A letter from Dave on the infamous $40 for 4GB price change

[Dave_M]

Hey Community,

I am writing to you today to let you know that we will not be moving forward with a price increase on the infamous “$40 for 4GB” plan ($120 90-day Province-Wide Talk + Text + 12GB Data), contrary to the SMS that customers on that plan received yesterday.

After sending out an offer to select customers, we heard your feedback loud and clear: we said no surprises, and we surprised you. While all good things must come to an end at some point – that point is not today. As a brand, we have always been proud of our transparency, and of our commitment to our customers. We are sincerely sorry for any frustration caused and we want you to know that this has been a learning experience for us all.

We have been reminded that you, our customers, are vocal and passionate. We’ve seen how much some of you love Public Mobile and we’ve also seen how many of you like the added value that our sister brand, Koodo, has to offer. To that end, we are happy to say that the Koodo offer that our Public customers on the “$40 for 4GB” plan received still remains available for anyone who wishes to take advantage of it.

Thank you for your continued support,

Dave

[Korth]

I have to ask ... why don't those people who want the assurance of long-term stability sign onto long-term contracts?  Pay-As-You-Go offers no such assurances.

[torontokris]

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@Shutdownwrote:

Is there any indication in the contract that the koodo plan is permanent?

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NO it's not permanent. Any non contract plan can be changed with 30 days notice. And NO Koodo will not be making any guarantees. They learnt from the promise made on the PM DEAL not to make any promises (as long as your plan is in good standing). Koodo has been really good with not increasing prices however there is no guarantee.

[Korth]

A contract has a specified duration and has legal force throughout the duration.

If you activate a prepaid 90-day plan then you're guaranteed 90 days of service.

If you sign a 2-year subscription plan then you're guaranteed 2 years of service.

It doesn't matter if the service provider is PM or Koodo or Telus or Buck Rogers.

There is no explicit obligation for either party to renew the contract although the option of doing so is implied - and even rewarded.  Cellular service contracts typically specify the conditions or penalties for early termination, usually amounting to paying up the balance of whatever is still owed to the other party.

The time to be suspicious is before you agree to "sign" the contract.  Not during, not afterwards.

[Shutdown]

I would only trust it being in the contract at this point not from a telus representative.

[artekds]

@artekds wrote:

@Dave_Mwrote:

After sending out an offer to select customers, we heard your feedback loud and clear: we said no surprises, and we surprised you. While all good things must come to an end at some point – that point is not today. As a brand, we have always been proud of our transparency, and of our commitment to our customers. We are sincerely sorry for any frustration caused and we want you to know that this has been a learning experience for us all. 

Dave

Hi Dave 

              When will the Koodoo plan come to an end ?

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@Shutdownwrote:

Is there any indication in the contract that the koodo plan is permanent?

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That was exactly what I asked Dave in my post but I doubt we are going to get any answers from him.

[Shutdown]

Is there any indication in the contract that the koodo plan is permanent?

[Gimli]

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@Wolfcorewrote:

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@Watokowrote:

I am pretty sure that we have held the fort for now, but they will be back to increase the price again. Maybe not this month, or the next but I'm willing to bet in 6-12 months, we will see this again. Only next time, I think they will proceed despite what we say or do. There really is no such thing as a "grandfathered" plan these days.

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With the big 3, definitely not, but that's why we gotta fight for our rights, and make them keep their promises. A friend of mine still has a $29 unlimited talk/text/data, that he got with Wind, years ago, and Freedom hasn't touched it.

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Yah.....that's what I had before I moved to PM...  It's what makes me that much more pissed off

[Watoko]

@Wolfcore

Interesting perspective! These changes aren't necessarily a bad thing for PM - it is expected as the business continues to evolve - but it was just discouraging that they're looking more and more like the Big 3 since I had high hopes that this would be the everlasting disruption in the wireless industry.

[Korth]

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@Watokowrote:

• They once offered innovative 10-day plans, which were then scrapped.

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This was a double-edged thing, though.  I'm sad to see it go but it did complicate DIY plans.  I think it would've been easier and smarter for PM to keep the 10-day pass for Talk and Text while cutting all the 10-day Data options.  10 days of essential phone service for dirt cheap is a useful (and sometimes necessary) option while mobile data is basically a luxury - anyone who can't afford to pay for a 30-day plan with data probably should focus on more important things anyhow, lol.

The PM mods (Shazia or Mary, I think) actually saved the day for me by issuing a basic 10-day plan onto my referred friend's account - there were credit card delays and I botched the Number Port - this (free) 10-day service assured that the number wasn't lost before enough time had passed for everything to get worked out.

