Rogers RedBoard
- Get your #baseball cap on! MLB Extra Innings is on free preview until May 5th. ^eo
Nadir Mohamed: ‘It’s a whole new world’
March 10th, 2010 a 2:14pm
In the first of an ongoing series of RedBoard video posts, I speak with Nadir Mohamed, Rogers President and CEO, about what’s in store for the communications industry in 2010 and Rogers’ commitment to the customer experience.
This is the first of many videos we’ll be doing with executives and employees, and we’d love your feedback. Who do you want to see us interview – and what questions would you ask?
Miranda MacDonald is a regular contributor to RedBoard.
Categories: 
Tags:
Jump to Comment Form
35 Comments
@RogersBuzz
RedBoard Biz
Rogers on YouTube
Rogers on Facebook
©2013 Rogers Communications Inc.
Home |
About |
Talk to Us |
Comments Policy |
Privacy Policy |
Terms of Use |
Rogers.com
Hey Miranda, talk about going straight to the top!
If I could ask Nadir a question, it would be…Why are wireless rates so high in Canada in respect to the rest of the world? I keep hearing this on news programs, surveys etc.
Keep up the good work!
BD
Sorry, but this was what I was afraid of in this blog – Rogers tooting its own horn! Honestly, did he actually tell us something here? I too would like to know why wireless rates are so high?
Agree 100%. IMO it was nothing more than marketing spiel.
I gotta agree aswell.
If rogers thinks their tricking customers into thinking that this is anything more then a marketing gimmick their wrong.
If they really want to help customers bring in GOOD PHONES not garbage like the X10. Bring in the HTC Desire. If rogers doesn’t step up im changing to another carrier once my contract ends this year.
Hi Miranda,
I’d love to see Rogers execs answer:
1. When a customer’s internet connection goes down for an extended period, why doesn’t Rogers offer to refund the customer’s money for that period? Why does the customer have to ask for the refund?
2. Why isn’t the Android market available in Canada?
3. Why does Rogers change its rates for Internet service without consulting with customers?
e
Great post. Glad to see you guys using video. Much better than text only.
Keep it up….great start for your blog.
Ok you really want to know. Here are some questions for you.
Like the other comments why are rates so high compared to other countries? Especially when according to CBC Marketplace the average text message costs Rogers 1/3 of a cent and you charge .15/message?
http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2010/canadas_worst_cellphone_bill/text_messaging.html
Roger’s response on the CBC website is really nothing more than spin, and you know it.
Regarding customer experience.
Have you tried calling your wireless customer care line to do anything? Try it as regular person not CEO and discover why most people despise your customer service. Even worse try calling your prepaid customer line.
When is Roger’s going to stop changing contracts? It is not really a contract if you can change it when ever Roger’s decides it is not making enough money.
When is Roger’s actually going to introduce a wireless phone on the cutting edge? We wait and wait and wait months for the new wireless phones after they are introduced in the US. Roger’s latest phone to release the Samsung Galaxy Spica is already old and out of date and it is just being released here? Where is the Milestone, the Nexus One etc?
Regarding Roger’s brand, I have no question but personally I do not think Mr. Nadir Mohamed has been paying attention to the rest of the world. People do not like Roger’s. Don’t believe me do a quick search on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#search?q=Rogers
Aside from the Roger’s employees, how many positive tweets do you see relating to Rogers? Odds are very few. People do not buy from Roger’s because the prices, service or products are good. They buy from Roger’s because they have little actual choice in the market.
I will applaud Roger’s on one thing. You have started to take social media more seriously. The Twitter accounts that actually reply to people and this blog are good steps to improving your customer service. Just try to keep the PR spin out of social media and tell people to truth.
Hi John.
Thanks for your comment. I can’t answer all of your questions here but we are keeping track of them for possible interviews in the future.
To address the question of cutting edge devices, just wanted to let you know that we announced that we’ll soon be carrying the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and Acer Liquid e. The Acer Liquid e will be the first device in Canada to debut with a 2.1 OS. And there’s lots more to come, so stay tuned!
I also appreciate your comments about our social media efforts, which is only one of the ways we’re working to improve the customer experience. Feedback has been positive from our customers who appreciate that we’re communicating with them in an open environment.
While i would like this comment to sound constructive…i dont think it will.
The Acer Liquid e is not cutting edge phones. The Acer uses an underclocked CPU for some reason so will be slower that other phones that cost the same and uses the same hardware. Plus…lets face it…its an acer.
“The Acer Liquid e will be the first device in Canada to debut with a 2.1 OS” – Thats because Canadian networks are slow at bringing new technology to the market. If the USA and UK can bring cutting edge phones to their networks why cant we? I know that phones need tested…by why does this take 6 months longer in Canada? Why dont we have the selection of HTC phones that the US seems to be getting?
Where are the sexy phones? The iPhone is nice but i want a HTC Desire or Legend or the Google Nexus One. I want a powerful phone with Android 2.1…not 1.5. Im willing to pay for it too!
