Does this sound illegal?

[chemgirl]

So I called to cancel my cell phone service today.

My contract expires at the end of the month so I wanted to cancel during the billing cycle and then switch my number to a new company after the current billing cycle is over. They said if I did that there would be a $100 fee. I don't remember being told that in store when I originally signed up. Funny that I can't find it in my contract documents either. Back then, it was "either buy out your contract or pay $400." Well my contract expires at the end of the month, so ending it on this billing cycle is technically "buying it out!"

I conceded that I may have misinterpreted the point and told them I'd settle for ending the contract on the next billing cycle. Well it turns out that no matter when I cancel, I will be charged for 30 days after my account has been deactivated! I asked if I could use the phone after canceling the contract and the guy on the phone said no! He said they require 30 days notice to cancel the account, but that it becomes deactivated when I give notice. This makes absolutely no sense.

So this means I'm required to pay for 30 days of cell phone usage when there's no possible way for me to use it?

 

[somethingshiny]

I'd call back and immediately talk to a supervisor. It sounds like the person you spoke with didn't understand or something. I recently cancelled my contract at the end too. I just called and said cancel as of the end date and they did.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I canceled a contract early and was charged a fee. IIRC, it was $100. I had no choice but to cancel though b/c I moved to a location with no phone reception with the carrier I was with.

 

[iota15]

Tell the associate that you want to talk to the manager.

Tell them there was no such agreement ($100 cancellation fee, notice means cutting you off, etc.) and you require them to provide you with the original contract where it says you do. They'll likely transfer you around, but either get someone to agree with you or get them to go fish out your contract. Keep your phone for another 30 days if you have to. Make them go get that stupid document, especially if you don't believe it was agreed to originally.

 

[chemgirl]

Tell the associate that you want to talk to the manager.

Tell them there was no such agreement ($100 cancellation fee, notice means cutting you off, etc.) and you require them to provide you with the original contract where it says you do. They'll likely transfer you around, but either get someone to agree with you or get them to go fish out your contract. Keep your phone for another 30 days if you have to. Make them go get that stupid document, especially if you don't believe it was agreed to originally.

I signed a renewal of my original contract. I still have the original documents and none of its in there. The original contract is 6 years old now so they have changed their policies (one reason why I won't deal with them anymore...I also had too many issues activating international plans while traveling for work).

I called a friend who used to work for the company and he said that they actually do charge for 30 days if you want to switch your number to another company. He gave me a contact name for a guy in store who he says should be able to help me with the issue. Apparently one of our friends refused to pay it and they took him to collections. He gave them a super hard time though so he feels its worth the credit issues. I'm not that much of a rebel so I think I'll try to work it out in the store, and if not just pay it and never use that company for anything ever again. Its one of Canada's major cable/internet/phone/mobile companies so that's a lot of stuff to boycott!

 

[vintagelover229]

What carrier is it chemgirl? We have Rogers (I hate the companies they have up here. Even more so after they changed their internet plans so people couldn't use netflix without going over their internet usage) and my bf is talking about renewing his contract for his Iphone (which is 100.00+ a month and it doesnt included unlimited minutes or data! How they get away with this is BEYOND me!) and we've talked about it and we're leaning towards NOT renewing the contract. As amazing and wonderful these new smart phones are they require you to commit to a contract of at least (for our policy) of 100.00 per month (for one line) for 3 years and this isn't even with adding me to the plan yet! We want to find 2 cheap phones to use but it's not like in the states where I can go and get a decent phone with minutes without any issues, I'm not sure where to go.

Between my cell (international from the states) and his phone our bill is over 200.00 JUST in cell services! It's insane and not acceptable IMO so we're going back to the good old days of just phones with prepaid minutes on them. I wish we could find an internet provider that was unlimited bc I'd get rid of the cable and home phone, keep skype or get vonage (?) and get an unlimited internet plan so we can stream though netflix and use our laptops to stream any shows we want. If we could do that, no lie, we would save at least 200.00 a month (probably more depending on the costs of the internet and phone service).

Cost of living up here astounds me. I love it up here but every time I get a bill in the mail, go shopping or put gas in my car I feel

 

[kama_s]

That sounds absolutely absurd. What company are you with, if I may ask? You should be allowed to not renew your plan, without incurring any additional costs. I'm with Rogers (and used to be with Telus, and Bell prior to that).

 

[chemgirl]

That sounds absolutely absurd. What company are you with, if I may ask? You should be allowed to not renew your plan, without incurring any additional costs. I'm with Rogers (and used to be with Telus, and Bell prior to that).

Rogers. Apparently the issue is keeping the number. If I want to switch the number to a different company the plan will be canceled when the number is physically switched. I asked if I could give notice and switch the number at the end of my 30 days, but the guy is saying no.

My friend is saying that they're trained to try and make it difficult to switch. I'm planning on going to a physical store to sort it out since its easier to deal with somebody face to face.

Have you ever tried to subscribe to a 30 day international travel plan with Rogers online? The last time I tried was in September, but it always seems to put me in to a never ending loop. You can sign up for anything else online and have it work no problem, but something to save money like an international travel plan and it sends you around in circles Every time I've tried it I've had to call the company, sit on hold, and have them add it for me. Sigh.

