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Bladerunner
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Bladerunner

From Scarborough, ON

Is an Average User

I own a Samsung Gravity 2

7 Posts

2 months, 1 week ago in Ideas and Suggestions

WIND Customer Service rocks compared to the incumbents! Last night I had to contact Fido to rectify a billing error on my latest invoice. Eventually after navigating through all their roadblocks to a live person, I was informed that the wait time was 15 minutes (with no option for a ...
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2 months, 3 weeks ago in General Comments

Usage History is back.
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5 months, 1 week ago in Ideas and Suggestions

Unlocked my Samsung Gravity phone yesterday using the unlock code provided by WIND and following the procedure helpfully provided by SamsungGravity (see link below): http://www.windmobile.ca/community/ideas/detail/19783/
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483 reads / 8 comments

Average rating is 5

1 ratings

5 months, 3 weeks ago in Ideas and Suggestions

Does WIND allow a customer to suspend his account to avoid incurring charges when he will be outside WIND's coverage area for an extended period of time? If so, how long can an account be suspended before the phone number associated with it is reassigned or is a new ...
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181 reads / 6 comments

Average rating is 5

1 ratings

6 months ago in Ideas and Suggestions

WIND should restore Roaming within the Home Zone and notify customers they will be charged Wind Away rates. Customers can then choose whether or not to incurr the extra charge for making or receiving calls when Wind Away (25 cents per minute) or even request that WIND disable Wind Away ...
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168 reads / 8 comments
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6 months, 3 weeks ago in Ideas and Suggestions

Your store locator shows the Woodside Square Wind store at Steeles & Dufferin which is the other side of the city from its actual location in Scarborough at Finch & McCowan. Worse yet there is no phone number shown for the store - an embarrassing omission for a phone company. Why not delegate ...
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7 months, 2 weeks ago in Ideas and Suggestions

Wind should consider introducing a loyalty program similar to Fido dollars. We could call it Wind dollars (tm). Unlike contracts which are a stick to intimidate customers from leaving, a rewards system is a transparent mechanism to recognize that long time customers are far more profitable to a cellphone company ...
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239 reads / 12 comments
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245 Comments/Ratings

Porting a Fido phone to WIND took slightly over 2 hours - no worries!

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Submit a request under FIPPA to WIND along with the requisite fee and see what happens! This kind of marketing intelligence is usually not shared with the general public.

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No, you actually CANNOT roam on Rogers whenever the WIND Home Zone is experiencing network issues. You can only roam on Rogers when you are OUTSIDE the WIND Home Zone. WIND has been blocking WIND AWAY calling within a Home Zone for quite some time now.

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"...not being able to receive an automated phone call" would be considered a positive (not a negative) by most people if it means unsolicited telemarketing calls would be blocked!

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Somehow I suspect there is more to this story than the poster has disclosed. It seems a strange coincidence that both you and your husband are experiencing a flood of unwanted calls from a specific individual just after switching from one carrier to another.

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That's unfortunate, Calgary Student, since the WIND support folks I talked to make it really clear that the promotional offer is tied to the phone number. I will wait until my 1/2 price for 6 months offer is over before porting my Telus phone number to WIND.

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Kitchener Waterloo!

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That's right. All text messages received on your WIND phone are FREE!

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Swamped by callers wanting to switch from Robellus.

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Amazing! Now how is this "staggering" process to be implemented? Will existing Pay Before customers be switched to a different Top Up cycle? I have been told by someone in Customer Service that if you switch a phone from Pay After to Pay Before, the date of the switch becomes your Top Up date - is this true?

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Well said Hardy83. Get yourself a $50 phone and a $150 port credit and you are good to go.

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While an unlocked WIND phone would work on Chat-r (in 2G) the vice is not versa as Chat-r handsets are intended for 2G on Rogers network and don't support AWS. Note that the original post was not asking about low cost cellphone services per se but specifically about low cost handsets that would work on WIND.

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Then why can Nokia make the N8 support all HSPA networks?

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"Have you tried to sell the plan or just give it away?" This is similar to the situation of being locked into an expensive lease on a car that you can no longer afford. You need to PAY someone else to take over your lease (LeaseBusters). Maybe there is a business opportunity out there to help people locked into punitive cellphone contracts with Robellus to legally escape without paying an onerous ETF. Keep in mind that the obvious name PhoneBusters is already taken!

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My son used to get these "missed call" text messages when he was on Fido. I called Fido CS to have them turn it off. On the other hand, as a WIND customer I find this service useful since there are situations (WIND AWAY) where the ONLY notification of a "missed call" is the text message. I guess it depends on how good the coverage is in your area.

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519er, I know what it feels like to get a triple digit cellphone bill (from Fido in my case) when the alloted plan minutes are exceeded. That phone number has now been ported to WIND. Maximum bill now is $40. I now have 3 phone lines with WIND and only one more number to port when the Telus contract is up. Then all my family will be with WIND at a huge monthly savings! One more thing, if you're new to this forum, be aware of a persistent group of anti-WIND trolls active on this forum. They love to spread ...

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It'll be a long time till chatr moves to nb - they only go where there's wind! :)

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Try before you buy. Go into a WIND store and try out each phone. My son found texting a chore on the 8100 so chose a phone with a keypad instead. For users who are heavily into texting, the 8100 may not be a good choice.

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Kudos to a droidhacker for making a timely and informative post for non-techies! Also glad that my son gave the Huawei 8100 a pass and chose the cheaper Huawei $70 (non-android) phone as an introductory WIND phone (he ported from FIDO to WIND this past Sunday).

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Hmmm...wouldn't providing MORE customer self-service options help to reduce the overload on customer service staff?

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cp9700, well said. WIND does have shortcomings but not nearly as many as some posters would have people believe. Furthermore, I see evidence that they are making ongoing progress in correcting these deficiencies. Of course, they are always those who delight in accentuating the negative while completely ignoring the positive aspects of WIND's service.

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WIND is far better off devoting their whatever cash reserves remain to improving their own network and expanding their coverage. Buying a competitor means you are also buying their debt too!

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What would happen if you switch your WIND phone number to Pay Before, then stop paying for the next 3 months, top up for one month (to keep number active), and then stop paying for another 3 months, top up again and so on??? I know WIND suspends your phone when your Pay Before account is out of funds but I believe you retain your phone number for 3 months before it goes back in the pool of available numbers. It would be best to get confirmation from WIND as to whether this is permitted first!

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Rampant spelling mistakes and grammar blunders are all too common (and not only on this site). Are basis literacy skills no longer taught anymore?

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Warning: WIND return policy for phones is now 14 days (not 30 days) and under 30 minutes of usage!!!

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Hmm...wonder whether Chatr will be as open as WIND to have a forum where the public can post feedback (both pro and con). Interesting to see given that they see to be mimicing WIND's plans very closely...

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At least 3 cellphone stores in Pacific Mall carry the Nokia N900 (unlocked) at prices ranging from $600-$650. The Google Nexus One was on display at one of them for $780 (seems excessive premium to me)! I found only one store offering a Wind compatible flip phone for $100. Over time the extremely limited range of Wind compatible phones should increase if enough people ask for them - that's how a free market is supposed to work!

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Gmash, as an actual Wind customer who was so far been able to view and pay his first two invoices, I can attest to the fact that they were both complete and accurate. You have to act quickly though since today I can no longer view the second invoice. Wind's billing system appears to still be a work in progress... By the way, whatever happened to the text message announcing the availability of the invoice? I thought that was a great way to notify everyone when their bill was ready. This way you can print your invoice before it disappears! ...

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+1 Billing by the second plus a more generous allotment of outgoing text msgs on the CHAT PLAN would ensure that Wind has superior pricing for all its plans not just for those users who need and can afford unlimited everything.

