$100 voucher discontinued?

[Shagedorn]

I went into the store yesterday to purchase a $100 voucher for our Android phone for next year.

The store person told me that that program that lets you make one purchase to last a year is now discontinued.  However, for $180, he said I could purchase a voucher that would do the same thing.

So by discontinuing the program and starting another identical program, they can't be accused of an 80% increase in cost???!!!

I came home and tried chatting because I couldn't believe he got his facts straight.  I was directed to the "self care customer line" for pay as you go.   Can't talk to anyone there, either.  If this "increase" is true, I'm done with Rogers.  We cut off our TV and changed internet providers long ago.   Now it looks like the phone will go, too.

***Edited Labels***

[fiona59]

Yes, the Petro Cans sell Rogers, Fido, all the phone vouchers. Same counter as the lottery tickets.

[BS]

And Petro Canada still has Anytime minutes with 100 dollar topups, that carry over as long as you renew before the end of 365.00  Rates are also somewhat lower in some areas too.

PetroCanada has auto topup - and no expiry cap on minutes over time = runs on Rogers wireless towers.

Each time Rogers makes a change in plans, it forces me to consider the full options available from them and other suppliers.  They take customers who are happy with their plans, no intentions of considering any moves, and then in this case communicate poorly, infuriate or confuse many customers, and place them into a situation of having to first understand the changes, then negotiate an option, when it also opens the door to say, "of forget it, I am moving on", but then again, maybe they actually want us using lower end services to move on.

Bruce

Bruce

[barndoor]

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@BS wrote:

......, but then again, maybe they actually want us using lower end services to move on.

Bruce

Bruce

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I  have given up  trying to figure it out Bruce ...... it's just the Rogers way  .On one hand it seems amongst other things , they  don't seem to want to even sell their own vouchers , and apparently can't even provide a staff person here  qualified to answer paygo  questions  yet when someone complains  about loosing their balance they start handing out a free year of service ...or preferentially priced post paid plans .

A word of caution with the Petro  Canada  plans ... the texting  , at least on the economy plan that I have,  does not support picture messages .... so if you are switching be sure you check that out if it may make a difference to you . I do  love the  100  Canada Wide minutes though ....with non of the erratic long distance I was paying for here. 

[OLDYELLR]

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@barndoor wrote:

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 A word of caution with the Petro  Canada  plans ... the texting  , at least on the economy plan that I have,  does not support picture messages .... so if you are switching be sure you check that out if it may make a difference to you . I do  love the  100  Canada Wide minutes though ....with non of the erratic long distance I was paying for here. 

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My grandfathered anytime plan does not either. I have to turn data on and pay for it to get the picture. With my old Nokia 2610 the text include a URL for the picture and I could get it for free with my computer. Another backwards step to coax people to use data or upgrade to a moreexpensive plan.

[BS]

Thanks for the clarification @barndoor and @OLDYELLR on MMS.  I don't use the feature much, and my wife who has data on her current post paid plan keeps her data turned off and turns it one if she really wants to send a picture.

For me, it is so rare that I send pictures , or even send texts for that matter, or receive them, that I think I will be ok.  Petro Canada is one of the options I am considering.  I had originally been planning to just switch to a Rogers pay as you go, but I am having serious second thoughts as I read all this and look at the plans.

They don't really meet my needs of phone use where I am taking things.  The tablet with non shared data is looking very interesting to me as a possible options.  A lot of thoughts about direction, all driven by changes by Rogers.

That is what makes me wonder if they really want me as a customer, because I was already pretty low end in my price/service bundles for all services (4 altogether), and I am taking them lower again.

I will keep watching these discusions and announcements closely, and search the alternative providers too, as well as completely different mixes of technology.  None of these are "needs" for me, other than a low end emergency phone due to my disability when I leave the house, and I do prefer a home phone, but everything is on the taable, but at least it is becoming more clear just where rogers wants to take customers, in general, and it is not really where I want to go.

