topic Re: Goodbye Public Mobile. in The Lounge

Goodbye Public Mobile.

imisstravelling — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 19:27:40 GMT

I just saw another service provider (Freedom Mobile) plan which is $119 per year with 15GB data and it makes all plans by Public Mobile look like a joke. So, time to move on. I am happy to forgo my rewards and all.

Edit- Also, $119 plan comes with unlimited calling in Canada and unlimited international text, unlike PM's cap of $100 calls only. So basically more data, unlimited calling and texting.

My assessment of Freedom over PM is following:

Freedom has WiFi Calling, available globally.
Freedom has a permanent plan price guarantee.
Freedom offers phone financing, with significant subsidies.
Freedom has unlimited throttled data on all plans except annual prepaid.
Freedom has live customer care, reachable through any of 4 or 5 channels.
Freedom allows existing customers to switch to promo plans without hassle.
Freedom has roaming options, useable in 81 countries, starting at $20/30days.
Freedom is a market disrupter bringing meaningful competition to the Canadian wireless market.

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

Handy1 — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 15:04:39 GMT

@imisstravelling Plans can still change by Boxing Day , I’m holding my breath and crossing my fingers

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

imisstravelling — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 18:55:49 GMT

I agree but I don't see PM offering any competitive plans for lower segment users. I tried last year but they didn't bother offering anything, so its a goodbye. I would have loved to stay with PM if they would have matched it at least.

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

Handy1 — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 18:58:28 GMT

@imisstravelling I see Quebec residents can get 10GB for $29 but it’s only for new activations . At least overall thou plans seem to be getting cheaper for all . Hope this trends continues to keep up

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

imisstravelling — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 18:59:58 GMT

there was no change last year for the users who are on lower value plans. Just saying this from experience.

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

Handy1 — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 19:03:45 GMT

@imisstravelling Yeah I hear ya , your not alone in that many have expressed the same concern . It’s like PM has changed gears and now seems to focus more on customers monthly spends to be between $40-$60 bucks on average

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

Andy85 — Sat, 16 Dec 2023 14:49:54 GMT

Hi @imisstravelling

That's a pretty good deal! What's your current plan with PM if you don't mind me asking?

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

Korth_ — Sat, 16 Dec 2023 20:46:18 GMT

Freedom Mobile (previously Wind Mobile) was recently purchased by Shaw and is currently being sold to Quebecor.

And it always, always struggled with one important problem. Limited coverage. Awesome deals from within any of their core urban areas to any other of their core urban areas. Awful coverage and roaming costs anywhere outside those areas.

If you are within one of their "zones", all the people you call are in one of their "zones", and all the people you expect to call you are within one of their "zones" then you can score on amazing offers, low prices, big data, awesome everything. They do indeed consistently offer far better deals (within this coverage area) than Public Mobile or any other operator can provide.

But if either end of your phone usage falls outside their limited coverage then be prepared for disappointment.

I wouldn't argue the pro-vs-con merits of their plan. If you think it's a better deal then grab it. But first take a closer look at the maps and the small print details and the various per-minute per-text per-megabyte costs which you might be facing. Maybe this time around it's a flawless deal so grab it, but after observing Freedom Mobile for many years I think that there's always going to be a hidden catch somewhere.

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

Flameotter — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 16:57:03 GMT

@ahand Totally agree, for myself I am trying to stay under the $40 mark for me. I'm grateful they still have that. Though the ones recently popping up are above that mark. Hopefully Boxing day will reveal some goodies.

There were some tempting plans with deals off phones, but then you end up paying more monthly in the long run.

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

LEGO — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 17:12:02 GMT

Lucky Mobile with their "Air Canada Exclusive Plan" give to customers 3GB for $20! Here, we only getting 1GB of data for $25 plan 😟

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

Korth_ — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 21:58:20 GMT

@LEGO wrote:
Lucky Mobile with their "Air Canada Exclusive Plan" give to customers 3GB for $20! Here, we only getting 1GB of data for $25 plan 😟

Public Mobile made a counteroffer. To "select" subscribers who had the $15 plan.

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Get-Support/Received-a-quot-Public-Mobile-here-quot-offer/td-p/1088408

Special $25 offer

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

LEGO — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 03:28:18 GMT

@Korth_ Rogers and Fido existing customers getting free additional data (20/30GB) for the next 24 months. ...and what are we getting? No more Christmas giveaway!

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

LEGO — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 03:44:07 GMT

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

imisstravelling — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 14:18:43 GMT

Thanks for explaining this. While I agree that freedom is good for their zones, I am not a frequent traveler and my whole city falls in one of their zones. When I won't be in their zones, I often use VoIP which is a godsend service. But I still agree with you it comes at its own cost and before jumping the ship, its smart to see how and where one will be using their service.

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

imisstravelling — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 14:20:38 GMT

I am not a heavy internet user and in the wifi zone almost 90% of my time. So, I was on $15 plan with PM and with rewards etc, I was paying even less. I know I will be paying a couple of bucks more with Freedom, I will get more than which won't expire if I don't use each month.

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

imisstravelling — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 14:26:10 GMT

Even I got it but according to me, this was just a bone to make $15 users pay more.

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

Korth_ — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 01:13:53 GMT

@imisstravelling wrote:
Even I got it but according to me, this was just a bone to make $15 users pay more.

The providers are always nudging subscribers to pay more. They'd love to be able to claim their ARPU is $100+ for every subscriber every month.

But they also realize people who stick with the lowest-price plan available are stubbornly resistant to paying more. $15 (or legacy $10) is the cheapest plan on the cheapest third-tier provider, subscribers who don't want to pay more, providers who don't want to offer it (but are obligated to comply with CRTC mandate).

So I think it was their regular $25 plan with a bolt-on data provision. Specifically meant to retain the small segment of their customers who might otherwise be tempted to grab the Lucky promo. Hard to say since an actual plan page with actual plan specifics and small print was never made available, it was just a shady SMS offering. I didn't take it because I've seen PM blunder and disrupt and ruin many happy customers with half-assed SMS offerings in the past.

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

AJ72 — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 16:40:56 GMT

@imisstravelling I'm following you to Freedom on the same plan for the same reasons, after being a PM customer for 4+ years, don't see any changes happening with the PM 3G plans.

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

imisstravelling — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 18:50:23 GMT

I feel so happy moving to Freedom. I wonder how PM toxic fanboys are gonna defend their move now?

Re: Goodbye Public Mobile.

Handy1 — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 18:54:11 GMT

@imisstravelling Hahahaha that’s funny . I wish I was in freedom zone . I have been exactly that a PM fan boy to a tee . Working to get retreads and always praising PM . Have said in this site many times I’m a “lifer “ but that was of course when I thought I would be able to keep my loyalty rewards . No not so much this first time I’ve ever been the victim of a company and it doesn’t feel good at all . And it’s embarrassing too to feel so duped by PM