Change in forwarding rules - Fido may be ripping you off!!

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Michael Pogor - 04 Dec 2005 19:33 GMT

Has anyone else noticed a recent change in Fido's call forwarding rules? For
the last five years, I have had an Oakville Ontario Fido number, and a
Burlington Ontario home phone number. It is a local call from Oakville to
Burlington. I am now being charged long distance charge to forward my Fido
calls to my home phone, even though I only live less than five kilometers
from Oakville!!!
I haven't changed my phone or phone setup, or anything else. The Fido CSR
credited my account for the LD charges on my last bill, but said that I
would need to call again for adjustments to my next bill. However, this type
of forwarding is now considered long distance.
How ludicrous!!!
Any suggestions as to who I could contact within Fido to point out the
unfairness of this charge. To me, this is fale advertising, plain and
simple. They advertise 1,00 free minutes of call forwarding....that is why I
picked their service to begin with. I wonder how many other people are being
ripped off, and don't realize it!!

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JF Mezei - 04 Dec 2005 22:00 GMT

> Burlington. I am now being charged long distance charge to forward my Fido
> calls to my home phone, even though I only live less than five kilometers
> from Oakville!!!

If Bell for landline does not charge long distance, then it would be a
big error on Rogers's part to consider such a call long distance.

Fido used to have a greater local calling area than Bell landline. I
assume that under Rogers, this has been "streamlined" with whatever
Rogers does (since it is now done with Rogers billing). However, this
should NOT be less than Bell's landline calling areas.

> unfairness of this charge. To me, this is fale advertising, plain and
> simple. They advertise 1,00 free minutes of call forwarding....

The 1,000 minutes are for local calls. It is mobile airtime 1000
minutes. If any forwarding involves long distance, you get billed for
every long distance. And that is fair.

Your beef is that Rogers considers your local call to be long distance.

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Harry Eugene Ly - 04 Dec 2005 22:57 GMT

The 1000 minutes of free call forwarding minutes is just for local calls
otherwise people can let's say forward their calls to Vancouver if they live
in Montreal and call their Montreal number to speak with someone in
Vancouver. I'm not sure in your case why they suddenly seemed to have reduce
the local calling area so that if you forward calls to the same number as
you did before it is now considered long distance. I'm assuming that now
when you call the number that you are forwarding to (from your Fido phone),
you are also paying long distance. Is this correct?

> Has anyone else noticed a recent change in Fido's call forwarding rules? For
> the last five years, I have had an Oakville Ontario Fido number, and a
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> picked their service to begin with. I wonder how many other people are being
> ripped off, and don't realize it!!

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Michael Pogor - 05 Dec 2005 02:26 GMT

No, this is not correct. That's the strange thing. The Fido CSR told me
that a phone call from Oakville to Burlington is considered a local call.
However, if that same call is forwarded to Burlington from my Oakville
number, it is considered long distance!
My Fido phone number is an Oakville phone number. I am getting now getting
charged for call forwarding to Burlington, even if a local (Oakville) number
calls my cell phone and the phone call is forwarded. For example, let's say
I am at home (Burlington), and someone from Oakville calls my cell phone. If
I answer the cell phone, it is considered a local call. Of course, I have to
use up minutes on my plan to talk on my cell. If however, I don't answer the
cell phone and let the call forward to my home number, I am now being
charged long distance! For over five years, this was considered a local
call, but they have changed the rules without telling me!!
According to my understanding, the criterion for free call forwarding is
whether the forwarded phone number is in the same home area as the original
Fido number. in this case, it is.

> The 1000 minutes of free call forwarding minutes is just for local calls
> otherwise people can let's say forward their calls to Vancouver if they
[quoted text clipped - 30 lines]
> being
>> ripped off, and don't realize it!!

Reply to this Message

Harry Eugene Ly - 06 Dec 2005 02:27 GMT

If that is the case as you pointed out, there is a serious issue with it. I
would continue to complain about how stupid it is that you can call and
receive calls in Burlington (Ontario) and they are charged as local but when
you forward your phone to Burlington (Ontario), you are then charged long
distance. They should provide you with a reason for this. It just doesn't
make sense in terms of why this would happen or why they would be
intentionally doing this. I can understand if they reduced the calling area
but according to your example, the calling area is the same.

> No, this is not correct. That's the strange thing. The Fido CSR told me
> that a phone call from Oakville to Burlington is considered a local call.
[quoted text clipped - 47 lines]
> > being
> >> ripped off, and don't realize it!!

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Brendan McCullough - 07 Dec 2005 02:27 GMT

We had a similarly strange forwarding situation here in Victoria BC.
Dialled calls on Fido from downtown to Sooke were local but call
forwarded calls were long distance. This was particularly strange when,
because of Local Number Portability, that Sooke number could be next
door. I suspect that this situation has changed since Rogers took over.

Brendan

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