KOODO SUCKS | Page 5 | Koodo Mobile | Forum

Kudos2Koodo said:

I called their customer service the other day and I'm not even a customer, and I got someone really nice, who helped me out and answered all my questions, maybe if you're nice, they will be too

I call BS on that. When you call Koodo's customer service, they require you to input the number of a valid Koodo phone just to get on the line with a customer service rep. Which was a major pain in the butt when they had failed to activate my phone properly, and then wouldn't recognize my number as one of their own customers -- I needed a "valid number" to speak to customer service, and I was calling customer service because my valid number wasn't activated. I don't really see how you could have gotten on the line with their customer service if you're not a customer.

I've had a mixed bag so far. I have pretty simple phone needs, and it's way cheaper than Bell, who are a bunch of soul-sucking monsters, but I had some major problems with it being activated, and the customer service was pretty rough.

chelle said:

Koodo sucks said:

IF YOU LIKE TEXTING DONT GET A PHONE WITH KOODO, U NEVER END UP GETTING ALL OF YOUR TEXTS AND IT GETS REALLY ANNOYING

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maybe you just have issues. i've never not gotten tezt messages.

You are so right Koodo sucks as far as getting your texts. I have to cancel.

If you send us an email with your account number to webstore @ koodomobile.com I'll look into what happened. It sounds ridiculous and I want to help you plus learn from the mistakes.

Bernard

Koodo is awful. I have been with them for one year during which they have managed to get 1 bill right. The last 3 months they've disconnected my phone and charged me a reconnection fee after I have called customer care and followed their directions verbatem. Each time I've been told that I have been wrong to follow their directions.

I would recommend buying a few cups and a long piece of string and using this technology before ever advising anyone to sign on with Koodo.

Koodo shouold be shut down. They are abusive and arrogant.

I received my invoice by e-mail at 6 am on a saturday and at 1pm that same day they cut the service. Oufff that's what I call being stupid.

I wrote them many e-mails but NOT 1 was answered. When I called I talked with an arrogant customer service rep. I think they hire them with that profile.

I called a reporter that I know and he works for a TV show that goes after stories of abuse. He wasn't surprised with my story and mentionned that they were investigating many more cases like mine with Koodomobile. He asked if I'd be will to do an interview with him and I told him that it would be with pleasure. Hey, you might be seeing me on TV. Be sure that I will politly tell them the many pains that I've gone through with them.

I do NOT recommend Koodomobile to anyone !!

Never had a single problem with Koodo. Everything works fine and the plans are excellent. It is unfortunate how some people can have these horrible problems and others (like me) not a single one...?

After months of paying my bills before the due date, I ended up misplacing the latest bill and it went 6 days overdue. They locked my phone for it… for 6 days overdue. What a joke! I called their customer service rep who says "no problem, just make a payment and your phone will be turned back on".. I did and then what appears on my next bill? a $60 re-activation fee.
WTF.. $60?
on my $50 monthly bill this is absolutely @#$%.
Koodo can kiss my ass and I am putting the word out to everyone I know DO NOT SIGN UP WITH KOODO!!
They are a bunch of rip off scammers!

First off, this is a LONG post and is mostly quite supportive of Koodo. And second, no I do not work for Koodo (nor have I ever worked for them).

I have had a BB Curve with Koodo since August of 2010 and aside from some communications issues (mostly with how their advertising is worded and how they bill in advance, which when adding new features is a bit confusing) I mostly have good things to say about the company.

I purchased my phone at a FutureShop in St. Albert, Alberta on the Tab when it was approximately $75 (down from $150 on the Tab). They matched the nearby WalMart price ($74.83) and I turned in my old Curve and my son's Pearl (both from Bell...total nightmare with them, don't waste your time, money or energy on any of the Big 3 directly) and got gift cards for their value (not a lot, but it further reduced my out-of-pocket expense).

I buy FS giftcards when I fill up at Shell so I get bonus AirMiles...I never had to actually pay cash when I bought the phone, although I did spend the money in another format previously. Shopping around for the best deal and having done research paid off for me...I wasn't desperate to buy and waited until I found the best deal.

I received $50 in gift cards for buying a Curve through them at that time and was able to quickly get the phone set up with a local (to me...I live out of Edmonton and was able to get a suitable number easily) number. This is something Koodo does often...offering gift cards at FS or BestBuy or whereever when buying one of several phones on the Tab. While looking for an Otterbox case (Koodo, until recently, didn't carry that type of case) at another FS I found the precise model of case I wanted and noticed the phone was on sale for lower than I had paid.

