The
      Cadre
      +
     
    
   
   
    
     
      13
      October
      1998
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      News
      3
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sprint
      Canada’s
      altered
      calling
     
     
      plan
      hits
      students
     
    
   
   
    
     
      BY
      KAREN
      RAWLINES
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sprint
      Canada’s
      deci-
     
     
      sion
      to
      cut
      off
      their
      unlimited
     
     
      calling
      plan
      is
      not
      ringing
      well
     
     
      in
      the
      ears
      of
      students
      and
     
     
      consumer
      rights
      groups
      who
     
     
      say
      they
      were
      not
      given
     
     
      notice
      of
      the
      termination
      of
     
     
      their
      enormously
      popular
      plan.
     
    

    
     
      The
      plan
      was
      pitched
      in
     
     
      =<.
      July
      of
      this
      year,
      offer-
     
     
      ing
      a
      package
      that
      entitled
     
     
      subscribers
      unlimited
      calling
     
     
      minutes
      after
      6pm
      on
      week-
     
     
      days
      and
      all
      day
      on
      weekends
     
     
      to
      anywhere
      in
      Canada
      for
     
     
      $20
      per
      month.
     
    

    
     
      Melissa
      Doucette,
      a
     
     
      UPEI
      English
      student,
      signed
     
     
      onto
      the
      plan
      near
      the
      end
      of
     
     
      August
      to
      keep
      incontact
      with
     
     
      friends
      attending
      universities
     
     
      in
      other
      provinces.
     
    

    
     
      “It
      really
      made
      a
      differ-
     
     
      ence,”
      she
      says.
      “I
      could
      talk
     
     
      to
      these
      people
      every
      day.”
     
    

    
     
      Cc
      Pervels
      a
      Univer-
     
     
      sity
      of
      Winnipeg
      history
      stu-
     
     
      dent,
      sherds
      ucette’s
      sen-
     
     
      timents.
      He
      used
      the
      plan
      to
     
     
      keep
      in
      touch
      with
      his
      brother
     
     
      in
      Alberta,
      and
      friends
      who
     
     
      went
      to
      school
      in
      Ontario
      and
     
     
      B.C.
     
    

    
     
      “It
      was
      nice
      to
      have
      a
     
     
      cheaper
      way
      to
      stay
      in
      touch
     
     
      with
      friends
      and
      family...to
     
     
      stay
      in
      close
      contact
      with
      peo-
     
    

    
     
      le
      |
      wouldn’thave
      otherwise
     
     
      d
      that
      kind
      of
      close
      contact
     
     
      with,”
      he
      explains.
      “Other-
     
     
      wise,
      it
      would
      only
      be
      email
      or
     
     
      letter-mail,
      and
      those
      aren’t
     
     
      the
      same.”
     
    

    
     
      Doucette
      feels
      the
      plan
     
     
      was
      largely
      successful
      due
      to
     
     
      the
      fact
      that
      Canadians
      live
      in
     
     
      a
      displaced
      society.
      The
      size
     
     
      of
      the
      country
      often
      means
     
     
      that
      circles
      of
      friends
      and
     
     
      families
      are
      scattered
      across
     
     
      several
      time
      zones.
      She
      notes
     
     
      that
      being
      able
      to
      contact
     
     
      graduate
      schools
      across
      the
     
     
      country
      at
      a
      reasonable
      rate
     
     
      was
      an
      added
      bonus
      for
      stu-
     
     
      dents.
     
    

    
     
      Problems
      began
      early
     
     
      into
      the
      offer,
      as
      customers
     
     
      were
      met
      by
      busy
      signals
      or
     
     
      recorded
      messages
      when
      di-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      r
      could
      handle.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      per
      Sa
      ee
      to
      long
      distance
     
     
      numbers
      due
      to
      network
      con-
     
     
      gestion.
     
    

    
     
      Eventually,
      customer
      de-
     
     
      mand
      was
      more
      than
      Sprint
     
     
      The
      deal
      was
     
     
      discontinued,
      and
      replaced
      with
     
     
      a
      modified
      version
      effective
     
     
      October
      5.
     
    

    
     
      Jennifer
      Hilliard,
      vice
     
     
      president
      of
      policy
      and
      issues
     
     
      of
      The
      Consumers’
      Associa-
     
     
      tion
      of
      Canada,
      is
      not
      impressed
     
     
      by
      Sprint’s
      decision
      toend
      their
     
     
      deal
      after
      only
      a
      month
      and
      a
     
     
      half
      of
      roviding
      it.
     
    

    
     
      “If
      a
      company
      offered
     
     
      something,
      and
      better
      demands
     
     
      than
      they
      were
      expecting
      fol-
     
     
      lowed,
      then
      they
      would
      be
      ex-
     
     
      pected
      to
      bite
      the
      bullet,”
      she
     
     
      says.
      “It’s
      like
      they’
      ve
      offered
     
     
      steak,
      and
      are
      giving
      the
      cus-
     
     
      tomers
      beans.”
     