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What a suprisingly cunning move by WIND! While WIND will take a short term hit on the monthly revenue they collect from all new customers who port their number, some of these new customers will be joining now (while the $150 incentive is in effect)rather than waiting for their contracts with the incumbents to run out. Sure, some of those taking advantage of this incentive may be cheapskates opting for the $15 Chat plan but even they have to pony up $150 for a WIND handset and start paying their $15 in month twelve. On the other hand, a Roger's ...

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TANSTAAFL, z24george! Clearly WIND is no longer prepared to pay Rogers (a competitor) so its customers can enjoy free Roaming within a Wind Home Zone whenever Wind users encounter dead zones or other network problems. The choice is whether to disable this feature (Roaming on Rogers within a Home Zone) for everyone or to allow each customer to make their own choice knowing they will have to pay the roaming charges themselves. I strongly prefer to have that choice!

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++1 Advance notification of planned network outages would reduce the flood of calls to the call centres when customers in the affected area call in to report a new "dead" zone! Also why not send alerts of "unplanned" outages in the customer's Home Zone along with a followup message when normal service is restored! Better yet would be enhancing the account profile to allow customers to turn this notification on/off for their Home Zone or all Home Zones. I don't think everyone in Toronto Home Zone needs or wants to receive alerts regarding outages in Edmonton or Calgary or vice ...

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It should be clear by now to almost everyone that the free ride is over (ryerock, z24george excepted). Surely, the real solution is to fix the Home Zone coverage to eliminate the need to roam within a Home Zone. Meanwhile, I would like the choice of whether to use my Wind phone in a Home Zone even if means paying a 25 cents per minute roaming charge.

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That's all my Samsung Gravity 2 from Wind had in the box: handset, battery, sim card, & wall charger. There is also what looks like a strap and some padded item (armband?). So, no, she was not sold an incomplete package. Hey, can ask her what that padded thing is for? With all the money your friend will save at Wind, she can easily afford to pick up a few accessories. Especially true if your friend is porting her old number to Wind and collecting the $150 credit!

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"Seriously, if you have to rely on roaming coverage in the HOME zone you should not be on WIND. I don't know why anyone would even deal with that." Effectively that rules out using a WIND phone for business or personal use where it is essential that people can contact you at all times. I live and work in a Home Zone that normally has an awesome signal. However, last week there were several network outages in the Scarborough area that meant my phone was "out of service" for an undetermined period without any warning. Yes, I realize that eventually ...

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I recall reading somewhere that WIND projected having 1.5 million subscribers at the end of 3 years. If true, they would have to average a net gain of more than 40,000 new subcribers each month. Unfortunately, since WIND is not a publicly traded company, they are not required to disclose this information. Perhaps, some former WIND executives will tell us the whole inside story in an upcoming book: Blowing Wind: Inside the Launch of a Telecom Revolution I can hardly wait.

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Hmmm...Didn't David have to be cocky going up against Goliath? Or in WIND's case, 3 Goliaths. In Tony's defence, I think he outlined the challenges and opportunities for WIND rather well. The lack of competition has allowed the 3 incumbents to gouge their customers at will and adopt a "take or leave it" attitude should any complain. I am really hoping WIND succeeds (along with the other new entrants) in bringing real competition to wireless in Canada. That way everyone benefits including those who remain with the incumbents.

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Unlock your phone and buy a T-mobile sim.

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Well...let's be fair to the customers who signed up with WIND on the understanding that WIND AWAY would be available wherever WIND HOME was unavailable (25 cents/minute outside a Home Zone and no charge within a Home Zone). The policy change to turn off roaming within a WIND HOME ZONE was made without advance notice of any kind. While this type of unilateral change is typical of the big 3, many of us who signed up in the early days hoped that WIND would behave in a more open and transparent fashion.

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None of the 3 incumbents will provide the unlock code for their phones. It does not matter if the contract is over or not or if the phone was purchased without a contract. Unfair - you bet! Just another excellent reason to avoid doing business with the big 3 if at all possible! I unlocked a Fido phone while I was overseas - paid $25 to do it. Now I am just waiting for WIND to launch in Waterloo to ditch Fido permanently!

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It's laughable that someone in the article is quoted recommending WIND concentrate on "rural" subscribers! This has got to be the most expensive niche to provide service to and least rewarding in potential fees. The suggestion to focus on students especially in urban areas makes the most sense. Why are the on-campus WIND stores?

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I paid last month's WIND bill using Scotiabank online banking. Easy, convenient and it works - how more online do they need to be? TD bank customers should ask TD bank why they cannot offer WIND as a payee longer after the other major banks alreay have it...

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Did you notice that all 3 carriers only backed off on those outrageous cellphone bills when someone was waving a camera in their faces? I could really relate to the poor guy navigating patiently through Telus' voice mail menu only to have the call dropped before he got to speak to a real person. Happens all the time. Seems to me we need a powerful ombudsman to intervene on the consumer's behalf to stop these predatory practices.

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I bank with BMO and Scotia. Both allow WIND for online bill payment. 2 out 2 - 100%

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Canadianman16, it would be very interesting to know on a monthly basis how much Rogers is making in roaming charges from WIND's customers. In a rather perverse way, Rogers is profiting from WIND's growth! Also, porting statistics showing how many subscribers each of the incumbents have lost to WIND (and WIND subscribers who have ported back to the incumbents) would give a true picture of WIND'S impact. Only WIND has both those statistics and they aren't telling!

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ihateteluskingston: Just curious but what kind of plan/contract do you have with Telus? How has your experience been with Telus? I still have a cellphone with Telus on the "old" Talk25 plan that was grandfathered when Telus bought Clearnet back in 2000. That plan provided 200 minutes per month billed by the second and included CallerId and Voicemail. In the early years with Clearnet and later Telus, I bought refurbished phones from Grand & Toy and never had to sign any **** contracts! Today, all of Telus' published plans are more expensive ($30 and up), billed by the minute and ...

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Great idea, elcheapo! WIND should create a special "escape from Rogers" promotion highlighting this opportunity and extend the $150 rebate! Every time Rogers raises their fees or shrinks the local calling area is another opportunity for WIND to grab more of their customers. It is a real sign of arrogance on Rogers part that rather than improve pricing in the new competitve market they are instead raising them!

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Bell has arguably the absolute WORST customer service of any of the telecom companies. That's probably why they have been the first to respond with their own $150 port in rebate. Also I suspect Bell will not honour the $150 rebate without requiring a 3 year contract. That's their stock in trade.

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Alfa164, I live and work in a different area of Scarborough where the signal has always been good from day 1. The only way to be sure WIND has adequate coverage for your area is to use the free trial and return the phone within the 30 day period having used less than 30 minutes.

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Does the WIND FAQ not explain that calls are automatically terminated at 2 hours duration? I believe the FAQ states that WIND calls will also terminate when you move from Wind Home Zone to Wind Away Zone or vice versa. The fact that WIND customers are encountering this now would seem to indicate how much the network has improved. In the early days your call would drop long before the 2 hours were up.

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Canadianman16, you've got your Liberal leaders mixed up! Dalton McGuinty is the Ontario Liberal leader not Michael Ignatief (the ex-pat federal Liberal leader). Dalton McGuinty is the Liberal bringing the HST to Ontario. You're entitled to rant against the harmonization of the 2 taxes but let's try to avoid irrelevant side issues.

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Hey, Canadianman16, you seem to have hurt TBR's feelings. Shame on you - not!

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Warning! Be sure not to exceed 30 minutes usage on your phone or you will not be able to return it for a refund! It is in the FAQ but some people didn't notice and were unhappy about not being able to return their phone.

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In the areas of Scarborough I frequent I get a strong signal. Just be aware that you can still encounter dead zones in Scarborough but these are gradually being fixed. Scarborough coverage has improved dramatically since WIND's launch. Newer coverage areas like King city might be more spotty. Keep in mind that once WIND officially has Home Zone coverage in any area, you will no longer be able to make or receive calls when your phone shows WIND AWAY.

