The Unofficial 7-Eleven Speak Out Wireless Canada Consumer Page 
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11:57 am
See Ellen Roseman's column in today's Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/Busines.....cle/478849
A new lawsuit seeking class-action status alleges that only a tiny fraction of the monthly 911 fees usually charged to subscribers -- no more than 10 cents -- is actually required by regulators to pay for the necessary telecommunications infrastructure...
Officials with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission say the regulator sets the monthly rates -- which average about 10 cents a subscriber -- in order to offset the cost to legacy phone companies of maintaining 911 telecommunications infrastructure across Canada. The rate includes an additional 10 per cent for providing the service.
While the CRTC acknowledges that wireless carriers may incur costs to connect their subscribers to 911 services, the regulator says it's up to individual operators to justify higher 911 fees to their customers. There is no requirement to break out a separate 911 charge on subscriber bills.
Here is where you can join the lawsuit: http://www.merchantlaw.com/911.html
Check off every cell phone carrier that has ever charged you a 911 fee, including those you no longer use. Also check off "Other" for SO (and/or PCM.) Note that there seems to be a bug in the web form where if you check off Other you can't type into the text field that explains who they are. I simply added that information in the Other Comments field, e.g. "Other is 7-11 SpeakOut prepaid. They use the Rogers network and charge a monthly 911 fee of 99¢"
5:05 am
I'm not surprised at this at all. It's been a dirty secret in the industry for years [not to mention the "system access fee"]. All the better that general public knows about these companies pocketing this money. After all, by law, handsets are required to enable access to 911 even without a balance or subscriptioun account.
I wouldn't mind paying a uniform 911 fee if it does indeed go towards emergency services and even better, upgrade these services similar to those of the US: "...some people aren't aware that locating cellphone calls can be a problem because many Canadians watch American crime shows, which include in plot lines how some U.S. cellphone networks are more advanced in displaying more precise location information to 911 services. Canada is considering requiring similar technology here for wireless providers. Currently, cellphone callers in Canada can be tracked with their numbers and nearest cell towers, but location information could be miles away from the actual emergency."
1:25 pm
It just took to much, and I'm sure it will take another few years until anything will be done about the money grabber 911 and SAF.
But this is not were the only problem is. I'm looking on bills such as BC Hydro and I see there 4 other fees which are totally a money grabber too such as transit fee, levy fee, envi fee, etc.
Same thing with tax.
3:37 am
I looked at the Wikipedia page "Canadian mobile phone companies" and clicked on one I've never heard about. SearsConnect uses the Rogers network [no system access fees or 911 fees!]
They provided a nice FAQ about contacting 911 services with cell phones......
7:55 am
[no system access fees or 911 fees!]
But look at their monthly plans. Not only do they charge a minimum of $25/month, but you also have to pay another $11 or more for voicemail, callerID, etc.
The point of the class-action isn't whether the carriers charge for 911. The point is that, like SAF, they gouge for it and then attempt to justify it by "blaming" the government.
