Monday, June 30, 2008 -- 10:17 a.m. -- on my couch

**UPDATE 10:39: I just hit send on an e-mail to Rogers media centre asking for some updates/clarifications on where things stand. I don't have a relationship with Rogers the way I do with AT&T, O2 and others, so hopefully I'll hear something back and have another update to report soon.**

Well, Canadians have had a weekend to come to grips with how unfair their exclusive wireless carrier for the iPhone 3G is being -- and it hasn't helped.

The petition at ruinediphone.com is up to more than 17,000 signatures.

The wonderful Joy of Tech drew something on it, which means it's really important ... I seriously do judge newsworthiness sometimes based on other people's habits and work.

I've got e-mails all weekend from Canadians who have made a choice not to buy the iPhone 3G after waiting and watching everyone else enjoy it for a year ... including one from someone who canceled Rogers and went to Virgin Mobile.

I'm pretty shocked and appalled, to be honest. I mean, I understand big business. I work at a big company that, like every other business in this tough economy, is watching the bottom line. But this is different. Whether or not Rogers is watching the bottom line is immaterial because Rogers' data rate structure has always been tops as far as expensive compared to everywhere else in the world.

Why is it that way? Most likely because it can be ... no competition will do that no matter where you are.

But it's the same kind of pep talk I gave when NBC pulled its shows from iTunes ... at some point, somewhere, somehow, there has to be thought given to the consumer. Canadians can't afford the prices Rogers is quoting. No one can.

And here in the States, there used to be this conversion between the American and Canadian dollar ... for so much of my life, a buck in the U.S. would get you as much as $1.50 when you crossed the border, so everything there was cheaper. Now, it's pretty much even, so a $115 a month plan that includes nothing is basically $115 over here too.

And I gotta tell ya ... $115 for a plan that doesn't include unlimited data? I mean, it's excessive. And it's hurtful to the patient public who really did wait a long, long time for Rogers to work out a deal with Apple. It's really a slap in the face to the consumer and it's something Rogers can't possibly be proud of.

Yes, business is business, and after all this dies down, Rogers will still be Rogers with barely a dent. And that's sad.

It will be interesting to see what happens here ... Steve Jobs was pressured after the infamous $200 price drop, and while Apple would have still been Apple after all that died down, Steve did the right thing and gave the consumer something back. While it wasn't a perfect solution, the point is that it was a solution and that's important.

Thanks for calling.

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Scott,
I am glad to see the Cannucks band together against the unfairness. The situation might arise where we nedd to do the same over here. You would be the logical choice to run an online petition, with the connections you have and the blog as platform for the disgruntled. I will offer to be one of the first to sign if the A T&T mystery plans turns out to be unfair.

SCOTT'S REPLY: Well, thanks, Rob ... but ... but ... let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Sure, we need to prepare for any scenario, but ... in my heart of hearts I can't imagine a scenario like Rogers replaying anywhere else. I just can't.

Must be be happy in Hong Kong at least:

http://apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/06/30/the-iphone-in-hong-kong-a-bargain-at-24-a-month/?source=yahoo_quote

SCOTT'S REPLY: WOW! Great find, Brad. So this says the folllowing, callers:

8GB iPhone for HK$2,938 ($377) plus HK$188 per month ($24/month) for 500MB voice and data
8GB iPhone for free plus HK$498 per month ($64/month) for unlimited voice and data.

That is a good deal.

Wonder if anyone at Rogers knows about this -- ooooh, wait ... probably not. I don't think they use the Internet. Too expensive.

Unfair!
If Roger's does not shape up I shall drop my net with them as well as my TV cable. True North strong and free!
best
DK

SCOTT'S REPLY: Sadly, DK, I don't see anything changing anytime soon.

Never, not even in my cold, dead hands...

SCOTT'S REPLY: The anger still rages, indeed.

I reserved an iPhone with Rogers. Now that I see the plans, I'm contemplating my next steps:

1. Move from Rogers to Fido, because there are *some* tiny differences (earlier evening calling, fido points, etc), and get the iPhone there.

2. Cancel my Rogers account (I'm not in a contract anymore) and move to Bell or Telus. Forget the iPhone 2 for now.

3. Get the iPhone with Rogers on the cheapest plan, use my 400MB of data a month (keep track of it) and try to use the most data off Wifi.

SCOTTS REPLY: It's tough. 400 MB would have been a good amount on the first gen iPhone, but with 3G data, it's going to build very fast. How Rogers doesn't see this is beyond me!

I still contend Apple missed the boat on the Rogers deal BIG TIME. An iPhone without service is not an iPhone, so any self-respecting businessperson at Apple would be concerned about the deterioration service contracts would have on the iPhone brand -- and therefore the experience. How Apple could sit back and simply allow Rogers to do a hatchet job on such an important new product roll out of theirs is beyond me. Maybe they are sacrificing Canada as a psychological anchor point to make the AT&T 3G customers feel relatively good about the raw deal they're also likely to receive! It's a very ugly and disappointing business.

SCOTT'S REPLY: I can't imagine that Steve Jobs is happy with the negative press that Apple is getting, although the anger is more directed at Rogers than at Apple -- but still, iPhone PR is iPhone PR and right now, it's not going that well in Canada.

Was planning on becoming a new Rogers customer with an iPhone each for the wife and I. After seeing the plans and 3-year contract I think not. :)

SCOTT'S REPLY: It's expensive, that's for sure. I'm sorry to hear that.

A lot of us were planning to get 2-3 iphones. at my home, we were going for 2 iphones. most of my friends were getting at least 2. now, 0.

frankly i am tired of rogers, from their wireless service to internet, home phone and especially cable.

quick story.

i got cable for my mom so she can view the world cup. i didn't want a contract because my family doesn't watch tv. so keeping it longer makes no sense. i'd rather just pay for the high end cable to get the channels needed to watch the world cup for a month or so that i needed it.

called rogers. made sure they were clear on the no contract thing. they kept trying to sell me this and that, all with contract. i said no. they said fine. we linked up the deal, and they said they were having a promotion and will be giving me digital cable for free for a month. i said fine, but no contract.

a few months later, world cup was done. so i called to cancel the cable, the told me no. i was in a flippin CONTRACT!

i tried fighting it, but basically i had nothing to go by. thats why from that point on, i RECORD every call on my comp. and i let them know that i am, and i make sure the rep says his name clearly and gives me his rep ID. service has been a tad better since that, but not much.

SCOTT'S REPLY: Cell phone companies everywhere are notorious for that and it's really, really tough because it is your word against theres.

My recommendation? Never call them. Always get it via e-mail in writing and ask the specific question in the e-mail -- can you please tell me when my contract ends?

I have said contract from my current cell phone company -- besides AT&T -- and I have to fall back on if I need it.

I know that doesn't help now, but it could down the road.

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