The non conformer's Canadian Weblog

September 14, 2012

IS THERE REALY ANY DOUBT AS TO HOW BIG LIARS OUR TELECOMMUNICATIONS FIRMS ARE?

add to that the oil companies…  

The Competition Bureau is suing Canada’s three biggest wireless carriers and  an industry association for allegedly misleading consumers about the cost of  premium texting services.

The watchdog accuses Bell (TSX:BCE), Rogers (TSX:RCI.B) and Telus (TSX:T),  along with the industry group that represents them, of enabling third parties to  sell trivia questions, ringtones and other services without adequately  disclosing the cost.

Those can cost up to $10 per transaction and up to $40 for a monthly  subscription over and above standard texting plans, the bureau said in a release  Friday.

“Our investigation revealed that consumers were under the false impression  that certain texts and apps were free,” said bureau commissioner Melanie  Aitken.

“Unfortunately, in far too many cases, consumers only became aware of  unexpected and unauthorized charges on their mobile phone bills.”

Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/competition-bureau-sues-canada-s-3-wireless-giants

First   Check your phone bill: You’re probably being overcharged for data or anything else since  customers  are still too often ABUSED. Overall, the average overcharge can be at least  about 5-7% for most users and in the end it’s typically no fault of yours.  

Canada also already has bandwidth caps that are too low, and too expensive. When it comes to taking full advantage of the opportunities the Web opens up, Canadians are are being falsely priced gouged at every turn still by these clearly greedy, immoral Communication firms here.

There are many Canadian ISPs with download caps as low as 15GB for a month, with  excess billing charges if you burst through the 15GB limit.

The Netflix stock itself is still smarting 1 year after their severe service price hike. The unexpected twist that Netflix unveiled a year ago had triggered mass customer cancellations and a sell-off in its stock, which had wiped out more than $11 billion US in shareholder wealth. Netflix Inc. has bounced back this year to revive its subscriber growth. But even after a recent rally, its stock remains more than 70 per cent below its peak price of nearly $305 about a year ago, largely because of concerns about what Netflix has been spending to attract and retain subscribers. Many Canadian telecommunications firms have to do the same, pay continually very high amount of advertising to try to make up for the much too many customers they offend and lose http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/07/13/tech-netflix.html

While Canada’s major telecom companies — Rogers (TSX:RCI.B), Bell (TSX:BCE) and Telus  (TSX:T) — and consumer advocacy groups all support the idea of national  standards that would apply to wireless devices that alone will not deal with the much too many consumer complaints here too. Even Canada’s wireless services needs more serious and valid regulation since they seem to be robbing, price gouging  the citizens at every point they can, Canada’s service providers are not competitive enough,  and Canadians pay too much  compared to telecom users around the worl. Thier broadband caps to a ‘human rights violation’. Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos has blasted Canadian internet service providers (ISPs) for their low caps and excess usage charges . Sarandos minced no words when speaking of Canada’s ISPs, stating: “It’s almost a human rights violation, what they’re charging for internet access in Canada.”and he is right. Canada’s internet access  is”third world”, and  Netflix business in the country has suffered as a result too. Organizations like OpenMedia have been rightfuly  battling for Internet openness and fairness to consumers for years. And, of course, Bell, Telus  or Rogers have been named the worst throttler in the world. 10% of Canadians use Netflix But Netflix’s Ted Sarandos thinks that number would be a lot higher if it wasn’t for Canadian ISPs. So could likely many others.

Bell Canada, Bell Aliant and Télébec, dominant phone, pay phone providers throughout Ontario, Atlantic Canada and  Quebec, all have applied to double the cost of a pay phone call—from 50 cents to a dollar. The cost of using a prepaid debit card would rise to $2 a call. These prices were even previously doubled five years ago.  And where else can uou see such a great rater of price increases, inflation under any exuse now to? And is this still  a really big issue.. when you consider that the telecomunications firms are not only known big advertsing  liars, making loads of money in the processs but they falsely also tend to use a bait and switch policy.. they tend to advertise great, compartive rates but you likley will find next escalting, greedy, price gouging price increases on their servcies with plenty of extra charges,   known reasons why they are also hated so much by so many Canadians ..  and explaining  still simply why they are also making so much money and have become rich, and all this is never acceptable still. It is all sad when you do consider even that Canada drops entirely out of the top 10 when it comes to cellphones,  internet infrastructure. Canadian citizens not only do suffer from relatively slow Internet speeds but they are falsely price gouged for using the services too

https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/greedy-immoral-bell-canada-lies-misleads-is-crooked/

.

and where else do they also abuse us now????

April 25, 2010

All pharmacists do note – Why do we pay so much for drugs?

 

 
 I WILL LET YOU ALL IN ON A NOT TO WELL KEPT SECRET, TOO MANY PHARMACISTS ARE INVOLVED IN CREATIVE ACCOUNTING, THEY CHARGE THE GOVERNMENT FOR SERVICES NOT EVEN RENDERED TO THE CONSUMER IN REALITY TOO. MY LOCAL PHARMACIST HAD EVEN ADMITTED THAT TO ME.
 
 Even if for billing purposes they too often do lie here the reality that is, the too often inadequate, pretentious  doctor or a pharmacist or a nurse, a medical technician as them now supposedly  being  all knowing, experts too but still they  are not infallible, and they can only help you now according their their judgment call which is limited by the amount of direct knowledge,  direct experience, expertise that they  do have.  https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2010/06/14/professionals-what-a-joke/ 
 
Now I have had a skin rashes  on my hand and I have been to 2 hospital emergency departments within the last many months and yet none of them were able to help me, I had consulted even a pharmacist often in the matter. So what had helped me the most next was was off the counter medicine that  I get in a dollar store, by reading the labels on the medication I was able to choose myself an appropriate medicine.
 
 Now we all know how cumbersome and costly the Medicare- pharmacy system  are.. One doctor has to refer me to another doctor who tend makes a costly  prescription for two weeks and I have to return back to the doctor… and the medical establishment,end basically here was the sole one that prospered the most..More medicine should be available off the counter in non pharmacists stores.. since we can  all  know that the pharmacists too get rich with their price gouging profit   margins of 1200 percent or more.. 
 
 Those price gouging, pretentious pharmacies crying wolf, crying that they are not getting enough profit.. and what a ridiculous approach. When you are a senior like me who has learned that if you take your medicine you will next live longer, and who has also learned that in real life we cannot hope to live adequately without medicine and doctors, I also have had plenty of time to shop in too many drug stores too. I thus  have undeniably have noticed the serious, big price differences for the same items in tpp many stores. And I know that my local pharmacy has often a 700 percent price mark up on many of  their goods .. yes kinda of  greedy..  I heard the owner recently  of a pharmacy bragging that he was buying medical accessories for 7 dollars and selling them from 70 dollars in his store.
 

Generic drug costs can be cut: report CBC.ca – Canadians spend too much for generic drugs but there are ways to reduce the costs, according to a report released Friday. The Health Council of Canada’s discussion paper calls for greater transparency on generic drug pricing as provincial governments

Canadians pay too much for generic drugs: report Vancouver Sun

Reforms will make drugs more affordable Standard Freeholder

Canada NewsWire (press release) – Irish Times – Irish Health – Irish Independent

Why is Ontario, the largest buyer of drugs in Canada, one of the largest in the world, paying the highest prices? When I go home, and talk to my neighbours — many of them seniors on pensions who’ve worked hard for thier money all their lives — they too do want to know. Why do we pay so much for drugs?  Here’s an example: Ranitidine. Ontario pays 40 cents per unit wholesale. In the United States 18 cents. Metformin, for diabetics, nine cents in Ontario, one cent in the United States. When you compare our prices with Europe, it’s the same story. Where’s the logic? So what does Shoppers Drug Mart — which by the way made half a billion in profits last year — do? They very strategically target London, home of Deb Matthews, Minister of Health, and they curtail drug store hours. I call that holding patients hostage. Sandra Pupatello  MPP for Windsor West and Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development .

