Should I finally give up my unlimited incoming $25?

[Mark2000]

Right now I have:

Unlimited incoming $25 plan (plus $6.95 SAF), which includes:

- Unlimited incoming
- 100 minutes weekends and evenings after @ 7 PM
- 100 daytime minutes
- Old ETF fee of $200 maximum

Also I have:
6 GB (3 year) @ $30
$15 Smartphone VP: Includes Call display, Unlimited text, Voicemail, Picture Messaging

Total: $76.95 + tax

Should I switch to:

Unlimited incoming $30:

- Unlimited incoming
- 200 daytime
- U/L evenings & weekends @ 5 PM
- Unlimited international text

Plus $11 VP & $30 6 GB data = $71+tax

What would my SAF be under the $30 plan if I switch?
Is there anything else in the grandfathered plan I'd be losing by switching?
Is there anything in the fine print between the old plans and the garden variety plans I should know?

Thanks! If anyone has advice, lemme know, I'll switch today if I can!

[ceredon]

The $30 seems like it might be a better bet. No SAF on new plans, so taking that in to account, then you would actually be paying less for the base plan (assuming $7 SAF currently). If you currently receive a paper bill then you will start paying $2/month for that when you switch.

[Mark2000]

What about the SAF? The agent on the phone said the original terms stay from my original plan, re: the ECF, but I don't think that's true, is it. I think he was thinking that if I switch from one Garden Variety plan to another, but not if I was a subscriber before November 2008.

I wonder if this might be a good time to go thru retentions and negotiate a better plan even? $71 seems good for u/l incoming and 6 GB Data.

Help!!!

[ceredon]

What about the SAF? The agent on the phone said the original terms stay from my original plan, re: the ECF, but I don't think that's true, is it. I think he was thinking that if I switch from one Garden Variety plan to another, but not if I was a subscriber before November 2008.

I wonder if this might be a good time to go thru retentions and negotiate a better plan even? $71 seems good for u/l incoming and 6 GB Data.

Help!!!

I am not sure. The service agreements always used to say something like "if you have been on the same unchanged voice plan since x date your ECF is blah" so it would change as you changed your plan. But these days it seems based on when you renew your contract. So if you aren't renewing you maybe stay on the same ECF even with a voice plan.

For the SAF, that is based on your plan so if you switch to a current plan there would be no SAF.

Edit: Found a copy of the old service agreement

The ECF is the greater of (i) $100 or (ii) $10 per month remaining in the Fido Agreement, to a maximum of $300 (plus applicable taxes), and applies for each deactivated phone number. If you have subscribed to your monthly plan before February 1, 2007 and you continue or renew on the same monthly plan on a 2- or 3-year term, the ECF will be equal to $20 times the number of months remaining in the term, to a maximum of $200 (plus applicable taxes). If you have subscribed to your monthly plan on or after February 1, 2007. but before July 19, 2009 and you continue or renew on the same monthly plan on a 2- or 3-year term, the ECF will be the greater of (i) $100 or (ii) $20 per month remaining in the term, to a maximum of $400 (plus applicable taxes). A Data Early Cancellation Fee (DECF) also applies if, for any reason, your data option is terminated prior to the end of your Data Term. The DECF is the greater of (i) $100 or (ii) $10 per month remaining in the Data Term, to a maximum of $200 (plus applicable taxes), and applies in addition to the ECF for termination of your Fido Agreement. If you have subscribed to your data option before July 19, 2009 and you continue or renew on the same option on a 2- or 3-year term, the DECF will be the greater of (i) $25 or (ii) $5 per month remaining in the Data Term, to a maximum of $100 (plus applicable taxes), and applies in addition to the ECF for termination of your Fido Agreement. If you subscribe to a plan combining both voice and data services, both the ECF and DECF apply.

I highlighted the part that mentioned ECF was based on when you subscribed to the plan and not the contract start date.

Once you renew, you fall under the new cancelation terms:

Device Savings Recovery Fee (applicable to term commitment customers only for any new term entered into on or after January 22, 2012)
A Device Savings Recovery Fee (DSRF) applies to all subscribers who have been granted an Economic Inducement (as defined below) upon entering a committed-term service agreement (Fido Agreement), if, for any reason, your service or your new term is terminated prior to the end of your Fido Agreement. The DSRF is the amount of the economic inducement (which may take the form of a discount, rebate or other benefit granted on the price of your Equipment), as stated in your service agreement (Economic Inducement), less the amount obtained by multiplying such Economic Inducement by a fraction representing the number of months elapsed in your Fido Agreement as compared to the total number of months of your Fido Agreement (plus applicable taxes). In other words, DSRF = Economic Inducement – [Economic Inducement × (# months elapsed in your Fido Agreement ÷ Total # months in your Fido Agreement)] + applicable taxes. An Additional Device Savings Recovery Fee (ADSRF) also applies if, for any reason, your data option, or your data option’s commitment term (Data Term), is terminated prior to the end of your Data Term. The ADSRF is the additional Economic Inducement you received for subscribing to your data option, less the amount obtained by multiplying such Economic Inducement by a fraction representing the number of months elapsed in your Data Term as compared to the total number of months of your Data Term (plus applicable taxes), and applies in addition to the DSRF for termination of your service agreement. If you subscribe to a plan combining both voice and data services, both the DSRF and the ADSRF apply, up to the total Economic Inducement.
Service Deactivation Fee (applicable to term commitment customers only for any new term entered into on or after January 22, 2012)
Not applicable to Residents of Québec or Manitoba: A Service Deactivation Fee of $12.50 per line applies if, for any reason, your service is deactivated prior to the end of your Fido Agreement. This fee is in addition to any applicable DSRF or DSRF and ADSRF.

But if you are changing plans but not renewing, I am not sure which you would fall under.

[Mark2000]

I changed plans. Apparently I fall under the max $200 rule for the plan, and the pre-January 2012 DECF. However, retentions offered me a flat cancellation fee of $240 if I wanted to get out of the contract (I declined). I tried for a better plan with retentions, but they also fell flat there.

What they did do, though, is allow me to activate a 2nd line on a $15 plan for three months, with a credit of $100+$40. So my net savings from the call will be between $60 and $75.

[Mark2000]

Does anyone know about this 2nd line activation credit by the way?

If I am getting a $100 credit upon activation, can I just cancel after the first month and forego the $40 credit? Why should I bother keeping the line for three months at $15/month, with a $140 credit after three months, instead of keeping it for one month at $15, with a $100 credit?

Thanks!

[Fidomaster2007]

Mark, the 100$ activation credit is on the second invoice only available with activations at customer service and only offered with a contract

[Fidomaster2007]

The 40$ is probably the referral credit since he is activating a 2nd line

[Mark2000]

I get it now, after your responses.

So, yes, the $100 is on a contract, but since it's only a non-phone contract, he said only
The $12.50 applies.

So I get the $100. Then, the $20 referral credit get applied to the person who activated the second line (me) and then I get $20 for referring myself. For a total of $40.

So, it was a shrewd way of spinning it, but-- all true and correct, right??

[Fidomaster2007]

12.50$ should apply if you live in any other provinces than Quebec and Manitoba if you're not getting a phone . And the referral credit you got it right