[TO_boy]

I've been lurking on this site for a while and I was all set to buy a new digital television and start fiddling with OTA signals. Oh the tweaking.

But then, my housing co-op decides to get a bulk deal with Rogers. It gets rammed through at a meeting by one vote. All the units must subscribe to the basic package. There is no opting out.

Now I have to pay $30/mo for something I don't use.

I've looked all over the web for info. I'm not sure about how the CRTC decisions apply. They seem to be only for phone lines.

Is there any legal hook that can get me out of this deal.

It's a five year deal and I'm on the hook for $2000 for the life of the contract.

The FCC has ruled that these contracts are illegal.

 

[jvincent]

The FCC is a US organization, so that doesn't help.

You'll need to check the by-laws of your co-op to see what it says.

 

[Fry1989]

There's absolutely no way they can "force" you to subscribe to a service you dont want. Contact your local government about the by-laws, but also the CRTC, and I'd even say contact the local news, Consumer Alert and the like. Make some noise about this nonsense.

 

[17671]

i would just call rogers and cancel, what more can they do? rogers will see you as a subscriber and just disconnect your services, the building will not be privy to that kind of information, so they can only "wire" you for rogers, but can not "force" you to take their service or even if they do, you can cancel right away the next month, no one will know nor care. hope this helps

 

[tvlurker]

Maybe there is an ECF?

 

[TO_boy]

Thanks for the replies.

I was just using the FCC decision as a reference point. (The laws are better in the US some cases.)

I have no contact with Rogers. The building charges me extra on top of my rent. They then forward the money.

From what I hear this is a common deal with co-ops around Toronto.

Just a note, co-ops are a type of housing that includes some subsidized units. I asked if this contravened the by-laws with regards to the subsidy. The issue being if those on assistance get free cable now. They didn't reply.

A minority on the board wanted it because it lowered there bills. Not enough people attended the meeting and they rammed it through 11 to 10 out of 55 units.

It bugs me. It's the principle of the thing, then again you can't eat principles, but still.

ECF???

 

[danbcman]

Are you an owmer or a renter?
What type of service is being offerd for 30 bucks?
Is there a large amount of wirering and hardware costs that is making the cost so high for each unit? It may be a great deal if you get a phone system in with this and you can drop your other phone service and recoup the the monthly cost?

 

[tvlurker]

Thanks for the replies.
I have no contact with Rogers. The building charges me extra on top of my rent. They then forward the money.

From what I hear this is a common deal with co-ops around Toronto.

Just a note, co-ops are a type of housing that includes some subsidized units. I asked if this contravened the by-laws with regards to the subsidy. The issue being if those on assistance get free cable now. They didn't reply.

A minority on the board wanted it because it lowered there bills. Not enough people attended the meeting and they rammed it through 11 to 10 out of 55 units.

It bugs me. It's the principle of the thing, then again you can't eat principles, but still.

ECF???

ECF = Rogers-speak for Early Cancellation Fee, the "fine" they use if you try to back out of contract in wireless. It's not really relevant, since the deal is between the co-op and Rogers, not between you and Rogers.

The lesson in all this is to show up at co-op meetings and vote!

Do the bylaws have anything to say about what the mimimum quorum is for binding decisions? Is 21/55 enough?

 

[TO_boy]

renter, their $60 service is being offered for 30 bucks

I've dealt with Rogers twice in the past. Never again. I'm still scared form the "costumer service experience". I don't want to give them any dough.

I wanted to go OTA and free.

 

[TO_boy]

yup, they had quorum

I learned my lesson on that one

I went to the meeting but my side wasn't as organized as theirs

 

[whitbyterry]

Get in touch with Ellen Roseman at the Toronto Star, she can be of great help on this I bet.

 

[Tezster]

This isn't so much a Rogers issue as it is a issue with your co-op. You'd probably have to check with a real-estate lawyer, or go through your rental/lease agreement with a fine-tooth comb to try and find what your recourse is. If only a quorum/minimum 25% of the voting members/tenants voted for it, then there's a good chance a majority of the people don't even realize this was voted through, in which case, it's time for some door-to-door canvassing to gauge how much support this motion has.

FYI in my condo corp, 25% constitutes a quorum so 21/55 sounds like it would be enough.

 

[DanJ]

Part of the deal with living in a co-op is you agree to abide by the majority rules (majority being of those who voted, the rest are presumed to not care). Presumably they have some sort of landscaping contract. You can't say "I'll cut my own grass, charge me less". Some places have electricity included in the rent. You can't say you use less power than the guy next door, therefore you should pay less.

 

[vjose78]

You should still try talking to Rogers. They can't charge you for something you don't want and personally I think the whole matter should have been dealt with differently, nobody should have been forced to subscribe for anything if they didn't want to. It's not even much of a savings, generally basic cable is about $35 a month with most providers.

 

[JamesK]

^^^^
When I first got cable, many years ago, the charge was included in my rent and there was no option to delete it. Prior to that, the building had a roof top antenna. Of course, back then there were only broadcast channels on cable and no specialty channels anywhere. So, it's entirely possible that co-op has arranged some bulk deal with Rogers, where every unit gets cable. A friend of mine has a similar issue in a condo with a different provider.

 

[madhi19]

Somebody got a nice sale commision out of that deal I can smell it from here!

 

[rmchahn]

Similar scenario different situation

Sorry this is off thread, but sounds like the deal University of Ottawa made with OC Transpo. Every student receives a bus pass for about half price whether they need to take the bus or not. The cost of the bus pass is added to the student fees at the beginning of the school year. They don't have a choice to opt out of this. Basically non bus users are subsidizing the bus riders.

 

[ralph_sinclair]

To the OP -> If your condo board has already signed the contract with Rogers, you are likely out of luck. You might as well start enjoying your cable, since you're paying for it anyway.

If your condo board has not yet signed the contract, then if you are quick and get enough people on side, maybe you can reverse the decision at your condo board level, before the contract is signed. Maybe your condo board has some sort of "recall" provision.

In my opinion, its crazy for condo board constitutions allow these types of deals to be created without a true majority in favour. I guess that is why condominium living isn't for everyone!

Although I guess someone could just as easily railroad through the installation of a MATV OTA setup using the same process, if they could get enough of their right neighbors on-side ....

 

[17671]

it also depends on how they are going to charge you.

if they are going to send you a rogers monthly invoice, chances are, you can find a rep that may be able to cancel your services

if you dont get a bill and rogers charges your condo board directly, your SOL.

 

[Walter Dnes]

I think he said housing co-op, not condo. Two totally different animals legally, so be careful about quoting condo legislation.