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Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Sep 28, 2004, 01:05 AM

Today I called Rogers (my cell phone provider) and wanted to extend my contract for 2 years to get a better plan and get a new phone specifically the SE T637.

Rogers said I could go to any authorized Rogers store that offered the "upgrade plans" and I pick up my phone and they would bill the cost to my account.

Fine.

So I go to about 4 stores in downtown Toronto but all the stores all sold out.

Finally I walk into WirelessWave (a store that sells for all providers in Toronto and does upgrades) and ask them if they have the T637. He said YES we have a couple would you like one?

I said yes, I need one for the upgrade plan for Rogers.

The sales guy then tells me that: "they do not currently sell the T637 to upgrade customers as the phone is really popular and to be honest they only sell them to new customers as they make more money that way". He then sugest I check at Radio shack.

I tell him, well that is really not fair is it?!

He said that is the policy right now.

So I go to Radio Shack which has none so I am really pissed off as the only store that has it won't sell it because he won't make as much money off me.

I desicded to call rogers to see if Wireless Wave is allowed to do this? They were in total shock that Wireless Wave would say something like that and ask for the employees name and try calling the store. They can't get through so I say I am right around the corner and can walk back there. The service rep tells me I can walk in there and put them on the my cellphone so he can tell him he can't do that and to sell me the phone.

I walk in there and talk to the same guy saying that he has to sell me the phone and does not have a right to discriminate because he will not make as much money off me.

He tell me that Wireless Wave is not owned by rogers and they can do what they want.

I said you sell Rogers products and make money through and because of them so you have to follow there rules.

Then I put him on the phone with the service rep who says god knows what. The Wireless Wave employee tells him rudely that they are not owned by rogers and that the only phone he has is on hold for a customer (5 minutes earlier he had 2 avalible) and hangs the phone up on Rogers and passed me the phone.

Then he said to me that he doesn't apriciate me calling Rogers and telling them as he was just being honest with me.

Well naturally Rogers called me back within 10 seconds and says not to bother with him anymore as they will mail me a phone and take $100 off the cost. They also know who is district manager is and will talk to him personally and the dude is in big trouble. The rogers rep ask for his name. I leaned forward and read "his name is Kevin" in front of him. Man he was he ever shaking in his boots and 4 other employees were right next to him tense over the situation.

I walked out without saying another word to the sales guy at wireless wave. I assume his boss with either not care as he is the jerk that came up with the rule or they will fire the guy.

So in the end I am really happy with the way Rogers delt with it and I will never set foot in a WirelessWave again.

Thanks for saving me $100 though Mr. Rude Employee.

Did I do the right thing or did I get a helpless employee in trouble? I think he deserved it because he lied about not having a phone and was rude and cheeky to me and the service rep.

ryju · Sep 28, 2004, 01:13 AM

It's like I'm looking into the future...TODAY!

real edit: You did the right thing.

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Sep 28, 2004, 01:40 AM

And here are the comparative pictures:

Xeo · Sep 28, 2004, 01:50 AM

Looks like a nice phone. Comparing the features, they aren't all that different, but I've read that the screen is much better especially in daylight. Is that true?

Also, gj with the employee. I have half a mind to call him up and give him hell.

"DO YOU KNOW ALL THE STAR WARS RINGTONES YOU DENIED HIM BY TURNING HIM AWAY?! YOU BASTARD!!"

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Sep 28, 2004, 01:57 AM

Originally posted by Xeo:
Looks like a nice phone. Comparing the features, they aren't all that different, but I've read that the screen is much better especially in daylight. Is that true?

haven't really noticed that no, but it is brighter white and less yellow.

For the number of text messages I send in a day it was worth the upgrade just for the software update that makes text messages easier to send.

CMYKid · Sep 28, 2004, 03:47 AM

egh, you didn't get anybody fired.

and lots of stores, especially third-party retailers, have policies to only sell specific handsets to new customers. Just because a store carries a particular product doesn't obligate them to sell at a discount (or at all) to you just because the manufacturer says so.

