Montréal

Virgin Mobile (Canada) - prepaid - claims that even if you RECEIVE (and not make) a long distance/ international call, you will be charged the long distance/international fees, aside from the airtime minutes that come out of your monthly minutes plan. Is that true?

does anyone have a cheap telus phone they want to get rid of? I have a plan, just need the handset. I only need it for a couple weeks for a project so free would be nice, if possible. Willing to negotiate.

I was wondering where you could unlock a phone? It's a Fido and I'd like to be able to use it with Rogers. And how much would that cost?

Does anyone know if Telus automatically renews cellphone contracts? Mine ends today and I'm not the one "in charge" and can't get in touch with said person so I'd like to know if I'll be able to use it tomorrow or not.

Fido has eight phones currently available, besides iPhones and Blackberries.

I'd like anyone's advice or commentary who has any of them:
Nokia 1661
Nokia 2760
Motorola W233
Motorola Motokrzr K1
Motorola Z6W
Sony Ericsson T303A
Samsung SGH-S266
LG Neon T365

Mostly I'm looking for a phone. I already have a camera and an MP3 player and don't need more. I just want a good solid phone with menus that don't make me feel like I'm trying to make business calls with a Fisher Price Big People Play Phone.

History: I used to like Nokias but they went through a bad phase, is it time to reconsider them? Then I loved Motorola's PEBL phone, but when it finally died I got their ROKR U9 which is crap and/or crippled with a poor menuing system, not sure which, but I can't go on using it much longer or I'll throw it across the room.

Suggestions?

hi! I am moving from Los Angeles to Montreal next month, and of course I would like to get a Canadian cell phone. I was wondering if anyone has any opinions on which provider has the cheapest plans/best coverage? thanks. :)

I'm leaving montreal for a trip and won't be using my cellphone for 7 months, but I want to keep the same number when I come back. I'm with fido and still have about 2 years on my contract =/   Is it possible to "freeze" my contract for these months?  

I was wondering if any of you had a similar experience or want to share some advices. Thanks a lot!!

One of my cats ate my cell phone charger. I could go to Rogers and pay 30$ to replace it, but if time wasn't an issue, I could get the exact same thing for 5$ on ebay. I was wondering if there was a place in town where I could get it for cheaper, without getting scammed and getting a cheapo replacement.

Any suggestion?

The phone in question is a nokia E71 if it makes a difference.

many thanks

16 months $25/month contract to take over (was a 36 months contract)! Bell Mobility contract w/ Samsung camera phone:
The $25/month plan includes:
- 20 free calls to 1 number anytime
- Unlimited nights (8pm-7am)& weekends
- 200 minutes anytime
- Caller id
- Voicemail
Plan runs from February 19th 2009 to June 19th 2010, you won’t get all these features for this price without signing a 3 year contract!
I will pay for your 1st month and for the transfer fee.
If interested, please contact me at bellcellsd@gmail.com.

starting tomorrow, say goodbye to telemarketers! :D

The National Do Not Call List (DNCL)

The National Do Not Call List (DNCL) will allow Canadians to reduce the number of telemarketing calls they receive as of September 30, 2008.

Key Facts for Consumers

How to register: As of September 30, 2008, you can register your home phone, cellular or fax number(s) on the National DNCL. Signing up is simple, quick and free. You can sign up online at www.LNNTE-DNCL.gc.ca or by calling the toll-free numbers 1-866-580-DNCL (1-866-580-3625) or 1-888-DNCL-TTY (1-888-362-5889). Once you have signed up, many telemarketers can no longer call you starting 31 days after your registration. You must renew your registration every three years if you want your number(s) to stay on the National DNCL.

I canceled my contract with Fido, so I have two cellphones for sale.

( Details. )

I know this is yet another cell phone post, and I have been keeping track of all the advice on it from ths helpful community. I do have a specific concern for myself when it comes to getting a cell phone, so here it is:

I have a Treo from a plan I had with Telebec (affliated with Bell... I know Ew.) from about a couple of years ago. Basically, after ripping me off with the internet option, I cancelled, had to pay through the nose to cancel my shitty contract, moved here and never got a cell phone again.

Problem is, I'd like to get a cell phone once more because alot of my family members up north use it  alot for texting and I'd like to stay in touch that way at least , since I am homesick for my family. I would love to use my treo. It's still nice and I loved it when I was using it. My battery needs to be replaced however.

