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9,000 Canadians petition Steve Jobs for iPhone rate relief

apple20.blogs.fortune.cnn.com — iPhone rate plans in Canada are EXPENSIVE.

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  • dbbradle, on 06/29/2008, -5/+85I hope this somehow makes in impact.
    If not, I won't be using Rogers any longer.
    • sanman, on 06/29/2008, -15/+3Unlock the phone, go with somebody cheaper
      • fudged71, on 06/29/2008, -0/+30They are the only GSM carrier in Canada.
        This is why we are pissed
      • Zaleucus, on 06/29/2008, -0/+7Also, I was under the impression that with the new required in-store activation you won't be able to unlock them for use with other carriers anymore.
      • fudged71, on 06/29/2008, -0/+2@Zaleucus
        That is my concern as well.
        I was thinking of using the device with NO carrier (I'm on a bell contract right now, and I don't want to get slammed with cancellation fees)
        Hopefully we can just buy the phone by itself
    • tjex, on 06/29/2008, -5/+2The launched the announcement before what can be an extra long weekend with Canada Day on Tuesday. I'm sure hoping this will all die down before next week. SNEAKY BASTARDS!
    • kosmoss, on 06/29/2008, -13/+3It has nothing to do with jobs, hmm, i thought canadians were smarter.
      • ModernChem, on 06/29/2008, -0/+6well, he does have some leverage in the matter
      • lartones, on 06/29/2008, -0/+4I think it is in Job's best interest to want to please his customers either way. If Rogers has this many complaints, that means that there are going to be less people buying the phone, which does affect Apple and Jobs.
    • MonkeyFarts, on 06/29/2008, -0/+9I think Joy of Tech's comic today is quite appropriate here:
      http://www.geekculture.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/1 ...
    • themastersb, on 06/29/2008, -0/+6The few alternatives to Rogers aren't much better.
    • Sonique99, on 06/30/2008, -2/+1ruinediphone.com? *****.com was way better.
    • WilliamAdama, on 06/30/2008, -1/+0I'm not using rogers anymore for home phone, found better alternatives with voipgo.com! I am also switching off of them for my ISP because of bandwidth capping.

      Rogers must think we're all idiots, they keep saying "Based on reports that the average usage for the first generation iPhone was less than 100MB per month, our iPhone 3G plans more than accommodatethe vast majority of customers.".
      If this is true then they should have nothing to worry about when they offer an unlimited data rate plan! If we're not going to use more than 100MB a month then offer unlimited!

      P.S. Did Bob Barr ad anyone else as a fan on digg? He added me last night and now I feel special :)
    • pedepy, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1what the hell else will you buy ?

      it's a monopoly dude ! :(
    • grindmygears, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2I hope it doesn't make an impact and people finally leave Rogers. THAT will make an impact. They don't give a ***** about a few thousand whiners who will continue to use their services anyhow.
  • Cityhues, on 06/29/2008, -10/+156Time for some numbers Rogers:

    Let's face it - Rogers doesn't care much about it's customers, what it does care about is revenue and shareholder value.. so let's take a look at what these poorly introduced plans mean to the bottom line. (Of course I'm using some pretty broad assumptions, but bear with me).

    There are currently 11,400 individuals that have signed the ruinediphone.com petition. Lets assume that most of these (say 60%) are motivated Canadian iPhone consumers and that they are so ticked off with Rogers that they will not be obtaining the iPhone that they otherwise would have, had the plans been fair and reasonable.

    Let's assume based on the average pricing plan - assume $90/month unrealized revenue to Rogers for 36 months for 6840 (11,400*60%) potential iPhone customers. This means $22,161,600 in lost Rogers revenue. PLUS an average price of $250 per iPhone times 6840 customers, equals $1,710,000.

    Total cost (so far to Rogers) is about $23 Million in lost revenue. Nice going !!
    • poopsmcgee, on 06/29/2008, -2/+56let's not forget current Rogers subscribers ( like me ) who are canceling accounts because of this con job. Telus is offering unlimited bandwidth, and I've made the move.
      • atarijedi, on 06/29/2008, -2/+5Yeah, but this whole thing is about the iPhone, which Telus cannot support, unless Apple comes out with a CDMA version.
      • luet, on 06/29/2008, -10/+5telus is worse than rogers, WTF HAVE YOU DONE?
      • mlerner, on 06/29/2008, -9/+2Yeah well have fun at Telus. Everyone else is still staying with Rogers.
      • poopsmcgee, on 06/29/2008, -1/+8Telus offers unlimited and I need unlimited. So I'm getting the HTC. You can say Telus is worse than Rogers all you want, they are all evil blood sucking bastards. If I have to choose one, I choose the one with an unlimited data plan, iphone or none. BTW have you seen Bell's data plans? They make Rogers looks like a sweet deal.
      • mCanada, on 06/30/2008, -5/+5There's no such thing as "unlimited" in this day and age. Especially with cell phone data contracts. If you think so you are horribly misinformed.
      • aristotle0dude, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2So I take it that you never want to travel outside of Canada or the US then? Telus is CDMA and their phones only work on CDMA networks in North America.

