First I would like to send my deepest apology to Col Parkers Daughter Alexandria. In my original Blog I mentioned two sons were left behind. Well I erred and for that I am sorry. Charlie, now 11, and Alexandria, now 9, met their fathers Flag Draped Casket on the Tarmac at CFB Trenton and were very brave alongside their mother. Your Father served his country, his Queen and most of all he served for children everywhere trying to make Afghanistan a better place for families. May he Rest In Peace.
Once again I have been sent a story from Rex in Alberta, this story concerns Rogers Communications and what they say is an Iron Clad contract with no leeway. I am sure if Ted Rogers was around today and he heard of it. He would personally rectify this ridiculous situation.
Deployed soldier fights phone bill
By JOE WARMINGTON, QMI Agency
Glenn Fraser, 20, was deployed to Afghanistan this month but his monthly cellphone bill will keep coming in despite efforts by his dad to get it frozen while Glenn's away.
Should businesses bend the rules for active soldiers?
TORONTO - Did you hear the one about the Canadian soldier who can't get out of his cellphone contract despite being shipped off to war?
There's one dad of a brave, young reservist deployed to Afghanistan wondering if the Taliban are more flexible in their rigid rules than some of these iron-clad cellphone agreements.
It would be hard to convince Richard Fraser otherwise.
I thought you might be interested to hear how one of Canada's largest and wealthiest companies do their part to support our servicemen and women while deployed in defence of this country, he told me.
If he didn't already have enough on his mind.
His 20-year-old son, Glenn, the pride and joy of Birchlawn Ave. and proud and honoured member of Toronto's Scottish Regiment, was sent to the murderous war zone with the Canadian Armed Forces this month.
His monthly Rogers cellphone bill will keep coming in.
I had the pleasure of speaking to a Rogers rep in an effort to have my son's account frozen for seven to nine months while he is deployed, said Richard. It seems that since my son signed a contract there is no way that they could suspend, or hold his current cell number or services.
Now we get complaints about all the cellphone companies and Rogers has told me they will look into this one. But this is just stupid.
Hopefully somebody at Rogers will take it out of the hands of the insensitive people who have been dealing with Mr. Fraser so far.
He has spent hours on the phone talking to three different people who were unsympathetic -- akin to trying to convince the Taliban to let girls go to school.
We as a family have been loyal Rogers customers, said Richard. Our average Rogers bill is approximately $400 to $500 a month, four cellphones plus cable. The best they are willing to do is charge $31.33 per month for services that he will not be using, though I am sure they would like to ding him on the roaming charges from Afghanistan if he had to make a call.
He explained to the Rogers rep that he was deployed and only wanted to hold his current cell number until he returned.
He got no compromise or understanding.
His reply was 'well he should not have signed a contract,' said Richard.
But when he signed his contract he had no idea when, and if, he was going to be deployed to a war zone and put his life on the line. My son deployed overseas May 10. His contract is for 36 months and it expires Aug. 16, 2011 so there was no way he had any idea he would be deploying in May 2010 when he signed the contract.
I have asked Rogers media spokesman Odette Coleman for the company's policy for deploying troops and she promised to get back to me Friday.
On a day when we have fallen Pte. Kevin McKay's funeral in Barrie and the repatriation along the Highway of Heroes of Col. Geoff Parker, if any of the Rogers brass want to make this right the Fraser account number is 4-4594-6940 and the reference number of his conversations with Rogers reps is 280789265.
It's not about the money.
It's the principle, said the dad. How many other soldiers are in the same boat? They are being forced to pay services they are not using while fighting on behalf of the country. They can reverse this. I don't think Rogers is going to go broke over $30 a month.
Richard said there is also one question he forgot to ask.
Would we need to pay a cancellation penalty if something unforeseen happens to him, he said.
After all, he did sign a contract.
Did you hear the one about the cellphone company who said they are sorry and bent the rules to allow a brave Canadian soldier to suspend his cellphone while he is off risking his life in a war zone?
Stay tuned.
joe.warmington@sunmedia.ca
So as one soldiers funeral was held in Barrie Ont and the repatriation of another it makes my mind boggle to think that a corporation as large as Rogers cannot find a solution for another serving Soldier.
Breaking News Rogers Retracts policy: Well done On behalf of our military serving Canada:
TORONTO - Rogers announced Friday that it not only will amend the cellphone contract of a soldier in Afghanistan but will also devise a new policy for those serving abroad.
We have reached out to (Glenn) Fraser so we can address his concerns, said Odette Coleman, director of communications for Rogers.
We value our customers and we understand that their life circumstances may change, like Mr. Fraser going to serve our country in Afganistan.
The decision was made in light of a Sunmedia column highlighting the concerns of Scarborough's Richard Fraser who was upset his son Glenn, 20, was still forced to pay his monthly cellphone bill despite being deployed in Afghanistan.
Now they have had a change of heart.
As a result we are amending our policy as it relates to customers on active duty, Coleman said.
Coleman did not give a time frame of the new policy but did say the terms of the revised policy for customers in active duty are being defined.
It is nice to see the change of direction from Rogers Communications and I feel that the Press indeed helped in this eandeavour.
Many Thanks also to Dan Aykroyd for his marvellous generosity to the troops.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100522/national/afghan_cda_free_wine
Enjoy your long weekend , but take a moment to think of our troops, and of the sacrifices they endure for Caring enough to place their lives on the line for Freedom and Democracy.
Nil Sine Labore
Robby
