After going through a lengthy negotiation process with Rogers I felt it was my duty to detail my recount and what things to do and what not to do. This guide specifically deals with Rogers Wireless customers based in Canada who have been with Rogers for a decent amount of time, i.e. at least half a year, on some sort of month to month plan. I imagine most other cell phone companies follow similar procedure and protocol, so feel free to use the advice given here with your current Wireless service provider.

In Canada, rates and rate plans are unusally expensive and there seems to be no way to avoid them. The key lies within Retentions, a special department who deal with unhappy customers who legitimately want to cancel their phone or who, like youm after reading this guide, are calling simply to renegotiate your plan. The key lies with research and knowledge of what Rogers offers and what other cell phone companies offer as well. To reach retentions, you call Rogers and in the voice-automated system, say "cancel my phone". You will automatically be transferred to retentions where you will be making your plea.

A few things to note before we start off:

• Rogers service reps will have your account open in front of them and will be taking notes during the call of what you say and what they offer you. This is so if you call back they have something to base the previous call upon. This leads to the second point of:
• Be courteous! These reps probably are working long hours and get the brunt of customers' anger, so being courteous and polite will only help you. It has been rumored that angry or raucous customers get a "star" by their account, detailing that they are hand to handle. You can only imagine what this will do to your chances of getting a good deal
• Don't refer to your friend's plan/your wife's dog's plan, etc. Since this is retentions their sole idea is to cater to you and what you need changed or are unhappy about. If you go in outlining what you want, i.e. unlimited Rogers to Rogers calling, then they will take you legitimately and be able to offer specifics

With that said, this is the usual retention plan:

$20-$25/month (depending on rep)

• 200 Weekday minutes
• Unlimited Nights and Weekends
• Voicemail
• Caller ID
• + 6.95 SAF + 911 Fees + Tax

Now this is a better plan than almost anything they advertise, but there are a few key additions you can negotiate with them. This is where you need to be clear of what you want in your plan:

• Unlimited Rogers to Rogers calling
• Unlimited Incoming Calls
• 100 Canadian Long Distance Minutes
• 125 Text Messages
• Mobile Browsing

Now, of course you will never be able to get all that and still pay $20/month but most people are able to negotiate one or two of the above options on top of the basic retentions deal. What they will do is give you a credit on your account for the specific item, i.e. on your bill it will show 100 LD minutes as $10 and then a -$10 credit back.

Rogers also offers retention plans for heavier users, but since I am not one I do not have much experience dealing with that. What I outlined above is more than enough for an everday college or High School student who uses their phone for social/light business. As I grow up and become a more active member of society, perhaps I will write another guide for more expensive plans. Course that will only happen if you recommend this guide =).

So I hope that has helped you in your endeavours. Buy your cell phone from eBay, but don't forget that you can negotiate for a better plan with your wireless provider!

-wtli1988