Round Two Telus Loyalty with new phone

[Dylan Poulson]

So last year my crackberry stopped working, I called in and got this sweet deal that sounded like it couldn't be true but was reassured it was and was a happy telus customer forking over thousands every year. We got to the dealer and after a huge hassle got another replacement, the Bold 9780 again along with signing a three year contract on a different line. This line has a old phone that sucks hard and even the 9780 has a problem with dropping network connection and the connection between the phone and the sim card. I haven't sent it away as usually I get a beat up piece of junk phone back and I've got the $50 ghost amour on it as well.

Anyways I've had it and told telus just that, they directed me to support and gave me my options.

$160 to cancel (16 months left) plus whatever phone I want for a three year contract. Loyalty gave me the same thing. I've been with Telus since 1985ish. THEY COULDN'T GIVE ME ANYTHING ELSE?!! I've got two lines coming up to renew again and I don't know how they expect these loyal customers to keep resiging when they give me exactly what they offer new clients. I have my caller ID free yes, and a 5 dollar discount on my rate plan.

Rant over. Just makes me angry seeing a loyalty rep tell me I don't get anything special no matter how long I've been with the company.

[Kardall]

So last year my crackberry stopped working, I called in and got this sweet deal that sounded like it couldn't be true but was reassured it was and was a happy telus customer forking over thousands every year. We got to the dealer and after a huge hassle got another replacement, the Bold 9780 again along with signing a three year contract on a different line. This line has a old phone that sucks hard and even the 9780 has a problem with dropping network connection and the connection between the phone and the sim card. I haven't sent it away as usually I get a beat up piece of junk phone back and I've got the $50 ghost amour on it as well.

Anyways I've had it and told telus just that, they directed me to support and gave me my options.

$160 to cancel (16 months left) plus whatever phone I want for a three year contract. Loyalty gave me the same thing. I've been with Telus since 1985ish. THEY COULDN'T GIVE ME ANYTHING ELSE?!! I've got two lines coming up to renew again and I don't know how they expect these loyal customers to keep resiging when they give me exactly what they offer new clients. I have my caller ID free yes, and a 5 dollar discount on my rate plan.

Rant over. Just makes me angry seeing a loyalty rep tell me I don't get anything special no matter how long I've been with the company.

I hear ya. Can be tough and frustrating. One thing to take note of, is how many 'free things' and discounted items are on your line(s). Because normal customers don't get that stuff, like Free CID, $10 National Fav 5, Corp NA LD $20 etc.

Now, not trying to totally make excuses for Telus, though it may sound like it, it's just the way they think. If you look at your phone, it is about $500 for that phone to buy it outright, and if you only have to pay $160 to cancel a 16 month contract it's not that bad of a deal imo. That is the part that every deals with, because it is a legal contract. The part they can usually be flexible on is that actual 'cost' of the Device Balance, sometimes they half it. I have also seen them waive it earlier for high-usage clients (who use over 3000 minutes per month). I mean, there are things they can do, but it really depends on who you get to talk to at that time.

Unfortunately.

[Que_Ball]

I'm confused.

Are you unhappy with RIM and the blackberry phone hardware?
Or are you unhappy with Telus and their network coverage?
or are you unhappy with the price paid for your plan?

Or a little bit of everything?

If the phone is broken and cannot be repaired and must be swapped with another refurbished unit then it's just a risk you take when you apply a coating like ghost armour. If they can repair the internals of the phone then you would get your same casing back including the coating you applied so it's not like you would be guaranteed to loose it. Telus no longer gives you a refurbished phone automatically when you send yours away for repair. The dealer should have loaner phones for you to use while you wait and then your original phone is supposed to be sent back to you unless it's a problem that they cannot fix easily and then you get a refurb or a new replacement phone back instead. RIM is responsible for handling the actual repair process either directly or through an authorized repair depot so any problems with the original equipment or the repair job would be they are responsible for and not Telus.

Not getting anything special would have to depend on how special your plan is in the first place.
Telus doesn't really do much in the way of discounts on smartphones unless you are paying over $60/month per line. At $50 and $55 rate plans they might give 1 free feature and that's about it. If you need higher level plans up around $75 and $85 per month then you can start to get some offers that include unlimited or practically unlimited minutes with 5 and 6GB data plans.

If you want to stick around the $55 mark then about the best you can do right now would be to get someone at telus to give you the Saskatchewan version of the $55 combo plan with 500 minutes and 5GB of data. If you really push you might also get free caller ID on top of that plan but thats about all you can hope for (Unless it's the loyalty reps last day of work and they will give you a million free features because they no longer care about getting fired)

I saw in another thread you posted your rate plan details here:
http://www.howardforums.com/showthre...1#post14693601
So your average revenue to Telus is $47.50 which is far below what they target.