 No one denies that innovative pharmaceutical products play a key role in ensuring improvements in our health. We’re talking about the price. Is it possible to get the same or better outcomes while spending less?  Quebec, too, has a problem with high-priced medications. There are reasons to be sceptical about the high prices charged by the companies which develop our new medications, but there are even more reasons to wonder why copy-cat companies, which pay for no R&D, should charge so much for their versions. Prescription drugs now make up the second-largest element in health spending in Canada, reaching 16.4 per cent, or $30 billion last year. Drug pricing is complicated, especially in Quebec. This province has made special concessions to the pharmaceutical industry – including buying full-price brand-name drugs for the first 15 years a drug is on the market, not the usual 10 years. In return, Quebec-based pharmaceutical companies carry out up to 45 per cent of all Canadian research on and development of prescription drugs.  http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Ontario+drug+prices/2948580/story.html 

All pharmacists do note it’s important always to talk  about reasonable, fair drug prices and to work with us all to determine better prices for all consumers.

Generics now are prescription medications whose patent has expired. They can usually be produced for a few cents per dose.  In most parts of Canada pharmacies charge huge markups on these products WITH NO JUSTIFICATION TOO.. And  whatever the technique, the results are the same. We THE CITIZENS get hosed with greed and high pricing..  The real scandal is why all this need price control by the governments now   has taken so long. There have been calls to action for more than a decade, but falsely still very precious little to show for them. In 1987, the federal government established the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. The agency controls the prices of all patent (i.e., brand-name) drugs in Canada. And it does a great job. Canada’s patent medicine prices are the envy of our neighbours. That’s why so many Americans shop for drugs here. But the board is only mandated to control brand-name products. It is not allowed to regulate generics. I should be as well. A national approach along those lines would be much more effective than 10 provinces all trying to cut their own deals.  The federal government has been strangely quiet on this file. It’s time that changed. Tell them so now too. A billion and a half dollars saved to the taxpayer is scarcely chump change. And stop now  all those kickbacks too. http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/must+stop+drug+kickbacks/2949262/story.html 

 

While an acrimonious showdown between Ontario and its pharmacists over ending generic drug rebates continues to fester, other provinces are watching, curious whether a similar prescription could help them control drug costs. Health ministers across Canada will watch what happens in Ontario, Manitoba Health Minister Theresa Oswald said in an interview yesterday. “In the absence of a national strategy, as provinces are trying to find their way in controlling prices, we’re going to be looking at what others are doing.” Quebec has mused about following suit with a similar policy of its own on generic drugs. A spokesman for the B.C. Ministry of Health Services wrote in an email that British Columbia is in negotiations with generic drug makers, and added, “British Columbia appreciates Ontario’s efforts to share information and keep other jurisdictions aware of developments in Ontario.” At least some provinces are blaming the federal government for a breakdown in a multi-year effort to create a National Pharmaceutical Strategy. While that process is stalled, provinces are talking at the regional level about how to join together and force drug prices down. The Western provinces are working on a common purchasing plan, while the Atlantic provinces have begun discussions of their own with regard to a co-ordinated drug buying strategy.  And the provinces must target the price of drugs in general, and not just generics.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=2996117

  Mon May 3, 7:57 PM CALGARY (CBC) – An appointee to an Alberta advisory committee on health has stepped down following revelations she is a registered lobbyist for drug company, Eli Lilly.  On April 29, the province announced the start of consultation on the province’s new Alberta Health Act and named the nine advisory committee members who would assist the chairman, Fred Horne, a Edmonton Progressive Conservative MLA. In the news release, Patricia Bayne was identified as a “community member” but did not disclose that she is the senior manager for policy and government affairs with Eli Lilly. Last Thursday, the Alberta NDP announced it had also found Bayne’s name on the province’s lobbyist website. On Monday, the party took credit for forcing her to resign. Mason called the government “deceptive” for not disclosing Bayne’s affiliation and said her inclusion was part of a push to privatize the province’s health care system. Bayne was also a member of the Minister’s Advisory Committee on Health last fall. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/100503/canada/canada_edmonton_edmonton_ndp_advisory_committee_resign
 
 
 

September 21, 2009

POOR SERVICES- ISP, Phone still an unacceptable reality

 Bell_Logo_2

Daily we are now being flooded Canada wide too with a host of new promised  services, and many new products available on the radio, on the internet, in the news media.. P2P USAGES https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/09/21/bittorrent-p2p-sites/
 
The marketing departments even of big three telecommunication firms providing internet and telephone services in Canada too : Bell , Rogers, Telus as well are still now clearly telling the  lies, spinning the truth, making typically past unkept promises  of the customer’s full satisifactions too, and  even now advertising at great costs, high costs that will be passed on the customers even,  all now done to try to win back many past lost unhappy customers, and to hopefully gain new customers, Being done basically because they are basically all UNWILLING TO FACE still OR to deal with THE ACTUAL REASONS MANY CUSTOMERS HAVE BECOME DISSATISFIED.
 
Every  company is guilty it seems to some extent of these sad, bad practices. No companies provide a FULL  service or an adequate  product it seems these days…. all they provide is profits for themselves hopefully. And as long as we allow them to do so, by letting companies and industries run roughshod over the governance of the country, then this will continue. Good Products and good services falsely are a distant second in offerings in relation to corporate profits.
The Canadian cellphone and internet speeds, rates among world’s worst, Canadians are being hosed for their access still too.
 
Do always  check your actual ISP speed http://www.acanac.ca/speedtest/  check for the blatant theft-corruption on a daily basis and ask them to fix it immediately as well..
 
 Rogers, Bell, Videotron, Shaw, Telus all only care about one thing.. maximum profits.. motivated by maximum greed.. finding an excuse to charge the customer for more.. and that they have done with their regulating, capping… and no one cares about what the consumer thinks, the CRTC included. 
 
and there are many many more valid complaints now too
 
Many customers do  feel they have been mislead, lied to, denied falsely the services they had been originally promised and instead now face extras for promised, even basic services, are very unhappy with the high prices, with what they see as unfair, restrictive trade practices, price fixings, price collusions, price gougings, suprise fees, failure to live up to agreed upon contracts, false contract terminations, even now  amongst the big three as well all being done while the governments lie  too and do  not stand up for,  do not Protect the citizens, consumers again and again. Unacceptable always too!
 
The governments and these firms now are really all fools, for the much too many dissatisfied angry customers, consumers, citizens do not merely now next disappear, or go away, rather they tend to they hold on to their resentments, and they tend to and will seek alternative means of revenge, back back now as well upon all of the immoral, pretentious persons too in reality. Do send a copy to the PM@gc.ca
 
 
 
 
see also
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/crtc-farcical-hearings-on-internet-speed-control/
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/06/14/buyer-beware-beware
 
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/05/21/why-many-businesses-fail
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/deceptive-unacceptable-unfair-business-trade-practices-unreliable-internet-access 
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2008/06/14/class-action-suit-against-bell-sympatico
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2008/12/18/unfair
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/bell-internet
http://anyonecare.wordpress.com/2008/05/23/bell-bce-sympatico
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2008/05/01/is-your-isp-still-even-watching-you
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/the-war-against-bell
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/05/21/bell-throttles-internet-speeds
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/and
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2008/04/15/consumers-affairs
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2008/04/19/bell-lied
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/i-cannot-trust-you-for-you-lie-to-me-all-the-time
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/basic-contract-law
http://witnessed.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/this-next-was-so-predictable-even-by-me-too
 http://postedat.wordpress.com/2009/08/29/pay-back-revenge/
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/federal-consumer-protection-ha-ha-ha/
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/08/15/crtc-is-clearly-in-bells-bad-pocket/
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/commissioner-for-complaints-for-telecommunications-services/
 

 PS: Also the Companies from different markets — or that themselves span multiple markets — can make more money in some instances by tying their offerings together, so that in order to use one, you also have to use the other. Although the approach is not without the occasional advantage for the consumer (cable companies say their practice of bundling stations encourages niche programming, for instance), consumers mostly chafe when their choice of a certain product or service restricts their choice in another area. ’Triple play’ packages for internet, phone and television – If your company owns technology for delivering television or telephone service, the internet represents a horrible monster set on destroying your market with its capacity to deliver all kinds of media over a single pipe. That’s why, if you’re smart, you bundle these offerings into packages that seem to offer lower costs, but in fact bind consumers to expensive habits — hopefully, for years to come, from these companies’ perspective. If you’re paying for phone and television along with your internet, you’re almost certainly less likely to.

