“Prentice had met with the heads of Bell Mobility and Telus over the companies’ new texting charges introduced in July, which called for customers whose cellphone plans did not include texting bundles to be charged 15 cents for incoming text messages. Previously, customers without text plans were only charged for outgoing messages,” CBC News reports.
“Prentice said in a statement Friday that after meeting with the two companies, he was ‘assured that customers charged for spam could contact their service provider to have the charges removed from their bills,'” CBC News reports. “‘Given these undertakings by Bell Mobility and Telus, I would encourage consumers dissatisfied with existing plans to seek alternatives. The telecommunications market in Canada is dynamic — choice is available,’ he said.”
“Bell’s new texting charges went into effect Friday. Telus announced a similar plan, with its changes set to take effect on Aug. 24,” CBC News reports.
“Consumers have protested the move as a cash grab in response to the increasing reliance on text messaging in Canada,” CBC News reports.
More info here.
MDN – Give up that annoying Indiana Jones pop-behind, its driving us nuts !!!!
Can you block text messages? I certainly don’t want to be charged for spam incoming messages, and I don’t want to be bothered with begging for a refund. This is getting ridiculous…
This industry minister is the same joker who claims there’s plenty of competition in the ISP space, when in reality it’s either your cable provider (only one in a given geographic area) or Bell (since all other 3rd party providers have to use Bell’s lines).
This is typical of conservative approach to people–react, rather than prevent. They’re making the onus on *us* to waste *our time* to deal with this shit (get charges reversed) after the fact, rather than prevent the problem from happening in the first place!
Choice is an illusion when it comes to cell phones and internet here, and straight capitalism cannot work when a corrupt monopoly or duopoly hold all the cards, force us into 3-year contracts… and the government is in their pocket.
Annoyed, “MDN – Give up that annoying Indiana Jones pop-behind, its driving us nuts !!!!”
Try PithHelmet. I get no pop-ups, pop-unders, pop-behinds, or ads.
Personally… a move like this is cellular suicide… it will drive customers, especially young ones, away to Rogers.
Mind you… this just means Rogers will start charging on incoming SMS messages too.
Canadians get screwed by the cell phone cartels in Canada. We rely on text messages because our phone plans are so exorbitant.
Add this. Pop-tarts or pop goes the weasel.
“…assured that customers charged for spam could contact their service provider to have the charges removed from their bills…”
They will probably charge for the phone call (for the 15 minutes on hold) and then there’s an admin fee to have the charges removed. And you can only have 1 spam message removed at a time. Oh and only a maximum of 5 can be removed in any month. Ads sent by Bell or Telus are not considered spam.
We on ATT also get charged for incoming text messages. It’s not just a Canadian telco rip off. I pay for my son’s cell phone and when I see a spike I can go to the billing detail and see that while he has texted out maybe four or five times, his friends have sent him 70-100 messages which cost ME!!!. Why the hell texting isn’t billed solely to the originator I don’t know. Telephone calls are billed to the originator, why not cell phones? It’s double-dipping by the telcos and it isn’t right.
Yeah, really. I hate it. I think I might stop coming if you don’t get rid of it. No joke… and I don’t want to stop coming.
It’s a bitch when you are so used to the government doing everything but wipe your butt for you, isn’t it?
Grow up and take care of yourself. Change plans, change carriers, move to the USA. The Conservative government will not, I repeat, not be coming around to wipe your butt any time soon.
Just an FYI, Rogers and Fido, the two carriers who carry the iPhone are not charging for incoming text messages. You know what to do.
Oh, I thought you Americans were so against governments interfering with the god-given right of all corporations to do whatever they want! Corporations are good and are so very good, because, well, they’re corporations!
As soon as the idiot leaders of Canadia start emulating American style economics (i.e. corporations get a free pass paid for by the public), that’s just more proof to brainwashed Americans that Canadians are stupid.
Healthcare for free? Baw, impossible!
I’m curious. Is your government still trying to make you register all of your guns? Last I heard a lot of people were telling them to shove it. Don’t take their shit and they can’t take your guns.
Dish,
Most Americans have swallowed that anti-national healthcare crap to the hilt. They will feel that way until they have no coverage and their backs are to the wall. The fear of impending bankruptcy or death can work wonders on your political beliefs.
I always get Hey Dummy! pop under. Must be geo-targeted for us dumb SoCal’ers.
On topic, SMS pricing is interstate highway robbery.
Health care in Canada is free if you are on welfare or living on the streets.
The average tax payer in Canada pays $6000 a year for health care in their income taxes and for that princely sum you get to wait in line for up to 2 years. Good luck finding a family Doctor.
For $6000 a year in the USA you can get damn good coverage and have no waiting in line.
So if you are not disease ridden from birth, lazy, mentally ill or in prison, the American system is actually better.
I thought this thread was about text messaging charges. Interesting how it devolves into my country is great and yours sucks diatribes. Grow up, or at least stay on topic.
Spark,
I will not grow up and you can’t make me.
I’ve had a cell phone since they first came out. I have never received a spam text msg. I have a 20 year old daughter and have unlimited text msg. It’s cheaper than life insurance.
Who else is drinkin’ tonight? Hoooo aaaaahhhh!!
Wow!
The amount of misinformation between Canadians and Americans regarding everything from Guns to healthcare is amazing.
1. the Canadian Health Care system is working just fine thank you.
No, it ain’t perfect. but I can assure you that it works a damn sight better than dealing with an Insurance Company – ANY insurance company. these people are just plain evil. At least the government is only inefficient.
2. It is not generally known but the statistics bear this out: There are more long guns per capita in Canada than in the USA. They just happen to be long guns and not pistols. We Canucks do like to kill stuff, too!! We have more in common than you think.
3. I’m currently in Stugis having a fantastic time with my American cousins. USA is great. (Not as great as Canada, but really really close)
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4. Incidentally, I love my new iPhone though I haven’t received my first bill from Rogers. I paid a $280 penalty to leave my Telus account. It was worth every penny to get the iPhone.
@ @mossman
I’m LOLing at the irony of the right-wing wanking of a response. I’ve rarely ever relied on government for their “socialist” services. I’ve never been on welfare, almost never use the health care system, but knock on wood, and I’m glad both are there for me just in case.
Also, I don’t have a cell phone–yet. Obviously, I won’t be going with Bell or Telus, though.
I’m not asking the cons to wipe my butt. I’m asking them to stop wiping the asses of the big corporations at our expense. Funny how cons are so against welfare for the poor, but will run and support welfare for the rich.
I feel sorry for you guys, here in Aus I pay 10c/message on prepaid and have never payed to receive one.
Have you ever tried to actually remove a charge from your cellphone bill? Sounds easy the way the companies tell the government, and it’s true that the charges can be removed. HOWEVER, in actual practice you must “write a letter to the company that made the charge to have it removed.” I found this out when my daughter downloaded “free” ringtones. Suddenly there was $65 a month in recurring charges on my cellphone bill. AT&T;allows this scam and collects the money for the scam operators, but then tells you when you protest that you must write letters. In other words, you get stonewalled when you actually try to protest unfair charges.