The girl at the door

There’s two types of people I don’t like to open the door to: roofing businesses and Jehovah’s Witnesses. And now I have a third.

The doorbell rang. Two young women were smiling at me. “Hello! How are you?” They wore matching red vests.

The next question was about my current internet subscription with Bell: “How much are you paying?”

I listened, but I was getting antsy. Oh no, I’m in the middle of another Bell vs. Rogers war. I didn’t want to be that angry old man at the door who yells, “They’re all the same! Not interested!” and slams the door.

Instead, I listened until she said Rogers has a better, cheaper rate and could beat Bell’s price.

“Rogers can say that now, and then raise their rates later,” I said. The young woman replied, “No, Rogers won’t do that because they just signed a deal with the CRTC saying they can’t raise their prices. Look it up.”

Then she asked me how much I wanted to be with Bell. I said, “It’s not about loyalty; it’s about having no choice. We either go with them, or with Rogers.”

I stopped there. I didn’t want the cranky old man inside me to come out. I said, “The best thing Rogers did was hire you. But I don’t want to waste your time.”

Luckily, my cat Sugar was there to save me from the sale. They focused their attention on how cute she was. While they were petting her, I used the opportunity to say no to their sales pitch, in the softest way possible.

After they left, I did “look it up.” Turns out Rogers did not sign a deal with the CRTC. They were banned from putting unfair charges on customers. Now they’re being investigated for a $40 device setup charge, a $25 shipping charge, and a SIM fee. To be fair, Bell and Telus are also under investigation for charges that violate CRTC consumer protection laws.

It wasn’t easy to say no in a polite way to the young faces Rogers put at my front door. Next time, the Rogers CEO should come to my door. The cranky old man in me has a lot to say to him.