        I've done the CDMA garbage before and you might not be aware that the "unlimited" plans the CDMA providers offer have limitations for email domains and are often limited to WAP internet.
    • dzw120, on 06/29/2008, -1/+45Remember, though, that there are other Rogers customers. If I can sell 10 apples for $1 each, or 15 apples for $0.50 each, I'd still go for the 10 apples - and you can't simply say that I've lost (15-10)*$0.50 = $2.50 in revenue, because there are costs associated with my price cutting, just like there are costs associated with losing customers.
      • ZimbuTheMonkey, on 06/29/2008, -1/+18Holy *****, I can't believe some idiot dugg you down...
      • amdahlj, on 06/29/2008, -0/+9Without a supply curve, there is no way to know which price (or either) is profit maximizing.
      • billbillbilly, on 06/30/2008, -9/+110 * 1 = 10
        15 * .5 = 7.5 (should have been 21 apples not 15, in order for it to increase revenue)
        next time do you math right, your point is still valid even if your numbers dont support it.
      • dzw120, on 06/30/2008, -0/+7Uh... where is the math wrong? 10 apples give $10 in revenue, 15 apples give $7.50, and $2.50 in revenue is lost despite an increase in apples sold.
      • billbillbilly, on 07/01/2008, -1/+1hmm i didnt quite understand you then.
        I dont think any idiot would say that 15 at .5 is better then 10 at 1. the 10 gets more and costs less to give.
        So my math goes with my own example I guess, if you sold 23 at .5 you would make 1.50 more then if you sold 10 at 1, but it would cost 2.3 times more to make. the 10 would be the best choice still (unless production costs are very low).
    • ZimbuTheMonkey, on 06/29/2008, -0/+23Yes, that's a loss of 23 million (based on your numbers) because of those that will NOT adopt the iPhone. But you haven't figured the amount of revenue that Rogers will generate with the current price of the plans versus the amount it would generate with lower priced plans. You need to calculate the opportunity cost for both situations. It could be that Rogers stands to gain more with the current plans WITHOUT those 6840 people than it would WITH lower prices and WITH those 6840 people.
    • secleinteer, on 06/29/2008, -7/+10And what is this *****: "Rogers does offer unlimited data through Wi-Fi sites" ?

      Rogers has ***** NOTHING to do with iPhone Wi-Fi usage. Why does MSM feels like it must be absolutely neutral, even if it means making up stuff using technical jargon that the average reader will believe?
      • macslut, on 06/29/2008, -0/+9That's free wifi at Rogers and Fido hotspots.
    • cheeseplease, on 06/29/2008, -8/+1Study some business or think your logics through but don't come annoying us with your uneducated opinion.

      The main job of large businesses is figuring out how to make as much profit as possible, and trust me that they know how to do this better than a random diggie does.
      • ZimbuTheMonkey, on 06/30/2008, -1/+2Dunno why you're being dugg down, you're absolutely right. The guy who comes in with completely erroneous and slanted information gets 50 diggs though.
      • cheeseplease, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2Being an Economics MSc, this just shows me how most people haven't got the slightest clue about how businesses and our capitalistic system work. Oh well...
    • RyeBrye, on 06/29/2008, -9/+3Imagine the total number of canadians that would buy an iPhone if the data plans were $1 / month.

      1 dollar * 36 months * 33,390,141 people in Canada = $1,202,045,076

      OMFG!!!! By not pricing their data plan for $1 / month - they are losing 1.2 TRILLION dollars! ZOMG!
      • ZimbuTheMonkey, on 06/29/2008, -1/+9Billion.
      • RyeBrye, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3Yes, I know it is billion... I was being sarcastic and trying to point out the obvious fallacy in this retard's argument.

        Sarcasm is often lost on Digg.
      • DragonForce4, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1what did you expect? you forgot the /sarcasm
    • gleongelpi, on 06/29/2008, -0/+3Not true. The issue is far more complicated. If you lower the price to attract customers that do not want to pay that price, then you lose revenues from the customers that are. Let me give you a simplified example. If 10 perople are willing to pay 10 dollars each, and you would get 12 people to buy if you charged 12, you would have lost 4 dollars in revenues, but you would have loss more because servicing 12 would cost more than servicing 10. If you add to that money for the lenght of the service, then you lose even more. This is one issue.

      The other is: you don't have to buy. You have no right to expect the owner of a product or service to adjust to what you think is fair. Ther is no fairness in this issue. It is a matter of two parties agreeing or disagreeing on the price of a transaction.

      • pedepy, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1your math is failed badly my economist friend. but anyway, you do make a point about that.

        as for 'fairness', the lack of 'fairness' here outcried is the lack of 'fairness' in the market - or total lack of, really. I know I repeat my self, but the GSM market in Canada is more akeen to a price fixing Cartel than a true open market. THIS is what pisses people off: they have nowhere else to go, and to get the goods they wish to aquire they are force into paying rates higher than anywhere else in the world, and that in great part due to the fact that the seller is fully aware & unapologetic of it's [illegal] monopology status.

        Come & think of it, the real problem here ain't Rogers, who do what any company would do, it's the Canadian officials who don't have the balls to do what it takes to finally correct the Canadian telco* market & see it get on par with the rest of this damn planet!
    • teh_techie, on 06/29/2008, -0/+3Ok.. lets get off the idea of lowering the price - because the argument goes back and forth forever. Why not ease up on the caps for data, but keeps the prices the same. I'm not really planning on using my iPhone for talking... I want the fast data, GPS, internet etc. I'll talk occasionally.

      They could double the amount of data allowed, and still make more than if they were to lower the prices of the plans.

      All told - there is SOMETHING they could do to attract and keep customers. I'm pretty sick of the Canadian mobile oligopoly.
      • georgetds, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1I could live with the prices (grumble yes, but live) if the data was unlimited. It really irks me that they want to overcharge in the first place though, and then lurk in wait for me to go over my plan and cut even more money out of my pockets.
    • say592, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5I love numbers.
    • reformation, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1Wow you are so clever - if only they had thought of that themselves!
      • cheeseplease, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Yeah they should really consider hiring someone who can do math! Or maybe even someone who understands the subtleties of business as well as Cityhues does. /s
  • AdamSnow, on 06/29/2008, -2/+52As much as I hope it does - It's unfortunate that any of these petitions, etc. will have ANY impact...

