Get rid of Province wide calling

[smp99]

Get rid of it - too complicated. In today's day and age, it really is too complicated.

Only have Cda wide. Right now Cda wide is typically $5/month extra on 90 day plans. Make it $3/month (or $2) extra but force all new account onto it. 

eg The common 90day $120 prov wide, SMS, 6GB would be $129 Cda wide. Obviously the $135 Cda wide plan would go away as well

Most people will remain on Prov Wide because they don't to give up the 2016 Fall promo.

If there is an actual extra cost to carriers for Cda wide, I am sure most users will remain inside te province just as they are now. So really they are getting a few extra dollars/month. Yes, you would be giving a small discount to those already on CdaWide.........

[smp99]

OP here

Most of the responses people don't  seem to be addressing the point I am trying to make. I like my ProvWide, I get it and it works for me.

But.....

1 - This proposal would only be for new accounts or plan changes. Everyone with ProvWide now can keep it, I plan to keep my plan.

2- Most people (mother-inlaw included) can understand CdaWide. I can make calls to anywhere in Canada and I can receive calls while anywhere within the borders of Canada. All unlimited. Simple.They also understand that making calls to the US would be extra.

3 -  ProvWide. Trying to explain this one is, well, trying. These are typical questions that often circle back to the same question being re-asked... (note: I am not asking for answers, I am simply stating a typical conversation)

- can I call other provinces?

- can other provinces call me? 

- What do you mean the same long distance plan works for both Cda and US?

- So what happens when I leave the province?

- What happens when I leave the country?

- Does the long distance plan work when I leave the country?

- Wait - I can call local numbers in the province I am visiting?

- Can local numbers call me in the province I am visiting?

- Can I call numbers in my home province when visiting somewhere else?

- Can local numbers from my home province call me when I am visiting some other province?

I know there are more. This seems a little much for 2017.

Once again, this would only be for new accounts. I get that people like and want to keep their ProvWide plan. Maybe they make too much revenue on the LongDistance package to give it up.

[Acekiller]

While it is a bit annoying not to have Canada wide, but at least PM only charges a reasonable (i think) cost.

[smp99]

Hi - OP here

Most people responding I think are missing the point I am trying to make. Everyone with ProvWide now can keep it and I plan do the same. My proposal is only for new accts, or those who switch plans.

CdaWide - most everyone (mother-inlaw included) can understand CdaWide. Call any number in Cda from any location within Cda. And everyone seems to understand that calling a number outside Cda will require a long distance package/addon.

ProvWide - This is where all the questions come up and many people circle back and ask the same question again for clarification. Getting a long distance package to receive calls seems strange at first glance but is required (voip aside) if you go to another province. You should not need a chart to explain all of this. 

It would certainly help bringing in the referals.

This is 2017. 

Aside - get rid of the $8/200min addon, only have the $15/400min option, again make it simple.

[jpar]

Receiving calls outside of your home province shouldn't be considered long distance anyway... people travel, the incremental cost to Telus/PM is likely somewhere around zero.

[srlawren]

@jpar agreed.  I suspect it's more about marketing to multiple price points than it is about actual cost of delivery.

[Ben]

Instead of Canada-wide, why not North America wide? I am guessing that most Canadians travel to and/or call the US far more often than they travel/call to other Canadian provinces. I mean the US is an hour's drive from my house whereas the nearest Canadian province is a day's drive away.

[stonechucker]

I think some people over estimate the amount of travel *most* people do, and at the same time, how much long distance to other provinces / countries people do.

I've been to the US once in the past 16 years.  It was less than a day in length, to go to an outlet mall for my girlfriend to purchase a designer wallet.

I've been outside of the country other than that once in the last 30 years.  I went to Mexico for 6 days, and didn't take my phone because I was on vacation.

I have been to different provices 3 times in the past 6 years, and didn't need to use my phone once in any of those visits away.

Local calling, and Province-wide are what I believe the majority of people need on their cellular phones.

Making it Canada-wide or NA-wide is going to increase the base rates for everyone, if it is implimented.  Look what happened when texting with global, when it was previously an option of that or Canada-wide texting.

[smp99]

@stonechucker - What happened?

[srlawren]

@stonechucker fair enough, but many people do travel more frequently than that.  Particularly anyone that needs to travel for business, but I know many people (friends, friends of friends, etc) that travel multiple times per year and almost never within their own province--mostly to the US or internationally, but also sometimes to other provinces.  

But the other side of the coin is there are a LOT of people with friends and family in other provinces.  Granted there are other ways to stay in touch or call over data, but sometimes that lowest-common-denominator of a simple phone call is the simplest solution.  Also I'm seeing more and more people that want to move between provinces but keep their original phone number.  This makes a LOT of sense if you have Canada-wide calling and most people that need to contact you do as well, since you can still keep the number you've potentially had for years and year.  

I still can't figure out why people complain about PM having simplified the previous Canada-wide or International texting into a single "Global" texting option, especially when it's completely free when combined with ANY talk and ANY data option [other than "none" of course].  Why not do the same with talk and simplify it to Canada-wide or none, with Canada-wide being at the same cost or very marginally more expensive (say, $5/30 days) than the current province-wide calling?  [Okay they should still offer another option for Canada+US calling for additional cost, but you get my point, I hope.]

[smp99]

Great comments here.

Too bad you cannot Bravo posts in the Public Lab forums. Maybe that should be a new Public Lab Idea!!