My dissatisfaction with Clearnet (now Telus) cellular services

Jan. 8/99

I was pleased when I first learned that Clearnet was offering cellular services in Ontario because Cantel & Bell Mobility had little competition & I felt they needed some. Unfortunately, I am very dissatisfied with the Clearnet cellular service, their billing practices & several other areas. If it weren’t for the fact that I’ve been just as dissatisfied with Cantel & Bell Mobility for other reasons & that I had to purchase a phone that can only be used with Clearnet, I would drop my Clearnet service. The following are details of my dissatisfaction. You might want to consider these things before buying a Clearnet phone & signing up on their service.

TELEPHONE CUSTOMER SUPPORT: Sort of an oxymoron with Clearnet. I’ve found the multilevel phone menus & sometimes long wait to speak to a person very frustrating. On several occasions the person I’ve spoken to promised to get back to me with an answer to my question, but they didn’t get back to me. I then had to ask the question all over again just to be left hanging again. BTW, you can bypass some of the multilevel menus to speak to a real person by pressing zero (although none of the menus mention this short cut).

POOR BILLING PRACTICES: For many months I have consistently receive my bill just a few days before it is due. Clearnet keeps apologizing for running so far behind in their billing cycle but they don’t seem to be able to do anything about it. Until recently, Clearnet had no provision to pay my bill via my phone in bank line service, so I had to mail a cheque in which seldom arrived on time. My payments are due on the 17th of each month & if payment hasn’t been received, by the 19th Clearnet automatically generates an overdue form letter. They date that form letter on the 2nd of the next month & don’t bother to crosscheck to see if the payment actually came in during that two week period. Worse still, they sit on it for another week (until the 9th) before actually mailing it & imply in the letter that current amounts are overdue when they aren’t. I find it very irritating to receive an overdue letter when the payment was made over 3 weeks ago. Clearnet is unnecessarily frustrating its customers because of it’s own poor billing practices.

Earlier this year when I upgraded from the $20. a month plan to the $30. a month plan, my next monthly bill said $40. with no explanation. I had to phone Clearnet to determine that they bill a month ahead, including any upgrades. Too bad they didn't just simply state that on the invoice.

BILLABLE TIME: Clearnet advertises that they bill in 1 second increments & that they do not bill for calls that are not picked up at the other end. While this may be true (& I’m not convinced it always is true), they don’t tell you that the charging timing starts from the first ring, even when the person on the other end doesn’t pick up until the 10th ring. Also, the resetable timer built in the phone starts counting the instant you press the send button until you press the stop button, whether or not the call was actually picked up. That means that if you reset the phone each month on your billing cycle date, the counter in the phone should always read slightly higher than the actual billable time. I have consistently found that it’s the other way around. I always get billed for several minutes more than the timer in the phone says, which means that either the timer in all the Sony Clearnet phones is grossly inaccurate (even cheap watches & timers have been keeping pretty accurate time for years), or Clearnet is over billing their customers. Unless you actually stopwatched all your calls, wrote them down & compared them to the detail billing, how would you really know. It just gives me serious cause to be suspicious & Clearnet cannot seem to come up with a satisfactory answer for this discrepancy.

POOR COVERAGE: Until recently the London Area had analogue coverage. It was adequate most places in town & pretty hit & miss between London & Woodstock (just 25 minutes away). If you were in a shopping mall you could receive calls fine & hear the sender fine, but the sender often could not make out the person speaking on the cellular because it was sending such a weak signal & Clearnet obviously didn’t have enough sites close by to pick up that weak signal. We were told that when digital service came to our area that things would be much better. Well it came in Nov. 98 & coverage is often worse now. When it works it sounds real good, but when reception is poor, it’s so poor you can’t even make out what the other person is trying to say (worse than analogue in fringe areas). It would appear that Clearnet is trying to get by with as few cellular sites as they can & coverage is suffering in some areas. Perhaps that will get better in time as more sites are put up. Clearnet (Telus) publishes a map on the areas they cover in Ontario & I have found the map to be a big lie & many other users have confirmed that to me. For example, the map shows that the entire Manitoulin Island has analogue coverage, but my experience & several others I talked to was that only the north eastern shore has coverage.