So basically, I am very reluctant to return to Bell since they are notorious for ripping ppl off hidden fees. I was thinking of doing a pay as you go, so no contracts. Something with unlimited texting is what I am looking for mostly. Plus as a parent, I would like to have a daytime no. for emergencies while I am at school( A student here btw with a student budget).

The plans availaible out there is ovewhelming. I am weighing the pros and cons of keeping my nice phone (which I paid a pretty penny for when my budget was 3x more than it is now) and  sticking with this ugly company OR can I use this phone with another company? OR should I nix the treo and just find me a cool plan with a totally different  *less* evil company.

Any input, knowledge would be helpful. Thanks!

I have an old Fido plan that's supposedly $30 for 300 minutes a month, and includes voicemail, caller ID, and more free texting than I use. The minutes apply anytime and I don't get any breaks for evenings, weekends, calling other Fido users, etc. – if the line is open the meter is running.

Fido has extra charges – system access fee etc. – so my usual bill, keeping it under 300 minutes, comes out about $53 with taxes.

For some reason last month I massively overran my plan and talked for 719 minutes, the extra 419 minutes racking up a charge of $125.32 above my usual $53-ish charge. Ouch.

Fido reps have advised me to keep this plan because it's been discontinued and if I gave it up I couldn't get it back. I have no idea if they're taking me for a ride here – do these numbers sound ridiculous? The overcharge for extra minutes seems like a lot, but maybe it's typical.

I've checked the memories and no one seemed to give an answer as to where one goes to unlock a phone. I see all these places around peel metro that say they unlock iphones, but my phone isn't an iphone. It's a CECT 318 phone, from Asia and it works beautifully except it's not finding any canadian networks. I'm assuming this means it's locked. It's a tri-band phone with the proper GSNM frequencies so that shouldn't be an issue either.

So where do I go to get my phone unlocked? Preferably downtown. Even better if there's a place in Chinatown I can do it, because maybe someone will be able to tell me what the chinese "fine print" says.

how does one go about unlocking a cell phone?

first off is it still legal to do so? I've been hearing rumors that the governement is trying to (or has) put a stop to it.

So if it's still possible to unlock a cell phone, where do i go and how much does it cost? My boyfriend gave me his old Bell phone and i'm with Rogers but too broke to buy a new phone.

Help please :)

i'm moving to montreal (on friday!) for college at concordia university, and i'm going to be getting a cellphone as soon as possible once i'm there.

i've been looking into Telus mostly, but have also looked at Rogers and Bell.
EDIT. i'm also looking at Virgin Mobile, which looks equally as promising.


what wireless provider would you recommend?

pluses about Telus so far:
• free blackberry with my plan. yes, please.
• the student plan.


i'd really like to hear your good or bad experiences with any wireless provider in montreal. merci!

So I need to get a cellphone, preferably a cheap one, but more importantly I need a cheap plan and I have been looking at providers.

The ones that look appealing to me are either Solo Mobile or Koodo. Not because of the ridic branding but more because they offer cheap monthly plans that are exactly what I need (only a little talking, and an assload of texting).

What are your experiences with your cell phone providers?
good, quick customer service?
dropped calls?
hidden charges?
horror stories?

Thanks!

Hello, have been here for five days now and have some stupid questions to ask, feel free to look away now if you're bored by mundanity...

Cell Phone & voicemail - Fido network: Me and my buddy both got a phone from Fido for our stay here - we followed instructions on how to open our voicemail which was basically 'press and hold 1 and then enter the last 4 digits of your phone number', which I did, but it didn't seem to work. Now any time I press 1 I only get a message saying i've dialled a ten digit number and i've to hang up, press the area code and then the seven-digit number, I don't understand what's going on. Can anyone shine any light on it before I go embarass myself at the Fido counter over something that turns out to be super simple?
I have three or four unheard messages in my inbox which is gutting. Also, what's the deal with getting charged for INCOMING calls?? Is that to force you into getting the better/more expensive deals? What a rip off!

These smoked sausage sandwiches: For some reason I haven't tried these yet - recommend some joints for good eatin

Jobhunt: Right, I flagged up a possibly dodgy ad on here last week which was basically for funs and I had no intention of going for it, but I went for an interview for a coffee house and after the whole interview thing was over and he'd offered me the job and stuff pretty much he stopped and said 'we'd' have to 'rethink' my dress-code: ie I was wearing pants and he wanted me to wear, not short short, but 'sexy dresses'. He said that it would bring in more tips if I did so. Fair point, but I don't think I want my arse cheeks to dictate my wages very much. Having walked past some very short skirted bars in the past few days I guess this is normal here to ask girls to wear revealing clothing??
I'm personally going to tell him where to stick his sexy job when he calls me back.

