Opinion
I’m very satisfied with my cell phone plan, so when I get door-to-door salesmen bugging me to switch or send me offers by other means, I get annoyed.
Not annoyed with other cell phone providers trying to get my business, but annoyed that it’s pointless, as none can beat the plan I have. When I tell them its features, the salesmen's eyes widen and they ask, “Who’s offering that?” I tell them that if I could do the research to find it, so can they.
Actually, I’m cheating; you’re not going to find the plan I have. I started with a pretty good one, and then my cell phone provider quietly sweetened the deal: Because I was an early customer, they promised me never a price increase, and BTW, here’s an extra 10GB free each month. Maybe they gave me the extra 10, because I rarely use more than 1 a month.
Actually, I’m lying. My wife has an even better plan than me: $10/month (US$7/€6) for unlimited Canada-wide phone calls, unlimited texting, and 15GB* data per year. The * means that she can go over the limit, yet not pay more; the speed, however, goes from 4G to 3G.
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So, I wanted to share with you the latest offer I received from one of the Big Three cell phone operators in Canada, complete with ALLCAPS and color-highlighted text:
Unlimited 100GB data, 5G+ speed (4x faster than usual 5G)- CANADA-wide Unlimited Calling, Texting
- Unlimited International messaging FREE
- USA-CAN Calling, Roaming, Texting FREE
- Global calling 1000 minutes FREE monthly - (all 200 countries covered)
- Priority Customer Support
- Health Virtual Care
- Special Price - $40 per mo
So the first three are the same as what I have, with some adjustments. The 100GB data is meaningless, as I use only 1GB a month. The 5G+ speed is meaningless, as my five-year-old cell phone doesn’t support 5G. In any case, I don’t understand how I would benefit from a “faster speed” when my phone already delivers near-instant speeds.
The next two -- USA and global coverage -- are meaningless in an age of WhatsApp and near-universal free WiFi. Just as Skype killed off over-priced long-distance calling, so WhatsApp is killing global cell phone plans.
The next two are also meaningless to me. The cell phone system here in Canada is so robust that we just never need support anymore. As for Health Virtual Care, don’t care.
The killer is the price. It’s $192 more a year than what I pay now. Secondly, some cell phone companies are currently in the news for offering a low rate to start, then jacking it up just months later. I’m not going to take that risk.
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Still, I am grateful for what I have today. My first cell phone plan in 2010 was unlimited everything at $40/month, but then I found myself spending another $40/month on roaming fees.
Going back in the 1990s, I was grateful for discovering the Calling Card, which allowed to me to phone from any payphone in the USA and have it billed at a reasonable rate to my Canada home phone.
Going back to the 1970s, I was grateful when my parents called me long-distance weekly, so that I, as a university student, wouldn’t have to pay.
And now, in the 2020s, I am grateful that I can video-call with my family members in Europe for free. I wonder if this’ll ever come to an end?
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