Comments on: Bell to Blackberry users: “Pay us or get lost!” (Literally!) http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/ News, Views & Purviews Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:05:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Ted http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/comment-page-1/#comment-1669 Ted Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:18:51 +0000 http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/#comment-1669 As an eager Blackberry user and a Bell customer I couldn't be more upset from this odd decision - I mean we should start a customer rebellion against them and show them who is boss!!!!! As an eager Blackberry user and a Bell customer I couldn’t be more upset from this odd decision – I mean we should start a customer rebellion against them and show them who is boss!!!!!

]]> By: AlRich http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/comment-page-1/#comment-1219 AlRich Wed, 14 Jan 2009 23:58:04 +0000 http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/#comment-1219 Nice post, it is so informative. I like its new device a new Wireless Handheld™ from Bell, we can really enjoy its latest wireless technologies. Well this is only a strategy from bell to get more customers. Nice post, it is so informative. I like its new device a new Wireless Handheld™ from Bell, we can really enjoy its latest wireless technologies. Well this is only a strategy from bell to get more customers.

]]> By: John Moore http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/comment-page-1/#comment-1209 John Moore Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:24:10 +0000 http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/#comment-1209 I recently complained to Bell re trouble I was having with 3rd party GPS apps on my Blackberry 8830 WE. The response I received made it clear to me that Bell was in fact disabling apps other than their own Telenav software (10$/month fee). They appear to have a corporate policy to restrict competition in the GPS software space in an attempt to further Telenav sales (even though they would receive revenue from virtually ANY GPS software via increased data charges). Email received is below: Thank you for your recent email. My name is Alyssa and for your reference, my employee identification is 6025948. Upon full review of your email, I wish to thank you for taking the time to contact us with your feedback. Please be assured that I have read all your comments with great care, and that I completely understand your concerns regarding the functionality of third party applications on your Blackberry, specifically GPS navigation. I wish to inform you that many reasons exist for which companies like Bell Mobility decide to make one choice rather than another. These may be financial, technical, regarding compatibility issues, exclusivity rights or a combination thereof. These decisions are negotiated between Bell Mobility and its business partners, the details of which belong to our internal business community and are therefore private. I sincerely regret the inconvenience this limitation may cause. Unfortunately, I will be unable to restore the access of third party GPS software/features on your Blackberry device. Please note that your Terms of Service stipulates that Bell Mobility maintains the right to make such changes to our services and products, in addition to increasing fees to features, or charging additional fees. We will not increase your basic monthly voice plan charge or out-of-bundle airtime charge during any Committed Service Period, as long as you remain qualified to receive your chosen plan and Services throughout the Committed Service Period. For your reference, I have included a URL to your Terms of Service, available on our website: Wireless terms of service- bell.ca If you have any other questions or concerns, please reply to this email and we will be happy to assist you. I wish to take this opportunity to inform you that it is possible for you to access your account via Internet. To do so, simply visit our Web site at www.bell.ca and click on "Register" in order to link your account. I appreciate that you took the time to provide us with this valuable information. I thank you, Mr. XXXXX, for your patience, your understanding, and for choosing Bell as your wireless communications provider. I hope to have addressed your points and welcome your response if you require further clarification. Kind regards, Alyssa Bell Mobility - Online Client Care I recently complained to Bell re trouble I was having with 3rd party GPS apps on my Blackberry 8830 WE. The response I received made it clear to me that Bell was in fact disabling apps other than their own Telenav software (10$/month fee). They appear to have a corporate policy to restrict competition in the GPS software space in an attempt to further Telenav sales (even though they would receive revenue from virtually ANY GPS software via increased data charges).

Email received is below:

Thank you for your recent email.

My name is Alyssa and for your reference, my employee identification is
6025948.

Upon full review of your email, I wish to thank you for taking the time
to contact us with your feedback. Please be assured that I have read
all your comments with great care, and that I completely understand your
concerns regarding the functionality of third party applications on your
Blackberry, specifically GPS navigation.

I wish to inform you that many reasons exist for which companies like
Bell Mobility decide to make one choice rather than another. These may
be financial, technical, regarding compatibility issues, exclusivity
rights or a combination thereof. These decisions are negotiated between
Bell Mobility and its business partners, the details of which belong to
our internal business community and are therefore private. I sincerely
regret the inconvenience this limitation may cause.

Unfortunately, I will be unable to restore the access of third party GPS
software/features on your Blackberry device. Please note that your
Terms of Service stipulates that Bell Mobility maintains the right to
make such changes to our services and products, in addition to
increasing fees to features, or charging additional fees.

We will not increase your basic monthly voice plan charge or
out-of-bundle airtime charge during any Committed Service Period, as
long as you remain qualified to receive your chosen plan and Services
throughout the Committed Service Period.

For your reference, I have included a URL to your Terms of Service,
available on our website:

Wireless terms of service- bell.ca

If you have any other questions or concerns, please reply to this email
and we will be happy to assist you.

I wish to take this opportunity to inform you that it is possible for
you to access your account via Internet. To do so, simply visit our Web
site at http://www.bell.ca and click on “Register” in order to link your
account.

I appreciate that you took the time to provide us with this valuable
information. I thank you, Mr. XXXXX, for your patience, your
understanding, and for choosing Bell as your wireless communications
provider. I hope to have addressed your points and welcome your
response if you require further clarification.