Good stretches of shops: I've been in a few malls and they all depress the hell out of me, where can you find cute little boutiques with local craft or designers? Stuff that's quite unique and 'Montreal' would be good. I want a general browse and need to send my parents a silver wedding anniversary prezzie.

Post Offices: Are there any post-offices in the Atwater area? I need to send my parents said present and a few post-cards.

Gigs: What local gigs are coming up on the 'indie' scene? I think I'm gonna try to go to Parlovr on Tuesday and No Age next week, anybody going to any of those and could bum up over a beer or something and map out some good places for gigs? Or on here, whatever...

YAWN! Cheers dudes Lx

Hey there,

Has anyone here ever bought a cellphone from a place called Timtechs?

http://www.timtechs.ca

They seem alright, but I figured I'd ask in case anyone had an especially good or bad experience with them.

thanks!

Has anybody here signed up with koodo mobile? Are you happy with it? 

I am currently on pay and talk with Telus but I find the plans Koodo offers pretty attractive, especially since they don't charge that network fee etc.. 

I am just wondering if the reception is any good and if they are affilliated with any companies like Bell/Rogers/Telus etc.. 


Thank you :)

Anybody tried it?
Happy, unhappy?

I am only considering them because I already have my internet plan with them and they make 'packages' with 2-3 services....

my boyfriend just moved out west for a few months and i was wondering if it costs extra to send text messages to him from here?

i'm with rogers, if that makes a difference.


thanks so much.

I've been considering to buy a cell phone so I did my little research to try and find the "perfect" plan. After some thinking, I think that I might go with Solo or Telus. I looked through the memories for a little advice but the most recent entry about that was over a year ago so I thought I'd ask again for any advices regarding cell phone companies.

I'm getting rid of my cell phone and instead of paying HUGE cancellation fees I've decided to see if anyone wants to take over my contract. I'll pay any associated fees (25$ to change the name on the contract, and if there's a fee to change the phone number I'll pay it too).

I'm with Fido, and have a (black) Motorola Pebl. It's a 2 yr contract (I think the 2 yrs just started, that or it's at about a year and a half left... not sure if it started this month, or when I renewed it). You can switch the plan to whatever you want to but I currently have the 30$ Fido to Fido plan, with the 14$ value pack.

Reason for leaving it: I found my perfect plan... and it's with Telus.

You can either leave a message here, or email allosauruses at gmail dot com

Hi All,

Does anyone know of a reputable retail or other type of dealer on the island that sells unlocked GSM mobile phones? I lost my phone last night (and have of course temporarily suspended my service) and now I'm on the hunt for a new one. But Fido's prices are *outrageous* for new phones without new contracts, and I know for certain there are better phones, for cheaper prices, from third-party vendors.

Thanks in advance. :)

Hii^^

any english cosmetology schools ? or courses? -- would prefer one close to the west island

also whats a good cellphone company that has a decent plan for lots of text msging or calling back and forth to the states
<3

I have a broken cell phone that I need to get rid of, and I've heard you can recycle them. Does anyone on this community know where I can drop mine off in downtown?

About two weeks ago, i found a cell phone.  It's a  Motorola V710 from telus as shown here  For the past 2 weeks, i really have tried  to find it's owners. Called the phone numbers that was stored in the adress book of the phone but i never heard back from the person./owner. It's reallly nice phone with very fun features. (it's really expensive too)  and obviously the owner has disconnected the phone. It woud be really a waste to trow it away. I was wondering is there a way, to reactivate the phone and how much would that cost me and how i could do that. I would go to a telus store but hmmm i'm afraid they will think i stole it which obviously not what happened. Does anyone know what i could do? Is there a contact number @ Telus i could call? (Anyone here works for telus?). I really don't know what else to do!

Thanks a lot.

Hello everybody,

I need to transfer my Telus account as soon as possible, you will be able to choose your own plan and even get a brand new phone. There are 25$ fees that I will pay, so everything is free of charge for you.

Leave me a message here if you're interested.

I found a black Bell cell yesterday infront of CIBC downtown.

If you think it's yours, send me a message with a description of your wallpaper and name the person most frequently called.

(I've already tried calling the most frequently called numbers but nobody's picking up and I'll be in class all day so I don't have time to pick it up)

I have a 2-year contract with Fido which should end in April.
Should I inform Fido in advance that I would not prolong the contract or the company will inform me about the termination of the contract and the further possibilities?