 

[chemgirl]

What carrier is it chemgirl? We have Rogers (I hate the companies they have up here. Even more so after they changed their internet plans so people couldn't use netflix without going over their internet usage) and my bf is talking about renewing his contract for his Iphone (which is 100.00+ a month and it doesnt included unlimited minutes or data! How they get away with this is BEYOND me!) and we've talked about it and we're leaning towards NOT renewing the contract. As amazing and wonderful these new smart phones are they require you to commit to a contract of at least (for our policy) of 100.00 per month (for one line) for 3 years and this isn't even with adding me to the plan yet! We want to find 2 cheap phones to use but it's not like in the states where I can go and get a decent phone with minutes without any issues, I'm not sure where to go.

Between my cell (international from the states) and his phone our bill is over 200.00 JUST in cell services! It's insane and not acceptable IMO so we're going back to the good old days of just phones with prepaid minutes on them. I wish we could find an internet provider that was unlimited bc I'd get rid of the cable and home phone, keep skype or get vonage (?) and get an unlimited internet plan so we can stream though netflix and use our laptops to stream any shows we want. If we could do that, no lie, we would save at least 200.00 a month (probably more depending on the costs of the internet and phone service).

Cost of living up here astounds me. I love it up here but every time I get a bill in the mail, go shopping or put gas in my car I feel

Teksavvy still offers unlimited internet! Its not as fast as Bell or Rogers, but its not like you get their optimum speeds in most locations anyway. The only catch is you have to buy your own modem. That can be pricey, but after the initial purchase its yours and you don't have years of modem rental fees like with the major companies. Teksavvy is leasing Bell lines and there was a lot in the news about it a few months ago when Bell wanted to force them to charge usage based billing. So far they have managed to keep their pricing structure and even upped their lowest package to 300 gig bandwidth! The best part is there's no contracts so you can cancel without penalty.

ETA: We actually canceled our cable a while ago and just stream and use Netflix. You can see almost everything online anyway. We also use a Vonage phone. It is saving us a fortune. Too bad we need the cell phones.

ETA again: If you have a VGA port on your tv and audio cables you can just hook up a laptop or old desktop to the TV and stream anything on the TV. We have this setup and bought a cheap wireless keyboard on sale at Staples. People think we have this super expensive and high tech system but its really just my old laptop, 2 cables, and a keyboard.

 

[vintagelover229]

chemgirl: Thanks so much for that information! I'll pass it along to my SO and we will see what we can do about bringing our bills down more

 

[chemgirl]

chemgirl: Thanks so much for that information! I'll pass it along to my SO and we will see what we can do about bringing our bills down more

No problem, we put quite a bit of thought in to avoiding the major companies since its a pita to deal with them.

Hint: there are ways to watch US netflix, hulu, fox and bbc iplayer in Canada. If you really get rid of your cable, its worth looking in to how to view tv abroad so you can see anything you want.

 

[chemgirl]

Poking around online and I think I have the 30 day thing figured out.

Apparently when you call to give your 30 day cancellation notice they change the status of your account. So then when you go to get your number ported to a new provider you are blocked because of the status change. So if I want to keep my phone number, I can't give notice and will have to pay 30 days of service after my account has been deactivated.

Stupid and annoying.

 

[chemgirl]

For anyone still following, I think I have this figured out now.

So the CRTC ruled that cell providers can't charge a fee for porting numbers away to another company. After that ruling, some providers added a 30 day cancellation clause in to their contracts. This was AFTER I signed my contract, but appears in the contract that is attached to my online profile. Apparently renewing my contract resulted in my accepting the new terms although they were not explained and I did not actually sign a new contract. So the issue: when you give notice, the cell provider puts your number in to "pending cancel" status and that freezes it from being ported by another company. If you give notice, you lose your number. So if you want to keep your number you are forced to pay 30 days of service that you cannot possibly use. This is, in essence, a porting fee.

The Commission for Complaints for Telecommunication Services (CCTS) frowns on this 30 day fee and they recommended that I contact my new provider and ask them to port my number in 30 days. In theory, this will count as notice as the porting process states that the two companies facilitate the transfer and cancellation policy for me. Because of the description of services, it is assumed that the new provider will contact the old and give notice for me while securing my number. If this isn't the case, there is a formal complaint process with the CCTS that should cause Rogers to refund my 30 days of fees.

I am also wondering if a credit card chargeback would work in this case since there is no possible way for me to use service in those 30 days. Rogers automatically cancels the account when the number is ported and there's no option to continue service for the final 30 days that are being payed for! I am switching my payments to credit card just in case chargeback is an option.

I'll post an update next month after its all over!

 

[chemgirl]

Hehe, I keep on posting on a thread without responses. I am just so frustrated I need to vent somewhere!

So I called Bell today to try and do a post-dated port like the CCTS suggested and 3 of their reps said they couldn't do it. I told them that the CCTS recommends it in their annual report, but the reps didn't know what the CCTS was. I also tried calling Rogers again to give them notice that I plan to port the account and they said they would have no choice but to freeze my number unless I retract my statement! The manager said there was nowhere to put a note on my account, all they could do was set my account to pending cancellation. They confirmed that pending cancellation status means that my number will be frozen to other companies and I won't be allowed to switch.

Uggggh


Some good came out of it. Bell offered to give me free services to match what I would be paying in extra bills with Rogers.