 

ISPs and content providers,   or Cellphone carriers and cellphone manufacturers Most people know that the only reason you don’t pay the true cost of your cellphone hardware is that you have to sign a lengthy contract with a cellphone provider — a situation that is exacerbated by exclusive hardware contracts such as the one Apple signed with AT&T for the iPhone. If you want to use this particular piece of hardware, you have to use its exclusive partner or unlock your phone, voiding its warranty and risking having it “bricked” from afar as punishment for allowing the device to operate outside of its original network. Cooperation between cellphone manufacturers and service providers is nice, in that it lowers the initial cost of phones, but it has led to an inefficient market that discourages consumer choice, unless you count the option to switch networks and throw out your hardware every year or two. And this isn’t just about cellphones — the same is happening with netbooks. The relationship between carrier and manufacturer even extends to which apps your phone is permitted to run (see Google Voice and SlingPlayer).

 
CABLE COMPANIES AND SHADY POLITICIANS!!  PLEASE SHOUT THIS FROM THE ROOFTOPS!! Those of us in rural areas can’t even get cable, high speed internet, so why does it cost me extra taxes to get satellite…CABLE CORRUPTION IS ALSO RUNNING RAMPANT!!   http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/09/five-industry-collusions-wed-like-to-throw-down-a-black-hole
 
 
25 Years after breakup of the US AT&T: The American Telephone industry still lacks significant competition.   Twenty-five years after the breakup of AT&T, consumers have seen significant changes in how they make telephone calls, what they pay and the services they receive. Are we better off today than we were 25 years ago? The answer depends on who’s talking. Competition for AT&T service has not come from similar providers as was hoped when the government broke up the monopoly. Instead, it has come from companies offering mobile phone or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. But these services are different.  Many consumers are as dependent on mobile phones as they are on traditional land lines. Others still have phone service through a wire line, but that line might be connected to a cable TV system or directly to the Internet.Cell phones offer mobility, but require a wireless signal that is not available in many rural areas of Ohio. VoIP service requires a broadband Internet signal that also is not available to many Ohioans. Unlike traditional wire line service that operates even during extended electrical outages, wireless and VoIP services cannot operate after backup batteries, if any, are depleted. Moreover, the price and quality of cell phone and VoIP services are generally not regulated by state government compared to the way the Baby Bells’ services were. Cell phone service with unlimited calling is typically more expensive for consumers than wire line service. VoIP service requires consumers to pay a separate monthly fee for access to the Internet and a charge for VoIP service itself. Today, 25 years after it was broken up, AT&T and other telephone companies seek fewer regulations and less regulatory oversight from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO). While price has been deregulated, in order to protect consumers, the terms and conditions of service should continue to be regulated. Similar regulations should be applied to wireless and VoIP services to protect consumers of those services as well. It is fairly typical that services that have been deregulated in terms of price still retain regulation of consumer protections. The OCC experts worry there is not nearly enough competition to drive down consumer costs and improve quality. Twenty-first century technology made construction and maintenance of telephone systems less expensive than 25 years ago, but prices are headed upward. We are fighting for consumers so they can benefit from cost savings. At the same time, we are advocating that all companies meet minimum telephone service standards. Long distance calling has become more affordable over the years as well. The OCC welcomes the development of new technologies and options for consumers, but believes consumer protections are needed to ensure fairness. http://www.pickocc.org/mediacenter/migden-ostrander/message/2009/june.shtml

Obama’s anti-trust cop Christine Varney is dusting off the Sherman Act and reviewing wireless companies’ exclusive handset deals–most notably AT&T’s monopoly control over Apple’s iPhone. The US  Congress is starting to wonder whether it’s fair business. Four senators—Kerry, Wicker, Dorgan, and Klobuchar—have sent a letter to the FCC requesting an examination of the wireless industry and whether this whole exclusivity thing is kosher. And  the commerce committee is corralling a bunch of wireless execs and researchers in Washington. They’ll chat about exclusivity and question whether it limits competition. It’s the first step in what could be a    regulatory road; one that could result in major shake-ups inside the cell industry. Congress is bringing this up now because rural cell phone companies have complained that exclusivity agreements are unfair to small carriers. When the national bullies have exclusive rights to a phone, the rural cousins do also  have to peddle inferior devices. The Justice Department may also review whether telecom carriers are unduly restricting the types of services other companies can offer on their networks and what is Canada, the CRTC doing as well? Nothing good!

 

August 7, 2009

Bell, BCE own profitability..

  

The departure of Nortel Networks Corp.’s CEO, a once proud flagship of Bell,  and most of its board marks the effective end of the 124-year-old company. But the remarkable aspect is that Nortel lasted as long as it did, given its rapid descent from national hero to national disgrace.  “I knew when I joined the board it was high-risk,” said Harry Pearce, who stepped down as chairman Monday after four years as a Nortel director. The litigation lawyer – a former chairman of Hughes Electronics and a former vice-chairman of General Motors – said he was under no illusions when he came on board in January, 2005, after a major accounting scandal had pushed Nortel close to the brink.  “Pearce an ex-General Motors executive – there you go, Nortel hired a blind man to lead the blind. And Nortel’s failure is not due to external factors as he states (poor economy, meltdown in capital markets, blah, blah, blah), rather it was p$$$ poor management, fraudulent accounting, etc. I don’t see any of Nortel’s competitors having problems staying afloat, in fact they all seem to be prospering in these trying times.”  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/ambition-gave-way-to-a-harsh-reality-pearce-zafirovski/article1246625/

computer-hack2

“During the dot.com rush, senior BCE management embarked on a scheme to turn the company into a multi-media, converged entity. To do this they stripped Bell Canada – the telephone company – of people and used revenue formewrly used to upgrade the network, to buy the Globe and Mail and the CTV television network. They failed to support the infrastructure to compete with the cable companies. But the dazzle in their eyes was caused by the almost mythical idea of multi-media empires delivering content to homes throughout North America on phone lines. It was a great idea except they forgot they were still running a phone company and that the infrastructure needed to be upgraded FIRST. It was like putting a $50,000 bathroom in a house with old windows and a leaking roof. Today, Bell has a patchwork network, with the best service in the major urban centres (high-speed internet and cell coverage), while smaller markets make do with less. Bell has been bleeding hundreds of thousands of customers for several years, service has fallen and, as I mentioned, it is patchwork quality, depending on where you live.  In the corporate boardrooms incompetence seems to pay. Jean Monty, former CEO, raked in millions when he left in shame, and I can hardly wait to see Sabia’s nice little package when he turns the lights out.”  http://wordylefty.wordpress.com/2007/06/26/the-ugly-demise-of-bell-canada-june-26-2007/
 
It seems that Bell, BCE continually now faces bad news about it’s own profitability..
  