My cellphone won't do texts anymore. Apparently this is a common problem with the Motorola V360 and I went down to Rogers to try to get a replacement while they were "upgrading the software" but they said that I need a credit card. I don't have a credit card and my friends are kind of sketchy about the idea of giving their credit card numbers out, and my family is all the way across the country in BC so I am kind of stuck. Is there any way to get around this? I also would like to avoid being stuck phone-less (I'm guessing it'll be a while since these things tend to take forever and a half)... how long does it usually take for the phone to get fixed?

Arrrgh.

This is really obnoxious. I've been actually nice to my phone (ie not dropping it on concrete, water, etc) and it still manages to die on me. :(

Hello fellow Montrealers,

Last week I managed to lose my cell phone (it's a wonderful talent of mine). Bell told me that I could use any phone to reactivate with my account as long as it's a bell phone. Would anyone have a Bell phone that they are not using that they'd be willing to sell (cheaply)/give to me?

Help out a student? ^_^

Hello,

as I'm going back to live in Europe, I have to get rid of my Telus account. I can transfer it to someone else, who will be able to change the phone and the type of forfeit and access all of their promotions right away. The cost for you would be only 25$, of which I would pay 50%!

Let me know if you're interested.

Hi everyone,

I'm considering getting a cellphone here and I wanted to get recommendations from your good selves.

Who do you use?
Who would you use if you could switch tomorrow?
Pay-as-you-go or monthly plan?
Any glowing customer service stories?
Any horror stories?

General consensus so far among my friends seems to be Telus, but perhaps you know better? I'd love to hear...

Thanks in advance :)

Hello Montreal!

isn't there a way to RENT a cellphone for ONE weekend? I dont want to get and pay for a cellphone I would use so rarely, even if I'd only use prepaid cards (because I think even in such cases, you have to pay certain fees - correct me if I'm wrong)

****

Salut Montréal!

est-ce qu'il y a une façon de LOUER un téléphone cellulaire pour un weekend? Ca ne me tente pas de payer pour un téléphone dont je n'ai pas besoin et qui me servirait que 3-4 fois par année. Et je crois que même avec des cartes pré-payées, il y a certains frais (corrigez-moi si je suis dans l'erreur)

hello fellow montrealers!
my cell phone is about to pass on :(
i am wondering ... what is the best place in montreal to buy a cell phone? what is the best camera phone available in montreal and how much is it? what is the smallest phone with an agenda with or without a camera and how much is it? what is the best value for a decent quality phone? is it worth buying a phone here or is it better to buy one online? are phones purchased here locked and if so, can they be unlocked? i am a person who likes to travel! i bought my previous phone in india and loved it and had no troubles using it here!
AND
what is the best cell phone plan in montreal - either a good plan to use my cell phone as my only phone or the best way to have a cell phone for emergency use only, while using a home phone for everything else? i prefer a monthly plan over a long contract.
thanks! i always get such great info when i post here!
xoxo

hey dudes i just moved here and im itching to get a cell phone. i have no idea how cell phones work. ive been living in the dark ages. can someone recommend a good phone and a good plan for someone totally ignorant to the cell phone world? i want something with long distance and enough minutes for someone who talks on the phone like an hour or two a day. at the most. thankssssss

also!

i have nothing but a bed so if anyones got a dresser night table lamps etc to give away or sell for cheap, im your gal!

Does anyone use Virgin Mobile? They have a plan that's very similar to what I'm getting with Fido, for about half the cost, even factoring in minute use.  I'm sick of dealing with Fido's customer service, and I was wondering what people's experiences with Virgin were like.

Hey all, I looked through the memories but didn't see any information about second-hand cell phones. I have two phones, neither of which will work with any of the companies I've visited (Fido, Telus and Rogers). One is apparently "too old", and the other was purchased overseas and can't receive signals here. I would like to get a phone that won't cost me much -- it doesn't have to be small or pretty or take pictures, it just has to be able to send and receive calls. I'll likely only be in town for eight months or so, so a contract with free phone isn't really an option. Is there a place in this city that sells used (but still functional) cell phones, or phones for extraordinarily reasonable prices? The woman at Rogers told me to try 'the flea market', but I don't know of any flea markets. Maybe a pawn shop?

Alternatively, is anyone willing to sell me their still-functional phone?

Does anyone remember what year there was a cell phone company that I think was called Fusion.

Their airtime was half the price because you used to have to listen to ads before a phone call would go through.

Great idea but no one actually followed through on the ads so they went belly-up fairly quickly.

