First, allow me to introduce the fighters.
In the red corner, we have Rogers Wireless. Rogers is our telecommunications overlord here in Canada. Once upon a time (so the legend goes), they provided an excellent product at a fair price. I'm referring to their Rogers @Home unlimited high-speed Internet service circa 2000. They have always sucked when it came to cable TV (monopoly) and wireless (first GSM provider in Canada).
In the blue corner, we have Ivan (who will continue to refer to himself in the third person - for theatrical purposes, of course). Once upon a time, he was a Rogers customer and even crusader against the heathen known as Bell, but we'll save that for another story. Ivan has cut all ties with Rogers years go. This is most definitely a grudge match.
Being top dog sure has its perks. Rogers managed to snag the shiny new Nokia Lumia 920 with a nice exclusivity deal. Depending on your sources, the details of the deal are different, but let it be known that as of this post, the deal is still in place,
Now, since Ivan is a customer of Wind Mobile, he wasn't considering the Lumia 920. According to early reports, the Lumia 920 was not supposed to be capable with AWS (1700/2100) networks like Wind Mobile, Mobilicity, or T-Mobile south of the border.
Rogers was the first to release this once mythical device on October 30. We're calling it mythical, because almost nobody saw it until November 13. Rogers Plus store employees had absolutely no idea when they would get any stock, and a lot of them didn't even know what a Lumia 920 was. Well played, Rogers.
But, we've already stated that Ivan wasn't interested in the Lumia 920, so what gives? Well, upon the initial launch, www.mobilesyrup.com (our source for all things wireless) reported that the elusive device is indeed AWS compatible and unlocked to boot! Ivan was excited. He was not only going to be able to get his hands on a shiny new Windows Phone 8 device, but it was going to be a flagship device with a PureView camera!
So Ivan diligently monitored web reports. He phoned the corporate stores. He searched www.kijiji.ca. The search wasn't limited just to London, but expanded to include Woodstock, Brantford, Hamilton, Burlington, Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, and Guelph. But, he wasn't destined to acquaint himself with the initial release. He knew that the second batch of the devices would most definitely be locked, but was hoping that they would still be AWS capable. His trusty unlocking site (www.cellunlocker.net) had already advertised the ability to unlock this device.
When Ivan phoned a Rogers store on November 13, he was overjoyed. They had received a shipment! Our protagonist "got his ass down to the store" (as the people would say) and purchased a device outright. At $599 ($676.87 after taxes), it was not a small purchase. Rogers' US counterpart, AT&T (also reportedly evil, but we have no firsthand experience with this), is selling these at $449.99 (plus applicable taxes) AND they come with a FREE wireless charging pad (the cheapest of which retail for $50). But, as the AT&T version isn't AWS capable, Ivan was not interested. We've only included that bit of information to show how Rogers is somehow even more greedy than AT&T.
When Ivan got home with his new Lumia 920, he immediately popped in his SIM card and was greeted with the network restriction message. It was an unwelcome, but an expected sight. He jotted down the device IMEI number and placed his unlocking order for $15. After a few hours, he received the dreaded "unable to unlock" e-mail. Ivan then proceeded to place order after order on other sites, but nobody was able to provide him with an unlock code. He now had two choices: return the device for a refund or pay Rogers $50 (plus tax) to unlock the phone. He had read reports online that people were getting a prepaid SIM card ($10) from Rogers and putting a $50 credit on the account that was then used to pay the unlocking fee.
Being skeptical of Internet anecdotes, Ivan phoned Rogers to confirm if he was indeed able to do this. He wasn't pleased with the ridiculously high unlocking fee but it was now his only possible solution. The polite Rogers employee told Ivan that he can indeed obtain the unlocking code. He had two options: prepaid (as already mentioned), or to have an existing customer put the phone on their account and request the code. The latter was cheaper (no SIM card purchase) and easier (no trip to the store). Fortunately (for Ivan), his parents are still in Rogers' death grip (euphemistically referred to as a "contract"). He then phoned his father, who was willing to do this, providing of course that Rogers doesn't use this opportunity to extend the death grip by another three years.
If that infernal employee hadn't neglected to mention one tiny (but important) detail, the phone would have simply been returned and would have to be purchased at a later date, once third party unlocking was available. But not, that detail was omitted. Apparently, you have to have the device "active" for 30 days before Rogers will take your $50. So, if one purchases a phone for $676.87, it appears that Rogers still doesn't acknowledge that person's ownership of said phone. Instead, Ivan's father had to talk to several employees about unlocking (it's apparently not Rogers' policy to give too much information to any one given employee - knowledge IS power), before accepting the 30 day thing as final.
Now, dear reader, it should be noted that the only things wasted by Ivan were time and nerves. Ivan returned the phone and got a full refund. Had Ivan not had someone with a Rogers account and went the prepaid way, he would have been out $60 ($50 if the SIM card was refundable, but prepaid credits are non-refundable). That would have really been the kicker. After Ivan shared his experience on Rogers' Facebook page, a "helpful" employee informed him that those were simply Rogers' policies and to go #$&% himself. Well, he didn't really say the latter. He apologized, but the sentiment was the same.
Ivan's Windows Phone odyssey doesn't end here. There's a wonderful new chapter in press - Ivan vs. Nokia/T-Mobile. Stay tuned!
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