    Rogers is not going to change their pricing model... I'm all for trying though.
    • fudged71, on 06/29/2008, -2/+1And there is no use signing the same one twice.
      Please check this one out as well... it's over a year old: http://digg.com/tech_news/Digg_Stand_Up_Against_Ro ...
    • cheezintern, on 06/29/2008, -8/+2If you can't afford it, don't buy it. Rogers does market research, then sets the price accordingly. They are bound in no way by what some petition says.
      • gfair, on 06/30/2008, -0/+7Yeah, that's why it's a petition, not a command. It's not a "go do this" it's a "here is why you should do this".
    • Raian, on 06/29/2008, -5/+4Ted Rogers will have an interesting time having to explain to Steve Jobs why he is responsible for Apple losing a few million dollars due to lost sales.

      Steve is a nice guy when he's starting new relationships-- but when he gets screwed he goes ballistic.

      This could be the end of Rogers as we know it.
      • Xondar, on 06/30/2008, -2/+3I seriously doubt that. The worst thing that will happen is that Rogers won't be allowed to sell the iPhone anymore and a competitor, Telus or Bell, will.
  • btschul, on 06/29/2008, -28/+13Steve Jobs replies "Who the ***** cares aboot canada?".
    Canada goes on strike.
  • missingship, on 06/29/2008, -4/+5Unfortunately, over time, they will have to wait for prices to come down. That's the difficult part about wanting to own new technology.
    • Velnich, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3True if we were talking about phone prices, but we're talking rate plans which is currently ridiculous regardless of the phone being used.
  • triont, on 06/29/2008, -19/+7Steve Jobs likes his money!
    (I own an iPod touch, not happy with him trying to charge me for ***** that should be free)
    • GarrettB, on 06/29/2008, -3/+9You clearly don't understand any legal things do ya?
      • triont, on 06/29/2008, -6/+3Don't give me that *****.

        If Microsoft can give the Zune free updates then Apple has no excuse.
      • cliffr39, on 06/29/2008, -1/+3triont -- this isn't about the iPod and has nothing to do with Apple or Steve Jobs. It's the wireless provider that is screwing you guys/gals on this right now.
    • fudged71, on 06/29/2008, -4/+2oh yeah, us Canadian iPod Touch users are getting royally ***** in the ass. Makes me so angry
    • outlaw686, on 06/29/2008, -2/+1Take it back and don't qq?
    • gleongelpi, on 06/29/2008, -3/+1Don't buy it. He developed the product. You either pay for what he asks or don't buy it. Billions of people lived a perfectly good life on earth before that time without it. You don't need it, and if you can't pay for what he offer, go elsewhere. Spoiled brat thinking you anr entitled.
  • DarkDx, on 06/29/2008, -19/+264THAT'S OVER NINE THOUSAND!!!!!!!!
    • Elliottx, on 06/29/2008, -55/+1***** you stole my joke. Anal bead.
    • Enche, on 06/29/2008, -4/+44WHAT
      NINE THOUSAND
    • benburned, on 06/29/2008, -2/+72I came in here just to find and digg this comment.
      goodbye
      • takua108, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5Likewise. I'm actually surprised this didn't get the first comment.
      • Lavarock, on 06/30/2008, -0/+9I think most of us did. Why else would we read about a petition relating to phone bills in Canada?.
    • panteradactyl, on 06/29/2008, -0/+14What does the petition say about his power level?
    • bakshi, on 06/30/2008, -24/+3Or in another way of saying it, 4500 Americans since a Canadian is half an American. AMIRITE?!

      The moar you know!
    • zirkle2007, on 06/30/2008, -3/+6THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!!
    • DragonForce4, on 06/30/2008, -1/+6THERE'S NO WAY THAT CAN BE RIGHT!
    • theword12, on 06/30/2008, -2/+2But the title says exactly 9,000...
    • GruntboyX, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1i missed the joke. Can someone explain it to my ignorant self
  • JFallon126, on 06/29/2008, -2/+39As much as I love a good old petition I'm afraid the maxim "Money talks" is going to work the best here. Too expensive? Then don't buy it. Lackluster sales are the best way to get a price drop.
    • fragsta, on 06/29/2008, -1/+6I couldn't agree more. They're petitioning to get the price down? The iPhone isn't a public service, it's a product, the intention of which is to make money for Apple and whatever carrier the phone is with. If they aren't making money, they'll change things, and it's likely they'll realise that people don't like the prices.

      "iPhone rate relief" just sounds like Canadian iPhone users are being put in the same sort of category as starving people.
      • jonnyfive, on 06/29/2008, -4/+6They are petitioning to show that they are potential customers that would buy the product if it were reasonably priced and because it is not reasonably price they refuse to buy.

        Money talks and so does words. This is the both combined. So a little support would be nice. Enough with the negativity.
      • fudged71, on 06/29/2008, -2/+6Not just potential customers. Many of the people signing have actually said that they are ON rogers, and are now planning to bail out
      • gleongelpi, on 06/29/2008, -5/+2So let them leave. That's their prerogative.
    • cliffr39, on 06/29/2008, -0/+9But keep in mind how all those voices came out against Apple last year when they announced the iPhone was dropping in prices? Apple said "OK here's a $100 gift card". Voices can make a difference.. not always to the extent we want but.

      I say do both - petition and boycott ! Gets more notice
      • gleongelpi, on 06/29/2008, -0/+1I can imagine that a lot of idiots bought it and then petitioned.
  • Terry, on 06/29/2008, -1/+22I think this is the "straw that broke the camel's back". Canadians have been screwed with ridiculous rates, and not to mention the system access fee (wtf?) What's worst, there's monopoly, and these iPhone plans are just a big "*****-you" to Canada.
  • rjpaulisick, on 06/29/2008, -1/+57How about writing a petition to Rogers...??
    • smcavoy, on 06/29/2008, -0/+14Rogers doesn't care, they don't have to.
      The benefit of being the ONLY GSM provider in Canada.
      • cjmal, on 06/29/2008, -2/+7Rogers doesn't care? You think Steve Jobs does?
      • MavRevMatt, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3cjmal, I agree. Steve Jobs doesn't have much of a say in this, just like he doesn't have a say in DRM on iTunes. He has to go along with it or Apple will lose the entire Canadian market for the iPhone.