So based on that you already have low cost rate plans with Telus which is likely why you can only get your 2 discounts. If you want something cheaper then you may need to be willing to switch to one of the new players like Wind or Mobilicity. Telus/Bell/Rogers have decided that those guys are not valid competition and will not do much to keep you from switching to them as they figure their coverage issues will result in you coming back later on and paying full price to come back. If you can get any verifiable offer to switch to Bell or Rogers for similar money and more features then Telus can make exceptions to policy and give you deals that match or exceed the competitor offer but a loyalty rep would be risking their job if they gave you more than you have now without some legitimate churn risk notes they can put into your file when giving you the discount. Loyalty is not the most important factor for getting discounts, competitor offers are FAR FAR FAR more important to getting better deals. You have to threaten to switch and your threat has to have some truth behind it. Telus loyalty department knows what kind of deals their competitors are offering too so you have to hit them with something legitimate. (Employee deals, SMB switch offers, etc)

[RightThere]

I've been with Telus since 1985ish. THEY COULDN'T GIVE ME ANYTHING ELSE?!!

Tenure with Telus is meaningless. Tenure with Telus Mobility is actually measured.

And believe me. I had tenure with both, and it go me nowhere, so I packed up and left. I had no complaints about Telus at all, other than exactly what you're talking about. Existing clients are treated the same (if not worse) than new clients when signing a contract.

My philosophy now is I'll probably bounce carriers every 3 years in order to get the best deal. Loyalty is meaningless with the Big 3.

[Dylan Poulson]

I hear ya. Can be tough and frustrating. One thing to take note of, is how many 'free things' and discounted items are on your line(s). Because normal customers don't get that stuff, like Free CID, $10 National Fav 5, Corp NA LD $20 etc.

Now, not trying to totally make excuses for Telus, though it may sound like it, it's just the way they think. If you look at your phone, it is about $500 for that phone to buy it outright, and if you only have to pay $160 to cancel a 16 month contract it's not that bad of a deal imo. That is the part that every deals with, because it is a legal contract. The part they can usually be flexible on is that actual 'cost' of the Device Balance, sometimes they half it. I have also seen them waive it earlier for high-usage clients (who use over 3000 minutes per month). I mean, there are things they can do, but it really depends on who you get to talk to at that time.

Unfortunately.

The only freebies I have is caller ID which should be a freebie anyways.

I signed before the whole device balance but I guess 160 isn't bad.

[hinglemar]

I've found Telus's willingness to deal is seasonal. Last December was a good time to renew a contract and pick up a phone.

[Dylan Poulson]

I've found Telus's willingness to deal is seasonal. Last December was a good time to renew a contract and pick up a phone.

So when they are in the holiday spirit is the time to get the deals?

[Dylan Poulson]

Now hear is an odd story.

My friend whose been with Telus for only 4 years just picked a 32 GB iPhone 4S for 200 bucks, same contract and didn't have to resign or pay an upgrade fee.

[Dylan Poulson]

I'm confused.

Are you unhappy with RIM and the blackberry phone hardware?
Or are you unhappy with Telus and their network coverage?
or are you unhappy with the price paid for your plan?

Or a little bit of everything?


Not getting anything special would have to depend on how special your plan is in the first place.
Telus doesn't really do much in the way of discounts on smartphones unless you are paying over $60/month per line. At $50 and $55 rate plans they might give 1 free feature and that's about it. If you need higher level plans up around $75 and $85 per month then you can start to get some offers that include unlimited or practically unlimited minutes with 5 and 6GB data plans.


So based on that you already have low cost rate plans with Telus which is likely why you can only get your 2 discounts. If you want something cheaper then you may need to be willing to switch to one of the new players like Wind or Mobilicity. Telus/Bell/Rogers have decided that those guys are not valid competition and will not do much to keep you from switching to them as they figure their coverage issues will result in you coming back later on and paying full price to come back. If you can get any verifiable offer to switch to Bell or Rogers for similar money and more features then Telus can make exceptions to policy and give you deals that match or exceed the competitor offer but a loyalty rep would be risking their job if they gave you more than you have now without some legitimate churn risk notes they can put into your file when giving you the discount. Loyalty is not the most important factor for getting discounts, competitor offers are FAR FAR FAR more important to getting better deals. You have to threaten to switch and your threat has to have some truth behind it. Telus loyalty department knows what kind of deals their competitors are offering too so you have to hit them with something legitimate. (Employee deals, SMB switch offers, etc)

I'm not happy with everything really. The price is okay for what I have. A 5 dollar discount plus free caller ID. My average bill is around $200 a month and all the phones on the account burn through tons and tons of minutes. I know that unless you a big enough player they won't really even look at you. I was looking at upgrading plans but to be honest I don't NEED anything more. Talk wise I use my all my included minutes and do use the fav 10 to full potential. Data I'm around fast WIFI that is much faster than Telus 3G+ during peak hours. Unless I'm up at 3, then its fast.
Our phone hardware has been just crappy. The old Motorola blue flip phones (forget the model number) used to lock up all the time. They just reloaded the software on it and gave it back, while still locking up. A new phone wasn't even in the equation unless there was a three year resigned and a buy out of the contract.