    

    
     
      Sprint
      is
      now
      offering
     
     
      customers
      a
      plan
      similar
      in
      con-
     
     
      cept,
      but
      very
      different
      in
     
     
      economy.
     
    

    
     
      Instead
      of
      unlimited
      min-
     
     
      utes
      per
      month,
      customers
      may
     
     
      now
      talk
      to
      anyone
      in
      Canada
     
     
      for
      up
      to
      800
      minutes
      under
      the
     
     
      $20
      charge,
      with
      additional
      rates
     
     
      of
      10
      cents
      added
      per
      subse-
     
     
      quent
      minute.
     
    

    
     
      Hilliard
      feels
      that
      the
      ad-
     
     
      aptation
      of
      the
      plan
      was
      not
     
     
      properly
      announced.
     
    

    
     
      “All
      the
      notice
      has
      been
     
     
      in
      the
      form
      of
      vague
      media
     
     
      stories,”
      she
      says.
     
    

    
     
      Purves
      agrees.
     
    

    
     
      “If
      we
      didn’t
      havea
      news-
     
    

    
     
      subscription
      we
      wouldn't
     
    

    
     
      ve
      found
      out
      about
      it,”
      he
     
     
      says.
      “I
      think
      they
      could
      have
     
     
      phoned
      us
      —
      they
      have
      our
     
     
      number.”
      He
      adds
      that
      he
      will
     
     
      be
      returning
      to
      his
      local
      pro-
     
     
      vider
      for
      long
      distance
      service.
     
    

    
     
      The
      complaints
      of
      inad-
     
     
      equate
      notice
      are
      coupled
      with
     
     
      customers’
      allegations
      that
     
     
      some
      television
      networks
      con-
     
     
      tinued
      to
      broadcast
      the
      original
     
     
      advertisements
      for
      the
      unlim-
     
     
      ited
      plan
      as
      late
      as
      October
      4.
     
     
      These
      conflicting
      messages
     
     
      have
      added
      to
      the
      confusion
     
     
      surrounding
      the
      plan.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Sprint
      Canada’s
      aggres-
     
     
      sive
      advertising
      campaign
     
     
      proved
      to
      be
      a
      good
      business
     
     
      measure,
      but
      they
      quickly
     
     
      learned
      that
      they
      could
      not
     
     
      maintain
      the
      images
      detailed
      in
     
     
      their
      commercials.
     
    

    
     
      “There
      was
      this
      target
     
     
      advertising
      to
      people
      ms
      at
     
     
      university,
      to
      le
      who
     
     
      family
      away,”
      Hilliard
      says.
     
    

    
     
      “They
      were
      targeting
      people
     
     
      who
      are
      now
      going
      to
      suffer.”
     
    

    
     
      With
      many
      customers
     
     
      saving
      upwards
      of
      $800
      in
      long
     
     
      distance,
      the
      probability
      of
      un-
     
     
      payable
      bills
      --
      resulting
      from
     
     
      the
      lack
      of
      information
      about
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      modified
      plan
      --
      is
      immense,
     
    

    
     
      “Customers
      have
      to
      be
     
     
      notified
      before
      running
      off
     
     
      enormous
      bills,”
      Hilliard
      says.
     
     
      She
      adds
      that
      Sprint
      Canada
     
     
      should
      provide
      some
      form
      of
     
     
      consumer
      redress
      to
      account
     
     
      for
      the
      rash
      of
      people
      who
     
     
      have
      missed
      what
      notice
      was
     
     
      given.
     
    

    
     
      But
      Sprint
      maintains
      that
     
     
      the
      change
      in
      the
      plan
      is
      in
      an
     
     
      effort
      to
      provide
      customers
     
     
      with
      better
      service.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      unlimited
      savings
     
     
      plan
      resulted
      in
      a
      new
      com-
     
     
      petitive
      marketplace,
      with
      all
     
     
      of
      our
      major
      competitors
      an-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      nouncing
      similar
      plans
      to
      ours,”
     
     
      stated
      Philip
      Bates,
      president
     
     
      and
      chief
      operating
      officer
      of
     
     
      Sprint
      Canada,
      in
      a
      press
      re-
     
     
      lease.
     
    

    
     
      “These
      plans
      have
     
     
      shifted
      residential
      calling
      pat-
     
     
      terns
      and
      the
      overwhelming
     
     
      response
      to
      these
      plans
      has
     
     
      meant
      some
      customers
      have
     
     
      experienced
      difficulty
      when
     
     
      they
      have
      tried
      to
      make
      long
     
     
      distance
      calls,”
      he
      added.
     
    

    
     
      lan
      was
      a
      great
     
     
      marbiting
      poy,
      Hilliard
      says,
     
     
      “but
      it
      was
      not
      wise
      to
      offer
     
     
      something
      they
      just
      can’t
      de-
     
     
      liver.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
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