My advice to anyone considering Wind Mobile is to seriously reconsider (I feel guilty that a year ago I spoke so highly of Wind).
Here is what has soured me on Wind Mobile...
Worst Tech Support EVER!
Seriously, their tech support might just be the worst I've ever experienced (and I remember the days when Rogers was using India for all their tech support). The agents basically don't speak English. They speak broken English and really can't understand anything you are asking. You literally will get so frustrated that you will simply hang up.
In addition, no matter what your problem is (billing for instance) you get put through to tech support, who have no idea how to help you.
Inconsistent Billing
So if you are on an unlimited voice, text and data plan your bill should be the same every month right? WRONG. The amount fluctuates for no reason.
Roaming charges? Perhaps, but the phone isn't supported to allow you to roam without notifying you that you're about to be charged fees.
The fluctuates aren't wild, (generally up to five dollars over billing) but my point is there shouldn't be any fluctuation (unless you are roaming, which you would be aware you are doing and know there will be cost associated to it).
If you call to try and correct the error in billing good luck. To my first point, you'll get someone who can't speak english and you'll give up in disgust.
I've tried twice to get billing issues resolved with Wind and I've just given up and accepted the charges because the person on the other end of the line simply can't understand what I'm saying.
Sneaky Plan Changes
Only problem? Twelve months later and all the plans they had when I joined up, are now gone. They now offer only two plans (before they had 5-7 plans!)
So my original intent when my promotional plan ran out was to switch to one of their other plans that would have cost me about the same amount. Now however, those plans don't exist. So I've had to lock-in to a plan that is about seven bucks a month more.
Wind no longer has plan diversity, the only choice you have is one of two different plans (a $25/mth plan or a $40/mth plan).
WindTab is a trap!
WindTab was a great feature from Wind. When you sign up you get a good phone - mine was a Nexus S, retail at the time of 380 bucks - for free. The catch, the phone is free as long as you are a Wind customer and after three years the phone is yours at no cost. If you leave Wind or downgrade your plan you will have to pay out some of the phone or all of it.
Now, this is fine. It's a great deal all things considered. That is until Wind starts pushing you in to higher costing plan packages and you can't get out without paying 250 bucks for your phone.
Wind, in my opinion, is now using customers trapped in WindTab to increase their monthly fees. Who knows what the fees will be next year (or even six months from now).
I hate it when companies trap you and then start increasing rates on you. Wind was always suppose to be the complete opposite of that!
Dropped Connection to the Network
The other frustrating thing is that my Wind phone (and others I know on Wind) lose their connection to the Wind network regularly (once a day type of thing).
Which means if you are a Wind customer you have to regularly check to see that your phone is connected to the network. If it's not, well, you won't receive any calls (although calls will get forwarded to your voicemail). Reconnecting is simple, but you have to know you've lost the connection to do so. Once you're disconnected your phone will not reconnect on it's own.
If you are getting in elevators a lot during the day, expect to have to reconnect your phone every time!
Bring this problem up to their tech support and all you'll be told is to remove the battery and reboot the phone (which solves absolutely nothing as the problem will still persist).
Voice-mail Gauging
Now, the plans they are currently offering (just released this month) include voice-mail for free. However, last month their plans charged eight dollars a month for voice mail.
I'm sorry, but eight dollars for voice mail is highway robbery. The fact that they've dropped that fee now doesn't undo the fact that they tried to charge that for voice-mail (and I'm sure many customers got suckered in to paying those fees last month and are now stuck with them for 12 months).
It tells me that they will milk their customers if they feel they can get away with it.. which again, is why I went with Wind because they are suppose to be the opposite of that kind of attitude.
A good thing gone/going bad
Let me re-iterate, Wind was great. In many ways it still is - or at least it has the potential to be.
Their costs are very good (for 40 bucks you get unlimited Canada calling, unlimited text, unlimited data, voice-mail, and call handling features... and you get a 'free' smartphone to boot).
Call quality is also good (I've never had a dropped call).
Their online account portal is great and straight forward.
But the complaints I've mentioned above will have you pulling your hair out. Nothing is more infuriating than being over billed and not being able to correct it because you can't get someone who speaks or comprehends English on the phone.
So my advice, shop around. Wind may still be the best option at the end of the day, I don't know. I do know that I'll be looking at other carriers to see what they are offering, if I can get out from Wind without spending a ton of money I will. If I can't, oh well, I'm stuck for the next two years.
Wind really needs to get competent English-speaking tech support or they are going to have a ton of disappointed customers in the future!
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