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I thought WIND had skipped me for the survey until I checked my SPAM folder! I wonder if any of the survey results will be posted online.

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Being undercharged on their cellphone bill is never an issue with Bell, Rogers or Telus customers!

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Alfa164...You must be new to this forum otherwise you would know JAWG has a well earned reputation as a troll on this site. If you check any of his previous "postings" you will notice that he is 100% negative. Good for a laugh maybe but not much else!

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Here's another big difference between WIND and the incumbents. Fido refused to re-activate a spare Fido phone I had stopped using for a few months unless I paid $35 for a new sim card. They offered to waive the usual $35 activation fee. I declined their "generous" offer.

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halcyon, while you could technically use a WIND BB9700 on Rogers (2G) or later Mobilicty (3G) whenever they launch, WIND has stated in the FAQ that they will unlock the phone (at no charge) after 3 months of service. No service, no unlock.

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In the early days following launch, WIND seemed to be far more responsive to worthwhile ideas and suggestions. Customer feedback actually resulted in rapid improvements such as the ability to bring your WIND compatible phone into a store and get a free sim card. The elapsed time between suggestion and implementation was about 2 weeks!

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There should be a flag for "worthless".

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Excellent idea!

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New Fido plans don't sound that great to me - in particular the 40 cent per minute rate for additional minutes vs. 10 cents per minute on the WIND Chat plan! But you are absolutely correct that WIND cannot continue to stick with its original plans. WIND should be able to offer a voice plan in the $25 range that combined with a reasonable data plan should blow away the competition! What on earth are they waiting for?

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Right on, phoneaddict! You know people managed to pay their bills before the internet (believe it or not). This is nitpicking at its worst.

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I live and work in Scarborough and experience very few problems with WIND's coverage.

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That's a very innovative idea! Now if WIND would only implement it!!!

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I have the Samsung Gravity 2. While I spend the majority of my time in Scarborough, I was downtown recently watching a Raptors game at the Air Canada Centre and my phone showed WIND HOME inside the building. Later I noticed that I got a good signal in a nearby above ground multi-level parking garage. Neither are normally the best places to get a good signal from WIND. Perhaps WIND has some sort of signal boosting in some special areas?

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Make your plan: Chat $15 plus $5 unlimited Canada/U.S. texting = $20

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Purchasing a more expensive phone than you can afford by using a credit card for financing it is insane! You are way better off to start with a basic phone and plan that you can afford now and save up the necessary $$$ to upgrade later. Next thing you know people will be taking out a payday loan to buy the phone of their dreams!

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WIND should be working hard now to set up a roaming agreement with Videotron to allow WIND customers to roam on Videotron's network when Videotron launches its service. That way WIND customers could roam in 3G on Videotron rather than 2G on Rogers. It is also way better for WIND to cooperate with Videotron as they are not a competitor.

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Diz77, WIND is definitely not going to provide WIND AWAY in the Edmonton Home Zone. This issue has been raised multiple times by customers (me) in the Toronto and (NuclearBroccoli) in the Calgary Home Zones and they are firm about not turning roaming on in the Home Zones. Bottom line is if you reside in a Home Zone where the service is inadequate you will need to wait until network coverage is upgraded. You might be better off to take your business elsewhere (without a contract) and try WIND again later.

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K-133 take note: I have paid my last 2 WIND bills using Scotiabank Online Bill Payment. It's been working for quite some time now!

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Isn't that the point of missed call alerts?

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You should be able to port any number (even a landline).

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Agreed. Voice Mail should be one of the basic features included with all WIND plans (perhaps with the exception of Chat). Voice Mail should definitely be included in Always Talk and also any $25 plan that they may introduce in the future. To satisfy those who hate this feature for some inexplicable reason there should be an option to disable it at no charge. Clearnet brings back fond memories of a simpler time. Simple staightforward plans that included the most useful calling features like Voice Mail and Caller Id and billing by the second for all plans. I picked up ...

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Erik, you are the first person I know who does not have a credit card. While I realize there are benefits to not having one (avoiding high interest debt), it must make lots of things more awkward not just paying for phone services. How do you handle a car rental these days without a credit card? Most companies simply assume everyone has a credit card and act accordingly.

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WIND has no choice but to distinguish themselves from Rogers, Telus and Bell. The incumbents already have reliable nationwide networks and far better handset selections. WIND must compete by being different (in a good way) or they will fail and leave us with the oligopoly that we all hate so much.

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I think roaming packages for data are also important. Otherwise simply checking your email while abroad could lead to staggering data charges as mentioned on Marketplace's episode of Canada's Worst Cellphone Bill.

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The deals can only get better over time. Eventually, when subscriber growth stalls and then begins to drop, Fido will be forced to offer increasingly better deals to retain its existing customer base. Anyone who has ever paid a $300 cellphone bill to Fido (like I have) must find Fido's current ad slogan "the home of low prices" hard to stomach. All that is keeping me from switching to WIND is the lack of Waterloo coverage and the expiry of my son's cellphone contract in August 2010. Fido's rates are only compeitive when you compare them to Bell and Telus.

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Check your SPAM folder (or wherever your email stores suspected junk mail)! That's where I found my survey - I wonder how many other WIND customers surveys ended up there?

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Fyi. "recieved" is spelled "received". How about a spell checker for this forum since most posters seem lacking in basic literacy skills like spelling and grammar.

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++1

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Why buy the T Mobile Tap if it is the same as the WIND Hauwei ?

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WIND customers' wildly differing network coverage experiences (unusable to perfect) bring to mind the disclaimer on car ads: Your mileage may vary...

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Those of us who labour in the IT world discovered years ago that throwing more and more resources at a task often fails to achieve the desired goal of speeding up the completion date. One of the memorable examples: A woman still takes 9 months to deliver a baby no matter how many persons are assigned to the task! Excerpt from The Mythical Man Month

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Now just have to wait for JAWG to post something to try it out!

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Perhaps you should do a little more research of the facts Trottie! Ontario Teachers Pension Plan negociated a deal to buy out BCE a few years back at around $40 a share. When it became apparent how awful the deal was for Teachers they found an escape clause to cancel the deal and shortly thereafter sold off their position in BCE. After that near death experience, I seriously doubt Teachers is going to invest any significant portion of their funds in any telecom company let alone a high risk startup like WIND. Oh, by the way, BCE share price promptly ...

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WIND Cares please put a little thought into your response. WIND did not win the spectrum auction in Quebec and therefore cannot build their network in Quebec. End of story.

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Hey Leo, why not tell TD that if they can't provide the service you need you'll take your business elsewhere? Online bill payment for WIND has been available at other Canadian banks for months!

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Anon1234, like you, my personal experience with Scarborough coverage is that it is more than an adequate. Keep in mind that some of the frequent posters of negative comments are not actual Wind customers but trolls. One of the sleaziest ways for the incumbents to beat back a competitor is to use the time-tested FUD factor - create fear, uncertainty and doubt to dissuage any clients from considering using a new provider. Take everything you see posted here with a grain of salt.

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What a ridiculous question! Mobilicity has not launched in ANY city yet while Wind has launched in 4 Home Zones. Mobilicity will have a major task just to launch a viable service in Toronto whereas Wind already has a vast GTA Toronto Home Zone from Oshawa to Hamilton which it is still expanding. The most likely outcome is that Mobilicity will eventually launch with a very limited Toronto only coverage area and the same limited handset selection as Wind or Public Mobile. Given that Mobilicity has less financial backing than Wind, any expansion they undertake will proceed at a glacial ...

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Public Mobile is a joke that will fall flat very quickly once people realize how limited their offering is. Wind should really be negociating a deal with Videotron (which is building a network in Quebec) so that Wind subscribers can roam on Videotron at very affordable rates. Far better to have Wind customers using their phones in Quebec pay roaming fees to Videotron than Robbers!

