Now that the Koodo Mobile youth-oriented wireless service is available, I thought it’d be a good time to record my first impressions of the discount brand launched by Telus last month.
This being Canada, there’s not a ton of things that make Koodo different from its youth brand competitors Rogers/Fido and Bell/Virgin Mobile/Solo. Anyway, kudos to Telus for picking itself off up the mat after the $7.5-million it injected into Amp’d Mobile as part of a larger partnership. Koodo looks like it’ll be a winner.
Koodo is a far smarter way to appeal to Canadian youths though it does seem like it was launched belatedly. How long have Solo, Virgin Mobile and Fido been in Canada?
Anyway, there are some notable points that are noteworthy.
3 things I kinda like about Koodo.
1) Long distance prices. Telus, er, Koodo, has pushed the envelope in so far as a Canadian carrier pushes the envelope on prices with its wireless rates – Koodo offers a $20 unlimited Canadian wireless long distance plan. Considering the fact a call from Toronto to Burlington, Ont., a suburb, is considered LD by the carriers, that’s a decent plan.
2) Koodo’s Web site. It’s simple and easy to use; a nice change from the mazes its parent Telus and the other national wireless carriers have constructed for users that want to find information.
3) Branding. It’s not my style but I can see why the TV ads might appeal to youth.
3 Things I Don’t Really Like About Koodo
1) The ads; they are borderline deceitful. Unless you’re going to offer serious overall discounts to competitors, please don’t pretend like my bills are going to be significantly better.
2) The handsets. They are in a word awful. Koodo by my count offers exactly three handsets; Motorola’s w385 and the MotoKRZR as well as Samsung’s U410, not exactly selling points for the iPhone generation. Barf in fact. To be fair the handset selection from Solo and Virgin Mobile isn’t much better.
3) Lastly, the name kinda annoys me. I’m probably not in the target demographic of Koodo/Telus but it really does seem kinda silly. I’m sure the company has done extensive market research to test the veracity of its new youth brand which will bear the worthiness of the name out over time.
Overall, Koodo seems like a ‘me-too’ service, that will nonetheless help Telus bring some youth into the fold. If Telus wants to make some wireless noise, it needs to better differentiate the Koodo offering from Fido, Solo and Virgin Mobile.
[tags] Telus, Koodo, cell phone service [/tags]
13 Comments on “Koodo Mobile: 3 things I kinda like & 3 things i hate”
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I have been writing a post about Koodo and found yours through TweetScan. I totally agree with it and I don’t even see the point in investing so much in creating something that obviously nothing more than marketing. They should have invested in creating something that creates value. Like unlimited internet surfing on Iphone or blackberry.
Posted on April 13, 2008 at 7:20 pm.
Koodo Mobile vs. Rogers Wireless | romanz.org says:
[...] Koodo Mobile: three things I kinda like and 3 things I hate. [...]
Posted on April 14, 2008 at 1:16 pm.
I just got a phone for my wife from Koodo, our requirements was International texting and this was offered to us for an extra fee. However few days later and my wife is able to send International text, but could not receive from any of her friends around the world. So we are very disappointed, we were sold on a feature that does not work. I will try to see if Koodo have any solution for us, it looks like I have to cancel this cell phone account.
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Posted on August 30, 2008 at 3:01 am.
I have a Koodo mobile phone with 100anytime minutes and voice mail included in the plan. In my most recent bills I have noticed that I was charged $10 and $20 “premium messages”. When I inquired from Koodo Mobile they say that they can’t reverse these charges as it’s not their responsibility. I didn’t know what they are or I have not released my phone numbers to any of those companies. What I say is this must be a scam by Koodo Mobile and we must gang up against this type scams. If there is anyone who has experienced the same please respond. Thank you.
Posted on March 22, 2009 at 1:05 am.
They don’t just have 3 phones..
they have the LG KEYBO, and the LG SHINE !
Those are both great phones, but basically the only good ones
Posted on March 27, 2009 at 11:41 pm.
Hi Stefanie,
Thanks for your comment. Did you notice the date of the post? It was written almost a year ago. Naturally, the provider has since added phones to its line up.
Thanks for your time.
Posted on March 28, 2009 at 1:37 am.
I also got charged for the Koodo “premium message” scam. I’m refusing to pay for it. Never ever sent a text message from my phone. Ever.
Koodo has not been helpful so far. I think they’re in on it. If they pay a thrid party, then they are responsible.
Posted on April 1, 2009 at 1:24 pm.
the third point you forgot to mention on a positive note is no contracts but i can think of soooooooooo many negitives. like how about the fact that they charge you to call customer service and how the service reps are rude and not very smart and they leave you on hold for a very long time aaaaaaaaaaaand most importantly you message your friends and some other random person gets your message!!!! oh and last but not least the service doesnt really work anywhere but out side certainly not in any building. oh i am sure i can think of more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on May 1, 2009 at 10:48 pm.
ya, you're right. koodo or any other discount brand provider's service can be an attractive option for those that don't want to take on the obligations of a contract. irrespective your feelings koodo has turned into a success for telus.
Posted on May 1, 2009 at 11:03 pm.
i like that they charge you calling customer service, its so that u dont pay a service fee so i dont have to pay for other ppl whining!!! yay never had any problems with my texts or service…
Posted on July 20, 2009 at 1:43 pm.
They don't charge you to call customer service. I've spoken to customer service numerous times without being charged. They answer the phone very fast and are usually helpful. I went to try to compare my current plan with the other carriers, and nobody can even come close to touching all the features that koodo gives you. I'm not even kidding, everyone is a lot more expensive. Rogers, for heaven's sake, charges you $8 or so just for call display. With Koodo, you can get everything you want for substantially cheaper… unlimited north america wide texting, nationwide my 5, a lot of minutes, no system access fee, no contracts… honestly, anybody who's whining about koodo is misinformed. The other companies are SO MUCH worse.
Posted on August 17, 2009 at 11:00 pm.
i never had any problems with koodo at all
i compared their plans with other providers and koodo's plans are by far the best i've seen
i love how they have "tabs" instead of long-term contracts
and you can change your plan whenever
Posted on September 2, 2009 at 5:32 pm.
the premium texting is my biggest beef. i never had texting before with any other phone service and my knowledge of it is very limited. but on the computer i was asked for my phone number and that alone allows these companies to open up a texting account in your name. then any texts from or to are billed to you by koodo at exhorbitant rates. my monthly bill increased by 10.00 recently due to premium texting. koodo says that they cant turn off texting. says that they collect the money free of charge for these " other companies" and that i should read the terms of service. what a crock!!!
Posted on October 1, 2009 at 3:32 pm.