UPDATE: Keith from Rogers in the comments:

I’m in the communications department at Rogers and can confirm that we are aware of this issue with the 6GB promotion. It was a technological malfunction that resulted in an error on less than 10 customer accounts. We take these things very seriously and we’re working to fix it. We will, of course, continue to honour the 6GB promotion for those customers who signed up for it.

Thanks Keith, now how about news on bringing back those $30/6GB accounts as standard so Canada reaches some form of parity with US pricing?

ORIGINAL: Prior to the iPhone 3G launch in Canada last year, there was a massive internet and public protest surrounding Rogers exorbitant data plans (not too long ago cresting $100 for 200MB!). To try and turn things around, Rogers offered a limited time $30/6GB plan (which should never have been limited in time) on 3 year(!) contract, and many were quick to sign up for it when they got their new iPhone 3Gs. Fast forward 9 months later, however, and seems some shenanigans are going on again around Rogers way. According to MacNN, people are losing those $30/6GB accounts, way before the 3 years are up:

The problem is allegedly widespread amongst Rogers iPhone customers, and believed to be connected to alterations of a person’s account, such as a change in address or phone number. Because the promotional code for the $30/6GB plan no longer exists, discounts may simply be evaporating as accounts are recreated. People who signed up for the $30 price were originally promised that it would persist throughout their three-year contract.

Customer service staff seem to vary greatly in their willingness and ability to solve this problem. NOT. GOOD. ROGERS. Being a GSM monopoly doesn’t let you abuse it, remember?

Meanwhile, according to Engadget Mobile, Rogers’ wholly owned, discount branded Fido subsidiary seems to be gearing up to ditch the iPhone 3G’s 16GB SKU entirely, leaving only the 8GB version on the product list. Fists with the low-end brand, we guess…

So, anyone hosed by Rogers on data, or going to be missing out that 16GB iPhone 3G on Fido? Let us know!

[Thanks Chris for the tip]

Okay, fair enough, it’s not the nearly 7 million iPhones our big United Statesian brothers to the south consumed in the last quarter, but for a market the size of Canada’s (where it is cold and we must work hard just to survive…), 255,000 iPhones moved is EPIC.

Says Electronista:

The telecoms company sold and activated a total of 255,000 iPhones between the device’s July 11th launch and the end of September, helping the carrier boost its net subscriber additions to 191,000 and increasing the company’s average income per user “considerably above” the average thanks to many attaching a data plan to their services.

Rogers claims that the subsidies they provided for this many iPhones put a drain on them, but thanks to the huge — and ongoing — monthly service plans attached, I don’t think many give a flying hockey puck about that, especially after they just recently cut the commission rates for their reps.

Like in the US, these results are expected to have come at the expense of rival, in this case CDMA, networks Bell and Telus (since Rogers/Fido enjoys a GSM monopoly position).

Could their threat of ending their fairer 30$/6GB data plan last month have helped boost sales? I know roughly 8 people who all got iPhones for just that reason. Anyone else?

According to BGR, Rogers Wireless (and subsidiary, Fido) has announced:

A decision by the Rogers finance department to cut sales commission by as much as 50% has seriously irked the sales staff who played an integral role in the approximate 30% increase in sales since the beginning of 2008.

I was first in line at my local Rogers store (corporate owned) on iPhone launch day, when the entire Rogers sales central went down and the management and employees handled the situation with grace and particular care for all the customers stuck waiting… and waiting… and waiting…

They handled all the cross and miscommunication from Rogers HQ, the lack of sufficient training for the iPhone, the plans that changed day by day and hour by hour before launch, the BS about charging customers for WiFi data, and the long — long — lines of people frustrated by years and years of Rogers greed and mismanagement (pre iPhone 3G data rates anyone?)

This must be especially galling then, to face cuts in their compensation when Rogers is growing business by 30%. Think they’ll have as much time to see to customers’ needs when they have to see more to keep their same base pay?

BGR further suggests a course of action, if Canadian customers feel so inclined:

The cut to commissions will impact each and every customer of Rogers and Fido in one way or another. If you’re the type of person who feels this is wrong, you can call Rogers or Fido toll-free within Canada at 1-888-764-3771 and 1-888-945-3436 respectively.