Fucking Rogers

I have cable service from Rogers. More recently, I purchased a pay-as-you-go mobile phone from them. They’re big on the marketing phone calls. I kept telling them I wasn’t interested. Finally I got fed up and wrote them, saying that I didn’t want any telemarketing calls. If they kept bugging me, I’d terminate all my services with them and go elsewhere. The calls stopped.

In the last few months, marketing e‑mail messages have started to arrive, and I’ve even received a few marketing text messages. Yea, no.

Their website has a page allowing you to opt out of marketing contact. You’ve got to enter some info, and then it says you’ve got to come back in 48 hours and you’ll be able to change the settings as you want. I think this is utterly ridiculous, but I went along. After a week, the page continued to tell me to return in 24 hours. So I wrote and made it very clear that I wanted the marketing e‑mail and text messages to stop. This is my right.

To my great amusement, they replied quickly with a message offering to research the problem, asking for a bunch of information. I waited a few days before replying. Had a replied immediately, it wouldn’t have been pleasant. This is what I sent:

From: Rick Pali <rpali@alienshore.com>
Date: February 22, 2009 11:49:33 PM GMT-05:00
To: wireless.inq@rci.rogers.com
Cc: privacy@rci.rogers.com
Subject: Re: Your Cellular General Inquiry

> We would gladly research your account to determine the cause of the
> issue. In order for us to provide you accurate information and protect
> your security, we will require additional information.  Please respond
> to this email with the following:
> Your Full Address (including postal code)
[address provided]

> Your Cellular Telephone Number
[number provided]

> Your Date of Birth
You don’t have my date of birth on record. I prefer to keep it that way.

> Your Account Number
Which account number? My pay as you go account doesn’t have one, as far as I know.

> Your Four Digit Passcode (if applicable)
I have no idea if this is applicable or not, but I don’t know of any four digit code.

> We look forward to your response and resolving this issue with you.
Thank you kindly.

Please note that the issue is my receiving marketing e‑mail and text messages from Rogers. I don’t want to receive any more. I don’t particularly care why the marketing permissions portion of the rogers.com site isn’t working for me. Pursuant to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Document Act (PIPEDA), I’ve informed you that you are not to use my personal information (cell number, e‑mail address, and previously, my land line phone number) to deliver marketing messages. My obligation under the act is fulfilled. Your obligation is to cease sending these messages, as requested. You have my landline phone number on file. Please feel free to call me for verification if you feel the need.

Rick.

Talk about ridiculous. Surely they can pull up my file using my mobile telephone number? Again with the fucking birthday!

You’ll note that I CCed the Rogers privacy commissioner. I doubt it really means anything, but maybe I’m wrong. Regardless, despite my fulfilling my obligation, I do not believe this will be the end of it, unfortunately. You’d think they’d fall all over themselves to avoid pissing off their customers.

It’s funny because Lori and I have a continuing discussion over which company is worse, Rogers or Bell. It doesn’t speak well of either of them that we both have so much information to bolster our arguments.

I tell you, I am this close to investigating what my television reception would be like with an antenna. Don tells me that the fee for basic cable is going up by $2.50 next month. That’s damn-near a 10% increase. Is basic cable really worth a $1 a day? Given the stations I watch, and the fuck-upness Rogers continues to demonstrate, I’m beginning to doubt it.