16,000+ Canadians hopping mad over iPhone 3G rates

Mon Jun 30, 2008 10:43AM EDT

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The Canadian carrier of the iPhone plans on charging its customers $75 a month for just 300 minutes, 100 text messages, and only 750MB of data, making AT&T's monthly rates look like a bargain—and judging from a rapidly growing online petition, Canadian iPhone fans are none too happy.

Rogers announced its iPhone 3G rate plans late last week, and as Fortune reports, they're pretty brutal.

For starters: You must sign a three-year contract, rather than two (or, as Fortune points out, just 18 months in the U.K.).

And get this: Rogers is not offering any unlimited data plans. Instead, you can sign up for any of four plans, ranging from $60 to $115 a month and offering caps of 400MB, 750MB, 1GB, and 2GB of data, with steep penalties (50 cents per MB for the first 60MB, then three cents/MB after that) for going over your allowance.

Believe me, 750MB of data may sound like a lot, but when you consider that your average HTML Web page weighs in at about 1MB—well, that's only 25 Web pages a day, not even counting your e-mail use.

Meanwhile, for $70 a month, AT&T gives you unlimited data, plus 450 minutes and 200 text messages.

Naturally, would-be iPhone 3G customers in Canada are furious, and they've got a petition—complete with 16,800 signatures (and growing)—to prove it.

"3 years?! No unlimited data plan?! I own an iMac, a PowerBook, two Airport base stations and have been an Apple product fan since the Apple II, but no matter how much I'd love an iPhone, this package is an insult. If enough people boycott this package, Apple might come to its senses and contract with a carrier that isn't intent on ripping off its customers. Rogers is bad for consumers and bad for Apple," one comment reads. Well said.

Fortune got a quote from Rogers, which defends its rates: "Unlimited plans could end up costing customers more for what they don't use," a rep said. "Our iPhone plans more than accommodate the vast majority of customers."

Well, sure—so long as you don't use that iPhone Safari browser (the one that's supposed to give you "the Internet in your pocket") too much. Or check your e-mail too often.

Related:
15,000 Canadians petition for iPhone rate relief

 

Comments on 16,000+ Canadians hopping mad over iPhone 3G rates

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  • 1 Posted by mhallagan@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:17PM EDT Report Abuse

    im assuming those are US dollars not canadian. Thats rough if AT&T tried that i dont think to many people would buy it

  • 2 Posted by kupriaa12 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:54PM EDT Report Abuse

    These data plans for the Internet must go. Unlimited or nothing. If they want to block the peer sharing downloads- fine. But users want to use the Internet on the phone. I have no intention ever of using an Internet plan that consists of a limited data plan.

  • 3 Posted by matt_archbold2002 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:11PM EDT Report Abuse

    That is rediculus. Are they really using the "it may cost more for what you dont use" excuse? Please. With the plans they have, using the 750MB plan and going over just 30MB would cost you an additional 15.00. Yeah, thats better. Everything that I've heard about Rogers over the last few years has been negative.

  • 4 Posted by crapdirector on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:30PM EDT Report Abuse

    Canadian dollars, US dollars, its all the same right now (give or take a cent or two on the dollar). Canadians are already pretty used to getting ripped off by cell companies for sub-par plans, but this is ridiculous! But really, what can we expect from Rogers?

  • 5 Posted by n_angele5 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    - "Our iPhone plans more than accommodate the vast majority of customers.".. If thats the case, then why introduce the extra fees for going over the data cap in the first place? - "Unlimited plans could end up costing customers more for what they don't use".. Well, I tend to use 2GB worth of data on a weekly basis :)

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