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Canadianman16, your comment about not having to worry about roaming charges as a Telus, Bell or Rogers customer seems at odds with the facts. Bell recently announced an increase in their U.S. roaming from 99 cents to an all inclusive $1.45 per minute. That does not compare favourably to Wind's all inclusive 25 cents per minute roaming on T-mobile. In fact, the vast majority of Roger's customers who make or receive calls outside their constantly shrinking local calling area will incurr higher roaming costs than Wind customers roaming on Rogers! Rogers and the other incumbents have two clear advantages over ...

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++1

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sjbird, since your first month with WIND is always free, why did you not sign up for the Always Shout Plan? You can always switch to the CHAT plan after your free month is up. Just wondering...

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Actually, I had an experience last night that suggests WIND still has a lot of work to do to get its message out. My son's twenty something girlfriend (who is in the ideal demographic for WIND) had NEVER heard of WIND. I suspect an astoundingly how percentage of new WIND customers heard about WIND through a friend or colleague and not WIND's advertising. It's not enough to have a great product or service if not enough prospective customers know you are out there!

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Nobody should be concerned that WIND will be bought out by one of the incumbents. Part of the terms/conditions of the spectrum auction prohibits Rogers, Telus or Bell from buying out any of the new entrants for at least 5 years. The Rogers and Telus stores at Scarborough Town Centre (Toronto Home Zone) still seem to attract a fair amount of traffic. Business does seem to be way down for Bell's Solo and Virgin discount brands and perhaps Roger's Fido brand is down as well. One would think that value oriented cellphone users would be the first segment to jump ...

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And Virgin Mobile was bought up by Bell.

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Excellent idea! Dragon Boat races on Toronto Islands attract thousands of spectators and would raise WIND's profile significantly. I also think WIND should open a retail store in Pacific Mall for the same reason.

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WIND Cares has the best answer. My plan is to switch all family memebers to WIND and then enjoy unlimited calls amongst ourselves even for those on the CHAT plan!

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Wow, this site is a real eye opener to the sad state of literacy skills in Canada today. Postings with numerous typos, spelling and grammatical errors seem all too common.

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Totally agree! So far I see no sign that WIND has done anything like this. Rogers and Telus are big advertisers in the Chineses media and WIND is giving them a free ride.

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If you order the T-Mobile version of the N1 from Google, you will be able to enjoy 3G on WIND in Toronto Home Zone. Later, if you find yourself relocating to Kitchener/Waterloo you can always buy a Rogers/Fido sim card and continue to use your unlocked N1 on Rogers in 2G until WIND launches a Home Zone in Kitchener/Waterloo sometime later this year. Whatever you do, avoid ordering the Rogers version of the N1 or you will be stuck with them contract or no contract!

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Hey, doeboy77, my comments were not directed at immigrants. Your opinions are strictly your own.

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3ger is the new JAWG

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As an alternative why not use pre-authorized payment to automate the bill payment process?

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WIND phones are compatible with T-Mobile's network. You can either roam on T-Mobile at 25 cents per minute or if you have an unlocked WIND phone you can buy a T-Mobile sim and pay their rate.

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Yeah, I saw that posted too. Given that the info comes from Rogers, I would not place too much reliance on its truthfulness. Just an easy way to brush off customers when "Canada's reliable network" turns out to be not so reliable.

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Bell and Telus have already seen a continual decline in their landline business over the last few years as customers switched to another home phone service. Now with number portability and unlimited cellphone voice plans for $35, replacing the landline with a cellphone becomes a no-brainer for many folks. Essentially the savings from eliminating the landline pay for you cellphone plan! Many young people today never even get a landline to begin with since everyone calls them on their cellphone. That's why Rogers is best positioned of the 3 incumbents (no real landline business to lose) and why all 3 ...

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Excellent suggestions. Now we just have to hope that WIND acts on them in a timely manner.

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Last fall my older son started school in Dublin (Ireland). My other son brought over his Fido phone but we had to pay $25 to have it unlocked as we did not have the unlock code. After I was back home, I checked with Fido and sure enough they will not provide the unlock code as per policy. Now if I make another trip their I will have two phones that I can use with a local sim card. Way cheaper than roaming that's for sure.

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"there" not "their". Damn, this forum really does need an edit function. Spell checker too!

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Ahmad, well said. Too many people on this site have the attitude that only their needs should be addressed and don't care about anyone else. It's just good business to be accommodating to potential customers who have different needs and preferences.

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With WIND the first month is always free and there are no contracts. Therefore if your WIND service is so bad why are you still here?

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All the whining from this user is getting really tiresome. Get a life!

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Please do.

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The refund policy for the phone allows you to return the phone for a refund on the purchase price of the phone period. The 30 minutes of call usage is covered under any of WIND's plans and the first month for all voice plans is free anyway. Logically any charges beyond what would be covered under your first month's plan would be billed to you. Those who selected Always Shout when they joined should be able to text as much as they want without getting dinged for extra fees. You would still be on the hook for WIND Away charges ...

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Dodokoko, just a thought but have you checked your junk mail folder? Some of WIND's emails such as the survey are mistakenly tagged as SPAM by some email systems.

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I second the motion.

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That's why they are called "Robbers"!

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Canadianman16, according to the article you posted above, City Fido will be offering data at: $30/1gb, $40/2gb, $50/5gb, $80/8gb Unless I have misunderstood the article, those data rates do not seem very compelling!

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Guru, WIND will provide you with the unlock code however you will have to perform the unlock procedure yourself (unless their policy has changed). User SamsungGravity2 (?) posted the procedure on this forum previously and I used it to unlock my SG2.

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Guys, have you considered the fact that the unlimited data plan is $35 per month. All you have to do is add the unlimited data plan, update your maps or whatever, then drop the unlimited data plan as soon as you're done! All at a cost of little more than a buck or two. Later when WIND finally provides more data options you can select one of the more affordable plans.

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Eventually, WIND should enhance the website to allow customers to check which stores have an item in-stock like Future Shop does today.

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WIND customers on the CHAT plan should be aware of another bug in the billing system. At the beginning of my billing cycle (March 15), I added the $5 unlimited SMS option to avoid extra SMS charges while my son was using the phone. On March 25, I dropped the unlimited SMS add on since I almost never use SMS myself. During the remainder of the billing cycle (March 25-April 14), there are only 4 SMS texts: 1 an international SMS text correctly charged 15 cents and 3 local outgoing SMS texts billed at 10 cents each! It would appear ...

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Anyone successfully sending/receiving texts to Republic of Ireland?

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It's pointless to compare a $35 plan on WIND with a $15 plan on another carrier and say how much better it is! WIND needs to offer better plans at each price point including the entry level CHAT plan. By changing to billing by the second for the CHAT plan, WIND would eliminate any claim that Fido's $15 plan is competitive with WIND's $15 plan.

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Just another example why you should take advantage of the free trial (under 30 days and 30 minutes of use) to evaluate if WIND is for you BEFORE you port your number!

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WIND did make a clear statement that it provides equal treatment for Pay Before customers so providing bills in PDF format would seem to be part of the commitment.

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Hmmm...unless I misread the article, Rogers is posting an increase of 45,000 subscribers vs. anticipated increase of 75,000. So they are showing an increase in subscribers and a significant increase in wireless profit per subscriber. Not too shabby and hardly a cause for panic...yet.

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++1 Someone posted that WIND is expected to soon announce goodies for early adopters - hope it is more than just a rumour.

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Jorga Bonita, I recently talked to someone in billing at Rogers/Fido about the whole issue of porting and the 30 day notice in their terms of service. It's a catch 22 situation - if you give the 30 day notice to your existing provider they will CANCEL your service but your phone number will be INELIGIBLE for porting! Her recommendation was NOT to notify your existing provider but issue a porting request via your new provider as early as possible in the last month of your contract. In my case, the Fido contract ends on August 20/2010, so I will ...