        Plus he's not the godsend fanboys think he is.
      • Drizzit, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1That explains everything. Apple can not make a CDMA iPHone in canada and not expect ti to be exported into the States to work on Verizon.


        So the Canadians are screwed.
    • fudged71, on 06/29/2008, -2/+3I did. Over a year ago. I knew this would happen.
      The ***** has recently surpassed mine... but this one still worth signing, at over 7000:
      http://digg.com/tech_news/Digg_Stand_Up_Against_Ro ...
      • bjornski, on 06/29/2008, -6/+3Then please link to the petition, not your Digg submission.
      • fudged71, on 06/29/2008, -2/+5Why? You don't know how to navigate a digg page?
        If you like it, you digg it, and if you just want the petition, you click through. Honestly, that is not difficult.
      • bjornski, on 06/29/2008, -7/+2Because you're doing nothing but trolling for Diggs.

        Stop it, you *****.
      • fudged71, on 06/29/2008, -1/+6what's your problem?
        The guy asked why there wasn't a petition towards rogers, and I provided him the information of where he can go find the petition he was looking for, along with a place where he can support it, all in one simple link.

        It doesn't matter if I submitted it or not. It is relevant information. Relevant to this thread, and extremely relevant towards rjpaulisick's question. You are flaming for the sake of flaming. Why
      • Virgule, on 06/30/2008, -1/+2STFU you two :P
        Just congregate all the petitions and be friendly friends or Im telling...
  • wanderson, on 06/29/2008, -6/+26Yeah, Steve Jobs, give us some of that internet monaaay!
    • theaverageidiot, on 06/30/2008, -2/+2Ah... South Park reference... Brilliant!
      Dugg up!
  • Bloyru, on 06/29/2008, -11/+6What nine thousand?!
  • BMANZZS, on 06/29/2008, -5/+28Digg: 9,000 Canadians petition Steve Jobs for iPhone rate relief
    Fortune: 10,000 Canadians petition for iPhone rate relief

    Zomg?
  • icurnvs, on 06/29/2008, -1/+32Perhaps you should petition Rogers about the price plans, not Apple. The carriers set the data plans, not the device manufacturers.
    • TheIguana, on 06/29/2008, -0/+7I agree, people need to make their feelings be known to Rogers and also vote with their wallets on this. But Apple has a stake and say in this to. If the US iPhone has taught us anything, it is that Apple has had unprecedented power in what rate plans ultimately looked like in the US.
    • cliffr39, on 06/29/2008, -0/+1Yes I think the carriers are the problem - getting Apple to put pressure on them does make a big difference. Apple wants to sell these iPhones and if they know potential customers won't buy because of X carrier and their policy, Apple can pressure them OR make the deal elsewhere.
      • Speed, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Slight problem: there is no elsewhere in Canada. The iPhone is being released on Rogers and Fido (the only two GSM carriers in Canada), Fido is owned by Rogers and they both have the exact same pricing plan.
  • dood, on 06/29/2008, -0/+6Exclusive carrier agreements are bad for consumers, but can be good for corporations. But what can you do about it, assuming that it's impossible not to buy an iPhone? The consumer is helpless!
    • Speed, on 06/30/2008, -1/+4Funny thing is, it isn't really an exclusive carrier agreement, since every GSM carrier that is nation wide in Canada will have the iPhone. All one of them. (Fido barely counts, since it is owned by Rogers and has the exact same plan)
  • Mikhail101, on 06/29/2008, -3/+18Solution: Buy an Ipod touch and get a ***** phone

    Problem solved!
    • fudged71, on 06/29/2008, -5/+3I've done that... but those two devices aren't going to fill the niche of the iPhone, sorry.
      You'd have to also have a Garmin GPS, a Laptop with a cellular card (for roaming internet), and a software system that holds everything together.

      oh, and squish it all down into the size of your touch.
      not such a convenient solution, eh?
      • atarijedi, on 06/29/2008, -3/+9Buy a different smartphone then, the iPhone isn't anything special.
      • fudged71, on 06/29/2008, -6/+8It is a revolutionary device, with an incredibly easy user interface built on top of hardware that allows for several user controlled actions that you can't find on other devices. Multi-touch, tilt-sensors, light sensor, etc.

        On top of this, there is a vast amount of software developers who are, and who have, developed applications to work on the device... leading to an evolutionary process of innovation, simplicity, and great design. Even when Android comes out on devices, with a network of software developers behind it, it will still not come close to the enthusiasm and popularity behind the iPhone software development group.

        These aspects make the iPhone unparalleled
      • gleongelpi, on 06/29/2008, -4/+2God-damn, you all crazy bastards! The damn laptop is more important that your f*cking head! Get your head out of the screen.
    • Mikhail101, on 06/29/2008, -3/+2Ipod touch has those features you mentioned.
  • cambob76, on 06/29/2008, -16/+46IF it's too expensive, DON'T BUY IT. Simple. Unless you want to be a crybaby, crybaby.
    • tvanwyk, on 06/29/2008, -4/+29No *****. Instead off grovelling on the ground like some spoiled, marketing-infatuated yuppies, have some dignity and buy something else.

