Letter to Fido July 2008

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I am writing because I am very confused by Fido's plans and have been trying to resolve a dispute. Please excuse my long note. But I would like to be assured a senior person will look at my issue.

I have been a Fido customer for about ten years, minus a brief gap when I travelled out of the country. I would estimate I have spent about $7 - $10k over the years on my two lines. I am a software developer working in the hospital system and develop mobile applications, so finding a good mobile carrier is very important to me.

I have not been a contract customer, rather going month to month. Fido over time has called me to offer incentives to go to a multi year plan, including free high end Windows Mobile devices. However, none were better than what I can purchase elsewhere, so did not interest me.

I accumulated 360 Fido dollars, and wanted to get an iPhone for my partner, which required signing up for a 3 year plan for her. I went into your flagship Montreal store. The sales person was helpful, but my thoughts about what I could with plans turned out totally wrong. I was in the store for two hours and it was very frustrating, and I ended up settling for what was not at all the preferred solution.

• I would have liked to purchase the iPhone for her, and keep using my current phone, a Nokia n95 (sold by Rogers), with the opportunity to upgrade my phone within the next year.* This was refused to me, and beyond that, I was forced to choose one of your phones. I was told I had to take this phone in order to utilise the unlimited surfing plan with my n95. This makes absolutely no sense to me, why would you make a customer, who already has a device they are happy with, take another phone they don't want to own? It makes no sense for Fido, myself, the environment, it is Kafka-esque. I am sure it is a case of a policy being followed by employees without any real chance for thought.

As I said, I have spent $7 - $10 000 at Fido, and I will be spending at least another $6 000 over the next three years if this can be worked out to my satisfaction. I do not understand why Fido, instead of forcing me to take a phone I do not want, cannot give me an opportunity to upgrade one of my lines in the next year. Surely Fido can see the value of a customer having reasonable flexibility while you're earning $6k of revenue.

The second best solution would be for me to use this forced purchased to buy an iPhone, but to use it on its own as an iPod/basic phone, and continue to use my n95 with Fido.

The third best solution would be for my girlfriend to go on her own phone line, and for me to stay month to month, with my n95 and the $15 value pack.

I would like to receive a response stating at the minimum a senior person has read and understood what I have had to go through, but it would be really nice if we could come to a more amenable, friendly solution for a dedicated customer.