CHATR I received a notice by email

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Jun 9th, 2019 7:53 pm

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May 24th, 2019 2:26 pm

Raggie [OP]: Deal Fanatic; Jul 29, 2005; 8643 posts; 2564 upvotes; Mississauga

May 24th, 2019 2:26 pm

CHATR I received a notice by email

Did anyone get this notice from CHATR??

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT A CHANGE TO OUR INACTIVITY POLICY
As of June 22, 2019, chatr is changing its policy for inactive accounts. Starting on that date, if your account balance is less than the monthly service fee for your plan for 3 straight months, then your account will be deactivated and you will lose the chatr phone number that you’ve been using. Any remaining balance in your account will not be refunded. Currently, deactivation will take place if your account remains at $0 for 6 straight months.

Please note that as a result of this change, if your account has been inactive for 3 straight months as of the effective date, then it will be deactivated immediately on the effective date.

I just need to make sure I understand this clearly!

I pay CHATR $35 a month for my service. I have $34 in my account balance for the past six months or so. I need to bring that balance to $36 or they will deactivate my service??
But the minimum credit card top up amount is $35!

My food blog - Reggie The Food Critic.

25 replies

May 24th, 2019 2:38 pm

sandeep8g: Sr. Member; Apr 19, 2017; 932 posts; 755 upvotes

May 24th, 2019 2:38 pm

https://www.chatrwireless.com/web/conte ... ervice_faq

Top up your account every month using a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express), Visa Debit, Debit Mastercard or buying a chatr top-up card from a chatr retail location. chatr top-ups available in $5, $10, $25, $40 and $50 denominations.

"This change is made in accordance with the CRTC Wireless Code." Why would they make them do that?

Last edited by sandeep8g on May 24th, 2019 2:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

May 24th, 2019 2:40 pm

Raggie [OP]: Deal Fanatic; Jul 29, 2005; 8643 posts; 2564 upvotes; Mississauga

May 24th, 2019 2:40 pm

I rarely use my acct balance currently at $34. If I top up every three months at $5 (just to keep it active, my balance will be in excess.

I think they're trying to filter out the customers w low cost plans.

My food blog - Reggie The Food Critic.

+1

May 24th, 2019 3:02 pm

notfromqc: Deal Addict; Feb 18, 2016; 1808 posts; 525 upvotes

May 24th, 2019 3:02 pm

Raggie wrote: ↑ I rarely use my acct balance currently at $34. If I top up every three months at $5 (just to keep it active, my balance will be in excess.

I think they're trying to filter out the customers w low cost plans.

Consider switching to Speakout. Runs on the Rogers network, so you'd have the same service as before, and you can top up with as little as $25 for a year.

May 24th, 2019 3:05 pm

Raggie [OP]: Deal Fanatic; Jul 29, 2005; 8643 posts; 2564 upvotes; Mississauga

May 24th, 2019 3:05 pm

notfromqc wrote: ↑ Consider switching to Speakout. Runs on the Rogers network, so you'd have the same service as before, and you can top up with as little as $25 for a year.

I'm deciding on switching to Koodo - $60 for 10gbs, Take my business elsewhere.

My food blog - Reggie The Food Critic.

May 24th, 2019 7:30 pm

wearysky: Deal Expert; Nov 28, 2013; 19439 posts; 8931 upvotes; Oakville

May 24th, 2019 7:30 pm

I'm confused... Are you paying $35 a month? Or is your account inactive? If you are consistently paying them $35 a month, you don't have an inactive account, and this doesn't apply to you. the account balance thing is only referring to people that aren't paying and keeping their account active every month. They just want to weed out people who are leaving accounts inactive for extended periods of time... Frankly I'm surprised that they had a policy that was this lenient before now.

May 24th, 2019 8:56 pm

Raggie [OP]: Deal Fanatic; Jul 29, 2005; 8643 posts; 2564 upvotes; Mississauga

May 24th, 2019 8:56 pm

I am paying $35 a month. But I also have an account balance (wallet) to put money in for things my plan doesn't cover (such as long distance, roaming etc).

Currently, my wallet/account balance has $34 which I put in maybe a year ago. With the new rule coming in, I need to keep this balance at $35 every three months. IlChatr also demands activity from the wallet every three months. Come June 22, if I haven't had any activity from that wallet for three months, and or it's under $35, I will lose my phone number and be disconnected.

I can't believe they have a right to do this.

My food blog - Reggie The Food Critic.

May 24th, 2019 9:26 pm

wearysky: Deal Expert; Nov 28, 2013; 19439 posts; 8931 upvotes; Oakville

May 24th, 2019 9:26 pm

No, you don't. This rule is not for you. Your account is active, because you're paying into it regularly. Every month, you pay $35 and your account balance goes above your monthly service fee, keeping you active. For people that don't add money in monthly, if there isn't enough money in the account balance to cover the monthly fee, the account goes inactive. Under the new rules, if it stays inactive for three months in a row, it will be shut down. Under the old rules, they were much more lax. They just don't want people using their service to park inactive numbers for free for long periods of time.

May 24th, 2019 9:28 pm

isgaard: Deal Addict; Sep 6, 2011; 1104 posts; 1172 upvotes

May 24th, 2019 9:28 pm

Raggie wrote: ↑ I'm deciding on switching to Koodo - $60 for 10gbs, Take my business elsewhere.

So you're willing to pay $25 more a month when you're not in anyway at risk*, yeah okay.....