      (Instead, they'll digg us both down.)
    • zeeky, on 06/29/2008, -15/+4...way to miss the point entirely
      • S1ngular1ty1, on 06/29/2008, -1/+15I think he hit the nail on the head. If you can't afford it then don't buy it. I want a Ferrari but I can't afford it but I don't go crying and complaining to Ferrari to lower the price of their cars.
      • Zaleucus, on 06/29/2008, -5/+4So you wouldn't be angry if in your country's farraris were twice as expensive and came with less stuff, more fees, etc than many other countries?
      • Invid, on 06/29/2008, -6/+3Your analogy sucks. The iPhone is the Ferrari, the rate plans are the roads. I could buy a cheaper car (RAZR etc.) but I still can't afford to drive on the data highway because the rates are too high.

        To mix metaphors, the iPhone is just the straw that broke the camel's back because people were really excited about the promise of data services in their pockets. Other phones/cars with the same capability are no less expensive to run.
      • Speed, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3Zaleucus, to be fair, that's everything in Canada. Seriously, name on thing that isn't cheaper in the States.
    • jmreid, on 06/29/2008, -5/+6Normally I would agree with you. But sometimes getting everyone pissed off is a good way to affect change. This doesn't seem to be totally about people pissed off that the iPhone is expensive in Canada. People are just fed up with being screwed over in general with Rogers.

      So, I'm all for the fuss. Rogers gets away with murder all the time.
      • pierreb, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1This is an occoasion to vent ---

        on an extreme level (that would likely not happen) what if no one got the iPhone in Canada because of the pricing? Result: Rogers' press release with revised pricing.

        Let us all stay @ home on 11 July to whenever it takes and use land lines ,,..... perhaps we can call Mr Rogers/Fido and check our account balances and whether canceling our existing phone service would extract a binding contractual penalty ...
    • bakshi, on 06/29/2008, -8/+3They try too hard to act like Americans.
    • AndreiOttawa, on 06/30/2008, -2/+7It's a market economy. You don't write petitions-you walk away and spend your money elsewhere. If something is a rip-off, don't ***** buy it!
      • Speed, on 06/30/2008, -2/+3Actually, it's not a market economy. It's a mixed economy. Basic high school social studies tells you that... Ironic, actually, that the mixed economy with socialist elements isn't interfering at all to end this non-government monopoly.
      • pedepy, on 06/30/2008, -1/+3no, it's not a market economy - it's a collusion ridden price fixing coersive selling crap monopoly that's cashing big time on the backs of canadian consumers.

        what the *****, guy.
      • AndreiOttawa, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1Once again, my friends, if you think something is overpriced-don't ***** buy it! You think US prices are lower-go across the border and shop there. That's what I do.

        If you want a shiny new toy so badly, then prepare to pay for it through the nose.
    • skaughtm, on 06/30/2008, -2/+2its just the escalation of a larger problem. the iphone demand is just giving more attention to this horrendous monopoly in canada.
  • greathair, on 06/29/2008, -5/+50This has nothing to do with Steve Jobs or the iPhone. Apple is 100% fine in this case.
    This has to do with ROGERS / FIDO and their unfair pricing plans.
    • CatalystDM, on 06/29/2008, -5/+8Who chose Rogers as the carrier?
      • Invid, on 06/29/2008, -2/+13I specifically didn't. They bought my carrier and ruined them.

        Rogers has a GSM monopoly. That's the problem.
      • thomleidner, on 06/29/2008, -2/+9if Rogers is the only GSM provider in Canada and the iPhone is a GSM only device then it seems pretty cut and dry to me.
      • Speed, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1Rogers and the lack of anti-trust enforcement in Canada.
  • krash73, on 06/29/2008, -5/+14>9000
  • fissionvsfusion, on 06/29/2008, -5/+14It's up to 12,000 now.
  • tocsy, on 06/29/2008, -14/+38Problem: Phone is also overpriced.

    Solution: Get a different phone.
    • bencho, on 06/29/2008, -10/+12Phone is not overpriced.
      • S1ngular1ty1, on 06/29/2008, -12/+5Apple fanboy morons really amuse me. The entire point of this submission is that the iPhone is too expensive in Canada yet you deny that fact.
      • svodka, on 06/29/2008, -4/+15He's saying the phone itself is not overpriced, but the rates are. Think before you call people morons. The phone itself is extremely well priced.
      • aladrin, on 06/29/2008, -4/+3If the phone isn't overpriced, why are they petitioning the manufacturer, hmm? The answer is simple: The price of the contract is tied to the phone and is therefore part of the price of the phone. You can't have 1 without the other. (Well, you could hack it, but that's another story and questionably legal. Consumers shouldn't have to hack their own devices.)

        So yes, the phone is too expensive.

        It still makes no sense to petition anybody, though. They obviously can and DO charge this amount for it, so 9000 people that think it's too expensive (but are probably paying anyhow) don't mean anything.
      • bjornski, on 06/29/2008, -1/+2@svodka

        Yes, because it's being subsidized by the plan carriers.
    • teiren474, on 06/29/2008, -2/+9phone is not overpriced considering a razr2 is like 599 with out a contract and some blackberrys are 199 with a 3 year term
      • jo21, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1razr 2 IS overpriced too, by that much you can get n95
      • sevenalive, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1The RAZR2 is The same damn thing as the MAXX. The branded variation (at&t, rogers, fido, telus) removed all of the features that make it differnet.

        The razr2 v9 sells for 330 on ebay and it only has touch music controls. Nothing else different. What a waste of a second screen (i know i had one before i got rid of it). Now the HK/Euro unlocked unbranded phones are way better. There is a huge difference between Unlocked V9 and Rogers/at&t V9.
    • Speed, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3Phone is not overpriced, service for phone is overpriced. The actual price for the iPhone is reasonable enough, but the data plans/text messaging plans are retarded.
      • BoneStamp, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Expensive service covers cost of expensive phone, that's why they have to lock you in for 3 years and rip your wallet open if you cancel... they need to make back the money they're losing (paying apple) by selling you the phone at $200.
  • sonictonic, on 06/29/2008, -5/+34Why are they bugging Steve? If anything it should be addressed to Rogers. HELLO??!! Steve Jobs runs Apple not Rogers!

