SCUM ALERT: Government won’t interfere in wireless texting charges: Prentice

(CBC.ca) - Minister of Industry Jim Prentice said Friday the government had no intention of introducing new legislation to regulate cellphone companies over changes in text messaging services.

Prentice had met with the heads of Bell Mobility and Telus over the companies’ new texting charges introduced in July, which called for customers whose cellphone plans did not include texting bundles to be charged 15 cents for incoming text messages. Previously, customers without text plans were only charged for outgoing messages.

The charges were not popular with consumer groups, and New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton called them a “cash grab” and called for the government to step in.

But Prentice said in a statement Friday that after meeting with the two companies, he was “assured that customers charged for spam could contact their service provider to have the charges removed from their bills.”

READ MORE HERE [ Source: CBC.ca, August 8, 2008 ]

HERO ALERT: Class action suit filed against Bell, Telus for new texting fees

(CBC.ca) - A Quebec man has launched a class action lawsuit against Bell Mobility and Telus, following a move by the cellphone providers to charge customers for incoming text messages.

Eric Cormier, who has subscribed to Bell Mobility for the past decade, says by introducing the new fees, the companies have changed the terms of their cellular contracts.

“This was something that was free up until then and the problem for the consumers is that they cannot re-negotiate the contract,” said lawyer Noel Saint-Pierre.

“What we’re trying to get the court to say is that for the duration of a contract … the telephone company should not be able to unilaterally modify the conditions of the contract.”

READ MORE HERE [ Source: CBC.ca, July 28, 2008 ]

SCUM ALERT: Bell introduces controversial new texting charges

(StopThePropaganda.com) - One of the most blatant corporate money-grabbing schemes in recent history has just been slapped in the faces of Canadian Bell Mobility subscribers. This tactic is clearly meant to force mobility subscribers into spending more by upgrading their service accounts or duping subscribers into paying for text messages they did not request. Yes, you heard it right. Bell subscribers will have to pay 15 cents for each unsolicited, unwanted, unrequested text message they recieve. Want to bet that unsolited text messaging with start increasing?

(CBC.ca) - Bell Mobility went ahead Friday with its plan to begin charging some customers for incoming text messages, despite mounting consumer and political pressure to drop the changes.

Under new texting charges announced last month, customers whose cellphone plans did not include texting bundles will be charged 15 cents for incoming text messages.

Previously, customers without text plans were only charged for outgoing messages. Customers with a text messaging rate plan or bundle are not affected by the new charges.

Telus announced a similar plan, with its changes set to take effect on Aug. 24.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: CBC.ca, August 8, 2008 ]

Bell moves to limit internet downloads of competitor ISPs

(CBC.ca) - Bell Canada Inc. is moving to impose download limits on customers of independent internet providers, an act the smaller firms say is designed to eliminate broadband competition and prevent the introduction of new television services.

The Montreal-based company, which cut its own Sympatico customers off from unlimited downloading last year, has proposed extending that plan to firms renting portions of its network in order to provide their own services. That would include a number of smaller wholesale ISP customers such as Chatham, Ont.-based TekSavvy Solutions Inc., Cobourg, Ont.-based Eagle.ca and Mississauga-based Acanac Inc.

The limits would range from two gigabytes per month for customers with slower connections of 512 kilobits per second up to 60 GB for those with the faster speeds of five megabits per second, according to Acanac president Paul Louro. Customers who exceed those limits would incur extra charges, much like cellphone subscribers do when they surpass their monthly minutes.

READ MORE HERE [ Source: CBC.ca, Peter Nowak ]

Cellphone users to be charged for incoming text messages

Do you have a Bell or Telus cellphone? Soon you will be paying for text spam too!

According to CBC News, after August 24, 2008, Bell and Telus subscribers can expect to be paying for all incoming text messages to their cellphones for the price of .15 cents per text message.  

Do you consider this an example of price gouging? Do you think cellphone services are over-priced? 

READ MORE HERE [ Source: CBC.ca  ]

AND - Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.