When you add to that the fact that wireless carriers LOSE money on every handset sold it makes perfect sense. Handsets prices are subsidized so heavily that carriers typically don't even begin to make money on you until you're at least 6 months into your contract. If you buy ANOTHER phone, even at full retail, let alone at a discount, then you just reset the clock on your profitability. Thats why lots of those rebates and discounts are for new customers only.

Luca Rescigno · Sep 28, 2004, 03:54 AM

Whoa... deja vu...

Didn't you post this like a week ago?

Ω · Sep 28, 2004, 03:55 AM

Originally posted by Luca Rescigno:
Whoa... deja vu...

Didn't you post this like a week ago?

The other thread went down the crapper....

hagheid · Sep 28, 2004, 04:07 AM

Originally posted by _?_:
The other thread went down the crapper....

Did they use the TurdTwister?

Spheric Harlot · Sep 28, 2004, 06:04 AM

Originally posted by Xeo:
I have half a mind to call him up and give him hell.

Subtle.

(and no, I'm not watching porn <-- re: your sig, this time

)

nooon · Sep 28, 2004, 06:15 AM

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
And here are the comparative pictures:
snip

How come it's called T637 in the US and T630 in Europe?

Spheric Harlot · Sep 28, 2004, 06:42 AM

Originally posted by nooon:
How come it's called T637 in the US and T630 in Europe?

The 637 is twice the size, crashes much faster, and has half the battery mileage.

Parky · Sep 28, 2004, 06:56 AM

I have the T630 (T637), it's a great phone.

It works really well with iSync as well, much better than the P800 I have before.

Ian

Mastrap · Sep 28, 2004, 07:28 AM

I still like my trusty T610, mainly because it synchs beautifully with iCal via bluetooth. I just had it unlocked, to work with Rogers in Canada. It's beginning to look a little battered though, is there a way to replace the faceplate and the battery cover? And if so, where could I get them in Toronto?

MilkmanDan · Sep 28, 2004, 07:46 AM

Originally posted by Luca Rescigno:
Whoa... deja vu...

Didn't you post this like a week ago?

You have now entered, the MacNN Zone.

turtle777 · Sep 28, 2004, 07:59 AM

Originally posted by Luca Rescigno:
Whoa... deja vu...

Didn't you post this like a week ago?

Just thought the same thing.
But the other thread was locked after a flamewar with Zimpi.

-t

-Q- · Sep 28, 2004, 09:09 AM

I was lucky enough to have my wife pick up a T630 while she was travelling in Germany (even says T-mobile!) and it's been working great here in the US. I get excellent reception and clear calls in most places. Like it was mentioned (in this thread or the closed one, can't remember) the camera is average, but everything else about the phone is a big improvement.

And having it work as a Bluetooth modem in a pinch is a nice feature also.

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Sep 28, 2004, 10:51 AM

Originally posted by nooon:
How come it's called T637 in the US and T630 in Europe?

The t630 is all white and uses the 900MHz band. The T637 is black and uses the 850MHz band.

-Q- · Sep 28, 2004, 02:20 PM

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
The t630 is all white and uses the 900MHz band. The T637 is black and uses the 850MHz band.

You can get the T630 in black too (mine is). It looks just like the T637. It does us the 900MHz band tho', which can cause trouble in some places in the US with poor coverage on the other bands.

starman · Sep 28, 2004, 03:33 PM

SWG still hasn't responded to my question.

And stores do this all the time. I had to fight with a store loser about selling me a TiVo unit when I'm an existing customer - the units were for new customers only.

And it's a major chain, not some local company.

Mike

phoenixboy70 · Sep 28, 2004, 03:37 PM

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
The t630 is all white and uses the 900MHz band. The T637 is black and uses the 850MHz band.

there is a black version of the t630 as well, sold exclusively by t-mobile over here.

