What You Don't Know Can Cost You Got a cell phone? Unhappy with the costs or services of a big wireless carrier? If you're like many Canadians, you didn't know you're locked into using only your carrier's network - you can't just switch your phone to another company, even if you're not on a contract. That's because your phone is "network locked" to work only on the cell network of the company you bought it from. Chances are, they didn't tell you that when you bought it. Network locks, sometimes called "SIM locks" are used by phone companies to restrict consumer choice. We can't easily just jump to a different company if we want to try out a better deal elsewhere. For many consumers that might be dissatisfied with the prices they're paying or the service they're getting, it's not worth it to switch if they have to throw away their phone and buy a new one outright (at full cost) or sign another onerous multi-year contract. And the phone companies know this. They're counting on that lock to keep you paying them every month, whether you like it or not. Would you let a car company tell you that you can only fill up at a particular gas station? Canadians shouldn't have to tolerate their phone company doing the same.



Cell Phone Locks: Restricting Your Freedom Network locks are bad news for consumers: They restrict you from moving easily to a different carrier, meaning market competition is diminished . This means higher prices and worse service for Canadians.

to a different carrier, meaning . This means higher prices and worse service for Canadians. They stop you from switching SIM cards when you travel, thus forcing you to pay expensive international roaming fees if you want to use your phone abroad.

SIM cards when you travel, thus forcing you to pay expensive international roaming fees if you want to use your phone abroad. They make it harder to sell your used phone as easily because it will only work on one network, restricting the used market. Mobile phone customers should have the freedom to choose whether they want to be locked into a company's cell network or not, just like they can choose to sign a contract or not.



Introducing the Cell Phone Freedom Act In other countries with more market competition, network locks are less of a problem. Either phones are sold unlocked, or the phone companies will unlock customer phones on request. At minimum, if a consumer pays full price for an unsubsidized mobile phone, they should be able to buy an unlocked handset. Or if a consumer has completed a multi-year contract with a company, they should be able to get their phone unlocked too. That's only fair. A new bill to be introduced in the House of Commons levels the playing field for Canadian cell phone customer. The Cell Phone Freedom Act mandates that: Consumers buying new cell phones in Canada must be informed of the existence of any network lock on their phone before sale.

Phone companies must unlock handsets upon request, free of charge, when a consumer purchases a new phone outright without a contract, or any time after purchase.

Phone companies must unlock handsets upon request, free of charge, when a consumer comes to the end of their contract or at any time thereafter.



Benefits of Having Lead Management for Insurance Brokers In the insurance game, like a lot of others, faces ongoing challenges with regards to customers changing needs, behaviors in buying, and preferences when it comes to various products. The issue is complicated further because of the customer's behaviors by demographics and market. Although brokers and producers know the importance of serving, finding and keeping loyal customers, not everyone is prepared to respond to this kind of challenge, and while most of the younger customers now a days are starting to adapt to more technological advances, the same instances cannot be said about all insurance companies. One of the many technologies that businesses are starting to take advantage of for better customer service and better profits is the CRM which is also known as the customer relationship management software. This software allows everyone even outside the insurance industry, to be able to manage his or her contacts efficiently and with not so much effort. If you are an insurance broker and you are looking for something to help you get more clients, then you should definitely take a look at lead management for insurance brokers. This software will help you organize your leads, and arrange them accordingly. Here are some of the benefits of getting this software for your firm, and how it can help you:

It saves so much of your time - in insurance, it is very important that you have something that can help you get everything fixed in such a small amount of time. Good lead management software's are integrated with a lot of amazing features that aim to make your life so much easier. In general, these software's are able to automate different kinds of tasks and process, which means that you get more time to focus on other things that are just as important as looking for clients or organizing your list of leads. This will also give you more time to expand you business and working on getting a better customer interaction with your clients. It saves you a lot of money - the initial cost of this software might be a little expensive as you would have hoped, but if you take into consideration all of the other benefits that can be associated with this software, then it will be clearer to you that you are saving a lot of money in the future. Also, not all of the software's that you can get is that expensive, you just have to do your part to research and make sure that you find the best one for you that does not cost so much money to buy or build. It can centralize your data accordingly - if you have tried your best to become organized for the longest time, a lead management software can help you keep everything organized and can also prove to be a very valuable tool while you are at the office, because not only does it centralize data and make everything look professional but it also has the potential to save you from countless headaches in the long run. Dodging mistakes that can easily be avoided by organizing will never feel as amazing.



TAKE ACTION You can help ensure the Cell Phone Freedom Act is passed. Find out more in the Frequently Asked Questions page. Put a web badge on your blog (box ad to the right and banner ad below), sign the Petition for Cell Phone Freedom, write your Member of Parliament, or join the Facebook group and tell your friends.









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