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My husband and I are thinking of retiring in Canada. I’m wondering about cell phone carriers there. Where we are there is a monopoly of AT&T and Cox. They are both horrible. The customer service is beyond bad. Are cell phone carriers any better in Canada?
I think Canada is a bad idea and would be a great hardship for you and your hubby to try to get used to or to live in. I saw your other posts about what you're looking for when you leave California to retire. Aside from the possibility that you and your husband likely may not qualify to immigrate to Canada because you are too old (retirement age) and you wouldn't bring contributions to the Canadian table, I doubt you would like Canada anyway as it goes counter point to all the California weather, conveniences and amenities you've mentioned you're used to and are looking for in a new location. To hear it from southern Californians of my acquaintance living in Canada has been equated to living rough in a cold, leaky, smokey tent in some primitive backwoods campground, permanently.
The countryside in Canada is on fire, there is a drought, there are tons and tons of strictly enforced water restrictions and conservations now, the winters are definitely not mild and sunny by your southern California standards (not even the west coast), they are extreme and the weather can change from one extreme to another daily without warning (tornadoes, floods, fires, flash freezing or heavy snowfall, etc.). And although there are some Costcos in the bigger cities Trader Joe's doesn't exist anywhere in Canada.
But Manitoba is sunny and has a lot of water! As long as you don't mind -40 days - they are the sunniest. No Trader Joe's here though.
If you're of retirement age you are unlikely to qualify for immigration. But if you are wealthy enough to invest in a business you might be able to go the investor route.
Lol, trust me... when it comes to horrible monopolies, we have cornered the market here. The only players are Rogers and Bell and Telus in some areas.
Our rates and lack of competition here is infamous. When my buddy travels to NYC, he marvels at the amazing cellular rates he sees everywhere.
And God help you if you don't live in a major city in Canada... then it gets ridiculous (coverage and high rates).
Personally I like Bell's reliability slight better than Rogers or Telus, but I'll be honest - I'll goto whoever has the best rates. They are all horrible and take your business for granted... both for cellular and internet services.
But Manitoba is sunny and has a lot of water! As long as you don't mind -40 days - they are the sunniest. No Trader Joe's here though.
If you're of retirement age you are unlikely to qualify for immigration. But if you are wealthy enough to invest in a business you might be able to go the investor route.
I met a woman when walking in the conservation area when I was staying in Bowmanville (ON) who would get her husband to take her on a trip around Lake Ontario, going down into New York State, so she could go to Trader Joe's. No, they are not in Canada, but you can get equivalent products and maybe other stuff you didn't even know existed on this side of the border.
I particularly like TJ's cheese selection, but you don't have to worry about finding great cheese in Canada, trust me.
I am also too old to move to Canada, but I will spend time here.
My husband and I are thinking of retiring in Canada. I’m wondering about cell phone carriers there. Where we are there is a monopoly of AT&T and Cox. They are both horrible. The customer service is beyond bad. Are cell phone carriers any better in Canada?
As mentioned there are the big 3 in Canada, Rogers, bell and Telus and they dominate the market. Canadian cell phone plans are among the highest costing in the world due to low competition and also providers having to cover huge swaths of land for such a small population. The big 3 have 'flanker' brands called Fido, Koodo and Virgin Mobile which are generally cheaper. Public Mobile and Chatr are even 'cheaper' still but again, they are owned by the big 3. Freedom Mobile is another option - i've found their plans generally very competitive with the flanker brands but by American standard - still expensive. I go to the U.S frequently and also have a mint mobile account for 15 USD a month and it is more than good enough for me so i certainly would love to have mint pricing in Canada but that is a pipe dream.
This all said, I find the general quality of all the big 3 and their flanker brands pretty good. The issue in Canada isn't quality or coverage - it is price!
Last edited by fusion2; 08-21-2023 at 04:10 PM..
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