Exciting changes to our brand and customer experience

[Dave_M]

Note: Please clear your cache to optimize your experience on our portals.

Hey Community,

We’ve got some exciting news to share with you!

As you may have noticed already (sorry – hard to hide this one :)) we’ve updated our look! From a new logo, new colours, to fresh, fun illustrations- we got a makeover. Why? Because, we’ve been on a journey since 2015, and we’ve learned a LOT along the way. Our recent research, suggested our brand identity didn’t accurately reflect our mission: Public Mobile is the wireless company with you in mind. We didn’t name ourselves Public Mobile by accident after all. Everything we do – from offering the most affordable phone plans in Canada on the largest network, to rewards that save you even more, to this online community run by passionate customers is with you in mind.

And so, this new design truly embodies the personal, unique, simple and community first approach that Public Mobile stands for.  We hope you like the changes as much as we do. But that’s not all, beyond the makeover, we’ve also been hard at work working on some new initiatives that we think you’ll be pretty stoked for and are a long time in the making:

1.     New ticketing resolution process – yes you read that right, it’s coming! More details to come this week (as this in itself warrants its own full Community post) but essentially, this process will make it faster + easier to track, manage, and resolve issues when submitting a ticket to our online Moderator team.

2.   System improvements  - over the coming weeks, we’re excited to bring through a variety of system improvements. First up is an improvement to our latency and reliability of our web portals, meaning faster loading speeds in Self-Serve and fewer occasions of activation issues related to timing out. We’re also doing some fat trimming and are saying goodbye to our build your own plan calculator. While we love the flexibility of our plan calculator, the tradeoff is the ability to reduce pressure on our systems, help the general upkeep of our portals, and simplify the plan purchasing experience for customers. We know some plans can only be accessed via the plan calculator today, we plan (pun intended ;)) to bring some of those options  back in the near future! Lastly, as you're likely aware, we transitioned to refer-a-friend codes a few weeks ago to better protect your privacy and make referring easy 🙂

We can’t wait to hear what you think about all this goodness and are thrilled to deliver initiatives like #1 and #2 to simplify and improve the customer experience. We know we have more to tackle and are absolutely committed to continuing to make wireless simple, uncomplicated and accessible to all Canadians. Why? Because you’re the public, we’re for you.

Sincerely,

Dave

[KamWest]

Most of the plans seem fairly stable and if not something else always comes along. The deals seem to be getting better so I'm not too worried.

[pm-smayer97]

---

@KamWest wrote:

---

@srlawren wrote:

---

@KamWest wrote:
That's for an overage, they do not charge 100/1gb

That's really not a fair comparison because I'm not talking about overages. I'm talking about being able to buy 1 gig of data and $30 is very expensive for that considering you can get a 5 gig plan with call and text for $38.

---

@KamWest I've heard @kav2001c argue that overages and data add-ons are fundamentally different too, but I honestly don't think so.  In either case, you are using more than the amount included in your plan (whether that's no data or 100 GB of data) and paying for an amount above and beyond your plan amount in order to use/keep using data during the cycle. Why is this an unfair comparison?  In fact, some providers now pause your data and make you authorize the overage (e.g. Koodo's "shock-free data"), which makes them even more like explicitly buying an add-on for data.  I'm really struggling to see why these concepts are fundamentally different, and why you think $30/1GB is outrageous but for some reason think $100/1GB is okay.  

---

Seriously you think that I think $100/1GB overage is OK?

Over my dead body, I'll never pay that, I will get rid of my phone first.

I have the $40 5gig plan, I simply run it out and when I go on holidays I switch to the $50 8 gig plan. Then when I run it out I switch back.

SO basically I buy 8gigs for $50 and that works out to a reasonable cost.

Why would I EVER pay overage at another carrier or $30 for 1 gig at public?

Simply switch plans for 1 month and you have all the data you need.

Just make sure to run out your plans data first though.

---

For anyone reading this, just keep in mind that the one risk you run is if your original plan is no longer available when you try to switch back. So keep that in mind.

[KamWest]

---

@Hchlebek wrote:

No, I just signed but with 3G downloads and especially uploads are slow, 20 times slower than LTE.