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Hey guys, you should be aware that WIND only sells its phones LOCKED. Their policy is to provide the customer with the unlock code only after 3 months of service. If you just joined WIND and are using a WIND purchased handset, the phone will be locked and you will not be able to use another provider's SIM card. WIND's response above should have pointed that out!

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You don't have to worry about being charged for making or receiving voice calls when you are WIND Away in a Home Zone because WIND automatically blocks these calls! Requesting WIND to block your ability to make Wind Away calls outside a Home Zone can lead to problems. What happens if you really need to make a call (other than 911) and you have ventured outside the Home Zone? On the other hand, it is a good idea to request WIND to block data when you are in an Away Zone or all data if you don't have a data ...

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After requesting Customer Service to make changes to my account, I always check My Account online to verify that everything has been done correctly. Of course, it would be nice if we could make these changes ourselves online rather than always having to call Customer Service or, worse yet, go to a WIND store and stand in line.

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I live very close to Kennedy and Steeles and get an excellent signal inside my home at all times. I have had a good signal well north of Hwy 7 but closer to Woodbine Avenue. I think the poor quality of WIND's signal inside commercial buildings and malls is well known. As for any service, if it doesn't work for you, don't use it!

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I don't recommend calling in to Customer Service to check your WIND Away blocking status until AFTER the Porting promotion ends on May 4!

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Why not just add the unlimited data add on for one day then remove it the next day? The cost of the add on would be pro-rated and amount to a little more than a buck and change. Now it might be interesting to see how many times you would be allowed to do this in a given month...

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While WIND does not currently offer a "family plan" with shared minutes, they do provide free WIND to WIND calling to anyone (not just family members) while in a Home Zone. Fido prepaid minutes at 30 cents per minute are much more expensive than WIND (100 minutes for $15 and 10 cents per minute for additional minutes). Of course, if you can get by with 30 minutes per month then Fido prepaid is cheaper for you.

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One of the busier WIND stores too. The store at Woodside square at McCowan & Finch is a better bet unless you like lineups!

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I disagree in part with your statement "billing is still a total chaos" (and not just because of the poor grammar)! As a Pay After customer, I have been paying all my WIND invoices except the first one using online banking. No store lineups and no need to call customer service to pay my bill. My first WIND bill for $2.03 I did pay at a WIND store in mid-January without any hassles. However, I wholeheartedly agree that WIND has completely mismanaged the billing arrangements for Pay Before customers resulting in a complete shambles at month end when ALL Pay ...

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Better have your phone checked out. Kennedy & Steeles has an awesome signal 24/7.

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Hmmm...depends on how many people ask intelligent questions about network coverage and roaming before they sign up or just focus on the "cheap" and "unlimited" aspects of Public Mobile's offering. The same comment applies to folks who lock themselves into a 3-year contract with one of the incumbents just to get that fancy new phone for "free"! While there's no question that Public Mobile will be the first of the new entrants to disappear, the timing will depend on how long it takes most cell phone users to wise up about the severe limitations of their offering. As stated previously ...

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Just curious - by X10i are you referring to the Sony Ericson Experia X10i. If so, where did you get yours and for how much!

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How far "out of town" is your friend? All WIND phones are capable of roaming on Rogers network (unless the phone settings are configured to lock onto WIND's network only) so he should have service just about anywhere in Canada. Perhaps he is a little further "out of town" ... like somewhere in the U.S. (Atlantic City here I come)!

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The person who has his phone can simply get it unlocked and use it on another carrier. WIND phones are compatible with some of the new entrants and T-mobile in the U.S.A.

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If you want to avoid WIND Away charges for data or voice calls just call up WIND and have them block it! I really don't have sympathy for those who complain about these charges but fail to take such an elementary step to avoid them.

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Stop whining - unlimited texting add-on is only 5 bucks.

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The Roger's version of the Sony Ericson Experia X10 does not support AWS and therefore will not run on WIND's network at all. It would only allow you to roam (in 2G) on Roger's network and even then only outside a WIND Home Zone. If you really want to use this phone on WIND, you need to order the unlocked T-Mobile version which WILL run in 3G on WIND's network. Be aware that Canadian ebay sellers are almost certainly selling the Roger's and not the T-Mobile version, so you probably have to buy from a U.S. seller. Just be careful ...

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On Google's web page for ordering the N1, it says you can buy an additional battery for the bargain price of $25. Sounds like a good investment to me!

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Here's a posting from "mrwonderful" a couple of months ago... "I'm very impressed and happy with Wind, been using my phone this whole weekend, its been perfect coverage even better than Telus....I will never go back to big 3...I'm planning on porting my number once Wind launches in Ottawa.....And for anyone whose interested the Huawei ..." Full circle from enthusistic convert to dedicated WIND basher.

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The T-Mobile version of Xperia X10 runs in 3G on T-Mobile and WIND. Just make sure you don't inadvertently buy the Rogers/AT&T version.

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I believe he is referring to the late unlamented "Family & Friends" plan that was frequently resold by unscruplous insiders on the net. Good to know that WIND at least has some measures in place to stop freeloaders from getting additional unwarranted "freebies". I hope this means that WIND finally recognizes that it needs to practice a "fair use" policy when it comes to promotions!

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Then ask for a callback and avoid the hassle!

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WindDavid, your comparison of WIND CHAT vs Fido plan overlooks the fact that WIND bills by the minute whereas Fido is by the second. Now if WIND would only switch to billing by the second (at least on the CHAT plan), the superiority of WIND would be more convincing!

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A much more important consideration is whether a mobile phone company will provide the unlock code for their own phones after a reasonable period of time. Ideally, you want to be able to switch carriers just by buying a Sim Card and not a new handset. I plan on buying my own unlocked phones for that very reason. Anyone know what M*o*b*o*l*i*c*i*t*y 's policy is or are they keeping that a little secret?

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LOL, Anisa simply phrased what the rest of us were saying in more diplomatic language...

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CaptainZangetsu, I heard Family and Friends were able to get the Always Shout plan for $15/month on a permanent basis (ie. no time limit). While in the lineup at the WIND store in Scarborough Town Centre, another gentleman claimed that he has the Infinite Laptop data plan(using the Internet stick) for the unbelievable price of $15/month. Those who pay $55/month for the same feature have got to feel just a little chagrined, methinks.

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My wait time on a call back from Customer Service was 8 minutes...hardly an eternity.

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Community guidelines prohibit posting what I really think about this guy. He is just like Singischeap (and the rest) who kept spamming the community with rants about free this and free that. If he is so unhappy about WIND not letting him continue to feed at the trough, then he is welcome to take his business to Mobilicity. Not too likely I bet!

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If you are alreay that close to the official coverage area on the map, then you might very possibly have coverage for your home already as the maps are only updated after a major expansion of the whole zone. The only sure way is try using a WIND phone. If it works for you then keep the phone otherwise return it (under 30 days and 30 minutes usage) for a full refund and try again later.

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Oortian, very thoughtful and well phrased post. I believe there is a prohibition in effect via the terms of the spectrum auction that prevents any of the incumbents from buying out any of the new entrants during the first five (?) years. Nobody here wants a replay of the Clearnet and Fido scenario where the Robellus consortium snuffs out any chance of real compeititon via a buyout. Personally, I see very little sign of significant change in the business practices of the incumbents as they continue to rely on locking up their phones and customers rather than meet the new ...

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Nexzen, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, well maybe it IS a duck (or fanboy in your case)! Since Mobilicity has only just launched, nobody can actually KNOW just how good (or bad) their coverage and call quality is yet compared to WIND. All we really can actually compare is their published plans, coverage area and handset selection. Frankly, it's a mixed bag. In terms of coverage, there is absolutely no contest. Mobilicity's coverage is more akin to Public Mobile - pathetic. WIND is far, far, far ahead and there is ...

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In a previous life, he lavished the same extravagant praise on all things WIND. Somewhere on the road of life he underwent a metamorphosis to become a Telus devotee. LOL.

