I just called Fido to find out about my hypothetical eligibility to get an iPhone 3G and a data plan.

What I learned (some I already knew, some I didn't):

My plan (a $25 unlimited incoming minutes plan that's nearly 4 years old and comparable to a ~$35 current plan) is not eligible to purchase a 16GB iPhone at $299, only plans that are strictly more than $30 a month are eligible. Essentially that means only $35+/month plans are eligible since they don't have plans that are more than $30 but less than $35 per month. Given the choice of paying $10 a month more for 36 months for no added benefit or paying $50 extra, guess which I'm going to choose?

Then I asked about the 6GB/month data plan for $30. The rep tried to suggest this was a rumour and not official and she couldn't confirm whether or not I was eligible for it. I said it was no rumour, I read the press release from the fido.ca web site describing the plan but she insisted she could not guarantee that I would be eligible for this.

We argued semantics for a while and then she said, paraphrasing, "What if it turns out tomorrow it's only for new activations, and i told you you're eligible, do you want me to do that?" So I asked if it was only for new activations, but she claimed she didn't know, she was emphatic about saying they were not given enough information to give customers clear guidance on the plans and that tomorrow at 8am they can answer all the questions.

I thanked her for her help and told her the lack of information probably isn't making her day much fun, and said that if their iPhone plans had reasonable data limits I wouldn't have to take up her time asking about other options.

After all the PR damage they've taken, I can't believe they'd launch a PR recovery plan like this 6GB data offer and then not give their front line people enough information to regain customer confidence.

But then, why do I even bother expecting more from a telco?

Update: I forgot to mention, I said I wanted information today so I could make an informed choice before I decide whether or not to stand in line, since by the time I get information from Fido tomorrow they'll all be gone. She assured me they would not be sold out tomorrow and they know how big this launch is and they have lots and won't sell out. So either they have lots, she's full of it, or they think the backlash is so bad they won't sell out.