Landos Mustache · Sep 28, 2004, 03:55 PM

Originally posted by starman:
SWG still hasn't responded to my question.
Mike

What question?

starman · Sep 28, 2004, 03:59 PM

What did Zimphy do that was so creepy? I don't buy it.

Mike

Landos Mustache · Sep 28, 2004, 04:19 PM

Originally posted by starman:
What did Zimphy do that was so creepy? I don't buy it.

Mike

Go back to that original thread and read it over, nobody else is interested in him anymore.

macaddict0001 · Sep 28, 2004, 05:03 PM

Originally posted by Landos Mustache:
Go back to that original thread and read it over, nobody else is interested in him anymore.

quess he lost all his fans.

Spheric Harlot · Sep 28, 2004, 05:24 PM

Originally posted by starman:
What did Zimphy do that was so creepy? I don't buy it.

Mike

Do read the thread.

SWG made the mistake of mentioning that the employee's name was "Kevin" - as an incidental part of a pretty funny story.

Z dropped in out of the blue and decided that the thread was about him, and bingo! - then it was.

And then it got locked.

-s*

Lancer409 · Sep 28, 2004, 06:05 PM

nice, my friend has one of those newer ones. looks really nice, but getting around in the menu's seem kinda laggy...

Landos Mustache · Sep 28, 2004, 06:15 PM

Originally posted by Lancer409:
nice, my friend has one of those newer ones. looks really nice, but getting around in the menu's seem kinda laggy...

It was a problem with the t68i but I don't have a problem with the t6xx phones. It is really fast on the k700's though.

-Q- · Sep 29, 2004, 10:23 AM

Originally posted by Landos Mustache:
It was a problem with the t68i but I don't have a problem with the t6xx phones. It is really fast on the k700's though.

The menus definitely work much better on this phone than the T68i I previously used (it committed suicide by jumping out of my pocket onto a concrete driveway). My only complaint with this phone are the buttons that are too easy to activate that turn on the 'T-zones'. But I think that's a T-mobile specific problem..

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Sep 29, 2004, 10:47 AM

Originally posted by -Q-:

The menus definitely work much better on this phone than the T68i I previously used (it committed suicide by jumping out of my pocket onto a concrete driveway). My only complaint with this phone are the buttons that are too easy to activate that turn on the 'T-zones'. But I think that's a T-mobile specific problem..

What the hell are T-Zones?

Mastrap · Sep 29, 2004, 10:54 AM

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
What the hell are T-Zones?

I got the same on my, previously Vodafone, T610. Proprietary web content is my guess.

phoenixboy70 · Sep 29, 2004, 11:12 AM

Originally posted by Mastrap:
I got the same on my, previously Vodafone, T610. Proprietary web content is my guess.

yup, that's exactly what it is.

the proprietary "vodafone" version of the t610 is even worse. all you have to do is accidentally hit the wrong button and it automatically connects you to the web. very annoying. (happened to a friend of mine a lot).

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Sep 29, 2004, 11:22 AM

Originally posted by phoenixboy70:
yup, that's exactly what it is.

the proprietary "vodafone" version of the t610 is even worse. all you have to do is accidentally hit the wrong button and it automatically connects you to the web. very annoying. (happened to a friend of mine a lot).

You should get the phone flashed to a generic software version. I've heard of plenty of people who have done that.

-Q- · Sep 29, 2004, 11:22 AM

Originally posted by phoenixboy70:
yup, that's exactly what it is.

the proprietary "vodafone" version of the t610 is even worse. all you have to do is accidentally hit the wrong button and it automatically connects you to the web. very annoying. (happened to a friend of mine a lot).

Yep - proprietary content service is what it is. Not bad when I need to check the weather before a flight or something, useless if I want to find more specific content.

And it's damn annoying to pull my phone out of my pocket and see that it's been connected to the web for 30 minutes. The keyguard is usually on, but every now and again it's not and if you breath on the t-zones button wrong, it activates...