My Blackberry is terrible. It locks up with my apps and stuff on just the same with it as stock. I don't want a non touch device anyways. The other thing is the SIM card. I go through one of two a month and keep having to go into Telus and get them to give me a new one. Last time they didn't get my phone working till 2 days after switching. Lastly more than not when the battery gets to half it drains within a hour and dies. I am gone weekdays from 5:30 in the morning to 9 at night and I'm getting tired of pulling the battery as to locking up or the sim card failing.

I really would like a new device, and not really wanting to renew a contract and pay over $250 to get a new one. That and last year it was another $150 to upgrade and $50 just this last month for a Service charge due to the amount of sim cards I've swapped. I just feel like I'm being cheated..

[Dylan Poulson]

Tenure with Telus is meaningless. Tenure with Telus Mobility is actually measured.

And believe me. I had tenure with both, and it go me nowhere, so I packed up and left. I had no complaints about Telus at all, other than exactly what you're talking about. Existing clients are treated the same (if not worse) than new clients when signing a contract.

My philosophy now is I'll probably bounce carriers every 3 years in order to get the best deal. Loyalty is meaningless with the Big 3.

Sadly the only tower by me that gives me good service is Telus, which gives me the choice of 2/3, Bell and Telus and they are in bed with each other. Then the smaller ones that go off that network.

All the same really. Do you get a better deal by jumping ships?

[Que_Ball]

Well with the hardware problems that sounds more like a problem with RIM. Freezing, pausing, etc is a common complaint of their java based operating system. That's why they are trying to develop this new OS based on QNX that was launched first on their playbook tablet and eventually will be put on the phones. The hardware also tends to be underpowered compared to modern standards and its the reason why with RIM you keep needing to buy the newer phone to get the newer version of OS. The older phones are just underpowered and barely functioned with the version of the OS they launched with. I have seen problems with RIM phones that persist when you keep restoring your backup data even on new models. For some reason when it happens you have to wipe the phone and do not restore your backup but start fresh with everything. You can import your contacts and calendar into whatever you are syncing with to get them back but try running from a wipe without restoring previous data. Setup your mail accounts again and it might "fix" those problems.

As for coverage you said it's best with Telus so switching to Rogers will not help you. Bell shares the same radios with Telus so they could be worth talking to. With Bell the best offers I have seen to switch usually come from their small business department. The hard part is their best offers come from when they call you. I got a wicked offer from Bell once after I entered some contest or did some survey or something at a small business focused trade show. Used that offer with loyalty at Telus to push for a better deal.

But yes, best deals are often a result of you making the threat to switch but that's only if the rep at the other end believes it's a serious offer. The best way to make them believe you is if there is a real offer available from the competitor, something similar to offers they have heard about other customers claim were made to them recently is more believable than some pie in the sky lie you make up. I made a privacy request to Telus once asking for the notes on my account. They actually categorize those threats to switch calls as "churn risk" in their notes and if they believe you it's the justification required before they can offer you better deals otherwise their managers could give them a hard time when it's time to review their performance.

[bubble.tea]

...My philosophy now is I'll probably bounce carriers every 3 years in order to get the best deal. Loyalty is meaningless with the Big 3.

After Rogers inherited the retention boss from Telus, everything we knew and loved went down the toilet. THANKS A LOT TELUS!!!

Now we get to fight just the same as you folks lol.

Tenure means nothing. You get a pittance, compared to what we used to get.

Thankfully all my direct lines don't expire for at least another year., HOPEFULLY, during which there will be a polarized shift BACK to how it was...

OP., if you know anything about Retentions, is that it's a 95% ymmv game. Don't get your panties in a bunch over what ONE rep will tell you. Try try again. Although Telus has always been difficult to get deals., I'm sure you could get something SOMEHOW...just keep trying, carefully, patiently.

If truly, retention PIMPED out deals are gone the way of the dodo bird, then simply follow your wallets best interest. If your current provider can't give you the best deal. Jump ship. Simple as that. Don't look back., enjoy the savings, enjoy the new experience.

IMPORTANT THING: never accept an inferior retention deal, if you know you can get a better deal with another provider. JUST DON'T JUMP SHIP BEFORE making sure they won't play to keep you.

[RightThere]

Sadly the only tower by me that gives me good service is Telus, which gives me the choice of 2/3, Bell and Telus and they are in bed with each other. Then the smaller ones that go off that network.

All the same really. Do you get a better deal by jumping ships?

My plan is in my sig. I had to wait for the best offer to come up, gave Telus the opportunity to match, they didn't so I jumped ship. You'll find carriers (especially Bell lately) offer great deals at or near their quarter ends. It helps pad their new subscriber numbers they report.

[Dylan Poulson]

Wow. That plan is crazy, I was offered similar to that except for $65.