Since this was within 2 weeks of my purchase they gladly honoured their own guarantee and gave me a $25 gift card (the price break) which when combined with my $50 in cards from the purchase paid for my new case. The case has saved me the cost of a new phone well over a dozen times. If you can find an Otterbox Defender case, buy it...they are a little pricey but are the best ones on the market and WILL save your phone from damage, even to the point of buying a new one.

As for any service issues with Koodo, I got the 300 minute plan that I mistakenly thought was for daytime local minutes with unlimited (day and night) Canadian LD. The 300 is for all daytime calls but doesn't clearly read like that in their ads. However, with my 5 Essentials plan I have never come within 20 minutes of the 300 minutes of daytime usage, even when checking voicemail.

I just don't use my phone for every little thing and make good use of my unlimited text feature. I should add that my mobile is my only phone now, so to have not gone over my minutes shows that with a little attention one can easily remain within a plan's boundaries, especially given how easy it is to check airtime usage on Koodo's site.

Additionally, having given up my landline I am saving about $40-50 per month, which is fully half of my mobile bill, so having the phone costs me only an additional $45 per month up front. Since my employer covers most of the cost of my plan, I am actually in a better situation than I was without the phone...it is cheaper for me having the mobile with internet than having my Telus (my only option) landline.

My data plan (500 MB on the BB Connect plan) has never been over 300 MB even when I spent a few hours surfing in one session...must be the BB specific sites that are not supposed to be as data-intensive as the regular websites, but I am not sure on that point. I don't often surf but when I need to find something or do some personal business/banking while away from home and my computer I can get it done on my BlackBerry without too much hassle (it can be slow to load some sites that are secure or very data-intense).

With texting (SMS) I can send and receive (free for incoming) as much as I want with no extra charges. I can even send overseas, which I just tried a couple of days ago (I think is pretty cool since it is international and still free/included in my plan's costs).

Another nice feature about Koodo is their website...sure it is kind of corny and geared towards a younger and presumably more hip generation than mine (I'm 42) but it is relatively easy to use and find things. There have been times I have tried to find out how to use certain features (MMS) with absolutely no luck at all, but I never bothered to try to use their CSR line to find out the information, either. I was too frustrated by that time to bother trying to call their CSR line.

The times I have called their *611 line I was helped with all of my concerns and was never faced with any rude or argumentative CSRs (yet...thankfully), although the wait time for a representative was occasionally up to 10 minutes. My questions were answered by Canadians who were fluent in English, not people in a foreign country. Maybe some of the Koodo CSRs were a bit hard to understand with their strong French accents, but it is a lot better than dealing with (or should I say trying unsuccessfully to deal with) someone in India or the Phillipines who can barely understand or speak English.

Whenever I want to find out something about my bill or make a change to my Essential 5 numbers (or any of my plan's features) I can do so quickly unless their website is undergoing service (which sometimes happens). I can check my airtime or data usage anytime, including from my mobile since I have internet/e-mail (which I love since I can always stay in touch or be reached when I expect something). The usage and cost (never incurred anything that wasn't covered since I am careful about what I do...I have had enough surprises from Bell, tyvm) are listed beside each item of airtime or data/texting...this is a nice feature to keep tabs on what extra fees might be on a bill.

When I had an issue with my e-mail not working I called the CSR line and within 2 minutes of explaining my problem the software was resent to my BB and all I had to do was remove the battery for 30 seconds (a minor inconvenience) to restart/reset the phone. After this the e-mail has worked flawlessly. I had the same issue with Bell on my first Curve and when they sent me a replacement unit I had no e-mail or BB Messenger. This was never fixed but Bell kept right on billing me for the service despite their inability to provide it (or honour their warranty).

As for texting, I have noticed that at times some messages will be resent to or by my phone 2 or 3 times...or appear to have not gone through at all. I don't send a huge number of texts like some do, but for the amount I do send and receive this minor glitch is less than 1% of all of my texts...which is not too bad, just annoying at the time it does happen.