    Christ all mighty - people expect him to handle everything.
  • davecachia, on 06/29/2008, -7/+147Dear Mr. Jobs,

    Please punch Mr. Rogers in the face.


    Thank you,

    Signed
    Over 9000
    • S1ngular1ty1, on 06/29/2008, -3/+2Nice
    • mlerner, on 06/29/2008, -0/+1Actually I sent a more polite email to Steve Jobs, but I think I should retract my earlier email and send that instead.
  • Fsyy, on 06/29/2008, -10/+11If we stay all together we can make a difference, and my Monday all the other big medias will pick up the story as well.
    come and support us at http://www.ruinediphone.com

  • 420ilerBuzzed, on 06/29/2008, -0/+40All cellular service in Canada is expensive. It's a ***** joke - and no one seems to really care.
    • Khast, on 06/29/2008, -4/+1But at least you have full coverage in remote areas.... Being an American, I was amazed with the signal bar staying at 4-5 bars the whole time passing through the LOWER Coquihalla pass. (Non-toll road)

      When I lived in Bremerton, WA, there was whole areas in the city that my phone dropped out completely. And driving on HWY 3 to Shelton, I couldn't count on my hands how many times my coverage dropped.

      SO, on the flip side of the coin, you pay more, but you have a higher proliferation of towers in obscure places.
      • Kallius, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3Not really. Rogers GSM signal doesn't penetrate the grocery store I shop at, nor a house of a particular client of mine (Telus and Bell both do, however). Additionally, there are places on our major highways which have ZERO coverage with Rogers. So I have to partially agree with 420ilerBuzzed: ROGERS cellular service in Canada is expensive, and a ***** joke. Once my contract is up, buh-bye to them!
      • Speed, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2I think you must have had a CDMA phone. Bell and Telus are great in remote regions, but Rogers is crap. Just outside of Jasper National Park, my aunt (of Telus) has 5 bars, I (Rogers) had no service at all.
    • Zaneris, on 06/29/2008, -0/+5Ahem, all of the infrastructure was paid for through taxes, none of it was Rogers' money.
    • skaughtm, on 06/30/2008, -1/+2so i should pay more and be glad about coverage in Iqaluit when i live in vancouver?
  • Hayes, on 06/29/2008, -3/+61Who the ***** needs a petition? Just don't buy one, and the rest will take care of itself.
    • S1ngular1ty1, on 06/29/2008, -2/+5But.....but.......It's the iPhone!
      • TechCF, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1By one on eBay. People are already pre-ordering the phones and are planning to pay the fee to break out of the contract. Will be more expensive, but not that bad compared to the iPod Touch.

        iPhone 2.0 software is already hacked too
    • SealandRes1, on 06/29/2008, -1/+4The problem is that Rogers won't care because they're the only GSM provider in Canada.
      Don't like the iPhone? Why don't you buy another phone and get screwed by Rogers.
      • DougMcKenzie, on 06/29/2008, -0/+1SealanRes1,

        I half agree with you, except that Rogers will definitely care if you buy a phone from Bell or Telus instead of buying an iPhone from them.
    • BrendanSheehan, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1Not true. A petition let's them know your reasons "out loud".
    • Speed, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1The point of a petition is two fold:
      1. To let them know why sales are in the *****.
      2. To effect a change before the phone comes out. It's no lie that most (if not all) of the people who signed the petition want the iPhone, so if they can get a lower rates before they have to go without the iPhone, then great.
  • bencho, on 06/29/2008, -7/+3I wonder if this was all in the plan. The grand scheme of things seems to be:

    1. Sell a wonderful piece of technology for cheap.
    2. Let the cost of using that wonderful piece of technology be extremely pricey.

    Truth be told. $200 for an iphone is cheap as hell. However, 12x$75[Minimum] x However many years you use the phone = A LOT.
    That's what's keeping me from getting an iphone this summer.
    • bjornski, on 06/29/2008, -0/+3You figured it out! Good for you!

      The phone is only that cheap because it's being subsidized by the plan carrier.

      You mean you haven't figured this out any time you look at ANY cell phones?

      Phone cheap with 2-year plan. Phone expensive without.

      *shrugs*

      It's not news now this works.
    • bobartig, on 06/29/2008, -0/+3Unless you have sprint SERO, voice+data plans cost that much from all carriers.
    • sKiLLa182, on 06/30/2008, -0/+3Factoring the tax and all the other service charges (ie. service fee, 911 fee) and I imagine it comes to at least $95 to $100.
  • pjr12345, on 06/29/2008, -4/+18What a laugh.

    It's called free enterprise. If you don't like it, don't buy it. If enough people don't buy, the price will be lowered. The fact that 9,000 Yahoos demonstrate their desire to own the device is a sure-fire way to keep the price high.
    • Invid, on 06/29/2008, -1/+9"The fact that 9,000 Yahoos demonstrate their desire to own the device is a sure-fire way to keep the price high."

      I agree that whining to Apple will accomplish nothing. These petitions should be directed to the CRTC to get off their lazy asses and break up the Canadian wireless carrier oligopoly. The price fixing and collusion needs to stop.
      • pjr12345, on 06/29/2008, -2/+1Now you're getting somewhere!

        Competition solves many a problem that no government could hope to fathom.
    • Speed, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2Canada isn't free enterprise, the sooner people realize that, the better. Yes, we are mostly capitalist, but we do have elements of socialism. The point of a petition is to show Apple (even though it should be directed at Rogers) that despite their desire to own an iPhone, they will not purchase one. I agree that it should be directed towards Rogers or the CRTC, but this may be effective.