[Wolfcore]

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@Watokowrote:

@Wolfcore

I've actually never had an issue with PM at all. I also ported over during the massive promo period and I was lucky enough to not have a problem. My service was working from day 1 and has never been interrupted since.

What I do have an issue with is that Public Mobile isn't the brand that I once knew and loved.

• They once offered innovative 10-day plans, which were then scrapped.
• Technical glitches during activation discovered from the massive $40/4GB period that were still evident 6 months after despite their pledge to fix these issues after the community's hard efforts to find workaround solutions.
• Used-to-be-simple phone plans that they praised themselves for are now complicated 2-tiered 3G and 4G LTE options.
• Elimination of the "Public Lab", a platform in which community members are able to share and vote on ideas that the PM team would try to implement, signals more corporate office oversight.
• And, what is disheartening the most, is that the cost savings from a self-serve online business model is no longer being passed on to the customers, as that money is now used for subway ads amongst other things.

Overall, PM seems to have really evolved from what they once stood for, and their original business model that I once advocated for.

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Ahh, I see what you're saying. So not so much their "service", but rather the decisions they have made. It's funny, I actually think almost the exact opposite of you.

- I feel like the 10-day plans were such a niche market, and very little people used them, that there was no need to make them available. Although, getting rid of them doesn't "help" them in any way either, so I guess they could have just kept it.

- There were definitely glitches, that's for sure, but I feel as if for the most part, the majority of people had their issues resolved relatively quick, considering they had an insane amount of people signing of for this promo, and no call centre. The fact that we got it all resolved, even in 6 months, is surprising to me.

- I find the layout of the plan selection screen still very simple. Everything is clearly labelled, including which plans are 3g, and which are 4g. I also praise them for these 3g plans, at a great price. Not sure if they were the first, or the only to have this, but I find it very innovative. 4g plans are so not needed, except for intense gaming, or watching 4k content. I personally don't use it, as I'm on the $40/4gb plan, but I'd switch in a heartbeat if this one ever went away.

- Public Lab in itself was just a better version of the forum. You can still share your suggestions/concerns on the forum, and i'm sure if it was that great, they would look into it. From what they described when they shut it down, it wasn't worth the time/money. It would cost too much, and there weren't enough team members. Did anything great ever come of it? I honestly don't know.

- I feel like that's a little of an exaggeration. They still have the best plans around, in terms of data/cost, considering there's no zoning. They are basically the only legitimate prepaid service. They have these extremely cheap 3g plans, that offer a lot of data, at a very low price point. Your data carries over each month, which I love. Does anybody else do that? I'm not sure.

Honestly, I sound like a shill for PM, but I can assure you that i've been attacking PM over the last few days, and that these are my true opinions.

[Watoko]

@Wolfcore

I've actually never had an issue with PM at all. I also ported over during the massive promo period and I was lucky enough to not have a problem. My service was working from day 1 and has never been interrupted since.

What I do have an issue with is that Public Mobile isn't the brand that I once knew and loved.

• They once offered innovative 10-day plans, which were then scrapped.
• Technical glitches during activation discovered from the massive $40/4GB period that were still evident 6 months after despite their pledge to fix these issues after the community's hard efforts to find workaround solutions.
• Used-to-be-simple phone plans that they praised themselves for are now complicated 2-tiered 3G and 4G LTE options.
• Elimination of the "Public Lab", a platform in which community members are able to share and vote on ideas that the PM team would try to implement, signals more corporate office oversight.
• And, what is disheartening the most, is that the cost savings from a self-serve online business model is no longer being passed on to the customers, as that money is now used for subway ads amongst other things.

Overall, PM seems to have really evolved from what they once stood for, and their original business model that I once advocated for.

[MoreYummy]

@sanchom Unfortunately they wont tell you.   And does it matter what they say now?

[Wolfcore]

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@Watokowrote:

I'm glad you still have the spirit in you! I've advocated for things on PM, only to be disappointed time and time again. While this was really a huge win for us, like you said of us banding together, there also comes a point when you just get tired of it.

But despite that, don't worry, I will be back if this happens again next time. I just might not be so optimistic, however.

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What were your other issues if I may ask? I've only had one issue before this. It was when that promo was first released, and a ridiculous amount of people were signing up, which basically caused their whole infrastructure to collapse, which resulted in me losing the the "calling" function for a month. I was patient, as I knew what was going on. I was able to do without calling for that period, and was compensated in the end. But other than that, it's been great, not a single other issue.