Great post.
Rogers please listen to your customers.
DROP THE X10 And the Acer, pick up the Desire and the Legend.
Either of these phones would secure another 3 years from me.
“keeping track of them for possible interviews in the future”
Not to sound pessimistic, but I doubt this very much.
I HARDLY consider the Acer Liquid cutting edge. 700mhz is still a generation behind.
Also on the X10, You people need to choose devices better. Look at any website discussing phones. The X10 IS NOT WHAT CONSUMERS WANT.
They want the HTC Desire. Please, next time try and look at sites such as Howardforums and try and get some hints from them as to what devise we consumers want.
The X10 might be cutting edge, but its not wanted.
Your company really needs to focus on customer service. I have been a rogers customer for at least six or seven years and I do appreciate that when I am in any city in Canada my coverage is good (better than any other provider) and for the most part your phone lineup is pretty good (could be better if you guys brought more htc handsets here, but no complaints because of the X10). On the other hand your customer service is awful and definitely the worst of all carriers. Getting a definitive answer on just about anything from data roaming rates to minutes being prorated is impossible. With all due respect, it seems as if your company is either not training your reps enough or the caliber of your workforce is very low (which would seem shocking since from what I understand the average wage in your call centers are on the higher end) or there is not enough oversight into how your reps treat your customers. I have been yelled at, hung up on, berated, and treated like it was my duty and not your privilege to receive $150 of my hard earned pay every month (for just one line of service no less).
Now look at your competition, telus is catching up to you guys in terms of network capability and phone selection. Once they surpass you what are you going to do to keep us?
You talk about Rogers being a brand and people will buy a brand, not the product. To me, with the Quick Start Guide debacle, Rogers is now a brand associated with force feeding advertising to customers and sorry, but that is not a brand I want to be associated with. You were already an expensive brand. Now you are expensive and annoying? Not a good combination.
Hey everyone! Thanks a lot for your questions. We’re compiling and assembling these for possible use in future videos with executives.
“Customers will not be buying products per se, but buying into brands”. This sounds like something lifted straight from what Marshall McLuhan wrote decades ago.
@RogersMiranda:
Like everyone, I have concerns about Rogers pricing policies. I don’t want to simply say that Rogers is expensive. Rather Rogers pricing has many attributes that kill the customer experience for the sake of maximizing company profit.
I want to communicate these concerns with Rogers, but should I do it as a comment to this post? Or is there a better place?
Hi Vishal,
Thanks for your comment. If your concern is about a topic we’ve written about on the blog, feel free to leave it as a comment, provided it is in line with our comment policy.
Or, if you prefer, you can email us at redboardfeedback@rci.rogers.com
Rates are high because that’s what the market will bear, anyone in sales or business knows this…. what good reason is there to lower rates when all that is going to happen is everyone else in the competition will follow suit. – All you did is shoot yourself in the foot because now you just cut your profit margin for no good reason. Look at the oil companies …. If your not happy buy into Rogers stocks and tell your friends. Cheers.
Why do things increase? Like the 911 fee??
Why does everything have to be so expensive with regards to wireless rates? If Rogers wants to be even more competitive, why not offer what Canadians really want. Affordable pricing!!
I would like to know Rogers’ plan for their network. Are there any initiatives to spread their 3G network? I get excellent coverage in the city, but once I go someplace more rural, I only get 2G or nothing at all. Also, does Rogers have any plans for 4G?
How about you stop gouging people for pricing and provide DECENT internet at a REASONABLE cost??
I have to agree with what Lance says. Cell rates are what they are because people pay them. Even though social marketing would tell you that you “NEED” a cell phone, they are an option, not a necessity (if you are truly honest with yourself) for most people. If you don’t like the costs, then don’t buy the product. If people don’t buy their product, producers will change accordingly. That is a market economy.
As far as comparing Canadian cell prices to other countries, stop listening to the media Keep in mind that CTV and Global, Canada’s two largest private broadcasters and news agencies, are DIRECT competitors with Rogers since they are part of the Bell and Shaw empires (notice how the CTV reports only show disgruntled Rogers customers.) I recommend going to other company websites (AT&T for USA or VODAFONE for Europe/UK) and have a look at their plans. I think you will find that Canadian prices are on a par if not better in a lot of cases.
I believe it says a lot for a company that their CEO is willing to put his thoughts on record for his customers and shareholders alike. Of course he is going to spin it for his company. Congratulation Mr. Mohammed and Rogers for your inovative and responsive approach.
@Bob Stevens
On par or better than US prices? Have you even seen them?
US has unlimited Data for $30/month, we get 6GB of Data for something ridiculous like $80 a month from Rogers.
$20 for Unlimited texting
$15 for my5
$10 for caller ID
$10 for voice mail
etc…
This is ridiculous, most of those “features” are included in most plans in the US for like $30/month, here in Canada a basic plan (without those features) from Rogers is $35+, thats not including Data with is at least another $20/month (for 500MB, which is a pitiful amount)… We don’t even HAVE the option to get unlimited Data.