Thanks for the details and all the information all of you.

Bruce

[barndoor]

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BS wrote: 

That is what makes me wonder if they really want me as a customer, because I was already pretty low end in my price/service bundles for all services (4 altogether), and I am taking them lower again.

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I would suggest that you need to take FAR MORE of a " not what I can do for you but what you can do for me " attitude . 

The best way to deal with profit focused  companies and maintain your sanity  . 

[barndoor]

@OLDYELLR , @57 ,   just curious do both of you top up your Anytime plan with $10 a month ? Did either of you get notice that you would be switched to the  $10  a month flat rate plan  in March  ?  I believe you both posted here that you have called in and asked that your  plans be continued as is ?

[OLDYELLR]

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@barndoor wrote:

@OLDYELLR , @57 ,   just curious do both of you top up your Anytime plan with $10 a month ? Did either of you get notice that you would be switched to the  $10  a month flat rate plan  in March  ?  I believe you both posted here that you have called in and asked that your  plans be continued as is ?

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I started topping up at $100 each year many years ago when I learned about the $100 vouchers by word of mouth.  I started out with the $25/month vouchers. I only learned about the switch to $10/month in March on this board and called to get grandfathered. But I did receive a text about the $150 cap after I read about it here.

[57]

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@barndoor wrote:

@OLDYELLR , @57 ,   just curious do both of you top up your Anytime plan with $10 a month ? Did either of you get notice that you would be switched to the  $10  a month flat rate plan  in March  ?   

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Yes I use $10/month Auto-Top-Up and as soon as my balance gets to around $200, I pay $100 out of that balance to keep my phone operational for the next year and then Auto-Top-Up restarts at the end of the year.  With the maximum at the end of the year being $150, I will change my strategy to pay $100 when my balance reaches $150.

I didn't get any notice because notice was sent out by text and texts "disappear" after three days if you have your phone turned off.  I usually have my phone turned off.  For additional information see my previous posts on these topics:

http://communityforums.rogers.com/t5/Pay-as-You-Go/Pay-As-You-Go-plan-changes/m-p/414003#M2101

http://communityforums.rogers.com/t5/Pay-as-You-Go/Pay-As-You-Go-plan-changes/m-p/413623#M2018

[Alcus440]

Thank you for your reply OLDYELLR. Much appreciated!

I've been doing some reading and decided to call 1-800-575-9090 this morning but I was not even able to figure out what choice to make to speak with someone. If anyone knows, your assistance would be appreciated.

[57]

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@Alcus440 wrote:

Thank you for your reply OLDYELLR. Much appreciated!

I've been doing some reading and decided to call 1-800-575-9090 this morning but I was not even able to figure out what choice to make to speak with someone. If anyone knows, your assistance would be appreciated.

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Option 4, Option 4, Option 1.

[Alcus440]

Thank you again.

That works great. On the line with them now on hold. Will update on results.

I have a balance of over $330 and I am fully paid up until Jan 20, 2019 with no ability to reduce my balance before the end of December 2018. If their text message had offered the option discussed in these forums, I would have opted to have $100 taken from my account but I did not know about that option when I renewed in January.

[barndoor]

Okay ... I broke down this morning and called in to see if I was going to get notice of this  ....not to get grandfathered . 

What I learned was if you are on the plan like @OLDYELLR and I are on and just pay the $100 a year we will not be notified and we will not be changed so supposedly don't need to call in to be grandfathered .   

IF you are like @57 and are paying $10 a month you will be notified (which 57 likely missed due to sporadic  use ) and automatically changed to the flat rate $10 plan if you don't call and request to stay on that plan .  

I hope that helps some one  ....it made sense to me . 

I do have to ask though @57... why do you pay monthly and $120 /year for a plan that you could get cheaper for a single payment of $100 /year .  Even with the now terminated 10% auto top up discount  you would have  been  paying over $100 per year for  your phone time .