[Watoko]

I'm glad you still have the spirit in you! I've advocated for things on PM, only to be disappointed time and time again. While this was really a huge win for us, like you said of us banding together, there also comes a point when you just get tired of it.

But despite that, don't worry, I will be back if this happens again next time. I just might not be so optimistic, however.

[Wolfcore]

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@Watokowrote:

I am pretty sure that we have held the fort for now, but they will be back to increase the price again. Maybe not this month, or the next but I'm willing to bet in 6-12 months, we will see this again. Only next time, I think they will proceed despite what we say or do. There really is no such thing as a "grandfathered" plan these days.

---

With the big 3, definitely not, but that's why we gotta fight for our rights, and make them keep their promises. A friend of mine still has a $29 unlimited talk/text/data, that he got with Wind, years ago, and Freedom hasn't touched it.

[Watoko]

I am pretty sure that we have held the fort for now, but they will be back to increase the price again. Maybe not this month, or the next but I'm willing to bet in 6-12 months, we will see this again. Only next time, I think they will proceed despite what we say or do. There really is no such thing as a "grandfathered" plan these days.

[PhoneSeeker]

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@sanchomwrote:

@CS_Agent

You recently said this:

"While all good things must come to an end at some point – that point is not today."

But, you have promised this:

"as long as you are an active customer on this plan, your plan price will remain at $120, even after your initial 90 days"

Can you clarify what you meant by "all good things must come to an end at some point"? Can you also confirm that you understand the promise you made to those of us who joined in fall 2016?

(I got a private message from a moderator two days ago that said "as long as you are an active customer and you keep this plan, your plan price will remain at 120$. This is why we have decided to not go further with the price increase". But can you make this confirmation publicly?)

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Unfortunately, you are unlikely to get a response from PM because it is all a sham. I'm sure it was Dave's plan all along to attract thousands of customers to PM with low prices than push them over to Koodo or raise the rates. Dave didn't conjure up the $40/4 GB plan from the goodness of his heart.

PM is just smoke and mirrors. Enjoy it as long as you can, then move on after Telus pulls the plug. 

[sanchom]

@CS_Agent

You recently said this:

"While all good things must come to an end at some point – that point is not today."

But, you have promised this:

"as long as you are an active customer on this plan, your plan price will remain at $120, even after your initial 90 days"

Can you clarify what you meant by "all good things must come to an end at some point"? Can you also confirm that you understand the promise you made to those of us who joined in fall 2016?

(I got a private message from a moderator two days ago that said "as long as you are an active customer and you keep this plan, your plan price will remain at 120$. This is why we have decided to not go further with the price increase". But can you make this confirmation publicly?)

[will13am]

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@Ludditewrote:

@will13am When you retire and stop commuting you will need even less. Home wifi is still the best price per GB. I speak from experience.

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Interestingly, out of habit, my wifi is turned off on the phone.  This came from the early days when the use of wifi would register tons of battery usage on the old phones.  I used the llama app to selectively turn wifi on and off.  Then I decided why get cute, just shut it off period.  I have enough data to support 100% wireless usage.  In the summer time when I will stream music, I will not waste wirless data at home.

Your mentioning how home internet data is the best price per GB brings back memories of the days when home internet plans had overage charges.  I remember Bhell arguing that their cost was extremely high so that they can justify charge something like $1 or $2 per gig of overage.  Fast forward to present time, my home internet consumption is roughly 2 tb per month.  Yeah, there are several FHD video streams running non stop in the evenings.  Anyway, I would bankrupt Bhell if I were their customer.  Thankfully Rogers happily charges only $60.

[Luddite]

@will13am When you retire and stop commuting you will need even less. Home wifi is still the best price per GB. I speak from experience.

[will13am]

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@Korthwrote:

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@sbreakinwrote:

Thanks for reminding us to appreciate the plan we have.  Costs, expenses change and I realize there could be need to update terms or prices at some point. 

Hopefully the plan remains stable for a reasonable time and we're enduced to Koodo.

It can last for few years as I experienced a grandfather plan at Rogers for many years before changes were  made, although many people's needs change and they'd voluntarily change (such as my cheap Rogers plan with 250mb/mo. How did I manage with that?) 

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My grandfathered PM plan is unlimited talk and text (in all the places I talk and text, anyways) and only 1GB per 90-days ... easy enough for me to manage with that, I only use mobile data for software updates and for random google maps/emails when desperately needed.

