Changing to Wind phone carrier? Should I?

Cafeeeli

Hey,

So I'm currently with Bell with a talk and text plan and would like to change to a data plan. I came across a special promo at Wind for a $39 plan that was originally $45. I know a couple years back, Wind and Mobility were super crappy with drop calls and bad coverage, but I've also heard that they've been upping their game with more towers and coverage. My plan with Bell is exclusive so if I leave and come back, I won't be able to get it back and will have to pay almost $10 more for the same plan (talk and text). 

So my question is, are there anyone who is currently with Wind (or mobilicity) or was recently with one of them around to give me some ideas of their own personal experiences with these carriers? Would really like to hear about their coverage from ppl rather than just looking at their coverage map.

I go mainly to the burnaby campus, occasionally surrey(maybe one class per year) and I live in Richmond so I pass through downtown (135) or take the 410 over at New West (22nd station)

Thanks 

Bull

I'm with Wind. I would say that their customer service is pretty good. Although I've only had a few concerns; one was about roaming internationally and the other was a mistake on my part. Both my questions and concerns were answered quickly and they even refunded a one month payment when I made a mistake.

I live nearby Richmond, and my coverage here is great even though the majority of my town isn't covered by Wind (you can message me regarding the location/other details if you're curious). I've been with Wind for three years now and I don't have many issues with the coverage. It may be due to the fact that I normally stick in the coverage zones/don't venture far out to other areas. Wind has upgraded/created(?) more towers over the past year and now there is flawless coverage on the Canada Line-- I'm assuming that is what you'll mostly be on when not on the amusing hour-long 135 ride. 

Coverage at the Surrey campus is great. I only have issues when I'm close to the theatre in the back areas for tutorials. Coverage at the Burnaby campus isn't too bad either. Considering that concrete is basically surrounding the classes, I'm not shocked that I can't use my phone in some areas. 

I'm on the $30 plan (which is the $35 plan now) and I have no issues with data speeds. Honestly, I've only gone past 2GB once due to the fact that I was feeling the urge to use data rather than my wifi since I'm paying for it. When I did go over 2GB, I noticed a reduction in speed but it wasn't anything horrible.

I didn't mean for this to turn into a paper, and no, I don't work for Wind. I'm actually pretty pleased with their services which is why I'll recommend it when people ask. Feel free to PM or reply if you want more information/other questions.

TalkUBC

^That was a beast review. I say go with Wind because we need more competitiveness in the mobile communications market or else you will have like a mobile communications cartel that will work together to charge you whatever they want, because only they have enough customer base and capital to purchase more radio frequency/airwaves. So any little guy that tries to come out with cheaper plan prices will easily get crushed, bought-out/acquired or go under. Just like the automaker market.

Bull

Thanks @TalkUBC, I tried my best. :D Now you've gotten me hyped up and I have to plug some more shit into this:

Wind is actually pretty great; as I've told my friends, you can either get superb reception or a superb plan. With Wind, it's the latter BUT you are not tied to a contract and you have freedom. In the past three years, I've seen a lot of growth. Adding service to the Canada Line makes dealing with the random drunk and high people more tolerable. Also, as an example, Tsawwassen used to have barely any coverage... now the majority of the town is covered. Their rates are pretty good for international calling, texting, and roaming. You might have seen a discrepancy when I described my plan. I pay $30 for the same plan as the $35 plan because they're the same-- when I joined Wind, that was my plan. Even when they changed the plan to $35, I still only have to pay the price that I signed up for. The $45 special plan (being promoted right now) is my brother's $29 plan from when he joined years ago... he's still paying $29. It's actually pretty fucking great. 

jianming

Personally, I wouldn't really go for Wind due to their reception. Granted, I'm on TELUS and near the coffee shop in AQ all the way to the Images Theatre is a big deadspot.

Take a look at the big three's value plans. TELUS has Koodo, Bell has Virgin and Rogers has Chatr.

If the tower's crazy busy like at the fireworks you may lose reception cause their main brand customers get priority (this stopped being an issue a couple years ago because of temporary towers) but otherwise you'll get the exact same reception for less money.

You can buy an awesome Xiaomi phone for less than you'll pay on a two-year contract for a similar device.
I have the Mi4 right now and it's basically like Android and iPhone are ugly dumb parents who had a beautiful smart baby. All I had to do was watch a YouTube video showing how to change it to English.

That said, there are other low-cost-for-a-premium-phone companies Onno, OnePlus, Huawei to name a few. eBay, NCIX.com and Newegg.ca all have some.

Annie

You can always have a look at something like

http://www.comparecellular.ca/compare-rate-plans/british-columbia/

to get some idea.

Bull

@jianming Hey, just wanted to say that I have reception in that area between the coffee shop and the theatre. I'm sure there are other deadzones than what I mentioned, but I don't think Wind should be disqualified due to spotty reception (in some areas, like other companies) on a mountain.

BigBrother

I am currently with WIND and have been with them for about a year and a half. Their coverage from SFU to Richmond has been pretty good, I do at times get no service, whether on the 135, 410, Expo or Canada Line (the tunnel has service, but at some points in the tunnel there is none).  At the Surrey and Burnaby campuses, coverage is nearly everywhere when your outdoors at Burnaby or indoors at Surrey.  The only time I experienced dead spots were in some lectures and indoors on the bottom floor of most buildings (WMC, Education Building, some areas in AQ, and etc.).  At home, depending on how far you live from the nearest tower and the amount of obstruction, you could get coverage everywhere indoors or only when near a window.  

Aside from coverage, in my personal experience with WIND I found only data to be useful for my needs.  I almost never used texting and no one bothers to call me because they usually contact me through WeChat or WhatsApp.  When I send pictures I use either WeChat or WhatsApp to my contacts, I never use MMS because the images get too compressed.  So, data is really the only service I use.  Sadly, the data service for WIND has gone from usable to pathetic during my time with them.  In fact the data speeds have gotten so slow, there is no way anyone could possibly go over their data usage limit.  Once my WINDTab balance is cleared, I plan on buying my own LTE/LTE Advanced phone and get a LTE/LTE Advanced data only plan from one of the national carriers.

If you are fine with these slow speeds then go ahead and switch to WIND, since you want to add data to your plan.  As for me, I will be a former customer in a few months.

 

Bull

@BigBrother Can I ask what plan you're on and how much data you've used so far this month? I'm just curious because I've never seen my data that bad unless my connection was complete shit. These are the speeds that I received when I tested it last night. 

BigBrother

I have this plan, which is no longer available to new customers.

There is a huge amount of data that I have not used yet.

The bad speed is probably due to congestion in Richmond and the time of day.  You should try doing your speed tests during the day, I am sure it will be just as bad as mine.