverage Rogers and Fido have prepaid plans for $15 but that is only for unlimited texting. Each call is .25-.30 cents a minute which I assume you receive a bill for? Also top up cards....30-50 cents deducted from top up card amount. Each text is .30 cents for outgoing ones.

MTS offers a voice plan for $20.00 for a month to month (50 min, unlimited texting) plan I'm assuming if I go over 50 min, they ding you .35 or .40 cents per minute which would show up on your bill. I visited one of the locations today and the guy said no you can't have that plan because you have a smart phone. It's reserved for basic phones. He said I needed to spend $45 a month or more! I contacted the company and they said he is wrong.

Fido has a special to the end of the month. For $27 which includes 200 min a month (Canada wide), free evening, weekend calling.

I know someone who would buy my smartphone, unlock it for themselves and use it. I could buy a prepaid phone, use top up cards, good coverage. Texting would cost .30 cents each for outgoing. Maybe I won't bother texting.

It seems like I will be spending the same or more instead of less! Unless I go with MTS plan (using my smartphone) or buy a prepaid phone.



When your looking to upgrade, downgrade or looking for a change what do you guys look for with regards to cell phone companies, plans?

[GoddessDigi]

We have Wind. $33.xx a month gets us unlimited calling in Canada, can receive calls from US for free, unlimited texting in Canada, and unlimited Data.

[saddlebag]

We use Bell at home.....Telus through work.....I've never had any problems with Bell.....I lose service with Telus in A lot of areas

[toban]

Thanks GoddessDigi and saddlebag!

Unfortunately Wind is not available in Manitoba.

Koodo, Telus, Bell and Virgin Mobile all have poor coverage in my Province. MTS/Rogers/Fido have the most coverage (Rogers and Fido share MTS towers).

I am/was with Koodo. I was happy with it, and knew there was poor coverage when I received my cell phone. I need good coverage now since I'm planning on more rural travel within my Province.

[pippinelkhound]

I'm with Rogers and spend less than $5/month. Pay as you go. I use the $3/month text plan. I get 30 texts to send and unlimited incoming. My rate is 39c during the day and 1c after 8pm through to 8am. It's also 1c from 8pm Friday to 8am Monday. I rarely send more than 20 texts and hardly ever use the phone. $100 a year top up card, so I don't have to recharge monthly, they just deduct the fees from my account balance.

I'm not making Roger rich but my kids can txt me all they want and I have phone for when I drive.

[luckbealady]

If you go with the Fido special, just make sure it's not a promotional deal where the total is going to go up after a few months.

[Springbreeze]

We use wind and our bill for 2 phones is 50.00 a month. Hubbys is 30.00 he has unlimited calling and text, mine is 20.00 with 100 incoming/outgoing texts

[Lyssia510]

From previous experience working with a major phone company, everyone wants the cheapest plan possible, but those plans come with hardly any minutes or texts and most of the time you will go over and spend more on the extra minutes than you would if you had gone up a plan that's maybe 10.00 more.
Coverage seems to be a big selling point for you, so maybe it's worth more to pay for a more expensive plan ensuring you have coverage everywhere than going with someone cheaper with less coverage.
I would rather pay an extra 10.00 for extra minutes I don't need to make sure I have coverage everywhere I need than to save a few bucks and get stranded somewhere with my kids and not have cell coverage.

[toban]

Thanks everyone for your tips! I haven't quite decided what plan I want. It will likely be with Rogers, Fido or MTS since they have the best coverage here.

I found my old flip phone through Virgin Mobile. It works! It has CDMA coverage which means great coverage in my Province. They don't sell CDMA phones anymore because they have switched to HSPA coverage. Although there still is CDMA coverage tied in with the towers. I phoned a VM location today to confirm it. I have to use top up cards for minutes. .30 cents per outgoing text. I will have to set it up online or through customer service. I rarely text so no big deal right now. I'm fine with a basic type phone. My smartphone will temporarily retire.

[beckie.c]

I envy your cheap cellphone plans. Due to our high usage, the bill for our two cells is $140/month. (no landline phone for us) I always check how many minutes/long distance minutes/gigabytes we used on average every couple of months to make sure we are not paying for too much plan or paying for going over our minutes based on our needs.

I'm surprised you couldn't just hook up your smartphone that you already have as prepaid. Our provider gives us that option. That would save you having to buy a new prepaid device and you could use WiFi when you wanted to check the internet

If you go with a postpaid plan, make sure you ask them about any BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) programs they may have. Our provider only offers this to new customers but its not advertised, so if your going to a new provider with a phone you already have they may give you a discount on that monthly rate!

[idonovan]

I use bell $20 a month for 150 minutes and all the texting I want. Minutes are also all across Canada.

[toban]

Thanks! I will look into prepaid for my smartphone.