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++1 Join the crowd who have been clamouring for this for months! Someday, maybe?

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Yes, the windingone, you can use an unlocked WIND phone in 2G (edge) on Rogers. Not sure why you would want to do that unless you are in a poor coverage area since the major attraction of the incumbents is their discounting of expensive handsets for a 3 year term.

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gajan, yes they are blocking ports including ports that WIND does not!

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Nexzen, no carrier will unlock a customer's handset. There are clear liability issues if nothing else. However, WIND is the ONLY carrier in Canada with a published policy that they will give you (no charge) the unlock code for your WIND handset after 3 months of service with them. Now try asking Robellus for the unlock code for any of their handsets at the end of your 3 YEAR term and see how hard they laugh. Better yet, ask your friends at Mobilicity if they will match WIND's policy of providing the unlock code for free after 3 months and ...

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I believe you can request WIND to turn off WIND Away for data but still allow WIND Away for voice. This way you would avoid any possible roaming charges for data while still being able to use your phone for voice calls when out of the Home Zone.

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WIND is unable to expand into Quebec as it was outbid for spectrum in Quebec by Videotron. However, I think it would fantastic if WIND and Videotron agreed to offer roaming to each other's cutomers at a low monthly rate! After all, they are not competing with each other...

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Sorry, oortian, but my own personal experience is that the callback service DOES work. I have used it multiple times and I always get a callback. Having said that, WIND really does need to hire and train more staff for the call centres and the WIND stores and generally grow their infrastructure to better handle their rapid growth.

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I am totally mystified why ANY Pay After WIND customers would not be using online banking to pay their WIND bill. Unless maybe they bank with some really obscure financial institution (bank of Uzbekhastan)? Can any Pay After WIND customers please enlighten me why they still MUST pay their bill at a WIND store or a call to Customer Service. I just don't get it.

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Hmmm...I have been able to obtain customer service over the phone TWICE this week in a LOT less time than you claim. More like 10 minutes tops. Of course, if the wait times were longer, I would simply ask for a call back. I pay all my WIND bills using online banking via Scotiabank or Bank of Montreal so my need for calling customer service is for plan changes not paying bills. Rather than blaming WIND you should be getting on the case of your financial institution for dragging their feet by not adding WIND as a payee for online ...

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Online Banking is still the best way to go. Sure not everybody banks at PC FINANCIAL.

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My experience is same as Ridham. Once I was able to view my bill, I paid using Online Banking with BMO.

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C'mon let's get serious Windy. How many Pay After WIND customers are actually forced to call Customer Service to pay their bill? Surely not everyone does their banking at the Bank of Uzbekistan (or PC FINANCIAL) and cannot use online banking? Pay Before customers can use top up cards now(among other alternatives to calling Customer Service).

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Only three more months of triple digit bills with Fido. Can hardly wait to switch my son over to WIND and put that dog down!

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++1

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Hear that WindyN900 and the rest of you PC FINANCIAL guys? Mark this day of the month on your calendar as WIND bill payment day - problem solved! LOL

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Frankly WIND should immediately recognize this opportunity to show how they are different from Robellus by offering to suspend any serviceman's (or servicewoman's) account for NO CHARGE for as long as their deployment lasts! Imagine the statement THAT would make!

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I use online banking with both Scotiabank and BMO to pay my WIND bills without any problems. However, in my case, I did input the full account no. including the DBC.

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WIND's policy is very clearly posted PUBLICLY on its website. Trying to blame your situation on anything other than your own lack of due diligence is very self-serving. You and Fido deserve each other as you both have a similar lack of integrity and ethics.

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Unfortunately, it's all too often true that "you never get a second chance to make a good impression". WIND itself has tacitly admitted that it launched its service prematurely in the Toronto and Calgary Home Zones - look how much longer it has now taken to launch Vancouver compared to the original plans. When I ask colleagues and acquaintances why they don't consider switching to WIND, a common answer was that they did try it out and the service was poor in their area. Maybe some of them will try WIND again later, but I bet many will stay away ...

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Over the past 10 years, I must have paid nearly $1,000 in System Access Fees and 911 fees to Telus in order to keep my phone and plan. I knew it was a ripoff but Rogers and Bell were doing exactly the same thing. That's whap happens when there is no real competition. Then I see people posting cr*p about how wonderful Telus plans are NOW. These wonderful offers only exist due to WIND and the other new entrants. I would have to completely lose my mind to sign up with Telus - ain't going to happen!

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Isn't it interesting how so many of the relentlessly negative posts are made by just a few (like phoneaddict)? One hss to wonder why (if they are not a current or previous WIND customer) they keep posting on this site only negative comments?

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Guys, please stop posting totally erroneous information. There was an opportunity for WIND to participate in the auction for spectrum in Quebec. Unfortunately, they got outbid by Videotron which plans to launch its new wireless service later this year. End of Story.

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Interesting idea - maybe WIND could add this feature if they should decide to provide Caller Name Display to their service.

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Graham, given the extreme seriousness of the allegation, I can understand why you are trying to follow this up rather than casually dismiss it. However, there are all sorts of tell tale signs that this posting is not legitimate: 1) This is the ONLY posting by this Userid 2) NOBODY else around had a cellphone??? 3) Silence speaks volumes

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The payment will not show up on the Account page until you get your NEXT bill. WIND does not provide any automatic confirmation that your bill payment has been received.

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Wind Away voice calling is blocked within a Home Zone period. There is no option to have WIND turn it back on for a user who requests it - several customers who live on the fringe of a Home Zone have asked for this feature.

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++1 It's really hard to understand how M*b*l*c*t*y is selling this phone through their stores and WIND still does not.

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++1 Subscriber numbers reported by Robellus next quarter may tell the tale...

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If you purchased your phone using a credit card, you may be able to get a replacement under the card's insurance coverage. Just a possibility to ease the pain.

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Well said, cooby9! The only real advantage the incumbents have is their extensive coverage area (coast-to-coast). Over time, as WIND expands their network to the other urban cenres and outwards to the surrounding areas, even that advantage will disappear. I don't think the incumbents' existing business model can continue indefinitely when that happens...

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++1 Lineups in WIND stores are a chaotic shambles! If you can't eliminate them at least put a better system in place to manage the workload.

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Very well said, HeyItried. Good communication has to be 2-way at all times. I don't have a problem with WIND tweaking their plans and terms of service but the failure to properly communicate these changes in advance is a real letdown. One suggestion that might help is to post recent updates to their policies in a "communication" section of each customer's monthly bill. Better yet why not a "recent changes" section on the WIND home page?

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Including Government Regulatory Recovery Fee (a Rogers exclusive)LOL!

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She could buy an unlocked AWS phone compatible with T-mobile and WIND. Then she could use a T-mobile sim for the time she is in the U.S. and buy a WIND sim when she returns to Canada.

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All WIND phones are able to roam on Rogers in 2G. People who love 3 year contracts should stay with one of the incumbents.

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Count me in!

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Another reason not to get VM! LOL

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Hmmm...the chronic delays in obtaining customer service are well-documented but to describe "the culture at WIND is toxic already" seems WAY over the top to me. While my interactions with WIND customer service have been limited, they have been consistently positive. In particular, any legitimate billing errors I have brought to their attention have been immediately acknowledged and resolved. Also, I was able to return a WIND handset for a full refund without any hassles. Perhaps the reason for my satisfaction is that I only ask WIND to fulfill its stated policy and nothing more. A WIND customer unhappy with ...

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My son's FIDO contract expires at the end of August and I have absolutely no intention to renew with them. FIDO charges System Access Fee plus 911 fee plus CallerID and so on. The bill for his $20 monthly plan comes to at least $70 before taxes (and that is with NO DATA). If he goes over on the local minutes (200 included in his plan) then the bill rises very quickly into the $100 plus range. On WIND his bill would be capped at $40 before taxes.