DIGITAL COVERAGE: We keep hearing how digital is suppose to be so much better than analogue, but let me identify a couple areas where digital coverage isn’t so great.

1/ Your voice on the digital cellular is delayed approximately ½ second. Normally that’s not a major problem unless you’re hearing foldback on the system which sometimes happens (sounds like an echo).

2/ Signal strength on the meter built in the phone most of the time is nowhere near what it was when we were on analogue coverage.

OUT OF COUNTRY CELLULAR SERVICE: When I first signed up on Clearnet they had no provision at all for using the cellular in the United States or elsewhere. Now they do BUT the charges are $0.95 per minute plus any applicable long distance of $0.50 per minute. That seems a kind of high to me (normal Canadian rates are $0.20 a minute or less), although there are no roaming charges.

NO ROAMER ACCESS NUMBERS: Bell Cellular & Cantel have roamer access numbers that allow others to reach you toll free on your cell phone when they know you’re in their city. For example, if I travel from my home in London to do business in Toronto (a couple of hours away), people from Toronto should be able to reach me while I’m in Toronto without them or me both paying long distance calls (using roamer access numbers). Unfortunately Clearnet has no provision for using roamer access numbers.

ANTENNA RADIATION & BRAIN CANCER: Since the beginning of cell phone use, manufacturers have been claiming that there was no proof that their cell phones were causing brain cancer because of the microwave radiation given off by the antenna. While it can take many years for the medical community to come up with proof positive that a product causes ill effects (i. e. the tobacco industry), there are now several early medical studies that give a strong indication that cell phones may cause brain cancer. One study noted that of the brain cancer patients studied who used cell phones on a regular long term basis, all had brain cancer on the same side of the head as they held their cell phone to & the actual area of the cancer was position right where the antenna was. While these medical tests are call statistically insignificant by the cell phone manufacturers because the number of cancer patients observed weren't high enough, there is cause to be concerned. To minimize your exposure to the radiation from the antenna, it is recommended to buy a cell phone where the antenna points out away from the head at right angles, or better still to buy a cell phone that can be fitted with an optional earpiece & microphone so the cell phone is not near the head or body when transmitting.

SONY PHONE: Clearnet originally used only Sony model CMB1207CNT0 cellular phones on their PCI service (the Nokia 6188 will become available later in June 99) & they print Clearnet on the phone instead of Sony. The exact same phone is sold under the Sony name for use on Bell Mobility’s PCI cellular service except the Clearnet version apparently has an ID chip inside which means that you can’t use the phone if you switch over to Bell Mobility & you can’t use the Sony phone if you switch from Bell Mobility to Clearnet (we live in a throw-away world). Since this is an analogue & digital phone, it made sense to use a model like this & it made sense to only use one model type to make it easier to provide simple sales & customer support, however this phone has several shortcomings or bugs that I’m sure Clearnet could have insisted were fixed when they bought over 300,000 of these phones. I suspect that because of all the technical problems that Clearnet has had with this Sony phone, they have decided to also offer the Nokia 6188 phone & other brands. Here are some examples of the problems with the Sony phone:

1/ The charger (part # QN-001AC) connection that plugs into the phone at night is a very flimsy connection which is easy to break & has very little contact surface area hence less reliability because of oxidized connections. We had our first phone replaced (at considerable bother to us) because of this connection. You can sometimes clean up the oxidized charge connectors on the phone by rubbing them with the eraser on the end of a pencil.

2/ The resetable timer counter counts all minutes/seconds whether the call made it through or not. The display on the phone knows whether the call connected or not so it certainly is possible to trigger the timer from the same signal sent to the display, but Sony didn't bother when designing this model. The bottom line is that you have no idea how much time you’ve actually used that month & Clearnet has no provision under the standard plan for you to phone in to find out usage. Bell Mobility & Cantel can tell their clients how much their usage is by a simple phone call.

3/ One piece of Clearnet sales literature for this phone indicated that a fully charged Sony QN-003BPLH hi-capacity lithium-ion battery should last for at least 17 hours in an analogue service area while in standby mode. The Clearnet web site now indicates 14 hours of standby or 2 hours of talk time in an analogue area. Tests I did on 2 separate phones with 2 separate batteries revealed that the batteries only last for 14 hours in stand by mode before the phone shuts itself off in an analogue area. The batteries were fairly new & were exercised to get maximum life from them. Obviously using the phone would cause shorter life, as would an older battery. The duration of this battery with this phone in an analogue area of coverage, is clearly not long enough for some people who might have it turned on from 7am until midnight (17 hours) plus some actual talk time during that time. The battery does get significantly longer usage in a digital area.

