A lot of people were understandably upset when Rogers increased its smartphone HUP policy from every 12 months to every 24 months citing high costs, but now even dumbphone users have a reason to cry foul as the same conditions will soon apply to them. Retroactive as of August 21st, the minimum length between HUPs must be no less than 24 months regardless of handset type. Rogers told its employees in a memo circulated Friday that there are two reasons for the move: Network upgrades are costly (that upcoming 21Mbps HSPA+ deployment and eventual transition to LTE isn’t going to come cheap) and the high quality of modern handsets means it’s not necessary to replace a phone each year. We’d hit up Rogers PR and ask them some questions such as why the company is making decisions like these when a spunky new carrier like WIND is about to launch — not to mention that Rogers customers with 3G handsets will soon be able to cancel and join either Bell or TELUS — but we’re pretty sure that each query would be answered with “Neener, neener, neener…  You signed a 3-year contract.” Maybe. Anyway, hit the jump for the internal memo.

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT**

Policy change to Hardware Upgrade Program eligibility

(applies to non BPR/MSD customers)

The Hardware Upgrade Program will now provide a consistent minimum eligibility rule for all customers and eliminate the 3-5 day wait time between a data to data HUP cancellation and the processing of the new HUP.

Effective August 21, 2009, a minimum tenure of 24 months since initial activation or last upgrade will be required before a customer is eligible to participate in the hardware upgrade program.  This change aligns all upgrades (voice, voice to data and data to data) with the current data to data HUP policy.

This change also reinforces the importance of explaining to customers that HUP eligibility and quoted hardware/plan pricing are subject to change without notice and cannot be guaranteed beyond the time of quotation.

Update to HUP eligibility:

The updated HUP eligibility rule of 24 months minimum tenure since a customer’s last upgrade or activation date will be system enforced and no exceptions will be allowed. All other standard HUP eligibility rules still apply.

Reasons for the update to the HUP:

• Rogers Wireless heavily invests in providing the latest data devices at affordable prices to our data customers. This update to the Hardware Upgrade Program is designed to offer a consistent upgrade eligibility to an outstanding selection of the most advanced devices for the best value.
• In addition to the outstanding selection of available devices, there has also been improved level of quality and technology that has gone into the line-up over the past years allowing a longer hardware lifespan.

Customer impacts:

Please always check the customer’s account in Vision21 for HUP eligibility to ensure the customer is provided with correct eligibility information.

• Customers may have been eligible and now eligibility may have changed as a result of this update.
• Customers may have been aware of their eligibility prior to the update, but did not take advantage of the program at the time and are currently not eligible as a result of the update.

Positioning:

• HUP eligibility as well as quoted hardware/plan pricing are subject to change without notice and cannot be guaranteed beyond the time of quotation.
• Rogers Wireless sells devices at a significantly lower price than the true value/cost of the device. This update to the Hardware Upgrade Program allows us to continue to offer the best devices at the best value in a fair timeframe for all of our customers.

Please note that the information in this bulletin applies to the standard HUP program, and does not take into consideration any existing promotions that may require different eligibility. Always remember to consult the Sales Central bulletins to read the latest in HUP offers.

Thank you for your continued support.

It looks like Canada’s Rogers Wireless wasn’t content with merely jacking up its BlackBerry prices as it has just gone and made and a decision that is sure to aggravate plenty of smartphone customers. Normally, a Rogers customer is eligible for a Hardware Upgrade Program (HUP) discount every 12 months, allowing them to get a brand new phone with three-year contract pricing (with as much as an extra $100 plus a $35 administration fee added on top or as little as $25 taken off depending on how much a customer spent since his/her last HUP). Now however, the minimum term has been bumped up to 24 months. Some would argue this is what you get when you’re playing with branded and subsidized phones, but to others this is a pretty massive slap in the face. From the looks of these Rogers scoops we’ve been getting over the past few days, it seems like we have a whole bunch of ‘adjustments’ to look forward to thanks to that little $30 million blunder. Hit the jump for the full internal bulletin posted to Sales Central along with a screen shot. Not cool, Rogers.

**IMPORTANT UPDATE** Change to Hardware Upgrade Eligibility

The Hardware Upgrade Program (HUP) allows eligible customers to upgrade to leading edge data devices. Beginning March 17, the minimum eligibility tenure rule is changing from 12 months to 24 months for customers who wish to upgrade their smartphone and are currently on a data plan or Voice & Data Package.

This follows the March 13 price increase for BlackBerry® devices and reinforces the importance of explaining to customers that HUP eligibility and quoted hardware/plan pricing are subject to change and cannot be guaranteed beyond the time of quotation.

Update to HUP eligibility:

The updated HUP eligibility rule of 24 months minimum tenure since customer’s last upgrade or activation date will be system enforced and no exceptions will be allowed.

12 months eligibility tenure rule remains unchanged for voice-only customers upgrading to a data device.

12 months eligibility tenure rule remains unchanged for customers upgrading from a non-smartphone to a smartphone or data device.

All other standard HUP eligibility rules still apply.

Reasons for the update to the HUP program:

Rogers Wireless heavily invests in providing the latest data devices at affordable prices to our data customers. This update to the Hardware Upgrade Program is designed to achieve cost efficiency in order to continue offering our customers an outstanding selection of the most advanced data devices for the best value.

Along with the growth in popularity of data devices there has also been an improved level of quality and technology that has gone into the line-up over the past years allowing a longer hardware lifespan.

Customer impacts:

Please always check the customer’s account in Vision21 for HUP eligibility to ensure the customer is provided with correct eligibility information.

Customers may have been eligible and now eligibility has been pushed out as a result of the update.

Customers may have been aware of their eligibility prior to the update, but did not take advantage of the program at the time and are currently not eligible as a result of the update.

Positioning:

Rogers Wireless sells devices at a significantly lower price than that which we pay the manufacturer. This update to our Hardware Upgrade Program is necessary in order to allow us to continue offering the best devices at the best value in a fair timeframe for our customers.
The Hardware Upgrade Program eligibility and hardware prices are subject to change without notice.

Please note that the information in this bulletin applies to the standard HUP program, and does not take into consideration any existing promotions that may require different eligibility. Always remember to consult the Sales Central bulletins to read the latest in HUP offers.

Thank you for your continued support.