Hello/Bonjour!


1) I'm looking into switching banks. I'm currently with la caisse populaire and i hate it. I'm looking into BMO. Do you guys have good experience with them? I'm currently a full-time student so i'm looking for bank that offers good programs for students. I mainly use ATM & Online banking. Sometimes, very rarely when things cannot be done online (which for the caisse there are alot of things and its driving me crazy) i'll do it over the phone and as a last resort i'll go to the branch. I hate dealing with tellers and branch staff. Besides BMO & la caisse, you have any other suggestions for Banks. I'm looking to open a normal checking type of thing. Maybe open a saving account in a few years but i plan to mainly use ING for that. So if you have any suggestions. please let me know. Also since i don't know if i'm going to stay in Quebec after graduation. It all depends if i get a job here or in Alberta/Vancouver/Toronto  and i don't want to be switching accounts again at that point too.

2) I'm looking into buying a new phone-cell phone. so who has a good deal withthe usual money eaters. I mean, I'm eyeying currently telus phones because they have specials right now. I like the Audiovox 6600  & Nokia 6265i but i don't need all thoses crazy options. Do you know any good plans with telus that won't eat my wallet too much? How about Rogers? I try to stay clear from them because i can't get reception at work with them because our kitchen is weird and tiny. I also heard about Virgin Mobile but i don't know many people that use them and i don't like the fact you top-up your account expect with a credit card. and don't recomend Bell because i hate Bell and i try to avoid them at all costs.

If anyone has any suggestions that would be greatly appriciated.

I'm looking for a new handset for a Bell contract (mine got wet, and I REALLY don't want to pay $100 for a new phone), so I was wondering if someone had an old Bell cellphone that they'd like to give/sell for cheap-ish? It doesn't have to be spiffy, it just has to work. If you still had the box it came in kicking around? ROCK.

Leave a comment here, or email katchilds@gmail.com

*crosses fingers*

Is anyone with Virgin Mobile and have any commentary on their service? Specifically, does it work reasonably inside the island of Montreal, particularly in the downtown region? (I already did check the memories, BTW) It appears that their pricing is a lot nicer than competitors (fido, bell, rogers, telus) yet there are no users of the system. I'm missing the catch here?

Thanks a lot!

I'm going to be moving out sans room-mates soon, and I'm thinking about getting a cell phone instead of a landline.

Can anyone tell me of good deals available in this fine city? I'm not a student, but I do have to watch my expenses.

Is there anyone who needs someone to take over their cell phone contract?

Thanks! Happy Monday!

I see people using their phobiles in metro stations, on the platforms, even in trains, and i was wondering if it's the model of phone or the service provider or a combo of both that allows people to do this? I have a very crap Nokia that barely works in my ground-level condo -- it's useless the moment i enter a metro station. Luckily, my contract ends this month and i am looking at getting a new phone -- but i want one that will work at in metro stations, at least. Any advice or recommendations would be appreciated.

Thank you!

hi everyone!
i live by myself and have a landline currently, but im thinking of getting a cellphone!
i was looking at the telus talk 30 (or whatever) plan.
id only use my cell on the weekends and evenings, because i usaully just use the phone at work to make calls during the day.
and i occasionally talk long distance, but people phone me more than me phoning them.
what do people think of telus ? what do people think of cellphones ? does anyone else have this plan?
thanks for everyone's help!

hey guys,

Does anyone know of any local phone service providers in montreal other than bell? I am now located in the downtown area and i really really don't want to use them. Or alternatively, is there any way to escape having to pay bell landline fees?
As in another provider, service, hookup with videotron or any such comapny?
perhaps sprint?

OR- can anyone recommend an affordable cell service/company for someone who needs a home phone in montreal and also long distance service to toronto?

hello folks. im visiting from florida. ill be here till the 31st. is there a verizon store anywhere downtown where i can get my plan changed? im near the guy-concordia metro and the closer the better... but if not, anywhere will do. thanks

-dick

**update**
ive just been informed that there are no verizon stores(didnt think there would be). so i guess can anyone direct me to any cell phone store...preferably one where i can get a 'pay as you go' phone or something. thanks

Has anybody here in montreal had problems with FIDO's customer service? I'm having difficulty reconciling a disputed charge with them and I'm amazed by the treatment I've received from their representitives, whose attitudes are "too bad we lied to you to get you to enter a contract but now you're stuck with us"

and can anybody recommend a cell phone provider/plan that would be good for someone who only needs a phone for emergencies/casual use?