Since late 2009 WIND has done nothing but impress us disgruntled cell phone users in Toronto. They came to town offering a fresh look on 3G wireless service (using AWS frequencies) and standard inclusive features that are seen as blasphemy from their big 3 counterparts Rogers, Telus and Bell. All this being said one would only be to eager to want to jump on the chance to join the new kid in town right? There’s just one tiny issue stopping the masses from doing just that…..the dreaded carrier induced ECF (Early Cancellation Fee) Well, fresh off the launch of their service in Edmonton they (WIND) are taking their aggressiveness one step further by offering conversion credits to help offset those costly charges.

CBC news is reporting WIND would start to offer new customers $150 — distributed over five months in $30 instalments — if they cancel an existing contract with Bell, Rogers, Telus or any of those companies’ discount brands.

Chris Robbins, WIND’s Chief Customer Officer had this to say:

“My preference would be that the whole concept of ECF in the market would be eliminated by the government or the industry as being patently unfair to customers,”

He also went on to say

“However, I don’t see that change happening any time soon, so we’ve decided to launch an offer with some help for customers looking to pay off their ECF with the incumbents.”

Other than offering aggressive voice/data packages, one of the biggest offers WIND prides themselves on is their lack of commitment. Instead of paying a subsidized contractual price in store for the phone of your choice, you pay full retail and are left free of commitment with all the “unlimited” features at your fingertips. And to sweeten the deal even more they give you your first months service free of charge along with a 30 day money back guarantee, wow huh?

Given that most people are on long term contracts with their respective providers, knowing that WIND is willing to help out in “some” way may just be enough to get new customers to spend that money. I know on my end when I get irritated by something carrier related all I need is the smallest push to jump ship to the competition, so I’d be interested to see how this pans out.

What do you think? Is this an enticing reason to switch over? Let us know!

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