Rogers needs to move forwards and stop lagging behind the rest of the world’s providers… Canada is now one of the worst countries for high speed internet and wireless services when we should be amongst the top 3 easily.
Its clear you have not done any research, Canadians are in an uproar for a reason, because all of our internet and wireless providers are so far behind the times, we could consider ourselves still in the stone age compared to the US/EU.
The CRTC needs to be abolished, the “copper” should be government owned (not owned by the duopoly Bell + Rogers) and we need to let US/EU providers offer their services here in Canada for some more competition, that’s the only way we’ll ever see lower prices, better services and newer technology.
The duopoly needs to end now.
Hi Mitch. While I won’t comment on what our competitors are doing, I can say that we are an aggressive competitor and have always been very competitive on pricing with high value plans to meet our customers’ needs and usage. We also have a dual brand strategy to provide choice for our customers.
Oh, my comment above gave me an even better idea: how about Rogers’ plan for the future, covering some areas in detail, like what sort of cellphone handsets (I wouldn’t expect you to name specific ones, but some features that we could see in future handsets), plans for cellphones and mobile internet sticks (I think your current plans work well and are competitive, but everyone seems to think they’re overpriced!) and how to combat future subscribers and their data-hungry appetite. I image that a video like this would be longer than the one here, but possibly you could split them up into smaller segments that are on scheduled postings? I think that would be a good idea!
Btw, I think Redboard is a wonderful way to interact with customers, though there seems to be a lot of hate and not enough constructive criticism. Plus, there isn’t a French version yet, but from a comment I read on the very first post, there are reps that can respond in French. I hope a version in French could be made! J’espère qu’une version française pourrait être fait!
This is really a sad attempt to reach out to the rogers community.
Yupp,
But then again im giving propers to rogers for even doing this. The only stupid thing is why make a board like this if you wont address and LISTEN to your customers.
Rogers needs to put people who know things about phones to work in their company.
Who in their right mind would purchase a X10 over a HTC Desire?
Can you please just give us low cost real Internet access that doesn’t require special ‘optimizations’ and so will support any standard device.. at competitive prices and without extended contract periods? If you want to make special offers on top of that, whatever.
I have a question I’d ask Nadir, since as of yet, no one else at Rogers has been able to:
When a Rogers customer pays full-price for a phone, or completes the 3-year contract they agreed to in order to receive a subsidized phone, does that customer now OWN or RENT the phone from Rogers?
If the customer is an ‘owner’, why does Rogers continually refuse to provide the subsidy unlock codes for locked phones? Shouldn’t a person who pays in full for a phone be entitled to use it however s/he wants, including with other carriers?
If the customer is a ‘renter’, why aren’t we presented with explicit terms that state that Rogers will remain the ‘owner’ of the phone, and that we are just leasing it? Furthermore, why, when ‘renting’ an older phone from Rogers, are customers denied the technical support afforded to those ‘renting’ current models and instead instructed to “contact the manufacturer” for support?
Lastly, why, if we are ‘renting’ these phones, do they cost upwards of $400 to ‘pay-in-full’? Isn’t this about the same price one would pay if they were buying it from the manufacturer (in which case they would OWN the phone)?
I think this is a very good idea from Rogers and can possibly have many benefits. I just wish that they would have used all the time, research, capital, and all other costs that were associated to creating this Redboard and focused them on FIXING the Rogers website.
Yes I know that they had revamped it all just a while back and got someone new to design it and make it more user friendly. But has anyone been able to see specifications of a specific cell phone? Tried comparing 2 or more phone models? Or even tried to pay your bill or log into your account online and find that it’s always down for maintenance?
Yes keeping up with the new trends in social media are very important for a company but before you learn to run, you got to learn how to walk.
So I guess my question to Rogers Execs would be, for a company who is trying to push the latest technology and whom wants to “stay focused on where the customer is going and build on the brand and reputation that they have” why not make a user friendly website?
A company’s website is the biggest and most widely spread business card. Why not make it professional?
It always amazes me how much corporations can’t get their act together. They seem to focus their attention on the weirdest things.
Eventually Rogers will point people to third party, user generated content sites like Howard Forums.
Maybe they could host something, using a creative commons license so it can be reused and we can just solve this problem and move on.
Hello,
Thanks for your feedback on the website.
We are making continual improvements to it and most recently, we launched My Rogers – a one-stop shop which helps our customers easily navigate and make changes to their accounts. We actually just did a blog post on it.
If you missed it, check it out the details here: http://bit.ly/98aSyG
I have been a Rogers wireless customer for over 10 years. I current contact runs out this month and I am also waiting for a better phone then X10, as soon as I found other companies that carry the HTC Desire, it will jump ship for sure. I agree with others that Rogers plan rates are high, but so any other wireless company in Canada.