Needless to say greedy Bell and the others had expected to gouge all if it’s customers, old and new  forever as well but things rarely go as expected especially for Bell for the customers are not stupid. Bell’s promises of future revenue increases  and improved great services based on their past performances to date also are not valid, reliable. It seems the Zebra too still cannot change it’s stripes. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/recessionary-dip-or-permanent-decline/article1244199/
 
bell-internet-isp2

Canada’s largest wireless companies are now clearly wrestling with their first real decline in smart  phones customers’ monthly spending, and wondering if it is a sign of the times or a harbinger of the future. “The companies have spent billions to deploy networks and are stocked with fashionable smart phones. But even as Canadians snap up the latest handsets and sign three-year data contracts, operators are seeing average revenue from each customer fall. Is the drop a result of the recession, or does it reflect the more competitive landscape that is about to see even more players enter the field? BCE’s Bell Canada said yesterday that it generated 4 per cent less money on average from its wireless customers in the last quarter, compared with a year earlier.That follows similar news last week from rival Rogers Communications Inc. , which reported a drop of more than 2 per cent. Today. The downward trend of what the industry calls ARPU – for average revenue per user – is significant for Bell, Rogers and Telus because they rely on wireless as their engine for growth.  As part of its second-quarter financial report, the company said it signed 45,000 new wireless customers in the period, compared with 83,000 in the second quarter of 2008. In addition to the fewer new accounts, Bell said ARPU fell $2.22, to $52.05 a month. Both results fell short of analysts’ expectations and crimped BCE’s overall performance, with profit dipping 4 per cent and sales down 2 per cent. “People are actually using the product less in the economy, from a voice perspective,”  “A decline in employment means a declining use in wireless and we are seeing that. BCE executives agree that tougher competition, especially among their discount brands, is a factor. But they say it is being offset by customers’ adoption of new data services, which generated 28 per cent more revenue in the quarter from a year earlier.  A key step involves cutting costs, which BCE has done by eliminating several thousand jobs over the past year. Executives said it has also improved quality of service, eliminating many customer calls. General and administrative expenses were down 11 per cent in the quarter, which helped bump gross margins up to 40 per cent. Other steps include the recent purchase of the 50 per cent of Virgin Mobile Canada Bell didn’t already own; the acquisition of electronics retailer The Source and its 750 stores nationwide;  and a more aggressive branding campaign. In addition, the company is building a new national wireless network on the leading wireless standard of the day, called HSPA. Bell is sharing the development costs with Telus and both companies   expect  to launch service on it by year-end.  Bell TV turned in the best performance of the quarter, with video revenue rising 9 per cent to $389-million.

Meanwhile , Bell Canada is taking the federal broadcast regulator to court to stop the country’s big networks from charging cable and satellite companies for their TV signals. Bell, which owns Canada’s largest satellite service, known as Bell TV, alleges in documents filed with the Federal Court of Appeal that the broadcast regulator has overstepped its jurisdiction and has asked a judge to intervene. The move comes after the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said in May it would let large conventional networks, such as CTV and Global Television, negotiate with cable and satellite carriers on compensation for their signals. The court filing is unorthodox, since it is extremely rare for a company to challenge the CRTC so directly. The bitter debate has driven a wedge down the middle of the broadcasting industry in Canada, and these court filings demonstrate how contentious the issue has become. There is already tension between Bell Canada and CTV, the television network in which Bell owns a stake, and this case will only increase it since the two sides could meet in court. Bell owns 15 per cent of CTVglobemedia, which is the parent company of CTV and also owns The Globe and Mail.  Paul Sparkes, CTV executive vice-president of corporate affairs, also reserved comment. “As the matter is before the courts, it’s not appropriate for us to comment on the substance of the appeal,” he said. “We are confident that the Federal Court of Appeal will see this for what it is, a stall tactic.” ” Interesting how Bell fought very hard and successfully to get the feds to bring in laws against people who use “black boxes” to take Bell’s satellite signals without paying. Now Bell wants to take the network’s signals, without paying for them, and then charge customers for these signals. Seems very inconsistent to me! ”  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/bell-takes-tv-fight-to-court-to-escape-regulators-squeeze/article1243859/

It is no surprise to me that mobile companies are overpricing their wireless internet services so that only businesses can afford this service.  A wireless spectrum auction last year attempted to improve competition but there is still lots of work to be done. Most mobiles available in Canada come locked to a multi-year contract  http://healthinformaticist.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/oh-canada-isp-censorship-and-internet-slippage/

 

see also

https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/08/10/liberals-politicians-do-lie-too/

https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/bell-bce-own-profitability/

https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/11989/

 

 

September 6, 2008

appears to be unconcerned by this matter

“Quebec couple battles corporate giant and wins  Canwest News Service 
 
A former Quebec couple has scored a key legal victory for cellphone customers after a judge ruled they were duped into signing three-year contracts with Telus Mobility Inc. with a misleading promotion.Son Le-Tien and Thi Nguyen broke their contracts with Rogers and signed up with Telus after a 2004 promotion promised a free trip for two to a choice of 25 international cities. After discovering not all was as advertised from promotions partner Free Air fare, the Montreal-area couple tried to cancel their contracts.Telus retailer Contact Com DL Communications of Laval, Que., slapped them with penalties totalled of $1,794.72; all Telus contracts stipulate customers must pay $20 per month in penalty fees for every month remaining on a broken contract.When the couple refused to pay, the retailer handed the file over to a collection agency.The couple sued the Telus retailer in small claims court, and just won a key victory that industry watchers say should send a message to wireless phone companies about misleading promotions and about their billing practices.The couple signed up with Telus after they confirmed Sydney, Australia was part of the promotions package put together by the local Telus dealer. But when they tracked down an official with the travel company working out of an apartment building, they were informed Sydney and Asian cities were off limits. In her decision, Micheline Sasseville of the Quebec Court awarded the couple an additional $2,000, “given the seriousness of the violations” and the attitude of the defendant, who ” appears to be unconcerned by this matter.Technology consultant and telecommunication experts Jesse Hirsch says this response speaks volumes about the attitude of the cellphone industry. The outcome of the lawsuit, however, should be a wake-up call to them, he said.”There are so many Canadians who don’t understand the contracts they sign with their wireless providers and the marketing that leads them to sign them is misleading. But people don’t have the time, money and courage to fight back,” said Hirsch.”It shows that when people fight back, they win, but what a hassle.”

Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair of Internet and E-commerce law at the University of Ottawa added: “The bigger issue here is it places the spotlight on these long-term contracts, which are becoming enormously problematic . . . It may embolden other consumers to similarly take action in this instance.”” 
 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 
Sadly this practice of false, misleading adverting is too often had even been done by some Internet service providers who also were, are  appears to be “unconcerned by this matter” and due to the millions of consumer involved the governments themselves should firstly step in, regulate and enforce the matters.. not the courts.
do see also
http://postedat.wordpress.com/2008/09/05/and-i-used-to-think-that-politicians-were-big-liars/
 
do see also https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/apple-mr-jobs-has-admitted-privacy-invasion-iphone/

August 21, 2008

the Present inflation rate

Gasoline prices pushed inflation rate to 3.4 per cent in July
The Canadian Pressall 21 news articles »

For a start in reality many of the grocery item prices have increased by 40 percent since last year in Canada, and even 10 percent increase in the last month alone!

as for these statistics liars, do now send them to hell where they belong now!

Don’t cut education. Don’t cut social services. Don’t cut public safety. Don’t cut transportation. And whatever you do,   cut government workers. aides, politicians out of town travel, related expenses, alcoholic entertainments too

  

August 16, 2008

Clearly the Canadian CRTC is in someone’s back pocket

 

The Bell company has also adopted rebranded its Bell ExpressVu, Sympatico and residential service in favour of Bell TV, Bell Internet and Bell Home Phone.”It’s all to convince to convey that Bell is and has gotten better,” Bell Mobility president Wade Oosterman said in an interview.But telecom analyst Carmi Levy of AR Communications said the changes will have little impact unless they are accompanied by a dramatic improvement to customer service.”You can change your logo and you can change the name of your offering until the cows come home but if you don’t change the fundamental way that you operate, then the rebranding effort will be for not,” the Toronto-based analyst said in an interview.He said Bell needs to be less adversarial and aggressive with customers and more responsive to their needs.“This needs to be just the first salvo in an ongoing effort to become a softer friendlier company to deal with.”New Bell chief executive George Cope has promised to improve customer service as it completely overhauls the vast business. The Montreal-based company recently announced plans to shed 15 per cent of management and sell non-core assets.

CRTC Internet Traffic Ruling Throttled ‘Til October

Complaints over the throttling of Internet traffic – in apparent violation of industry regulations if not ‘Net neutrality aspirations – are themselves being slowed.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has delayed its ruling on a dispute involving Bell Canada and third party Internet Service Providers over Internet data rates and throughput.