      The point is to lower the price before it comes down to not buying it. If I have two options:
      1. Wait a year or two for Rogers to realize why sales are crappy and lower prices
      or
      2. Sign a petition and have Rogers lower the prices before it comes down to having to go with a different phone
      I think most people would prefer option 2. That is the point of the petition.
  • transform100, on 06/29/2008, -11/+2***** Apple and AT&T!
  • vancanucksfan, on 06/29/2008, -4/+17BS. Those are not all canadians. That petition was posted on digg numerous times, on various forums. Also if you even look at some of the comments on the petition, its a bunch of people saying stuff like, im not canadian but screw rogers.
    • pedepy, on 06/30/2008, -0/+5im cool with that .. anyone anywhere in the world as the right to take a stance against unfair market practices
  • Bucknubby, on 06/29/2008, -12/+9For the people who are saying "dont buy it if you cant afford it.." "get a better job" "stop whining" blah blah blah

    you do have to realize that customers are getting completely ripped off here. I mean for the lowest rate u only get 75 test msgs?

    I blow through about 600 text per month. Rogers can keep that prices, but for the suckers who dont care and still get the iPhone with these rates, you're getting the shaft.
    • charm803, on 06/29/2008, -5/+2Poor, poor, poor YOU!

      The horror!

      Text messaging? Wow.......

      Someone needs a life or a better job so we don't have to hear you whining about how unfair it is.

    • sevenalive, on 06/30/2008, -2/+1I would hate to be one of the ppl you txt. 600? I do maybe 50 to 100.
  • freaky2k, on 06/29/2008, -8/+3You realize iPhone is a rip-off no matter where you get it right? A phone that has an exclusive plan with an phone company is udder ***** and should not be tolerated. It's the same in the US. It's for reasons like this that I am shamed to see anybody with an iPhone because it is utterly ridiculous to support such *****.
  • FlynnRocks, on 06/29/2008, -11/+4I actually love these plans. Only $60 per month, and 150 mins!!! That is great. plus caller Id, 75 texts and free weekends!
    This is like heaven.
  • kettlehead, on 06/29/2008, -10/+5Stop whining and get an HTC Dream come winter; Apple has had a price-gouging fetish for a very long time now, you're not going to sway them any time soon. :P

    Android's Gonna be better annyway...
    • DougMcKenzie, on 06/29/2008, -1/+2Any particular reason why Android's "Gonna be better annyway", kettlehead?
      • kettlehead, on 06/30/2008, -1/+1Because you can have a sleek, awesome phone rivaling the iphone in both form and function, with the notable exception of being able to do whatever the hell you want with it; like changing the battery yourself, choosing your carrier without having to hack it, and writing homebrew software that won't be killed with the next firmware update.

        Sounds rather appealing to me, all things considered.

        Why, any reason it *wouldn't* be?
    • Kelmon, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Absolutely, Rogers will sell these other phones with much better call plans than the iPhone. Oh, wait...
      • kettlehead, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Does not Canada have more than one carrier? Part of my point was that an Android phone would enable you to use another. My understanding has been that Rogers epitomizes the ***** telecommunications company experience.
  • slappy83, on 06/29/2008, -9/+2I'm not your buddy, pal.
  • saqer, on 06/29/2008, -25/+31Dear Mr. Jobs,

    I'm an imbecile. I'm a cry baby. I love to complain and bitch when things don't go the way I see they ought to. Instead of investing in the competition, which would induce healthy competition, I write up dumb ass letters and sign pointless petitions because I'm being screwed over for something I'm not required to buy. Please consider these few words of complaints as the most important thing in the world because I need more than 750 mb to satisfy my never ending cravings for internets.

    Sincerely,

    Bitch digger

    • SPECOPS, on 06/29/2008, -7/+10I guess your right, they should go to the other (non-existent) GSM carrier. Research much?
      • phibit, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1I think when he says invest in the competition, he means just don't get an iPhone at all... Not just switch carriers. Yes blah blah Rogers is the only GSM network in Canada, but if they decide to be dicks about it just choose a different smartphone/carrier and move on.

        The iPhone can't even detect changes in yaw. Pshht. My baby can detect changes in yaw.
  • charm803, on 06/29/2008, -5/+28Taken from the article comments:

    If we put half as much energy into fixing social problems like homelessness and the environment as we do going to war over the high price of a toy we may actually progress as a society.

    Posted By Cameron, Calgary, AB : June 29, 2008 2:08 pm
    • skaughtm, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1i'm sure there are already more people concerned about the environment (think globally) than there are about the iphone data prices.
    • fuzzypuppy, on 06/30/2008, -2/+2I hate it when people talk about homelessness like it's something we can do anything about without turning into some fascist state.

      People are homeless because they want to be or because they are mentally ill.

      Homeless people who are mentally ill deserve to get treatment. But since you can't commit people to mental institutions against their will or force them to take their medication you end up with a whole bunch of who can't function in society enough to care for themselves so they end up homeless. It's sad.

      However, I have no sympathy for the drunks, the drug addicts or the lazy. They chose their fate. They don't want to be helped and you can't force them to get help. To get them off the streets you'd have to lock them up somewhere (a forced labour camp, for instance, to make them useful) but that sounds like something the Nazis or Soviets would do.
    • wheezy360, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2Effort? I filled out a web form. If I could save even one homeless person by filling out a form, believe me, I would do it.
  • eltardo, on 06/29/2008, -2/+6Wow, here we go again. I said this once, I'll say it again. I wish this petition would make a difference but it won't. Apple doesn't care about cell phone carriers, that's not their business. Roger's doesn't give a rat's ass about Canadians either. They've been screwing us for years and they're not going to stop because less than .00001% of the population speak up. This petition doesn't matter. Rogers suck, move on and take your 3G iPhone to a different carrier when you can.
    • DougMcKenzie, on 06/29/2008, -0/+1Dunno about that, eltardo. Rogers definitely does care if their high prices affect how many people buy a very lucrative smartphone from them.

