![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Cellphones...
Feb. 11th, 2005 02:18 pmFido has decided that my cellphone is out of date, so they are kindly offering me a choice of this one or that one, at the "with Fido agreement" prices. When I first opened the letter telling me so, I thought "cool, a free phone!" Now I'm not sure what I think.
What I really want is a smartphone, and I can't afford one in the forseeable future. A cell that syncs my phonebook and other PIM data with my PC would be a tolerable substitute. Such phones usually connect via a proprietary cable, infrared, or Bluetooth. Given a choice between a $50 proprietary cable or a $50 infrared or Bluetooth dongle, I want the standard dongle, because then I can use it with other devices. So I got creative, and asked myself, "will Fido let me buy a different handset at the 'with Fido agreement price,' while staying on prepaid?"
My reasoning is that if I take the free handset, they definitely lose the cost of the handset. But I want to pay them $75 for my preferred handset which has Bluetooth and is generally nifty. If I can't get that one at that price, no deal -- then I take the free handset. If Fido co-operates with me, then they would definitely have a happier, more loyal customer, and might even make some money.
So I spent some of yesterday calling different Fido contact centers/stores and being told that they can't do that, but would I like to sign up for a monthly plan? My cellphone exists to save me from finding a payphone when I want to know when the bus is coming, or whether I should pick up milk on my way home. I don't even use up 30 minutes a month! Intellectually I know it's possible that what I'm asking for is unreasonable. But emotionally, I don't feel very rewarded for my loyalty to Fido: I want to give them money for me to be a happier customer, and they're saying no deal.
My sister's post makes me smell a rat. She is being offered a more expensive handset. I can see two reasons for this:
The latter is more likely since I spend a maximum of $10/month. If I'm right, then Fido is telling me that I don't deserve to have my needs met because I don't generate enough profit for them. But, on a percentage basis, I generate quite a lot of profit for them. I often don't use up more than half of the minutes I buy before they expire. Assume that I remember to top up by $10 each month so that I can use my phone when I need it. That means that I am not getting my money's worth out of roughly $60 of 30 cent minutes per year.
That kind of treatment makes me want to be someone else's customer. Of course, none of the other companies are likely to be any better. But at least they still have convenient downtown stores, unlike Fido. Longterm I'm pretty sure I'll leave Fido, even though I can't afford it right now. It's not as if that many people had my cell number, and I certainly am not as happy with Fido now as I was a few days ago. Plus their coverage is not always that great.
Thing to look into: considering the kind of phone I want, will I save money overall by signing up for a plan that I won't use more than a fraction of, because it will give me a steep discount on the phone?
What I really want is a smartphone, and I can't afford one in the forseeable future. A cell that syncs my phonebook and other PIM data with my PC would be a tolerable substitute. Such phones usually connect via a proprietary cable, infrared, or Bluetooth. Given a choice between a $50 proprietary cable or a $50 infrared or Bluetooth dongle, I want the standard dongle, because then I can use it with other devices. So I got creative, and asked myself, "will Fido let me buy a different handset at the 'with Fido agreement price,' while staying on prepaid?"
My reasoning is that if I take the free handset, they definitely lose the cost of the handset. But I want to pay them $75 for my preferred handset which has Bluetooth and is generally nifty. If I can't get that one at that price, no deal -- then I take the free handset. If Fido co-operates with me, then they would definitely have a happier, more loyal customer, and might even make some money.
So I spent some of yesterday calling different Fido contact centers/stores and being told that they can't do that, but would I like to sign up for a monthly plan? My cellphone exists to save me from finding a payphone when I want to know when the bus is coming, or whether I should pick up milk on my way home. I don't even use up 30 minutes a month! Intellectually I know it's possible that what I'm asking for is unreasonable. But emotionally, I don't feel very rewarded for my loyalty to Fido: I want to give them money for me to be a happier customer, and they're saying no deal.
My sister's post makes me smell a rat. She is being offered a more expensive handset. I can see two reasons for this:
- different local supplies
- she gives them more money than I do
The latter is more likely since I spend a maximum of $10/month. If I'm right, then Fido is telling me that I don't deserve to have my needs met because I don't generate enough profit for them. But, on a percentage basis, I generate quite a lot of profit for them. I often don't use up more than half of the minutes I buy before they expire. Assume that I remember to top up by $10 each month so that I can use my phone when I need it. That means that I am not getting my money's worth out of roughly $60 of 30 cent minutes per year.
That kind of treatment makes me want to be someone else's customer. Of course, none of the other companies are likely to be any better. But at least they still have convenient downtown stores, unlike Fido. Longterm I'm pretty sure I'll leave Fido, even though I can't afford it right now. It's not as if that many people had my cell number, and I certainly am not as happy with Fido now as I was a few days ago. Plus their coverage is not always that great.
Thing to look into: considering the kind of phone I want, will I save money overall by signing up for a plan that I won't use more than a fraction of, because it will give me a steep discount on the phone?