The CRTC now says it will rule on the fight between Bell and the Canadian Association of Internet Providers (CAIP) by Oct. 31. ”

Clearly the CRTC is in someone’s back pocket  for the CRTC is not speedily working on behalf of the many complaining  Canadian citizens

Believe it or not, face it or not Bad and abusive  Corporations,   churches,   pastors,   cops, in fact all bad persons are often the number one concerns of many people, on the net too, many citizens,  in every province, Canada wide too,  and yet this is an area where the too often pretentious government, poor ministers, that have wrongfully also  hired too often their pretentious friends into key  and secondary jobs now too, are clearly wrongfully not doing enough now here  too… but they still steal, take a big   salary, with perks, expenses accounts  wrongfully for it too..   https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/corupted/

 
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/apple-mr-jobs-has-admitted-privacy-invasion-iphone/
 
 
PS: In the US early-termination fees on cell phone contracts are illegal AND WHAT ABOUT IN Canada?

A Canadian consumer cancelling their cell phone, or their Home Phone or their Internet service provider  and any the supposedly applicable termination fees, related  early cell phone termination fees  supreme court ruling in the US FIRSTLY does not apply in Canada since the Telecommunication industry and the ISP, Internet service providers are all still  unregulated by the governments, all of them, neither the customers or the corporations, providers they  they generally are not subject to any possible COURT DISPUTES SETTLEMENTS, REGULATIONS, AND  even if Rogers or Bell tries to tell you otherwise? and tries to  enforce their cancellation fees? They Corporations they have to rely on the good will of their customers to pay these inapplicable contract, termination charges in Canada? True or false?

Some persons still do argue that when you agree to the contract with a carrier for  that new phone even for free or at a discounted rate, or an ISP, Iphone services   it was understood what you were doing entering into a legally bind contract so do explain to me what the point of a contract is… when you can just get out of it at any time with no deterrent? or Bell itself often as is it often the case now too does not keep their promised contractual commitments, and secondly their CONTRACT CLAUSES, agreements, clauses are so one sided, unfair the the  COURTS TEND  NOT SUPPORT THEM NOW AS WELL.
 
“A California Supreme Court judge has ruled that early-termination fees on cell phone contracts are illegal. This is HUGE. Contracts and early-termination fees basically define the cell phone industry in the United States. Could we be headed for a major change if this decision holds? By locking consumers into 1 to 2-year contracts with an early-termination fee tacked on, carriers are able to guarantee a certain amount of revenue from their subscribers. By doing this, they are able to offer subsidies on the actual hardware. This is why the iPhone 3G is only $199, but requires a 2-year contract. This is completely different from Europe and other markets where consumers pay full price for their hardware, but are not forced to sign any contracts. There will be appeals by the cell carriers, but if this holds, what could happen? Early termination fees put the power in the hands of the carrier. How many times have you heard a friend say they would love to get a new phone or switch carriers only to shoot down their idea because they are under contract for another year? In some cases, it could even be cheaper to pay for two contracts instead of paying the early termination fee on one. So, let’s assume this decision holds, and carriers aren’t legally allowed to charge these fees, we’ll probably either see the carriers attempt to work around the legal problems through a loophole or the abolition of cell phone contracts. Hooray! Except, cheap handsets are the first thing to follow contracts out the door. Most people don’t realize that cell phones are actually fairly expensive pieces of hardware after years and years of discounted, subsidized prices. In the end, it’s hard to say if the consumer will save money out of contract, but with a full-priced device. It’ll depend on the plans, which could increase in price in response. So if we might not actually save any money, what will be gained by this decision? Freedom. Some cell phone carriers are notorious for poor customer service because they probably don’t feel like going out of their way to help their customers when they have them locked into a contract. Without contracts, a greater responsibility to appease and provide for the customer falls on the carriers. Suddenly, threats to cancel service and move to a competitor could have meaning. Carriers would have to fight to keep you as a customer. Pair this up with the trend of moving toward open networks that must accept any device and you’ve got the making of a European style cell phone market. That is, of course, if the carriers don’t just find a loophole. You can be sure their best lawyers are on the case. On the hardware side, most phones would end up being sold unlocked. We wouldn’t be surprised if the retail market for devices moves online or into big box retailers, while the service is sold by carriers. Sure, they’d sell phones too, but suddenly a whole new market complete with competition could open for unlocked handsets. If you were suddenly able to break your contract without consequence, would you switch carriers? Are you patiently waiting for your contract to end so you can get a new phone or upgrade?    http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/687741/No_Early_Termination_Fees_Will_The_Cell_Market_Completely_Change.html

   

do see the many Post about Bell here too..

https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/05/21/bell-throttles-internet-speeds/

https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2009/05/23/3-of-canadas-top-news-stories-relating-to-the-court-justice/

I have a  engineering degree, Concordia University , Montreal 1 , and I had worked as a ReMax Realtor in Calgary too but in my decades of real life experiences in Canada the existing laws, regulating societies, governments clearly did not stop many Realtors,  lawyers or even now Bell Sympatico from telling lies to the customers, others.  http://anyonecare.wordpress.com/2008/07/13/misapplications-of-the-laws-in-canada/
 
Imagine that Bell has been in Business for many years and is still guilty now clearly of misleading advertisements, fraudulent and unacceptable business practices, not living up to their contractual obligations, as I now have PERSONALLY WITNESSED, EXPERIENCED  and undeniably detailed to even Bell and many others many times too now . I Paid for a high speed unlimited download service but that is not what I got next. I got low internet speed at a high price. With Bell you have to check your actual delivered speeds , “internet download and upload speed test” cause Bell seems to change it to suit themselves..  (Presently I am with Acanac Inc. http://www.acanac.ca 1-866-281-3538, and do  see their speed test too).

August 8, 2008

Bell, Sympatico – Customer’s profiles

  
One of the most disturbing thing about Bell Sympatico, besides the fact they are big liars, who do not disclose the full truth to the customers before or after,  is the issue of the customer’s individual Service profile continually reset by Bell itself.. and the customer’s profile varies with customer to customer,   it is critical too for  it determines the customer’s actual internet download and upload speed that Bell next delivers to the customer. I am sure Bell will use this same approach with their iphones service now  too. While all residential customers may pay the same amount for a high speed download service from BELL in reality they do not even get the same download and upload capacities.
 
Do see also http://witnessed.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/this-next-was-so-predictable-even-by-me-too/
 
“My internet connection has been re-profiled 4 times that I know of since I signed up. On initial installation I was getting a 3 meg profile. I submitted a support ticket via the Acanac website and was pleasantly surprised to have my connection re-profiled to a 4 meg connection. That lasted 2 weeks then Bell re-profiled me to a 2.5 Meg connection. That was infuriating so I submitted another ticket to have my connection re-profiled. I put that ticket in 2 months ago and my connection has gone from bad to worse. Recently I was re-profiled again down to a 1.7 meg internet connection. I have sent 3 emails about my connection and every time Acanac ( my sub contractor of Bell ISP) support tells me they will look into it or they say a tech will come out to fix it but nothing ever happens.”
http://www.dslreports.com/comments/2744?filter=neg
 
What is a Profile, and why does Bell use profiles? Bell clearly is unable to meet all of the promised, advertised  customer speeds, customer’s demands in many areas , even  in big cities too, because their line capacities are overcrowded, inadequate, or the lines have not been properly upgraded. So they Bell use their own determined profiles to set limit on the individual customer to hopefully be able to balance their own internet service supply lines.. so you can see why Bell and their lying spin doctors falsely oppose any regulations  for themselves.
 
FULL ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY SHOULD APPLY TO BELL  new as well, not just to Stephen Harper, and his too many past unkept promises in this area now as well.
https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2008/08/09/libel-on-the-net/

do see also  http://anyonecare.wordpress.com/2008/11/03/dealing-effectively-with-computer-viruses/ http://thenonconformer.blogspot.com/2008/11/acanaccon.html

 
 
A great site to see also is http://www.p2pnet.net/
http://www.p2pnet.net/story/16648
    
  1. Reader’s Write Says:
    July 9th, 2008 at 10:29 am

    Enough is Enough!