4/ The buttons on the Clearnet Sony model CMB1207CNT0 phone are so small & rectangular shaped that they are difficult for a man with an average hand size to push accurately without accidentally pushing a button below or above the desired button. This is particularly evident when trying to enter a phone number while driving. Wouldn’t you think that when Sony is selling millions of this model cell phone worldwide, that they would take a little more care in the ergonomic design of the push buttons on this phone?

5/ The sound that comes out of the earpiece is so highly directional that the user must place the phone directly over the ear hole to be able to hear (especially in a noisy environment). Eventually you get familiar with placing the phone in the exact spot to be able to hear it, but you shouldn’t have to have this shortcoming in the first place. Normal phones have a wide dispersion pattern on the earpiece speaker.

6/ The buttons on the Sony phone are unreliable. Our second Sony phone had to be replaced because of this problem, so now we are on our third phone in one year. Several others I've talked to have also gone through 2 or 3 Sony phones in the first year.

7/ Too frequently when the signal is weak, the phone simply doesn't recognize an incoming call so it doesn't ring & the call instead goes to the voice mail. This happens even though the display screen indicates you are in a cellular service area. This frequently happens when you are in a basement, mall or other indoor location. You simply can't rely on receiving calls.

My understanding is that Clearnet customers will soon be able to use the Nokia 6188 cell phone (later in June 99). Although I know nothing about the Nokia phone, given the severe unreliability of the Sony cell phone, if you are bent on being a client of Clearnet, you might want to try the Nokia phone or some other brand they might offer instead of the Sony.

NOW SOME POSITIVE THINGS: Here are some of the positive things that Clearnet does have in its favour when comparing with certain plans from other companies:

1/ Pricing is often less. For example Clearnet is $20. per month for 100 minutes whereas Bell Cellular is $29.95 for 30 minutes.

2/ Clearnet doesn't charge any activation fees.

3/ Clearnet does not require any term contract to sign up. They hope that if you’ve bought the $150. Sony phone (price has now come down to $100. I think) (which can only be used on Clearnet), that you will stay on their service long enough to make it worth your while when you throw the phone away. Bell Mobility & especially Cantel (Rogers) in the past, have done everything in their power to keep you hooked on 1 or 3 year term contracts with severe penalties if you cancel early. They wouldn’t even mention or advertise that no term agreements were available (at a significant premium). Now that Clearnet & other cellular companies are giving Cantel & Bell Mobility some serious competition, Cantel & Bell Mobility are starting to offer some no term agreements (though usually with some sort of catch). It’s my opinion that when I’m purchasing a product outright (in this case the cell phone), that I should not have to sign a binding contract for a given term when all I want to do is rent a "service" (in this case the use of the airwaves). When you are purchasing a large capitol item such as a car, you expect to sign some form of contract or term for a loan payment or lease, but when you purchase a "service" such as gas, electricity, telephone service, cellular, etc. you shouldn’t have to be locked into a 1 or 3 year term. The incentive to stay with a company should be the good service they provide, not some unnecessary term agreement. Unfortunately Clearnet doesn't offer good service, so the only incentive to stay with them may be your investment in the phone.

4/ Clearnet provides call waiting, caller ID display (in digital areas) & toll-free voicemail (answering machine) (except for air time minutes to send & receive the messages) at no extra charge, but Bell Mobility & Cantel usually charge extra for these services.

5/ Clearnet doesn’t care if your monthly allotment of minutes is used in a digital or analogue area of the country. Fido Net only includes minutes in digital areas, but analogue areas of their coverage are charged extra ($0.20 a minute).

6/ Clearnet bills by the second rather than rounding up to the nearest minute (although they count ring time).

7/ Air wave licensing fees are charged by the month ($4.50) instead of annually, although this amounts to a $54. a year, whereas other companies charge $48. per year. Companies who charge annually won't refund unused portions of the licensing fee if you cancel your plan part way through the year.