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WIND is still missing a low cost flip phone like the Sony Ericsson TM506. Otherwise, I agree that they need a better selection of good quality phones. While it's unfortunate that so many of the better phones don't support WIND's AWS network, they should try harder to bring in the few that do.

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The Telus troll is back!

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I believe WIND customer service is simply keying your IMEI into an application that spits out the unlock code. At the time I got my unlock code, I was told that they would be unable to get another unlock code until an additional 3 months had passed. Just a suggestion but it would be a handy feature to cut down on the call centre traffic if WIND could allow the customer to request the unlock code using the website!

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"So a customer could feasibly be paying off a phone at wind and transfer their service (and phone) to mobilicity." How many of those WIND financed Blackberry 9700 smartphones might end up on Mobilicity - not much future for WIND in becoming a phone supplier to a competitor!

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You can drop Voice Mail and save some money by switching to the Always Talk Plan with the Unlimited Text Add-on. You save $5 per month over the Always Shout Plan although you do lose Canada Wide Long Distance.

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The inability to make calls within a Home Zone when your phone shows WIND Away (ie. roaming on Rogers) is due to the fact that WIND blocks it and not due to any defect in your handset! You can only make WIND Away calls when you are OUTSIDE of a WIND Home Zone. This has been a fact of life for WIND users since early this year.

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Well, this has been a fact of life in the Toronto and Calgary Home Zones for many months now. Anytime your phone shows WIND Away and you are in the Home Zone you are literally in the twilight zone. Any incoming calls go directly to VM (if enabled). Perhaps WIND has not disabled this feature as the Vancouver Home Zone has only recently been launched?

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Sounds a variation of the current Robellus offering of 6 months unlimited local calling provided of course that you sign a 3 year contract. These guys are relentless in their quest to tie up their customers in long term contracts. Not even tempted.

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I guess you can always ask them how much to get out of your contract early.

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Really..they probably only cry when they get the bill for all that data!

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Another 1 post wonder (after 3 months no less)! I wonder how many WIND customers or potential customers take posts like this seriously - not many I hope! By the way, in the unlikely event that this is a post by an actual WIND customer, the FAQ clearly spells out the policy regarding handset returns - no surprise to those who take the trouble to read it!

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Any phone calls to the U.S. from a WIND Home Zone are 25 cents per minute (not 15 cents per minutes). I think you can add unlimited U.S. calling for $10/month - would be a good idea in your situation.

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I live near Pacific Mall (north Scarborough) and reception has been more than satisfactory. WIND marketing needs to expand beyond the hip youth market that it targeted at the beginning of its launch or lose out to competitors like Mobility.

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Well let's see if this has any impact on CSR wait times!

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Don't hold your breath...expect the usual end of month madness to continue!

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I also wondered if you could sign up for the promotion on the chat plan and upgrade to always talk later and still get the promotion pricing. Well now we know.

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The Samsung Gravity 2 is a safe but boring choice that has been available at WIND stores since Day 1. Although $20 more than the Huawei at the time I signed up, the decision became a no-brainer when I asked the question: Which phone has the higher return rate? If WIND had more phones available, they would probably have dropped this sick puppy a long time ago!

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Ernesto, I also bank with Scotiabank and paid my first WIND invoice using Scotiabank's online bill payment as far back as March 2010! The payee is listed as WIND Mobile and Account Number as shown on my invoice.

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If you bought the phone 14 days ago or less AND have 30 minutes usage or less, simply return the phone for a full refund!

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Well, you can sign up until the end of the month and get unlimited talk and text for $22.50 per month for 6 months! Hard to beat that.

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This is definitely a step backward - really undermines the whole concept of "we're different from the other guys". I just purchased a Nokia 5230 handset over the weekend and activated it before the 50 percent off promotion ends this month. Absolutely nobody at the WIND store pointed out this policy change (or perhaps they were unaware of it themselves). It not only goes against their own stated principles of openess and transparency but the failure to communicate this change beforehand is very disheartening.

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Hey, Wind Community Team, thanks for clearing this up! It would be a big help to have the policy re: unlocking your phones posted more prominently on your website to avoid future misunderstandings!

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Good luck with Fido. Lengthy wait times, no call back service and incompetent billing. All bundled with high fees and outrageous charges. Fido welcomes you!

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Bon Voyage!

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Actually, the correct term for today's wireless market is oligopoly as the "big 3" have 95% (more or less) of the market. However, nothing lasts forever - remember how the "big 3" automakers dominated the North American automobile market in the 1960's and look where they are today!

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It must be clear by now that it is not a lack of top up options that is contributing to this permanent monthend fiasco. I suspect that WIND has an unusually high percentage of Pay Before customers - how many are Pay Before by choice or simply are Pay Before because they can't pass the credit check. Two things that WIND could do that would help: introduce a deposit system to permit more Pay Before customers to qualify for Pay After and put Pay Before customers on "different" top up dates. Having everyone's top up date the same is just ...

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Last weekend WIND opened a store in Shops on Don Mills (Toronto)complete with a draw for a free BB every hour. Very spacious and upscale store - Scarborough Town Centre store seems claustrophobic by comparison. Since I don't live close to Shops on Don Mills, I haven't been back to see how the traffic is in the store. I only went there out of curiosity and to participate in the free draw (no, I didn't win)! WIND really needs to partner with some independent retailers to improve their distribution and service channels. Blockbuster is clearly on deathwatch!

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I am a Pay After customer too so paying my WIND bill has never been an issue. Furthermore, I recently activated a new Nokia 5230 and noticed that the reception is significantly better than with my Samsung Gravity 2. It is hard to know how many folks "reception" problems are really due to the network or the cheap phone they purchased. Today, I would recommend the Nokia over the Samsung and advise everyone to skip the cheaper phones completely. The modest savings just aren't worth it!

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Huh? All of your historical billing info is available as pdfs (as long as My Account is working that is)! You only need usage stats for interim data until the next bill is available.

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What about the other Canadian wireless carriers? Didn't Mobilicity publicly announce from the beginning that they would be blocking specific ports under their Terms of Service? Wouldn't they have to comply as well? A level playing field means all carriers would be compelled to comply with the ruling.

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"Or you could just buy one of Wind's cheaper phones." I disagree. Cheaping out on your handset is a poor tradeoff. Often in life you get what you pay for. Cheap price = Cheap (non-functioning)performance. A good example is Wind's cheap Huawai touchscreen that's been a disaster since launch day.

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In my opinion, it is completely unrealistic to expect your phone service provider to continue providing you service indefinitely without you having paid ANYTHING! WIND seems to be attracting a disproportiate share of these folks who then complain and threaten to leave. Now if only they would LEAVE and take their business to Fido, Roger, Bell, Telus, Koodoo, etc. and see how long THOSE companies allow them to use their service for FREE!

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If Rogers is only offering this new discount service in areas where WIND has coverage, would that not be construed as an anti-competitive practice? Why is it that the CRTC and other regulatory authorities continue to do nothing to protect consumers from such tactics!?

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Well, if Mobilicity is vulnerable then Public Mobile has to be already on "death watch". CHATR and SOLO are targetting exactly the features and pricing that Public Mobile is. At least Mobilicity and Wind offer a 3G network with data and support for higher end devices. No rational business case for Public Mobile's survival.

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Don't believe it! I bought my Nokia 5230 only a week ago and it definitely does NOT come with bluetooth or a car charger! Possibly you are confusing WIND's Nokia 5230 package with Mobilicity's 5230 package. I would check before saying it definitively.

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When someone posts under "anonymous" they are sending a strong signal that they are not to be taken seriously.

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Which Home Zone are you in ANON1234? My own personal experience (Toronto Home Zone) is that sending or receiving voice calls is ALWAYS blocked when my phone shows WIND AWAY in a Home Zone. I have been a customer since mid-December launch and have NEVER been charged for WIND Away voice calls while in a Home zone.

