A new phone number, and a rant

Pursuant to the going officeless mission, we have canceled our land line with Bell and switched to Telus Mobility. While our old number will be redirected for the next 6 months, our new phone number is 905.329.7619

For the life of me, I can’t figure out why 2 mobile phones with a shared plan is cheaper than a single business line from Bell, considering how much more versatile a mobile phone is. When was the last time you saw a desk-phone with a digital camera in it? Or a web browser, for that matter? Desk-phones are hopelessly tethered, and even portable phones have unimpressive ranges. Mobile service is just a lot more bang for the buck, IMO.

By way of a rant, I’ll offer this: Rogers, Bell, and Telus’s websites all suck. On the Telus homepage, for example, the most prominent link is to their 2004 annual report. I mean, come on—how many customers do you think are actually going there to see that? I’m betting zero. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have a link to the latest specials, or (heaven forbid) a comparison of rate plans and options? Bell and Rogers are just as bad. The typical Bell/Rogers screen is so overloaded with cruft that even a simple task is not unlike a scavenger hunt. Cross browser compatibility? Not even close. Faced with the prospect of having to use Internet Exploder and wrought with frustration, I resigned myself to shopping ‘manually’. This meant the mall.

Despite my profound hatred for malls, I found leaving the computer and going outdoors for a few hours rather enjoyable. A can of Red Bull in hand, I toured each of the 3 competing ‘mobility centers’ that the mall had to offer, and listened intently as each salesperson attempted to answer my questions. Unusable website aside, the folks at Telus were the most helpful of the bunch. The chap that assisted me was confident, friendly, and had no problem giving me his personal advice about which options to select. So impressed was I, that I left with 2 new LG handsets and a rate plan that I’m comfortable with. If Telus were to pay as much attention to their website as they do their instore service, I’m betting they’d get a lot more customers. But who knows—maybe there’s something to be said for old-fashioned shopping after all.

• By Jeffrey Hardy on
• Apr 28, 03:15 PM