    We don’t need parasites like Jim Prentice!

    Let take this guy tar and feather him and through him out of the government may be even of Canada!

    Message to Prentice:

    Prentice! You want to represent crappy multinational corporations of gangsters instead of the Canadian people?

    Fine! face the consequences then!

    People of Canada will retake their government soon and you might end up in prison for accepting bribery.

    Mark my worlds!  http://www.p2pnet.net/story/16334#comment-676234

             

  • thenonconformer Says:
    August 8th, 2008 at 6:12 am Sent: Friday, August 08, 2008 8:18 AM
    To: correspondenceminister = CorrespondenceMinister@ic.gc.ca
    >> Prentice! You want to represent crappy multinational corporations of gansters instead of the Canadian people?
    Jim Prentice MP Do you deny it? or what do you think about it?
  •  
  •  
  • July 22, 2008

    PM Stephen Harper needs to get better friends, needs to repent himself too.

     Look I am not alone in this view.. too many Canadian persons have noticed that we have much too many alcoholics in the governments, even as elected ones, even as leaders, Brian Mulroney was known for his boozing now too.. Regretfully still there  much too many alcoholics even in the Conservative party now for my liking,  in this area too they are just as bad as the Liberal too it seems..  and who can forget Ralph Klein’s alcoholic outburts too.  A man is certainly known what he is now really like by the friends he keeps and having a  brain damaged alcoholic as a friend, as a  drinking buddy is really no virtue, and it is a sad recommendation,  a poor reference that you cannot even be now proud off.  The Prime Minister Stephen Harper a professing Christian Missionary Alliance Evangelcial too had said that the ex PM Brian Mulroney was a close friend .. he Stephen Harper now really better start to get better friends and appointees than his alcoholic drinking buddies.. and still not one cent of taxpayers’ money should ever be even used  to buy any alcoholic, alcohol  at any governmental function, expense account.. for we all know how bad alcoholism is and how much evil , suffering it brings, and still all alcoholics should be fired, especially all of the alcoholic the public and civil servants, all alcoholic  elected officials too  and  not rather falsely  rewarded with more alcohol for almost all of them are already known to be liars, cheat’s thieves, abusers, etc..

    CP Elections Canada claims Quebec Tories swapped campaign ad expenses to beat cap –    OTTAWA – The Conservative party shifted thousands of dollars in advertising expenses from two of its top Quebec candidates to other Quebec candidates who had more spending room in their 2006 election campaigns, the lawyer for Elections Canada has suggested.  A former financial officer for the party confirmed last month in a court examination that expenses incurred by Public Works Minister Christian Paradis and former foreign affairs minister Maxime Bernier were assigned to other candidates.  But former chief financial officer Ann O’Grady said the expenses were “pro-rated” to the other candidates because the firm that placed the television and radio ads billed Paradis and Bernier for higher amounts than their campaign agents originally committed.  Elections Canada lawyer Barbara McIsaac probed O’Grady over records involving an eventual claim for $20,000 in radio and TV advertising by Paradis and $5,000 in advertising claimed by Bernier.  The financial statements and invoices – filed in a Federal Court case concerning $1.3 million in questionable Conservative ad expenses – also showed Bernier and Paradis paid a fraction of the ad production costs compared to other Tory candidates.  Bernier and Paradis are among 67 Conservative candidates whose advertising expenditures are under investigation by the federal elections commissioner. Agents for some of the candidates took Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand to Federal Court after he refused last year to reimburse the expenditures on grounds they did not qualify as local candidate expenses.  The Commons ethics committee is also conducting an inquiry into the bookkeeping, which Elections Canada alleges allowed the Conservative party to exceed its national campaign spending limit by more than $1 million.  The Canada Elections Act prohibits candidates from absorbing or sharing the election expenses of other candidates.  NDP MP Pat Martin, a member of the ethics committee, said if the party did shift expenses from Bernier and Paradis to other candidates it would add an entirely new dimension to the controversy.  “I can’t get (fellow NDP MP) Judy Wasylycia-Leis to put $5,000 of my expenses into her expenses,” said Martin. “That’s absolutely not allowed.”  In a sworn cross-examination last month, the transcript of which was subsequently entered in the Federal Court file, McIsaac pressed O’Grady about advertising and ad production costs that were transferred from Bernier and Paradis to other candidates.   McIsaac challenged O’Grady’s explanations that the expenditures were re-assigned because the candidates had been mistakenly invoiced for more than the amounts their official agents originally committed for the campaign.  “I’m going to suggest to you that Mr. Bernier was less than $2,590 from his spending limit and that he couldn’t afford to put the additional amount into his return,” McIsaac said to O’Grady.  “That would be total supposition,” responded O’Grady.  “Who knows what else would have been going on at the time? I can’t comment on how Mr. Bernier ran his campaign.”  In the case of Paradis, O’Grady conceded the candidate had originally committed his campaign to a media buy totalling $30,000, was eventually invoiced $29,766 and subsequently received a “credit note” of $10,000 that was reallocated to another candidate, Marc Nadeau.  “Now, again, the reason for this was that Mr. Paradis had reached his limit with respect to spending as well, is that correct?” asked McIsaac. “He had to allocate some of his money to Mr. Nadeau, did he not, because he was close to his limit?”  “I would not know that,” replied O’Grady, who replaced former Tory chief financial agent Susan Kehoe several months after the election. McIsaac also questioned O’Grady over the fact that Bernier paid no production costs for his share of the advertising. Paradis paid only $233.93 for his share, even though McIsaac said other candidates paid $4,500 each for production costs. 
    http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080721/national/tories_in_out

    PM Stephen Harper needs to get better friends, needs to repent himself too.

    https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2008/07/18/the-pcs-said-the-liberals-were-crooked-but-what-about-themselves/

    http://anyonecare.wordpress.com/2008/06/29/hard-to-tell-the-difference/

    http://anyonecare.wordpress.com/2008/05/25/alcoholism-the-unacceptable-sin/

    http://postedat.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/and-if-the-righteous-scarcely-be-saved/

    http://anyonecare.wordpress.com/2008/05/23/good-and-bad-unacceptable-theology/

    http://anyonecare.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/just-by-me-merely-observing/

    July 20, 2008

    The math behind a 4-per-cent pay raise

    Our politicians are certainly not limiting themselves to a 4 percent pay raise for a start..
     
    Canada should avoid a recession, but the cost of gasoline, heating and groceries will continue to rise until early next year.  according to  Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of Canada, in his latest report on the health of the Canadian economy. “Food prices, which had been falling, uniquely in Canada, are starting to firm up, but not dramatically,” he said.
     
    The math behind a 4-per-cent inflation rate Globe and Mailall 465 news articles »
     
    The math behind the 4 percent inflation rate only next  predicted in Canada is typical of too lying statistics even  because it   for certainty for nelgects the living costs for those persons the  most vulnerable in society, the poor persons, and, and the seniors actually anyone living on a pension, have seen the cost of living gone up as much as 30 percent on food alone in the last year.. Now all the major grocery chains in my city are 30 percent higher in selling price of meats, vegetables, bread   as well over the same period last year.  “in August, even if prices don’t change between now and then, gasoline will cost about 40 per cent more year over year. Gasoline makes up about 6 per cent of the consumer price index, so a 40-per-cent hike means a 2.4-per-cent rise in total inflation, even if everything else stays flat.” Not only has the price of fuel, gasoline gone up  by more than 4 percent but so has the price of bus tickets now as well.. Now we know the increased price of Gas affects not only the price of heating fuel, buying manufactured goods, clothes as well..
     
    If Canadian Ostriches now were to believe their self centered  leaders, they’d think inflation was not a problem and Canada’s economy was on a roll. But it seems Canadians rightfully don’t put much credibility in their leaders or the PM’s statements. Consumer confidence definitely has plunged.
     