Consider all the above things before you choose a cellular company. Quite frankly, I cannot recommend Clearnet to those who must have reliable cell coverage.  

Last updated June 6, 1999

The following is a response from another Clearnet user who saw this article:

Hi                           June 4/99

I was searching the net for a site exactly like yours. I have been having problems with my Clearnet network and I got the impression that it was only me that had complained.

Poor reception, delays in voice transmission, lost calls, calls going right to voice mail when I'm sitting in my living room (right next to the window...) not getting a digital signal when I should be.... the list goes on.

I live in Montreal, 5 minutes from downtown! I can't imagine that their towers or their whole network could be this weak and they still remain competitive. 2 days ago I changed the phone and the battery, still no improvement.

As a small business owner I rely on my cell as a business line. What good is it if I am not getting the calls? It kinda defeats the purpose of having the phone in the first place... don't you think?

It makes me laugh that the customer care people can sit there and justify the fact that their reception is pathetic.... "After all it is not fool proof..."

Jennifer McComb

The following is a response from another Clearnet user who saw my article above:

Hey,                August 14/99

I read the article you wrote on Clearnet. I have experienced bad reception, delays in voice transmission and dropped calls, but I have some good news for everyone.

I purchased the Nokia 6188, because I heard that the Sony phone was discontinued. I also had previously used a Nokia (5190) phone when I was signed up with Fido, and was very pleased with the phone, but not the service. So that's why I switched over to Clearnet.

I live in Vancouver, BC, and I'm happy with Clearnet's service so far, I have had only one call dropped, few calls with bad reception since I signed up a month ago and only experienced delays in voice transmissions when I call my friend who has the Sony phone and is signed up of course with Clearnet.

The one thing that really pissed me off is that it took me about 30 min. to get through to an operator to sign me up on a plan. Then my home phone's batteries died when I was half way done giving my info. So I had to call back, but I was on hold too long and had to hang up to make it to work on time. I had to wait until the next day to call them back. When I finally got through, I was very pleased to know that the operator I talked with earlier had saved the info I had given her so it only took me about 5 more min. on the phone to get signed up.

Here's some good news if your going to buy the Nokia 6188 (which I highly recommend). My phone is living up to it's specs, about 100 hours standby and about 2 hours 45 min. talk time. Also, the Nokia 6188 starts timing your call at the first ring so you do get very accurate timing. The reception is very good when I'm outside driving or walking, but not that great in any buildings.

There are inconveniences with the Clearnet's service, but I think that if your not your using your phone for business all the time, then it shouldn't be a huge problem.

Richard Nazar

The following is a response from another Clearnet user who saw my article above:

Oct. 25/99

I came across your site and found that I was not alone in my thinking. I have been a Clearnet customer since June/99 and in the first 2 months I had about 50 to 100 dropped calls, very poor signal and very poor reception. Some days I had no service what so ever and I was getting PO'd with Clearnet. I work off of my cell, meaning that I do not have a house phone, so any time I had a problem I had to go up to the payphone (not an easy task when you live a good distance from the closest payphone) and wait on hold for a good 20 minutes. Well I was very shocked when I talked to this so called "customer service rep", I told her what my beef was in a very polite manner and she told me , in her exact words "If you are not satisfied with our service then I think you should look else where!" Can you believe that, she also went on to explain to me about towers and how they send signals. Well I thought that was a joke considering my husband is a communication rigger for the past 6 years. So you happen to pick up on a few things about towers and how they work. So she tells me that she can give me 5 dollars off my next bill and they can't do anything about the service, but that's all she can do. Then she tells me it's the phone , it must be broke or something. I just bought the phone 2 months before, a Nokia 6188. Sure it has all the bells and whistles but I would not recommend it for Clearnet service. Least to say the phone sits here dormant because I refuse to pay for calls that are dropped after a minute or 2 and then having to call the person back you were talking to. Makes for bad business when you cut your clients off 4 or 5 times in a conversation. The other thing I don't like is the fact that they start billing at the first ring, what the &#% is that? Shouldn't it be when the phone is answered then they start billing by the second. Well thanks for listening to my trials and tribulations with Clearnet.....as the saga continues....will they get better service?

Thanks Carrie