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Hmmm..Yesterday, I was at Markville Mall around 3:00-5:00pm. I got a full WIND Home signal in the parking lot and surprisingly for a time inside the mall. The signal eventually switched to WIND Away until I returned to get my car when again it switched back to WIND Home. Markville Mall location can no longer be considered to be a "dead zone" anymore.

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Yes, they could refuse to talk to you if you say you are going to record the conversation BUT wouldn't that be strange since every call centre indicates in their greeting message that THEY are recording you!

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Anti-Robellus: Your suggestion to add your cellphone number to the DNCL carries a lot of risk - effectively your are PUBLISHING your cellphone number to the outside world. Once that happens, expect an avalanche of 000-000-000 robocalls from foreign based telemarketers!!! Currently, cellphone numbers are not disclosed by the carriers to third parties (unlike landline phone numbers).

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CHATR is likely to be available this week or next. A new unmarked cellphone kiosk was being set up yesterday in Scarborough Town Centre on the ground floor near SEARS. When the workers finished, they put a large cover over the whole kiosk and when asked about whether the kiosk was for a new cellphone company declined to answer which company. I am 100 percent convinced this is the new CHATR kiosk which will be ready for business whenever the lawyers give the goahead. The empire is preparing to strike back at the upstart rebels!

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Another one post wonder!

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24 Bookmarks

For all current Rogers and Fido customers who are in a contract, your lucky day is coming up. In April, Rogers and Fido are increasing the 911 fees from 50 cents to 75 cents. Know your rights. You DO NOT have to accept these changes to your account, and you can call and tell them you are not accepting the changes being made, and that you are using your rights given by the Government to walk away from your contract without penalty or ECF fees. http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/09/01/cwta-wireless-code-conduct.html


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No automatic time update? I have a SAMSUNG phone and I've restarted it several times but its still showing the old time.. why has the phone not been updated to an hour ahead for spring yet? The Time setting is set to Automatic; I've verified this several times.


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Hey Wind here's an idea, would be great that Wind would start carrying more accessories for your phones that you carry, like a whole bunch of headphones and adapters that will work for phones that only use mini usb connector..very frustrating that I can't find headphones anywhere in my city to work with my phone


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I found out today that Wind provides support in languages other than English and French including Hindi, Punjabi and Mandarin. Why doesn't Wind advertise this?


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1. Why scarborough such a problem! 2. I live on Neilson Road near tapscott and calls are dropped frequently. Infact while calling 611 call dropped 2 times. 3. I complained several times to 611 and no action seems to have taken place. 4. I have business at morning side and Mclevin in the industrial area and in my work place no service and some times it display wind away. 5. you have given one month free so that we can evaluate your service. I am paying rogers and wind and i cant turn off rogers because you are not reliable ...


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I just unlocked my phone. However, Wind doesn't tell you the procedure on how to do it. So all those people who are with WIND using Samsung Gravity 2 T469w5 and have got their unlock code from WIND. Here is the procedure on how to unlock it :-


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From WIND HOME to WIND AWAY. Not sure if anyone has tested this out! Suppose You start answer/make a call while you are in a WIND coverage zone (your phone says WIND HOME) and while on the call, you drive out of the WIND coverage area to a WIND AWAY zone, do you get charged for any part of the call? Or does WIND only charge if the call was originated outside a Home Zone? Can anyone confirm that they were not charged at all? What happens if the call originates in AWAY and drive within HOME? djino


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How do I foward my Samsung Gravity phone to my home number, and how do I remove fowarding ?


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Hey WIND! I just activated my new phone Nokia 5230 and I am amazed with your service. I have a small annoyance with my phone and I would appriciate it if you could help me. Whenever I tap or press a button on my Nokia 5230, it vibrates and I would like to turn off the vibration. How can I do that? ooohhh! and as soon as I turned on my phone, it asked my to do a software update. Where can I download the software? Thank you WIND and I love you!!!


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FYI to owners of the Nokia 5230 who are not on a Data Plan. It is possible to download apps from the OVi Store onto your PC. Read through the following forum thread. It's very confusing but after a few read throughs I was able to get it to work :) http://forum.dailymobile.se/index.php/topic,9443.0.html


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Is there somewhere a list of countries to which we can currently send (and receive) international text messages using a wind mobile? Thanks


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Nokia 5230 maps how to? I downloaded maps + sound files from the OVI store. when I open maps it always shows the wrong location. How can I setup the maps correctly?


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Is there a way to copy all the info i.e. my contacts from my Robbers Sim Card to my Wind Sim Card???


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more mobiles on 1700mhz http://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?sName=&idMaker=0&chkUMTS1700=selected&chkHSDPA1700=selected&idAvailability=0&nPriceLow=0&nPriceHigh=0&idCurrency=0&idFormFactor=0&idDualSIM=0&idQwerty=0&HeightMax=0&WidthMax=0&ThicknessMax=0&WeightMax=0&idOS=0&idDisplay=0&idDisplayRes=0&fDisplaySize=0&idDisplayTech=0&idTouchscreen=0&idAccelerometer=0&id35mm=0&idCamera=0&idCameraFlash=0&idVideoRecorder=0&idExpansionCard=0&idGPS=0&bWLAN=0&bEDGE=0&bGPRS=0&idBluetooth=0&bIR=0&bEmail=0&bWAP=0&bJava=0&idRadio=0&bMMS=0&idRingtones=0&sColor=&StandBy=0&TalkTime=0&sFreeText=


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Day 1 with WIND! So I figured I would share my first day experience with WIND. I ordered a Nokia n900 from the US which I received yesterday and today I went and switched over from Rogers and here is what I experienced: 1. The staff at the WIND booth in Woodbine Mall (Rexdale, Toronto westend) was very friendly and down to earth (albeit having a huge lineup). 2. My old number was ported in exactly 4 hours (I did not have a bill on me, but I had accurate account info from Rogers). 3. So far, my service indicator ...


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Behind the scenes of the WIND Network: http://mobilesyrup.com/2010/05/07/video-behind-the-scenes-of-the-wind-mobile-network/


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I love to read well thought out comments from the good people of this forum. Personally, I believe that we haven't seen anything yet from any carrier (new or old). The new carriers will watch their counterparts to see what they have to offer and they will match and adapt as required or fail in the process. The old carriers; well, the old carriers have nowhere to go (price wise) but down. The landscape will change dramatically in the coming months and years. That's why it WOULD BE FOOLISH to sign any contracts with Rogers, Telus or Bell (or any ...


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I tried to add wind to TD payee list, but it keeps saying that i entered an invalid acount number. I am putting the account number i see on the website from wind when i log into my account. Am i missing something??


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Seems like Telus has adopted the "Join The Conversation" Idea as well.... [url=http://www.freeimagehosting.net/][img]http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/7ee0516d3f.jpg[/img][/url]


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It is apparent that WIND Mobile has its problems.


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Wind on BNN...Anthony Lacvera speaks


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Nokia 5230 help: I have so far been unable to find the settings on this phone which would permit me to wipe all info from the phone/memory card as I am selling it and would like everything to be sold "clean". Can anyone familiar with this phone be of any assistance. The IT Dept. was no help (I know - Big surprise there!)


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I wanted to see more accurate coverage maps, so I spent the last couple months working on an application (Android only for now) to log signal strength data, and upload it to a server. The server then generates coverage maps from the data. If you want to see the maps that exist right now, you can view http://www.coveragemapper.com/test/map.php?mccmnc=302490 (this is completely accurate data) or http://www.coveragemapper.com/map.php?mccmnc=302490 (this is mostly accurate, and has a lot more data, but definitely has some inaccurate sections). If you have an Android device on WIND, and want to contribute data to the maps, you can download ...


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Does any one know whats the procedure on how to unlock my NOKIA 5230. I have been given unlock code by WIND but now i am wondering on how to do so. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Good Day!


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