    Do most of the statements from Ottawa  actually work? Or do they prompt a further erosion of confidence because consumers and businesses fear their self centered, selfish leaders again are out of touch with reality ? Preston Manning included.
     
    Other Canadian and U.S. central bankers warned of tougher times ahead on Tuesday as the slumping North American economies suddenly appeared more vulnerable to job loss, financial failures, inflation and weaker consumer spending.
     
    General Motors Corp. announced plans to cut its U.S. and Canadian white-collar salary budget by 20 per cent, further reduce truck production, suspend its dividend and borrow
     
    In Canada  house prices experienced their first decline in nine years last month. Home prices in major markets edged down 0.4 per cent from last June, and sales volumes plummeted, by as much as 42 per cent in Greater Vancouver
      
    The consumer prices rose 1% in May from April – the biggest one-month increase since 1991.
     

    July 13, 2008

    Misapplications of the Laws in Canada

    0crooks
     
    Look… 
     
    Here just for a start is what I have noted about the laws in Canada and their applications now too the last half century too.
      
    In the application of justice the law Justice itself now is be be blind, for it is to be  impartial, uniformly applied too, fair, just, honest, but that now often is not the case still too.
     
    Anyone who firstly believes that there is solely true Justice in all parts of  Canada is basically an ignorant Ostrich or a  fool, for still there are all kinds of ways, means, places where the laws now are still inadequately regulated, poorly and inadequately applied, enforced, carried out, and even where false partiality and false discrimination is now being applied too…. for just one example revenue generating traffic tickets seem to get too much police attentions too often  as we all seem to know, not the bad drivers, drunk drivers. Many laws are still underfunded and some still overfunded.. 
     
    Too many persons who enforce the always now  they themselves wrongfully think that they are above keeping the laws, and wrongfully believe that they are exempt from any prosecutions of the wrong doings, and we see these poor unacceptable attitudes, behavior often,  amongst the  poor civil , public servants, bad police, bad RCMP included. Not enough of these too often bad guys now are really sent rightfully to jail still too. This too is always unacceptable still. For  one example here.. We all seem to know bad cops tend to mostly get away with their bad acts, they are cover-up, hushed, denied too often still too. Self regulations often tends to be just masturbation, not real justice.
     
    The laws, justice system gives preferential treatment, advantages to liars, perjurers, when we can easily see that the Queen’s courts as well rarely prosecute perjury in the courts by lawyers, spouses, witnesses, etc.. When was the last time you heard the judge arrest a pretender, crooked lawyers for lying to the courts, or someone else?  after all we tend to know that the average person still lies , exaggerates at least one every 5 minutes. It seems even in the courts the person now who  hires the best liar, or lies the best can win.. even police officers do lie unprosecuted too often.
     
    Speaking of false partiality of the Courts, and the Canadian federal government itself  has left the internet unregulated..  at least in part only.. we know that child molesters, child pornography on internet in Canada can be and are often rightfully prosecuted, and that some internet bullies are now being rightfully prosecuted by some provincial human rights commissions, even by some of the courts for slander, abuse  now too.. But not all of the the  human rights, verbal abusers even now  are being adequately dealt with too, nor the internet service providers who lie, are clearly now guilty of being abusive, falsely restrictive, censorship, privacy invasions, guilty false misleading advertising, restrictive business practices, bait and switch approach are not being fully dealt with and this is unacceptable, a falsely discriminatory practice  that now still always too and needs to be fully dealt with too.
      
    Group representing 220,000 teachers votes for criminalizing cyberbullying The Canadian Press – Sat Jul 12, 5:56 PM MONCTON, N.B. – Delegates representing 220,000 teachers across the country have unanimously voted in favour of pushing to make cyberbullying a criminal offence.
     
     Hey I have known for years that the big bad boys hate me, curse me, for telling the whole truth even about them on the net.. someone has to do it.  I do not need  a gun to solve this problem too, for the pen is mighier than the sword.

    Thanks to the too often inadequate, pretentious justice misters  indeed,  to date, very few valid, major legal reforms have taken place. They rather seem all to have been piecemeal and poorly  coordinated between the provinces and territories too, now moreover  this all has  led to the implementation of such a fragmented, poor,   unpredictable legal, justice systems. 

     

    Then there is the manner of the selection of the police officers, the justices of the police, and the judges themselves now too, definitely political and partisanship influenced, hiring personal friends is a common practice in Canada still too, and it seems that bad people can be appointed, serve as  cops, lawyers, judges etc., still too.
     
    Canadian laws and related sentences, punishments,  are not even uniform even across Canada but now are subject to varying, and different provincial jurisdictions, and varying standards too, where each province, territories  gives it’s own distinct preferential observances, enforcement, different sentences for,  of the specific laws even. 
     
    Even the police themselves do too often falsely  discriminate, in the applications of the laws too, for   they do and can pick and chose what laws they will enforce and which ones they will not, and chose even as to whom they will prosecute and whom they will not. They falsely and undeniably  like to mainly listen to the person who has the biggest political influence, outcome on their pensions, salaries firstly, even their political masters. Some groups, persons, Corporations,  laws   thus still get disproportionate attention, preferential treatments.. discriminations against natives, black, ethnic persons, cultural profiling is still being carried out too by even police officers and Judges ehh?  

     

    Jer 1:17 But you gird up your loins! Arise and tell them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed {and} break down at the sight of their faces, lest I confound you before them {and} permit you to be overcome.  18 For I, behold, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar and bronze walls against the whole land–against the [successive] kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land [giving you divine strength which no hostile power can overcome].  19 And they shall fight against you, but they shall not [finally] prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.

    Now I have posted various messages on different subjects on my   wordpress sites.
     
    I find it also still unbelievable that the top   topics from many different subjects read by many  are
    1- The bad Bell Sympatico internet services
    2 – How to deal with an alcoholic.
    3 – How to deal with verbal abusers, bullies
    4 – How to deal with the silent abuse treatment by others
    5 – Bad pastors and bad Churches
     
    6 – Bad cops, bad RCMP
    7 – Bad Politicians
     
     Jer 2:8 [Even] the priests did not say, Where is the Lord? And those who handle the law   knew Me not. The rulers {and} secular shepherds also transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by [the authority and in the name of] Baal and followed after things that do not profit.

    see also

    https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/ 
    https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/?s=RCMP
    http://witnessed.wordpress.com/
    http://anyonecare.wordpress.com/
    http://postedat.wordpress.com/
    http://thefocusonthefamily.wordpress.com/

     

     

    Matt 23:23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you give a tenth of your mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected {and} omitted the weightier (more important) matters of the Law–right {and} justice and mercy and fidelity. These you ought [particularly] to have done, without neglecting the others.

    July 8, 2008

    Justifiable Uproar

     I have sent many letters to the useless Minister of Industry, Consumer affairs,  Jim Prentice MP   CorrespondenceMinister@ic.gc.ca ; and when I next phoned them in Ottawa and I HAD RECENTLY asked about a decent reply to my many letters, they said they do not know where they are,  and for me to mail them again TO THEM.. RATHER ask them to read them on the net too then for they are there as well!! Let them RE read this too..

    .
    Stephen Harper is a hit when viewed from afar Calgary Herald,  Canada –  From a close-up perspective, the Conservative government has put in a fairly credible, largely scandal-free performance since the election in 2006 ????????????????????? Not true!
    .
    The MP Stephen Harper, he is nice from far but far from nice, as we all know also that he lies, lied, had broken most of his re-election promises, which the Conservative Ostriches in Alberta would now have us falsely try to deny, and even have us wrongfully  to become liars like them now too…  even denying Harper’s and the Conservative promises of full openness, transparency ,  accountability and not to hire any conservative friends, etc,… to be different than the other parties now too.. not be merely another  bullies, bashers, liars, slanderers, living high on the hog, alcoholics, etc,..
    .
    The typical bad lawyer, Minister of industry, consumer affairs, Jim Prentice MP, also hires his Conservative friend, shame on you.. Tories appoint Reform founder Manning to science advisory panel  AND as for Preston Manning ALL HE SEEMS TO LOVE TO TALK ABOUT MONEY THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL.. NOW HE MANNING WILL GET MORE MONEY TO DO THAT TOO. ABSURD! If he is now a real Christian then I am a monkey’s uncle too. HOW IS THAT FOR A SCIENTIFIC INPUT?
    .
     .
    So the Industry minister even calls on Bell, Telus to explain new text charges- 

     .