Some of their prices or plans do not quite match what is offered by the Big 3 but the flexibility more than makes up for it (at least to my way of thinking). I get 300 minutes of daytime calling anywhere in Canada for $50 per month which is about 100 minutes less than comparable natonwide plans...but I can walk away IF I am dissatisfied, only having to pay the balance on my Tab (which is fair...and clearly stated...since I only had to pay $50 up front for a new Curve and $150 on the Tab (no contract with the Big 3 and I would have paid up to $550).

$200 with no contract (and $50 if I stay with them for 18 months until the Tab is paid off, which I almost certainly will given how I have been served thus far) and so far very good service versus $400 or more with terrible service and huge early cancellation fees when you get tired of being overbilled or flat out defrauded. Not a hard choice for me to make.

I pay just under $90 per month including tax for LD, internet, unlimited texts, unlimited contact with 5 numbers, voicemail and CallerID, a new smartphone with full keyboard and every month $8.50 (pretax and not including late fees) goes towards my Tab. In less than 18 months I will be Tab-free and then if I keep this phone the Tab will start generating a credit each month. How often can someone get a new phone for that kind of money ($50 for a new smartphone with no contract, even for 18 months) from Bell, Telus or Rogers directly?

The freedom from stress that I enjoy with Koodo makes up for a somewhat limited offering of plans/minutes for the price. Also, the price for a phone (the slightly poor selection is getting better all the time) is far better than anything the majors will offer...and Koodo offers their phones without locking you into a very restrictive contract. I am willing to adjust my usage to optimize my value. I can now use my mobile without worrying about being ripped off by a company who does not truly appreciate my business. At least Koodo seems to be different in how they operate when compared to their parent company...at least that has been true in my case.

If you are looking for a change from Canadian cellular providers, check out the prepaid versions offered by Telus (Koodo), Bell (Solo), Fido, Virgin and also the new players to the market (WindMobile and ???).

I really looked into Wind but they are not suitable for me since I am not in one of their Home Zones for most of my day (outside still works, but it costs you a lot). If you live in one of the major cities they list they could be for you (everything is included in your plan...even things like voicemail/callerID and LD anywhere in Canada when calling FROM a home zone).

Solo and Virgin both have some decent features, but after doing research I didn't like what I read as far as customer service goes (at least not for Solo, who is a Bell subsidiary, and I wanted to break all ties with them). Solo does offer some good plans and minutes that seem to be cheaper than Koodo, and are also available as prepaid, but they have overseas CSRs. I would advise doing a lot of research prior to choosing any company who outsources their CSR. This is done to maximize profits, not to offer the best service. In that regard Telus/Koodo is the best of the Canadian providers.

Do a lot of research, find the best plan and phone for you, don't be in a rush to buy, and read everything thoroughly (and ask questions about whatever you don't understand...it is your money, why throw it away on a bad investment that looks good on the surface but is really a money pit?). If you put in the time you will not be as surprised.

I took the time to really investigate all of the providers to see who could best meet my needs. I had been planning on getting a mobile again for about a year after I told Bell I wasn't going to let them cheat me anymore and just walked away from them and their fraudulent tactics.

It was worth the effort since I have had very little in the way of aggravation or stress in my dealings with Koodo. Compared to my experiences with Bell, my issues are virtually non-existent.

If you want more freedom, I would highly recommend a prepaid provider that is a subsidiary of the Big 3. The big boys all offer prepaid but are more expensive...and when the network is the same and the prices are lower, why pay more?

For me, Koodo was the best choice and the best fit. My research paid off and I am almost completely happy with the company. I don't think any other decision would have been nearly as stress-free...I have not been truly surprised by anything, especially when it comes to being billed for things I never used (which happened EVERY bill that Bell sent me).

I set up a plan with them and asked for unlimited text. So they gave me the basic plan and I told them to add unlimited text. 5 Months down the line I was wondering why my bill was so huge still. They never added unlimited text and wont allow me to dispute because its been over 90 days. KOODO IS A BUNCH OF LYING CROOKS DO NOT GET ANY PLAN WITH THEM.

you get duplicates with any carrier...

Bozo said:

I TOTALLY AGREE WITH U!!!!!! KOODO SUX!! Since friday night i cannot receive ANY txt msgs!!!( I could send txts tho) and today (sunday)at aroun 5 oclock pm i just got like 65 msgs in a minute…they delivered all the txts at the same time (those from friday and saturday ) …im so pissed

oh and did i mention IM TIRED OF THOSE DUPLICATES

Slightly edited by admin to reduce profanity