Kind regards,

Alyssa
Bell Mobility – Online Client Care

]]> By: Jason Nardari http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/comment-page-1/#comment-1034 Jason Nardari Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:33:34 +0000 http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/#comment-1034 Latest update: Apparently changes to the GPS functionality have been delayed until further notice. It is not clear whether this is due to technical reasons or as a result of a customer backlash over the proposed action. Latest update:

Apparently changes to the GPS functionality have been delayed until further notice. It is not clear whether this is due to technical reasons or as a result of a customer backlash over the proposed action.

]]> By: Blackberry Geocacher http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/comment-page-1/#comment-1025 Blackberry Geocacher Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:56:55 +0000 http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/#comment-1025 I sent a link of this blog entry to Michael Geist yesterday. Apparently I was not the only one: http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/3405/125/ I sent a link of this blog entry to Michael Geist yesterday. Apparently I was not the only one:
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/3405/125/

]]> By: Jason Nardari http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/comment-page-1/#comment-1023 Jason Nardari Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:13:43 +0000 http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/#comment-1023 Bell would not be interfering with the actual GPS radio signal the device receives itself, avoiding the regulations you cite. There would be no feasible way to accomplish this short of jamming the signal on a selective basis which would certainly attract the unwanted attention you note. Rather, they would block or degrade the quality of the location information once received by the mobile handheld device and pass this less informative / desirable stream on to 3rd party applications rather than the more accurate information Bell's own GPS application would get. Bell would not be interfering with the actual GPS radio signal the device receives itself, avoiding the regulations you cite. There would be no feasible way to accomplish this short of jamming the signal on a selective basis which would certainly attract the unwanted attention you note.

Rather, they would block or degrade the quality of the location information once received by the mobile handheld device and pass this less informative / desirable stream on to 3rd party applications rather than the more accurate information Bell’s own GPS application would get.

]]> By: Lorne http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/comment-page-1/#comment-1022 Lorne Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:01:40 +0000 http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/#comment-1022 Not likely. Almost every product in Canada and the US has "must not cause willful interference on it". If anyone intentionally degrades the 1.2 & 1.6GHz GPS signals they will be dealt with quickly. Perhaps you mean bell is planning to block Google and Blackberrys web servers? Technically possible but unlikely. Not likely. Almost every product in Canada and the US has “must not cause willful interference on it”. If anyone intentionally degrades the 1.2 & 1.6GHz GPS signals they will be dealt with quickly.

Perhaps you mean bell is planning to block Google and Blackberrys web servers? Technically possible but unlikely.

]]> By: mobiGeek http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/comment-page-1/#comment-1020 mobiGeek Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:07:43 +0000 http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/#comment-1020 Before this thing gets too far, do we have any validation of this internal memo? Don't get me wrong, I'd not be surprised to see the rusted sinking hull of Bell make such a move, but is there any credible evidence that this memo exists? Before this thing gets too far, do we have any validation of this internal memo?

Don’t get me wrong, I’d not be surprised to see the rusted sinking hull of Bell make such a move, but is there any credible evidence that this memo exists?

]]> By: RMQ http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/comment-page-1/#comment-1018 RMQ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:10:01 +0000 http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/#comment-1018 Bell is also putting the squeeze on Sympatico users. When my current 12-month plan ends in November, I move to month-to-month. There are no more contracts. My monthly cost will increase by 40 per cent. Bell is also putting the squeeze on Sympatico users. When my current 12-month plan ends in November, I move to month-to-month. There are no more contracts. My monthly cost will increase by 40 per cent.

]]> By: Marshall http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/comment-page-1/#comment-1017 Marshall Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:20:22 +0000 http://www.wellingtonfund.com/blog/2008/09/23/bell-to-blackberry-users-pay-us-or-get-lost-literally/#comment-1017 This is the type of crap that cell phone users hate. In a world where cell phone rates are falling, a company is trying to sneak in a new surcharge. As a business person I appreciate the need to increase revenues. But this method will likely alienate subscribers (especially in the consumer segment that Bell is trying to improve it's share in). That will lead cause customers to switch to Telus or Rogers and thus hurt their top line. If Cope wants to right the ship, he should focus on where the future of mobile devices is going. Data-intensive handhelds that combine voice, email, internet, GPS, music, etc. 10 years ago it was all voice. 5 years ago text and email were the key features. Now it's 3G wireless data. Soon it will be video calling, media streaming and interactive GPS that allows you to see the next bus time and live traffic feeds. Rogers is moving in that direction and has recently made data much more affordable. I hope for the sake of Bell's shareholders (whomever they will be come November) that Cope leads Bell on a similar path. This is the type of crap that cell phone users hate. In a world where cell phone rates are falling, a company is trying to sneak in a new surcharge. As a business person I appreciate the need to increase revenues. But this method will likely alienate subscribers (especially in the consumer segment that Bell is trying to improve it’s share in). That will lead cause customers to switch to Telus or Rogers and thus hurt their top line.

If Cope wants to right the ship, he should focus on where the future of mobile devices is going. Data-intensive handhelds that combine voice, email, internet, GPS, music, etc. 10 years ago it was all voice. 5 years ago text and email were the key features. Now it’s 3G wireless data. Soon it will be video calling, media streaming and interactive GPS that allows you to see the next bus time and live traffic feeds.

Rogers is moving in that direction and has recently made data much more affordable. I hope for the sake of Bell’s shareholders (whomever they will be come November) that Cope leads Bell on a similar path.

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