    This is not even a new issue but an old one. I firstly could not help but notice that a very significant AMOUNT OF YOUNG PEOPLE USE THE iPHONES AND COMPUTERS STILL, and that as a direct result we now have whole generation of users who clearly do strongly hate the federal government as well as the big corporations for allowing them to be abused again and again. A really Smart move??  for the Conservatives and big Corporations   getting young customers too mad at them now even for life. Certainly not a good, or a great marketing practice for  the Conservatives, the Corporations, even for Industry Minister Jim Prentice MP. The whole fiasco, poor past responses, inactions   now still being poorly thought out ironically  applies now even to to the Conservatives and the Industry Minister himself  now as well.. It all clearly falls in the same category as the Conservative Stockwell Day MP  and his past skidoo antics.

    .

    “Finally Industry Minister Jim Prentice is calling on the chief executive officers of Bell and Telus to meet with him and explain their decision to charge consumers for incoming text messages. Jim Prentice has sent letters to the heads of the two companies, has said the decision to charge consumers without text bundling packages will hurt consumers. The companies must meet with him before Aug. 8. “While I have no desire to interfere with the day-to-day business decisions of two private companies, I do have a duty as minister of industry to protect the interests of the consuming public when necessary,” Prentice said in a statement. “I believe this was a poorly thought out decision.” Under the Corporations  new plans, customers will be charged 15 cents for each incoming text message, including uninvited spam messages. Previously, customers without text plans were only charged for outgoing messages. Customers with a text messaging rate plan or bundle will not be affected by the new charges.”

    .

    Hey  let me shout it all to you again and again, as a taxpayer I too always do openly rightfully expect always a  good government, and I rightfully expect the government to do it’s job, including all of it’s ministers, and I rightfully also expect them always to fully to protect the citizens from the Corporations false misleading advertising, price gouging, price fixing, price collusions, bait and switch approach sales marketing approach, and a lot more. The problem also with the industry minister acting now on the iphone text issue while better late than never, is that the same major ISPs have used the same immoral approach on their Internet services as well and to date nothing was , is being done still about that  wrongfully. and this is also still unacceptable.
    .
    It is also still  interesting how much of the negative complaints rightfully are even coming from Alberta even from the Industries Minister’s own riding, Province too, right from the heart of Conservative supporter country.
    .
    Here again is how many Canadian consumers, citizens do see it as far as the iphones mainly. “Only the person who sends the message should be charged plain and simple. Why should I pay because some spammer sent me a text message that I did not want to receive. If I don’t want to answer my phone, I can simply ignore a call, but a text message from a number I don’t recognize is delivered to my phone whether I want it to be or not.”
    “Don’t think for one minute that hasn’t been their plan all along – announce it at a high rate, with the intent of “backing off” to a lower rate…and then slowly increase that rate over the next few years once there’s a general acceptance of the practice “
    “I am loathe to trust a company that changes the terms of my agreement mid-contract. I would like to learn how it is that they are allowed to do this, but if I would like to change the particulars of my contract mid agreement, it is not allowed.  I would like to think that if the terms are changed, shouldn’t the principal agreement holder be notified of the changes, otherwise it be nullified?”
    “Pay twice for one service…..  I’ll charge a fee to them for writing a cheque to pay my bill”
    “Clearly it is in the best interest of consumers for their elected representatives to voice their concerns on top of those of the consumers when Canadians are being gouged at almost every turn. Bell and Telus clearly to not have the best interests of their customers in mind, rather as always, they are motivated by greed and profit. “
    “Kudo’s to the NDP on this one!!”
    This is so typical Bell, Bait and Switch,  first bait the customers and nail the customers on the  extras next too.
    .
    Google slams Bell Canada: open Internet is “extraordinary”
    Ars Technica – By Nate Anderson | Published: July 08, 2008 – 12:30PM CT The public comments on Bell Canada’s P2P throttling practices are in, and one thing is clear: a gulf the size of Nunavut separates the huge ISPs from web-based companies and consumer groups. Google goes further; not only should Bell stop picking and choosing which lawful apps to throttle, but the company needs to start upgrading its infrastructure in a serious way. Throttling merely “encourages carriers to build their business model around managing scarcity, rather than developing more abundant capacity.
    Google slams Bell Canada for throttling InternetCanada.com TORONTO – Internet heavyweight Google Inc. has waded into a fight with Bell Canada, saying the telecommunications company should be “prohibited” from the practice of curtailing of peer-to-peer Internet use to manage limited capacity on its network.
    Google joins in Bell Canada traffic throttling warp2pnet.net
    CBC.ca – ITBusiness.ca – FierceTelecom – mediacaster
    all 16 news articles » 
     .

     

    Cellphone users to be charged for incoming text messages
    CBC.ca –  Cellphone users with Bell and Telus are going to have to fork over a little more to receive incoming text messages, under new pricing plans slated to roll out in August.
    Get ready to pay for incoming text messagesCanada.com
    Uproar over new Canadian texting feesUnited Press International
    Mobile Magazine – Soonews.ca – QuicklyBored – The Province
    all 40 news articles »  En Français »

    .

    There is a  public outrage on the part of Canadian consumers following the release of the local pricing plans. Apple the iPhone maker has watched nearly 50,000 of its loyal customers sign an anti-Rogers petition at ruinediphone.com, which has in turn sparked hundreds of potentially damaging reports on the matter by bloggers and members of the mainstream media.

    .

    Canada’s cellphone market is currently dominated by three key players – Bell (TSX:BCE), Telus and Rogers Communications Inc.(TSX:RCI.B).
    .

    The petition has attracted attention in Canada and abroad, but it won’t have any effect on Rogers unless consumers follow through with the old-fashioned but simple and reliable strategy for pulling down prices.

    .

    If you don’t like the price of an iPhone, don’t buy it. If Rogers finds it has priced itself out of the market, it won’t take a petition to ring in lower prices.

    .

    All that is just the beginning of the Customer reactions, war I had written about months ago too.

    .

    Prentice calls Bell, Telus to task for decision to charge clients without bundle The Canadian Press – Wed Jul 9, 4:05 PM

    OTTAWA – Industry Minister Jim Prentice is taking Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility to task for their plans to charge some of their customers for each incoming text message and called both company CEOs to Ottawa to explain their “ill-thought out” decision.

    .

      https://thenonconformer.wordpress.com/2008/07/06/bell-bce-sympatico-iphone/

    .

    Internet oversight
    Globe and Mail – 3 hours ago
    Toronto — Re Google Raises Fuss Over Bell’s Speed Bumps (Report on Business, July 9): Bell Canada and other telecommunications companies have been slowing, shaping and restricting Internet traffic for some time.
    Google slams “throttling” of internet traffic in CanadaDigital Home
    Google condemns Bell’s ‘throttling’ practiceToronto Star
    Canada.com – Ars Technica – CBC.ca – BetaNews
    all 51 news articles »

     .

    Canada’s phone companies and the federal government itself  have still even failed to understand how the consumers, markets are changing.. so both Bell and Telus get hit by a backlash over new texting prices.  It is not just  about price, it was about the restriction and limitation of the user experiences too. Canadian telecom giants are feeling the heat like never before by  an increasingly savvy and demanding customer against finely tuned telecom incumbents . There is   irony to the fact that as the phone companies roll out new services that allow people to communicate instantly in new ways, their customers are using the technology to express their criticism of how those services are offered and priced.  the government’s plan to keep the wireless industry also unregulated is real crap.  Neither of these rather mostly abusive parties  are about to listen to the Canadian Customers still, it will take more drastic responses..
    .
     

     

    Next Page »

    Blog at WordPress.com.