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Sep 29, 2004, 11:27 AM

Originally posted by -Q-:
Yep - proprietary content service is what it is. Not bad when I need to check the weather before a flight or something, useless if I want to find more specific content.

And it's damn annoying to pull my phone out of my pocket and see that it's been connected to the web for 30 minutes. The keyguard is usually on, but every now and again it's not and if you breath on the t-zones button wrong, it activates...

You don't actually get charged for time connected do you? For me it is what I transfer.

-Q- · Sep 29, 2004, 11:29 AM

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
You should get the phone flashed to a generic software version. I've heard of plenty of people who have done that.

Been looking into doing that but haven't found a good place in GA yet (can't be w/out my phone for more than a day...)

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Sep 29, 2004, 10:20 PM

Originally posted by -Q-:
Been looking into doing that but haven't found a good place in GA yet (can't be w/out my phone for more than a day...)

Most of them should be able to do it on the spot. You could also buy the USB cable stick it on a PC and do it yourself.

buffalolee · Sep 29, 2004, 10:44 PM

Have you been back to the store yet? Is the guy actually fired?

Zimphire · Sep 29, 2004, 10:52 PM

To the ones that STILL couldn't leave me out of THIS thread too.

wtf_reporter · Sep 29, 2004, 10:58 PM

Originally posted by Zimphire:
To the ones that STILL couldn't leave me out of THIS thread too.

turtle777 · Sep 30, 2004, 11:43 AM

Originally posted by Zimphire:
To the ones that STILL couldn't leave me out of THIS thread too.

Originally posted by wtf_reporter:

That just barely helps

-t

Landos Mustache · Sep 30, 2004, 12:12 PM

Originally posted by buffalolee:
Have you been back to the store yet? Is the guy actually fired?

Well one of the mods called earlier in the week and he wasn't in that day but they didn't say he didn't work there anymore.

My guess is the rogers rep hasn't followed up on it yet as I called Rogers and they said someone was looking into it.

hagheid · Sep 30, 2004, 02:14 PM

misc · Sep 30, 2004, 04:39 PM

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
You don't actually get charged for time connected do you? For me it is what I transfer.

Anyone?

Also, does this tie up the phone? Can you receive phone calls/msgs if you are connected?

Landos Mustache · Sep 30, 2004, 05:13 PM

Originally posted by misc:

Also, does this tie up the phone? Can you receive phone calls/msgs if you are connected?

Does not tie up the phone and you can still get messages and calls.

turtle777 · Sep 30, 2004, 05:45 PM

Originally posted by hagheid:

-t

macaddict0001 · Sep 30, 2004, 08:06 PM

Originally posted by hagheid:

I don't get it.

brapper · Jan 16, 2005, 07:10 PM

So I'm thinking of getting my first cell phone.
Want the best priced package and preferably the T637 (but I'd settle for the T616..)
Is Rogers the best for T.O.?
SWG?

Also, anyone else want to recommend another service/phone? I want Bluetooth, and preferably a camera.

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Jan 16, 2005, 07:16 PM

Originally posted by brapper:
So I'm thinking of getting my first cell phone.
Want the best priced package and preferably the T637 (but I'd settle for the T616..)
Is Rogers the best for T.O.?
SWG?

Also, anyone else want to recommend another service/phone? I want Bluetooth, and preferably a camera.

Yes Rogers seems to be the best.

Fido and Rogers are GSM, the others are CDMA.

Fido uses 900Mhz and Rogers 850Mhz. 850 Is much stronger. Also Rogers just bought Fido so rogers customers can use the Fido antenna's seamlessly if needed, it doesn't work the other way around unless you pay for it.

You can get the T637 for about $130 from Rogers on a new contract and I highly recommend it.

Mastrap · Jan 16, 2005, 09:18 PM

I'm with Rogers, my wife has got the Fido city tariff. Unlimited local calls for $45.00 per month. So far there is no noticeable difference in signal quality. If you're making the majority of your calls in the GTO area then City Fido is a good option.