Rogers announcing new data plans, peace of mind in October
By Sean Cooper 
posted Aug 29th 2008 3:03PM
posted Aug 29th 2008 3:03PM
Now that Rogers' iPhone users have had a month to play and Rogers have had time to look at usage, it comes as no surprise some new data plans are in the works. First off, the good news is that the $30 6GB plan will be extended until the end of September from the end of August -- mind you, this is less generosity and more wanting to sign new BlackBerry Bold owners on to the plan. On October 1st Rogers -- and Fido -- will launch a new $15 2MB plan, $25 500MB plan, $30 1GB plan, $60 3GB plan, and an $80 8GB plan. These new plans will apply to smartphones, data cards, tethering, and of course BlackBerry devices. Most notable in the good news binge are a few "peace of mind" protection tools also being launched in October, including SMS data alerts, Freedom of Data, and a $100 data charge maximum. SMS data alerts will let subscribers know before, when, and after they've emptied the data bucket for the month. Freedom of Data will give 3 months of real unlimited usage just on the off chance you completely blow it out, the overages will be zeroed out and you can learn, adjust and move on. The $100 maximum idea means that no matter what data plan you're on, your monthly bill will never be higher than a hundred bucks as a combination of your fixed cost plus your overage. It seems this may spell the end of outrageous data bills in Canada, and we're thinking that deserves some applause.
Yeah well this is still a kick in the face. Nothing compared to the unlimited data you guys get. I don't NEED unlimited data, but they make the entry level plans so freaking useless and the realistic ones so expensive. Drop everything down a notch so that I can get 500MB for $15 and 1GB for $25 and I will be happy. No scratch that not happy, less pissed off.
Oh and you damn well better not have to sign a three year contract to get these plans, because they are NOT worth it!
Still horrible, get the $30 6GB while you still can!
I was hoping the 1GB play would be priced at $15.
I guess I can't spell on the iPhone.
Too little too late as far as I am concerned. Bell and Telus have a pile of nice phones with data plans that are all unlimited and the monthly fee is from $7 to $30 depending on the device.
I was displeased with the overall value of the iPhone and VERY displeased with the data rates so on iPhone day, I left Rogers and switched to Bell and got an HTC Touch for $0. Now that the WM 6.1 update is out, it is an amazing device that I am VERY pleased to have picked up.
yup... $15 unlimited data with Telus here. HTC s640... eagerly awaiting my WinMo 6.1 update, but not holding my breath :(
Yes, we know, Rogers still sucks. But let's face it, this is a pretty big step in the right direction. $100 max charge? Improvement. The prices for data are an improvement (on the pre-iPhone 3G plans, anyway). Alerts? Holy crap, they'll actually help you to (possibly) spend less! I guess we'll see just how peaceful this peace of mind will be in October.
Finally, a service provider that is considering the "service" aspect of their customer relationship. I have suffered outrageous data and roaming charges, which my company generously has paid. But, this approach by Rogers is much more suitable. Please let me know when I'm reaching my limits, cap my liability if I exceed them and it's fair to interrupt my service if the overage is egregious. Helping customers find a suitable plan, but making allowances for the occasional change is just good customer service.
Until this afternoon, my data portion of my Rogers voice/data plan was the $40 "Data Plus Plan"... which gave me 7 MB/month. Talk about getting bent over!
After 2.5 hours on hold today, I switched to the $30 / 6 GB plan.
I think the tech guy took pity on me because the tech guy (I started with a sales guy) admitted that if I got a USB aircard (I purchased a Novotel Ovation MC950D tonight at Future Shop for $299)... I could slide my phone's SIM card into the aircard and 'use' my 6GB on my phone and/or my laptop, depending which one has my SIM card installed at that moment. I tested it as soon as I came home. Easy plug & play and it was a downloading rocket within 2 minutes of coming out of the box.
This is the answer I've been looking for for my cottage! 6GB/month to split between my phone and my laptop (same account!)... saving $10/month and getting a zillion times more data traffic for my $30. THANK GOD for the iphone. I will never own one (I prefer my HP IPAQ 6955) but without it, they never would have dragged Ted into a fair price change.
This is still really retarded. I am out of the country until January and I'd love to still get my hands on the 6gb plan without pre-signing up for it right now and paying 5 months of unnecessary data costs.
Why does Robbers insist on having ridiculous unusable low-end plans?
15 bucks for 2MB? What is this useful for??