I also  just wanted to take a moment to thank the Rogers staff here for helping us to get to the bottom of this when their help was asked for in a number of posts.  

[57]

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barndoor wrote: 

I do have to ask though @57... why do you pay monthly and $120 /year for a plan that you could get cheaper for a single payment of $100 /year .  Even with the now terminated 10% auto top up discount  you would have  been  paying over $100 per year for  your phone time .

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I was not aware of the $100 per year single payment (coupon) option until around the same time as I became aware of the $100 "suspend payments" option around 2013-2014, so I've used that three times since then.  As you mention, I also had the 10% bonus with Auto-Top-Up for several years when I was making payments, so there was not much difference in price for the year (overall over the years). 

With things going smoothly, I didn't think it worthwhile to possibly mess things up by changing my approach. Also, with the $100 single payment (coupon), I was concerned that I would lose my balance if I didn't start paying again in time, which doesn't happen with the Auto-Top-Up option which "guarantees" that I never lose my balance.  It just wasn't worth the risk for a small reward of perhaps $10/year difference.  Another word - inertia. 😉

[Alcus440]

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... $100 per year single payment (coupon) option ... 

Wouldn't it be nice if you could preauthorise Rogers to automatically take the $100 from an existing balance or take $100 from your credit card on the anniversary date and remove the stress we all feel as the anniversary approaches of locating a voucher... Wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about our balance disappearing anymore?

Food for thought Rogers!!!

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[Alcus440]

Will post the update under New Pay As You Go Maximum Balance

[OLDYELLR]

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@barndoor wrote:

Okay ... I broke down this morning and called in to see if I was going to get notice of this  ....not to get grandfathered . 

What I learned was if you are on the plan like @OLDYELLR and I are on and just pay the $100 a year we will not be notified and we will not be changed so supposedly don't need to call in to be grandfathered .

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I was not told that it was automatic when I called, but the CSR did say Rogers will grandfather me and agreed the plan is a good deal. But perhaps I didn't get a text or email because it would be automatic.

[OLDYELLR]

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@Alcus440 wrote:

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... $100 per year single payment (coupon) option ... 

Wouldn't it be nice if you could preauthorise Rogers to automatically take the $100 from an existing balance or take $100 from your credit card on the anniversary date and remove the stress we all feel as the anniversary approaches of locating a voucher... Wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about our balance disappearing anymore?

Food for thought Rogers!!!

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It would be if you used close to $100 air time in a year, but if you used a lot less, like me, then automatic yearly renewal would quickly raise you balance and  you'd lose anything over the $130 cap.

[Alcus440]

If your balance is over $100 at the time of renewal, then the following would be the default option that I am suggesting:

"preauthorise Rogers to automatically take the $100 from an existing balance"

[barndoor]

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@Alcus440wrote:

If your balance is over $100 at the time of renewal, then the following would be the default option that I am suggesting:

"preauthorise Rogers to automatically take the $100 from an existing balance"

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You would trust Rogers to do that  ?   

It  should have been automatic  and not optional  right  from the start . 

And now they have just complicated the issue with a $50/6 month voucher  that on occasion you may have to use to stay under the $150  balance  cap . 

[Shagedorn]

Well...  I thought the problem was solved when a Rogers person told me that she would use $1000 of our balance to extend out pay as you go phone another year to January 2019.   Then at the beginning of Feb, a Rogers message appeared thanking me for making my $10 monthly payment for talk and text.   I quickly texted back that I don’t have such a plan and promptly put that behind me.  But when I received the same message taking another $10 off my balance in March, I had enough and called Rogers.   She apologized and reversed the two charges.  BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING JUST NOT RIGHT.  I HAVE TO KEEP CONTACTING THEM.  THIS IS SO IRRITATING THAT YOU THINK THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED, BUT IT NEVER IS!!!