Koodo Mobile / Reviews

Let me start by saying I've had wireless plans with all the major 3 players in Canada in the past, but only one contract which was with Bell. Looking for an alternative route, I decided on Koodo. I was enticed by the low monthly fees and no contract. I must admit, the commercials and billboards annoy me, but it's the service that counts in the long run.

As much as people may complain about the Tab being a scam for a contract, let me clarify some things. Yes, the Tab is somewhat like a contract. Even with the major 3, if you buy the phone in full you will only be charged on a month-to-month basis, which means no cancellation fee if you want to leave in 3 years, 2 years, 1 year, or only 3 months. However with Koodo, the prices of the phones are relatively cheaper than the competition. And a Tab of $150 means you will never have to shell out more than $150 (aside from a remaining account balance) when you choose the cancel. The longer you stay with them, the cheaper it will be to leave. It cost me over $300 to cancel my contract with Bell only 4 months into my 2 year contract, and there was my remaining balance on top of that! When I got on board with Koodo, I didn't take any chances and bought my phone straight out. I now have a Tab of +$70 which I will continue to let grow so I can get a free or discounted phone sometime in the future. Unlike a regular contract, I don't have to wait 2 or 3 years to get a new phone for free or cheaply. I can choose if and when I do so, and based on that, it will determine how much I must spend. I think the Tab is a brilliant idea! If I had it my way, I'd change it from +/- 150 to 200 instead. Or better yet, a dynamic Tab based on the users credit rating.

As far as customer service goes, I haven't had much experience dealing with them. When I moved back home to Ontario from BC, I had to call once to change my phone number. I would've done this online, but they don't let you change phone numbers between provinces on the self-serve website. I move a lot, so I've dealt with the same issue with every provider, so this isn't something Koodo-specific. While on the phone with a Koodo rep during the phone number change, I mentioned that I realize I usually have to pay for phone support and that I would've preferred to do it myself online, only that I was limited by the province factor. The rep told me he would waive the call-in fee for me. Sure enough, I never got charged. I did have to wait about 10-15 minutes for a rep to become available, but that's normal with any customer service. Personally I prefer to do everything myself online, which is the market Koodo aims towards. It's quicker, I don't have to put up with sometimes annoying or stupid service reps, and I always know I'm getting exactly what I want in the end.

The phone service itself is what I'd come to expect. Decent reception and coverage, quite comparable to Telus. Seeing as Koodo is owned by Telus, this comes as no surprise. Koodo simply uses the same networks Telus leases from. I must admit, it gets a little expensive when traveling to the US. $1.00 a minute roaming, plus 35 cents a minute extra long distance rate ontop of the included minutes in the plan or 35 cent extra minutes. Roaming coverage is fantastic, however! Much better than Bell or Rogers offered. The first step is to dial *22803 from your Koodo phone and follow the prompts to update your roaming list.

Here's my plan:

$25 Talk & Text Combo
$10 Unlimited Incoming
$5 Caller ID

$40 a month plus tax is the best price I've ever had for a seemingly unlimited plan. Unlimited incoming calls, unlimited evenings and weekends, unlimited text and multimedia messaging, among all the other basic features. No system access fee and no E911 fee (or technically the fees are included within the price of the plan) are a big plus!! Just like Koodo admits, they're able to provide such affordable plans because instead of getting free customer service, you have to pay based on what you need done. When you think about it, you're paying for this customer service whether you use it or not when you're with other providers. If you can do everything yourself on the self-serve website, why not? Save some cash, or use it for more features or long distance or roaming.

Canada needed Koodo years ago. It's about time we have it!