At a Rogers kiosk I asked.. they seemed to push the pricier plans. Actually I looked at the $15.75 per month prepaid monthly plan. Includes unlimited texting, .25 cents per minute. I assumed you buy a top up card and the .25 cents deducted off the $15.00 top up card. She said no, the $15.75 per month is for the unlimited texting only. You pay .25 cent per min and receive a bill for that.

I know Rogers has top up cards so will look into that prepaid.

She mentioned I would receive a 10 percent monthly discount on a postpaid plan if I bring my own device in (month to month plan and not prepaid).

When I was with Koodo, I used wifi to check emails, or internet which I agree is handy. I didn't bother with data plan.

The prepaid flip phone is one I already owned from 4-5 years ago. It was in a box in the closet and still works.

Bell, Telus, Koodo and Virgin Mobile have poor coverage in Manitoba. My old VM flip phone is CDMA which has really good coverage here. VM doesn't sell CDMA phones anymore, only HSPA.

I envy your cheap cellphone plans. Due to our high usage, the bill for our two cells is $140/month. (no landline phone for us) I always check how many minutes/long distance minutes/gigabytes we used on average every couple of months to make sure we are not paying for too much plan or paying for going over our minutes based on our needs.

I'm surprised you couldn't just hook up your smartphone that you already have as prepaid. Our provider gives us that option. That would save you having to buy a new prepaid device and you could use WiFi when you wanted to check the internet

If you go with a postpaid plan, make sure you ask them about any BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) programs they may have. Our provider only offers this to new customers but its not advertised, so if your going to a new provider with a phone you already have they may give you a discount on that monthly rate!

[Gazpache]

I would highly advise not to go with MTS. I was with them for about 4 years and they continuously screwed my bills up, had horrible customer service, the coverage was terrible and they treated me like dirt.
When I was renewing my plan, I was I think about 18 (this was ages ago, long long before cells even had cameras) and my father had to co-sign the contract for me because I was so young and had no credit rating. They told him that his company had a deal with MTS/Bell and we could have a discount if we put the phone under my dad's company (a multinational computer company). He adamantly stated NO. He did not want that. he had no approval to do it nor was it appropriate because it was going to be a private only cell. I was paying the bills, he was just co-signing. It was MY phone. He said no several times.

The moronic employee put it under my dad's work account anyways! I started getting bills from Bell (MTS sub contracted to Bell at the time) and couldn't figure out why. I tried calling MTS to get information but they refused to talk to me because it was considered a corporate account.
My father finally spoke to someone after 4 months of trying to get it fixed. They told us that it wasn't their fault, we signed documents that stated he could use the account. We never signed ANYTHING that stated that. My dad read every paper thoroughly before signing, as did I. We also had copies of everything we signed and none of it stated they were allowed to use a corporate discount on my bill. Nor could MTS tell us where on the contract it stated we gave them this permission. They said in order to fix the mistake it would cost us $400. To fix THEIR mistake that could have potentially gotten my father into some serious trouble with his company.
We ended up explaining it to the finance department of my father's work and they ok'd it for the term of the contract, provided there wasn't any additional charges such as long distance or going over the minutes. The deal was they let us use the corporate discount for the 2 year term and then I had to renegotiate the contract and get his company off of our file.

The term came up, I went to MTS, at this time age 20 with a great credit rating.. and they flat out REFUSED to take it off of my father's corporate discount. I called head office, I spoke to probably 40 different reps, and none was willing to help us.

So I changed to Telus and love it. I do agree though Telus does have minimal coverage here. It works for me for all I ever go outside the city, but if you travel a lot you definitely need better.

It took forever to try to get this problem with MTS sorted, and they never did admit fault. All they ever did was try to cover up their mistakes and try to charge me an insane amount of money to fix THEIR error.
I'll never EVER deal with them again... for cell, landline, tv or internet. They've lost a customer for life. I tell everybody I know about my experience and try to dissuade people from going with them. They are massive crooks.

[leesa]

If you are travelling within rural manitoba, from growing up in the area. I can tell you, anything in the southwest and southeast, you will only get good service with MTS. Rogers works occasionally, but there is a lot of dead zones, and gaps in service. Any other services (Bell, koodo, etc) , do not have many (if any) towers in the area. So you would not be able to get any service. Just a heads up

[toban]

Thanks! I didn't realize Rogers had dead zones and gaps even though they share MTS towers. The furthest south I usually travel is Carman, sometimes Morden. Portage, Brandon, Neepawa, Gimli, and east to Whiteshell area (which has spotty coverage in the lake area)

One rep at MTS said I could not set up pay as you go plan with a smartphone. I phoned today and another rep said no problem with choosing prepaid for the smartphone. They also offer text bundles which they deduct the amount (starting at $5.00) from the top up card.

If you are travelling within rural manitoba, from growing up in the area. I can tell you, anything in the southwest and southeast, you will only get good service with MTS. Rogers works occasionally, but there is a lot of dead zones, and gaps in service. Any other services (Bell, koodo, etc) , do not have many (if any) towers in the area. So you would not be able to get any service. Just a heads up