I don't think it's worth paying a premium monthly fee for a few GB mobile data (at about 6~12Mbps, sometimes maybe ~40Mbps) when $25/month buys "unlimited" (1000GB+) broadband data (at ~1000Mbps).

But then, I'm not a social media junky.  I don't need to stream videos and music realtime (because I crossload them only my phone from my computer).  I hardly do any browsing and never play online games on my phone (because what's the point of using such wimpy hardware on a puny screen when you've got a real computer, lol).  Although I do understand that my uncool usage model is a narrow niche in a wider world of millennial mobile addictions.  And I understand that other niches (such as mobile data tethering in areas lacking broadband access) are abhorrent to cellular providers but still fall within what I would personally consider "valid" uses.

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We all have different needs and wants.  To be honest, if there was no mobile data, I will still live.  If I had less data, I would find ways to be more miserly.  Right now the 12 gigs/90 days plan is just about right.  It allows me to do everything on the phone using wireless data and still be comfortably inside the usage box.  I don't have twitter, facebook, instagram apps on my phone.  I do stream music when bike riding.

[everbird]

It seems that $45 4GB data offers seem to be the norm as i see Rogers/Fido plans quite often (be it directly available now( until Feb 20th with Rogers) or migration form prepaid Chatr/Fido/Rogers after 30 days stay). Zoomer (cityfone) is also available $45 4GB after 6 months stay (with free phones). YMMV.

 I too intend to switch to Koodo as it's best offer now combined with Referral credits plus  free incoming texts outside of North America. By the way, Koodo store near to me offers me free sim card if it's switchover from Public mobile. Look like more data promotions are on the way. 

[mimmo]

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@Ludditewrote:

No total destruction in mind @Paddle8. Telus has a master plan yet to be revealed. The rock bottom would PM offering only 3 G data plans so that it lined up only against Lucky & Chatr.

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My thoughts exactly.

Just above rock bottom would be  offering LTE plans just below koodo prices.  Less revenue but much less overhead.

But no use speculating.

[kav2001c]

@Luddite I think price wise + bonus data wise it appears Public has been aligning to Chatr for a while

Lucky is still a non entity at this point

But even as a 3G only offering the 90 day flexibility + bonus data makes Public somewhat more appealing still

[Luddite]

No total destruction in mind @Paddle8. Telus has a master plan yet to be revealed. The rock bottom would PM offering only 3 G data plans so that it lined up only against Lucky & Chatr.

[kav2001c]

@PhoneSeeker my response was not directed to you so if it sounded that way I do apoligise

But multiple RFD members were raising hell over there to the point a mod and later owner of the board got involved and requested me to clarify my position and vet myself if any conflict of interest real or perceived

It was to the complainers I was bad mouthing since (I think) every single person here knows I am just a long time member and in no way benefitting from promotion of Public

[mimmo]

Just to add a fun wrinckle, don't forget our plans do go from active to suspended to expired back to actice every 90 days.

I knows it's a bug  so it really doesn't affect things but thought it was an interesting thought.

Early renewals for everyone 🙂

[Paddle8]

Why is Telus doing everything they can to destroy PM? The Koodo offer doesn't even directly get them more money. There's no need to deliberately rile up the user base and errode trust. It'll just scare users away and get you in trouble with regulators, cancelling out the money earned back. If this is what you plan on doing again you may as well save us all the hassle and announce the increasingly apparent plan to shut PM down.

[blingamo]

Surprice price increase ( now canceled)

Not withstanding PM's "Service terms between You and Public Mobile" in which they mention the right to to change any of the terms; why would they write me by direct email, upon asking for a rate guarentee the following on Nov 16 2016:

" I understand that you would like to inquire about our fall promo plan and I can difinitely help you with that. To answer your question, as you have mentioned yourself, once you have this plan, the price of $120 does not change at all. Just like the price, the content of the plan will ALWAYS remain the same. As our potential customer, I can assure you that there are no surprise or changes to expect, when it comes to our promotions.

If you have signed up for the promotional plan, you will be able to keep it after the promo period, as long as you are an active customer. THIS MEANS that as long as you are an active customer on this plan, your PLAN PRICE WILL REMAIN AT $120, even after your initial 90 days. No surprises,

On the basis of this promise I changed from another "grandfathered price plan" to the PM promo.

[Rockdaddy22]

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@Civic_Ewrote:

What a joke!!!

So I have already moved to Koodo because today Feb 16th was my renewal date for next 90 days. Now I lose the plan!!! and also had to pay for Koodo SIM card! !! !

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@Civic_E good to see you again. I can’t believe you got screwed in all this 😢