*By at risk, the previously policy was $0 balance, inactive service ( as in not paying each month for service), and your account gets deactivated after 6 months and you lose your number. To stop that from happening, you have to top to your monthly rate plan before the 6 months is up. If you're regularly paying for your service to use it, then you're ok.

I don't think they've thought this new policy through though, this new policy is actually better if you're number parking, your number will no longer be deactivated as long as you have a balance that's equal or more than your price plan.

May 24th, 2019 10:59 pm

GroundBus: Member; Oct 16, 2017; 377 posts; 1134 upvotes

May 24th, 2019 10:59 pm

I also got this msg and I don't get it.

May 24th, 2019 11:49 pm

squall458: Deal Guru; Mar 12, 2004; 10700 posts; 1396 upvotes; Brampton

May 24th, 2019 11:49 pm

Just listen to what to wearysky wrote. If you are paying every month for service this doesnt apply to you at all. Its only when you let it lapse ie. Stop paying for 3 months then you worry about this. So OP you need to chill. You are fine.

HEATWARE AT 64-0-0. Ebay Feedback 200+ and counting. RFD Feedback 63-0-0 and counting.

May 25th, 2019 4:53 am

Raggie [OP]: Deal Fanatic; Jul 29, 2005; 8643 posts; 2564 upvotes; Mississauga

May 25th, 2019 4:53 am

GroundBus wrote: ↑ I also got this msg and I don't get it.

Same.

My food blog - Reggie The Food Critic.

May 25th, 2019 4:59 am

Raggie [OP]: Deal Fanatic; Jul 29, 2005; 8643 posts; 2564 upvotes; Mississauga

May 25th, 2019 4:59 am

wearysky wrote: ↑ No, you don't. This rule is not for you. Your account is active, because you're paying into it regularly. Every month, you pay $35 and your account balance goes above your monthly service fee, keeping you active. For people that don't add money in monthly, if there isn't enough money in the account balance to cover the monthly fee, the account goes inactive. Under the new rules, if it stays inactive for three months in a row, it will be shut down. Under the old rules, they were much more lax. They just don't want people using their service to park inactive numbers for free for long periods of time.

The monthly fee is paid separately and is not taken from the account balance. The account balance is a separate item. I never keep above $35 in the account balance.

My food blog - Reggie The Food Critic.

May 25th, 2019 6:22 am

KanataKG: Deal Fanatic; Nov 22, 2015; 5726 posts; 5209 upvotes

May 25th, 2019 6:22 am

Raggie wrote: ↑ The monthly fee is paid separately and is not taken from the account balance. The account balance is a separate item. I never keep above $35 in the account balance.

It's not paid separately. The $35 is added to your account balance every month, and then the monthly charges are deducted from your account balance.

Like the others said, this new rule does not affect you in any way, as long as your account is active.

+1

May 25th, 2019 6:26 am

KanataKG: Deal Fanatic; Nov 22, 2015; 5726 posts; 5209 upvotes

May 25th, 2019 6:26 am

GroundBus wrote: ↑ I also got this msg and I don't get it.

It's very straight forward. If your account is inactive because you don't have enough funds in your account balance to cover the monthly fees for 3 months, you lose your number.

In other words, if you cancel your automatic top-up and let your account lapse, you've got 3 months before your account/number is deactivated

May 25th, 2019 6:58 am

Raggie [OP]: Deal Fanatic; Jul 29, 2005; 8643 posts; 2564 upvotes; Mississauga

May 25th, 2019 6:58 am

The monthly fee has never been taken from my account balance, even when my account balance had a very high amount in it.

I better call them to clarify the email they sent!

My food blog - Reggie The Food Critic.

May 25th, 2019 9:38 am

wearysky: Deal Expert; Nov 28, 2013; 19439 posts; 8931 upvotes; Oakville

May 25th, 2019 9:38 am

Raggie wrote: ↑ The monthly fee has never been taken from my account balance, even when my account balance had a very high amount in it.

I better call them to clarify the email they sent!

I presume that's because you have automatic payments set up. Call them if you want piece of mind, but the announcement on their TOS page specifically says it's regarding inactive accounts.

+1

May 26th, 2019 7:00 pm

notfromqc: Deal Addict; Feb 18, 2016; 1808 posts; 525 upvotes

May 26th, 2019 7:00 pm

Raggie wrote: ↑ I'm deciding on switching to Koodo - $60 for 10gbs, Take my business elsewhere.

Ok I misunderstood - I thought you had a balance for some type of prepaid service and likely a light user. You clarified that you're paying a monthly service - Speakout wouldn't be right for you.

May 28th, 2019 11:23 am

jlebeann: Newbie; Apr 21, 2014; 55 posts; 20 upvotes; Toronto, ON

May 28th, 2019 11:23 am

I’m not understanding this either. I got this message as well but mine also says:
“currently, you will be deactivated for having a $0 balance for 6 consecutive months”

How can my account have a $0 balance when I’m using it at the moment? I top it up every month with $45... it’s a pay as you go/pay per use account.

May 28th, 2019 12:09 pm

wearysky: Deal Expert; Nov 28, 2013; 19439 posts; 8931 upvotes; Oakville

May 28th, 2019 12:09 pm

jlebeann wrote: ↑ I’m not understanding this either. I got this message as well but mine also says:
“currently, you will be deactivated for having a $0 balance for 6 consecutive months”

How can my account have a $0 balance when I’m using it at the moment? I top it up every month with $45... it’s a pay as you go/pay per use account.

*You* can't, because you're topping up. They are targeting inactive accounts (people that don't top up every month). That's all this is.

+1

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