Rogers to kill the SAF… sort of

Yes, yes, we know — Canadians hate the System Access Fee just as much as they hate American beer. “Thankfully” as of October 5th, new and existing Rogers customers will finally be able to ditch the SAF. It’s not that Rogers has all of a sudden found its heart and decided to give its customers a respite. Oh, no, no. It’s simply going to lower the fee, rename it the Government Regulatory Recovery Fee and jack up the price of each and every plan by about $5. If the GRRF gives you the impression that it’s a government mandated fee then you’re sorely mistaken. It’s just another way for Rogers to pass the buck on all of the various federal, provincial and municipal fees and taxes that it itself pays in order to offer its services in a given area. For the most part, all existing consumers need to know is that they are free too keep their current plan with SAF, but any voice plan changes after October 5th (or anyone who joins Rogers, for that matter) will result in their account being switched over to the GRRF system. But hey, it’s not all that bad: Rogers is going to give you Call Forwarding, WhoCalled, and Call Manager for free. Wait a tick, those are already included most value packs…