      After all, there must be plenty of people who didn't buy an iPhone when it first came out because of the (relatively) high price, but bought one after the first round of price cuts. Remember how people were outraged when Apple cut the price by $200 after a few months? Apple must have realized they'd sell a lot more phones at $399 than they would at $599. Even smart companies with smart marketing people sometimes get the price-point wrong and have to backtrack after a while.

      And as we Canadians know, Rogers is far, far from a smart company :)
    • Speed, on 06/30/2008, -0/+2Ok, care to tell me what carrier to take it to?
  • Sansul, on 06/29/2008, -3/+0The Iphone is likely going to be the most expensive phone rogers will have to support. It will consume likely more data on the network then all WAP internet phones combined! Considering they have the monopoly on the GSM market in Canada, its not like you can just go to Bell/Telus for a better deal.

    And so what if Rogers sells 0 Iphones. They made just under a billion in pure profit last year and have 5 billion warchest without the Iphone, and no other carriers in Canada offer competition that even comes close to the Iphone.
    • pierreb, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1As consumers, we have two options:

      1. We do not buy the iPhone with the datavoice plans that are being offered to us by Rogers/Fido;

      2. We bitch, moan and complain (BMW) and get one - sign the petition and move on.If you do this you sign a 3 year contract with Mr. Rogers and it will cost you a fortune to get out. THE BIGGEST IMPACT THAT WE CAN HAVE IS THAT NO ONE LINES UP FOR AN IPHONE ON 11 July ....


      Which of the two do you think will be more effective in the long term?

      Instead of sending emails and whining let's vote with our $$$$$$$ and go with option #1...............
  • vonskippy, on 06/29/2008, -3/+9It's always a safe bet that when you see an article about "Whiny Bitches", Apple will be in there somewhere.
  • bwa236, on 06/29/2008, -3/+28they claim that the 2GB cap is good for 16,000 webpages?? How many 125kb webpages are there anymore? that's BS
    • sevenalive, on 06/30/2008, -0/+1Your not going to use 2gb in a month so don't worry about it. Plus the phone has wifi, so save yourself data!!
      • xploited, on 06/30/2008, -1/+0Say what?

        Let me put that in some numbers you can understand.

        Based on http://www.websiteoptimization.com/speed/tweak/ave ... the average Youtube video is 10MB. Breaking this down you see that at 2gb per month you will get 68MB per day (2048/30) to use. That 6-7 average size youtube video's per day on the largest plan... which cost $115 per month, plus another $15 for caller ID, and please don't forget the service changes and insanely high tax (at least in the atlantic provinces) .

        That's not even considering email and attachments or google maps.

        And based on the website I referenced the average webpage now-a-days is 300K and steadily climbing, just like the size and length of videos.

        Based on my experience with my iphone on wireless you could EASILY use 500MB-1GB per day on a 3G network just watching youtube videos... which is a service highly integrated into the iPhone.
  • xperim, on 06/29/2008, -2/+2This should be against the data rates in general for Canada imposed by Rogers and the like, not towards the luminary of arguably one of the most profitable companies in world who is mostly concerned about the bottom line.
  • ipen, on 06/29/2008, -2/+10Remember those 67 shipping containers of iPhones that arrived in the country?
    I hope these are assets in Rogers' care. Lets see how fast they move, now.

    Enjoy your $804 million worth of languishing inventory, *****.
  • m0n0kr0m3, on 06/29/2008, -7/+5You guys are dumb!!!! No offense, of course, but if you want these rates to be lower then don't buy a frickin' iphone. I'm sure that in a lot of cases it's plane to late for that and even if you turn your service off you will still have to pay fees. Come on, you guys are supposed to be smarter than us (your cousins to the south) wtf??? I don't speak for Steve Jobs, but I'm sure the rates will be lower eventually, but what needs to be done right now is for no more iphones to be sold in Canada. Can you folks stand not being trendy for 6 months or so? I know we can't in the US :D
  • miltiad, on 06/29/2008, -7/+3Just wait for android phone...
  • joemofo214, on 06/29/2008, -8/+4well, it has to do with apple.... everythings overpriced
    • Gee1004, on 06/29/2008, -2/+1Then the $25,000 dessert is not for you
  • JustinLucke, on 06/29/2008, -3/+14***** YOU ROGERS !!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Ziqing, on 06/29/2008, -1/+13When Rogers do stupid ***** like imposing a monthly bandwidth all of the sudden out of no where, it pisses me off so much. I just went over my 25gb per month limit today and I will have to pay $2.5 for EACH additional gigabyte. That's freakin insane. I can't even change to another provider even if i wanted to because Rogers monopolized my whole ***** area.!

    I HATE ROGERS!
    • bartofdahammer, on 06/29/2008, -0/+1I take it you have cable net, and you don't want to move to Bell. I can't even change my plan because I am not losing my unlimited bandwidth just for a faster connection.
  • pyrates, on 06/29/2008, -0/+5The cell phone service providers have been fighting for years of turning into data only providers. With 3g I don't need texting, I use email. For voice I can use my unlimited skype account. For people who call me, I can get a skype number. Now with edge you couldn't do voice because it was too slow. But not with 3g. It's plenty fast enough to use it with skype and sounds just fine.

    This is why you need to buy a minutes plan with the 3g iphone and have such aweful data rates with Rogers/Fido and with a 3 year contract. This is what they are afraid of. Well they can't prevent it any longer. It's coming.
  • celeb, on 06/29/2008, -6/+4monopoly = profit ftw!
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