Discussion Avoiding Carrier Port-Out Fees (Fido, Rogers, Bell, Telus)

With the 4 major network carriers, they will always bill you 30 days of service for not giving them 30 day advanced notice for porting out. But if you try to give them 30 day notice, they will close your account or lock it so you can't port out to another mobile service provider. You're basically stuck paying for 30 days of service even though they're not providing you any!

Sounds illegal and unethical right?

FIRST:
Call your cell phone provider and ask that they reverse the port out charges. They won't but you'll need to have this on record for the next step.

THEN, you have a couple of options that have worked for people:
1. Do a chargeback on your credit card for the unfair charge if you've already paid the invoice
2. File a complaint with the CCTS: http://www.ccts-cprst.ca/complaints/guide

I would personally do both. The process through the CCTS (Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services) is all online.

 

Good info, thanks.

 

Is 30-day porting fee legal under CRTC Wireless Code for month-month users?

Answer: NO, it is no longer legal. The day your phone number ports out of carrier A [to carrier B], is the day you cancel and once you are no longer receiving service from carrier A, you are not liable to pay for air time you are not able to send or receive. It’s that simple.

One advanced Fido call centre agent read a post-December 2, 2013 alert to me, saying Fido customers porting to Rogers or Chatr are EXEMPT from 30 day cancellation fees. What Fido failed to put into the same Alert is that Fido customers porting to any other carrier are also exempt from 30-day cancellation fees.

Four different WIRELESSWAVE retail stores told me that all 30-day cancellation fees for all carriers are gone. One Rogers retail store confirmed this. So, don't give any notice of cancellation or porting because if they put a Cancellation code in your account, it could block future porting attempts (until you get that corrected). On the day you wish to port, contact the new carrier and let them initiate the porting process. Be aware that if you port late in the day, or there are billing concerns or system issues, your port may take an extra day or longer.