Hey guys,

I'm debating whether to buy a phone from Wind vs Koodo.
Overall, Wind Mobile is slightly cheaper over a 3-year period, and offers unlimited data.

I travel throughout GTA for work, and need to have good reception. I have heard that Wind is spotty throughout GTA, and some people end up with roaming charges even in advertised coverage areas. Koodo uses the same network as Telus, so I'm assuming it offers better coverage than Wind.

I'm not a heavy data user, so I think I can live with the Koodo plan...however I'm just wondering whether I should try to save some money with Wind, and not sure if I would be risking bad reception. I've also heard Wind has very bad customer service.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I've had no problems with Wind over the last year and a half.. most of my issue has been in the first year or so I was with them, and that was largely related to customer service.

In general, yes, Wind is aweful in terms of customer loyalty or giving a crap about you being satisfied or not. I've bought two phones through Wind that were almost immediately discontinued and was given no real assistance when I had problems with them. Since you're not on a contract, there is less overall care of customer retention (its there though... if you fight) and your overall happiness level.

In terms of service -- I have perfect reception everywhere in Hamilton I go, along the highway to Tornoto, in Missisauga, Burlington, and other random spots. There isn't anywhere in Toronto that I've lost service at, but I'm not a super frequent GTA visitor.

The thing about the dilemma you're facing is that if you sign up for Wind, you can try them out, and if you don't like them, go to Kudo. Make sure you keep your talk time down and all the requirements to be able to return the phone (if you buy one through Wind)! Are you getting a phone or do you have one that is compatible on both?

I'll be getting a new phone either with Wind or Koodo.

I've also read from some people that even when the phone shows that you have reception (i.e. bars), it might not be true...as they found out that they had missed calls and texts once they re-entered a coverage zone. Have you noticed this with Wind?

Originally Posted by Allan

Hey guys,

I'm debating whether to buy a phone from Wind vs Koodo.
Overall, Wind Mobile is slightly cheaper over a 3-year period, and offers unlimited data.

I travel throughout GTA for work, and need to have good reception. I have heard that Wind is spotty throughout GTA, and some people end up with roaming charges even in advertised coverage areas. Koodo uses the same network as Telus, so I'm assuming it offers better coverage than Wind.

I'm not a heavy data user, so I think I can live with the Koodo plan...however I'm just wondering whether I should try to save some money with Wind, and not sure if I would be risking bad reception. I've also heard Wind has very bad customer service.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

WIND Customer here since August 2010.

My $0.02: Don't go on a 3 year WINDTab. Saving a few dollars with WIND is not worth all of the potential headaches you will have to put up with in terms of reception and coverage. Obviously both are highly dependent on where you are situated and how much and far you travel. If you can buy a phone outright, and it works with WIND, then that's great. If you need to tie yourself down in a contract/WINDTab sort of deal, then go with Koodo.

You can check WIND coverage here: http://www.coveragemapper.co m/windmap.php

Originally Posted by herBs

WIND Customer here since August 2010.

My $0.02: Don't go on a 3 year WINDTab. Saving a few dollars with WIND is not worth all of the potential headaches you will have to put up with in terms of reception and coverage. Obviously both are highly dependent on where you are situated and how much and far you travel. If you can buy a phone outright, and it works with WIND, then that's great. If you need to tie yourself down in a contract/WINDTab sort of deal, then go with Koodo.

You can check WIND coverage here: http://www.coveragemapper.co m/windmap.php

Thanks for the response. Can I ask why you have stayed with Wind, even though I hear many bad things about it? Is it because you usually stay around campus where there's good reception?

Originally Posted by Allan

Thanks for the response. Can I ask why you have stayed with Wind, even though I hear many bad things about it? Is it because you usually stay around campus where there's good reception?

You're welcome. I'm staying with WIND for two reasons.

• My WINDTab balance is over $300. I have a Google Nexus S. The phone's current market value at best is half of the current WINDTab balance. Meaning, I'd have to end up paying WIND at least $150 for leaving. I'm not willing to pay that off because I can live with the network which leads to reason two
• The reception at campus and in the surrounding area is really good. Obviously, buildings like ETB (heavy concrete work) the reception is non-existent to very weak. I spend most of my days during the school year obviously on campus. Besides that, at home I'd be lucky to get a 1/4 bars of reception, but I've adjusted accordingly. I just really dislike the fact that every single time I open up my phone, I instantly always check my reception first to see if I even have a signal or not. Before, when I was with another provider, I never had the need to do so. But, with WIND you pretty much have to.

One of my roommates had wind, we live around McMaster, he had to walk outside every time he wanted to make a phone call. Guess the signal traveled via wind

Koodo!

Originally Posted by Suspect

One of my roommates had wind, we live around McMaster, he had to walk outside every time he wanted to make a phone call. Guess the signal traveled via wind

Koodo!

That is possible, especially if you live in the basement, then you'll have generally poor reception with WIND as I did while I lived in Hamilton in my first year.

I stream internet radio daily at all locations around Hamilton, in basements and in odd.. wooded locations. Don't listen to these crazy people with bad phones and Faraday cage residences.

Can anyone that uses/used Koodo give a review about them?
Any difficulties with customer service/billing?

To be honest, I think customer service at all mobile carriers are horrible. I've been with Koodo for 3 years now.

Initially, I had to contact customer service a couple times to resolve some billing issues. They constantly kept charging me data when I never use it and had data blocked! They said "I was using the phone wrong", which really ticked me off.

In terms of the reception, it is generally really good, since it is the Telus network. A few dropped calls here and there, but for the most part, very reliable in Hamilton and Toronto. They have vastly improved their selection of phones from a year ago, with several high-end smartphones being offered at a great price.

What I absolutely love is the fact that I don't have to worry about home zones or whatever that crap is with WIND. I can call and text wherever I want, whenever I want without getting charged for roaming.

One thing to note though, Koodo does not clear your remaining tab balance after 3 years, while WIND does; something to note if you're thinking about getting a high-end phone with a budget monthly plan on the tab.



tldr; Problems with billing and CS (but I believe this is a problem with all carriers). Overall would recommend.

Are there any additional fees that show up on your Koodo invoice?
i.e. If I went with the $35 plan...would I simply pay $35+tax each month?

Yup, just the plan + tax.

Originally Posted by RyanC

I stream internet radio daily at all locations around Hamilton, in basements and in odd.. wooded locations. Don't listen to these crazy people with bad phones and Faraday cage residences.

Still. It's location based. If you take 100 different WIND subscribers from different locations not everyone will have the same great or bad experience. :p So, with new carriers, you really have to do your research when it comes to coverage and reception.

Koodo-user here. I will recommend them with reservations.

They're great if you never run into problems. That sounds kind of obvious. I mean that I have good reception in most places except a few basements and don't often get dropped calls. Price is decent, especially if you get a promo plan, and the self-serve is useful and convenient. Things pertaining to actual phone-use are good.

Dealing with the actual company or customer service can be a little frustrating. In my experience they're usually nice and polite, but almost always essentially tell you "We're sorry, but we can't do anything to help you with that." But if your phone never breaks down or you don't have billing issues (I haven't had a billing issue yet) then you'll never deal with that.