topic Re: Stolen money in Get Support

Stolen money

Dano58 — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 20:16:49 GMT

I was on a $40 4G plan. It always renewed on the 4th. So today, being the 3rd, I logged in and changed to the $39 plan.

But... instead of renewing on the 4th, PM took payment out yesterday ( aug 2) which I knew nothing about until I checked my CC.

So the $40 plan renewed early, and today I thought I was switching plans the day before renewal. But my old plan was already renewed 2 days early so I paid PM ~$40 2 days in a row.

Nowhere did I see any warning that I would be letting PM steal $40 by switching. PM should not have renewed my old plan yesterday 2 days early. I've been with PM since 2016. Now they are stealing my money. I WANT IT BACK!!!

Re: Stolen money

softech — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 20:19:36 GMT

@Dano58

PM's cycle is NOT monthly, but 30 days

So, the renewal date will ALWAYS move up one day early after a 31 days month

FYi, these are your previous renewal dates and the next couple one:

Jun 3, 2023
Jul 3, 2023
Aug 2, 2023 <-- this renewal
Sep 1, 2023
Oct 1, 2023
Oct 31, 2023
Nov 30, 2023
Dec 30, 2023
Jan 29, 2024
Feb 28, 2024
Mar 29, 2024

Re: Stolen money

Dano58 — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 20:28:08 GMT

You're off a day but I get your point. Funny how it was the 4th for years. Also, the renewal taken yesterday was automatically taken, although I never agreed to autopay and never used autopay for the first few years. I'm not sure when it got turned on since I do not remember agreeing to that. Also, no warning when I switch today that I would be giving up ~$40 by switching. I know you're trying to help but regardless of what anyone says, this is theft. Period. I have a private message chat going. Maybe I'll get some resolution there.

Re: Stolen money

DennyCrane — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 20:34:21 GMT

It's never been "the 4th for years", I can promise you that. It may remain the 4th from one month to the next in a 30 day month, but as soon as you hit a 31 (or 28/29) day month it will change.

Re: Stolen money

Dano58 — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 20:40:05 GMT

Right OK. And how did your comment move things forward? Was it even necessary?

The solution I need is my money back. Not something you can do.

I'm not sure why I even posted here. My bad. If you're expecting points from this sorry, nothing either of you had to say comes close to a solution to anything.

Re: Stolen money

DennyCrane — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 20:51:12 GMT

You've posted to a public forum, which implies you wanted help and/or clarification. Additionally other customers with similar issues may reference this thread, so it's important to clarify how the billing cycles work. This point of clarification is quite literally the root cause of your misunderstanding.

In any case, your best course of action is to contact @CS_Agent , which it sounds like you've done. If you setup autopay, they've taken the payment as agreed. It's possible because if it just happened that they may throw you a bone and reverse it out and put you on the new plan, but know that that would be an exception, not an expectation. If you never setup auto pay, then definitely share that information with the PM staff.

Also what most on here will typically recommend is to make the plan change whenever you want mid-cycle (so you don't have to time it for the last day), but ensure you select the option to take effect at your next renewal, rather that immediately. Then you don't have to time it out.

Re: Stolen money

dust2dust — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 20:47:03 GMT

Well, this used to be bright red warning and all but this would have been on the screen under the payment button. And it would have been open without clicking on it. So I would sympathize with you. It used to be a much more obvious blazing warning.

Re: Stolen money

BKNS27 — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 20:54:40 GMT

@Dano58

How have you been paying if not on AutoPay?

With vouchers or Visa or Mastercard or debit?

You might want to register AutoPay with a reloadable Visa or Mastercard and you can reload the amount you want.

Re: Stolen money

Dano58 — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 20:56:29 GMT

Well there ya go. I don't recall ever allowing auto-pay either so there is more to the story. I purposely did not enable auto-pay....for years sine 2016. Last month even I logged in and added funds, so I was not expecting at all that they would take payment...regardless of what day it was on. And I just finished mentioning in private chat that there should be a warning screen, which now I know used to be there. In any case, my problem will not be solve in this forum, and maybe not at all. I'll continue my private chat and see where it goes. Either way , no one else need reply to this. I understand I wasted my time posting this here.

Re: Stolen money

softech — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:01:30 GMT

@Dano58 so, you made a Change Now plan change today? If it is only day 1 or 2 of the cycle and you made such a change, there is a chance PM support can do something. So, message them, which I think you did already, and give us good news

For Autopay, there was a chance the system upgrade has re-triggered that, so, make sure you login and disable it

Re: Stolen money

Dano58 — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:04:14 GMT

Yes I'm fully aware. I was paying with such a card, but manually. No auto pay until this month. And again, do not remember authorizing that. If I even thought that was a possibility, that autopay got turned on this likely would not have happened.

Re: Stolen money

Dano58 — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:05:09 GMT

Yes in chat now. I will let you know how it turns out.

Re: Stolen money

dust2dust — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:09:54 GMT

Had you ever let the account go into suspension for not paying? And if so how long a period? And if so when? My previous thinking of autopay being unauthorizedly (word?) turned on was if the account was in suspension when the new system rolled out. But you might have found it turned on anyway even while active. It's just a suspicion with all the bugs this new system introduced.

Re: Stolen money

Dano58 — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:16:03 GMT

Exactly. Maybe after the changes all accounts got change to auto-pay on or something? I just know this is the first month I did not get the renewal reminder text a day before as I always did before. If I hadn't decided to change plans today....I would have logged in to add funds and seen that PM already took payment. But the way it worked out, I'm out the money. We will see if the person I'm chatting with on the ticket I opened will do the right thing.

Re: Stolen money

DennyCrane — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:18:33 GMT

Unfortunately back in May when the system updates happened they turned off SMS renewal reminders. Apparently people didn't like getting them in the middle of the night, but I personally appreciated them.

Re: Stolen money

dust2dust — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:19:59 GMT

That's my going theory. Which of course is stupid if true.
So hopefully they can refund you the $40 and set your plan to the $39 plan and have it start today and the end date be Sep 2.

Re: Stolen money

Dano58 — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:22:04 GMT

Yes, had I known of issues I would have switched plans a week ago like you suggest. But, the site should make it obvious and autopay should not have been enabled. I'll see if they do the right thing or not. I'll let y'all know

Re: Stolen money

HALIMACS — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:56:54 GMT

@Dano58

You may have a leg to stand on here if public mobile did indeed re-enable your auto payment without your consent/authorization. Make certain to make that point crystal clear to the customer support agent.

However, the great thing about auto pay is if one forgets to add the appropriate funds by renewal, the system will automatically make up the difference.

So it's probably a good thing to have it enabled for that reason.

Just my two cents - for what it's worth

Re: Stolen money

Dano58 — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 22:20:16 GMT

Since you were the first to reply earlier, I'll reply to you but I hope all the other interested parties can also see my response. Alexandra in customer support refunded the autopay payment to my account so it is there for my renewal next month and turned autopay back off.

Re: Stolen money

DennyCrane — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 22:25:20 GMT

A good outcome. Glad it worked out.