Rogers 6GB data plan extended to September 30th
As per CNet News.com:
Canadian cell phone carrier Rogers Communications is extending its iPhone data plan promotion another month, as it tries to figure out how best to price data plans for smartphone users, CBC reported Thursday.
[...]
A Rogers representative the company told the CBC the offer is being extending through September to allow buyers of the new BlackBerry Bold to take advantage of it. The Bold was introduced only week ago.
What’s interesting is the new data packages scheduled to be offered after this date: a $25/500MB and $30/1GB plan should show up sometime in October. I know at least one friend doesn’t want the $30 hit per month for his BlackBerry, so he sticks with the $15 email-only package. $5 can actually make the world of difference to some price-sensitive customers, especially the student audience being targeted in the coming months. Going down to an admittedly quite reasonable $25 plan might convince more people to pick up these devices. There will also be more plans available: $60/3GB and $80/8GB, along with a low-end $15/2MB offering to fool the really cheap customers into overages. 
Additionally, even the lowest tier Rogers voice package ($20) paired with a $25 data plan would push ARPU to the magical $45/month required by business decisions and most data device hardware upgrades.
Of course, our voice plans are still gimped compared to the States, but colour me slightly more impressed.
Lewis:
I added a third line to our family plan in July for our son, using an unlocked Firefly (mommy & daddy buttons for fast dialling).
I had the Rogers Video store staff person write specifically on the contract that I was not taking a subsidised device because I was waiting for the Bold.
Well, the Bold finally comes, and I can only get one at $375 on HUP, the second would be near full price. Thanks for the above and the new activation credit…sort of. Until I wanted to use it, and Rogers wouldn’t let me!
Eventually, what I got was: waived ECF on your third line and activate another (fourth) line and get data (to push over the $45 mark) to reduce the price of the second Bold to $399.
What a pain. And all that to “retain” a current customer.
However, bottom line: both our Pearls were completely FREE, my line is a business expense, and we get 50% off all wireless services. So really, we shouldn’t feel burned by having to pay $400 for a Bold.
September 9, 2008, 12:43 amJake Billo:
I’m not sure if I mentioned my experience upgrading to the device, but I went from a V3 Razr purchased for $99 in December ‘05 to the Bold. During this time (May ‘07, when I started an eight month contract) I called directly into Retentions and threatened to pay the ETF on the grounds that a $50 bill for four months would have been the same cost. My bills have been $25 with tax since then.
When calling in again last month, the reps were much harder to budge. I didn’t even bother with negotiating device pricing since that’s not what kills you; it’s the monthly service fees and little addons like $7 Caller ID. I quoted them the $50 Telus student smartphone package (200 minutes with unlimited early E/W, My10 nationwide, unlimited on-device data) and the best they’d offer was $55 ($30 6GB plan, $25 student package with 100/1000 minutes/My10 local/500 incoming). After my third call, I got a representative who was willing to comp the caller ID and add 1000LD minutes for free; that’s what I ended up taking with my $399 BlackBerry upgrade price.
I’m reasonably satisfied with the results - I personally can’t afford to give up GSM, and the 6GB plan should be sufficient. And I’m very happy with the Bold, considering my work-issued device is an 8700!
September 9, 2008, 12:58 am