---

And some of the top tier plans are encroaching on LTE pricing too.

For my $40 plan the 3g does not bother me but when I start to pay $60 then I can shop loyalty programs and get LTE plans.

So public has to be careful and stay with it's aggressive pricing motto if it wants to retain the bargain part of the business. 

My DREAM plan would be 10gb for $50. At that price the speed would take a back seat to economics. It does on my $40 plan too but the $30 per gig add-on is just stupid.

[Hchlebek]

No, I just signed but with 3G downloads and especially uploads are slow, 20 times slower than LTE.

[cavemantoronto]

---

@Hchlebek wrote:

Very disappointed there is no 4G LTE dara options available for your full plans. Just started with you but will likely abandon you after my 30 days.

---

Do you already have LTE? If LTE is important for you, did you get LTE plan when you activated? The plan will be grandfathered if you already have.

[Hchlebek]

Very disappointed there is no 4G LTE dara options available for your full plans. Just started with you but will likely abandon you after my 30 days.

[KamWest]

---

@srlawren wrote:

---

@KamWest wrote:
That's for an overage, they do not charge 100/1gb

That's really not a fair comparison because I'm not talking about overages. I'm talking about being able to buy 1 gig of data and $30 is very expensive for that considering you can get a 5 gig plan with call and text for $38.

---

@KamWest I've heard @kav2001c argue that overages and data add-ons are fundamentally different too, but I honestly don't think so.  In either case, you are using more than the amount included in your plan (whether that's no data or 100 GB of data) and paying for an amount above and beyond your plan amount in order to use/keep using data during the cycle. Why is this an unfair comparison?  In fact, some providers now pause your data and make you authorize the overage (e.g. Koodo's "shock-free data"), which makes them even more like explicitly buying an add-on for data.  I'm really struggling to see why these concepts are fundamentally different, and why you think $30/1GB is outrageous but for some reason think $100/1GB is okay.  

---

Seriously you think that I think $100/1GB overage is OK?

Over my dead body, I'll never pay that, I will get rid of my phone first.

I have the $40 5gig plan, I simply run it out and when I go on holidays I switch to the $50 8 gig plan. Then when I run it out I switch back.

SO basically I buy 8gigs for $50 and that works out to a reasonable cost.

Why would I EVER pay overage at another carrier or $30 for 1 gig at public?

Simply switch plans for 1 month and you have all the data you need.

Just make sure to run out your plans data first though.

[pm-smayer97]

---

@Korth wrote:

---

@Alan_K wrote:

---

---

... when we decided to remove the pick and pay calculator, we found that only 1% of new customers were making plans on the calculator. To further simplify the customer experience (retail customers were often confused by the plan calculator), and to reduce issues (we constantly had problems with the calculator that would be flagged by the Community), we decided it was time for it to go.

---

The plan calculator was very useful back in the day.  But it became much less relevant after it stopped being consistently updated with the latest promo/bundle combinations.  And when it stopped offering any sort of discount/incentive for 90-day vs 30-day.

I suspect the calculator would continue to remain popular if it continued to provide customers with ways to save a little money by not buying stuff they don't really want to buy.  I think the reason the calculator fell in disuse was that it was neglected too long to continue being useful - I think if it was actually maintained then it would attract far more than 1% of PM's customers.

...

---

Exactly... PM's analysis is completely backwards and based on false premise (or spin), all based on their own actions, not the lack of interest by customers.

[Korth]

---

@Alan_K wrote:

---

---

... when we decided to remove the pick and pay calculator, we found that only 1% of new customers were making plans on the calculator. To further simplify the customer experience (retail customers were often confused by the plan calculator), and to reduce issues (we constantly had problems with the calculator that would be flagged by the Community), we decided it was time for it to go.

---

The plan calculator was very useful back in the day.  But it became much less relevant after it stopped being consistently updated with the latest promo/bundle combinations.  And when it stopped offering any sort of discount/incentive for 90-day vs 30-day.

I suspect the calculator would continue to remain popular if it continued to provide customers with ways to save a little money by not buying stuff they don't really want to buy.  I think the reason the calculator fell in disuse was that it was neglected too long to continue being useful - I think if it was actually maintained then it would attract far more than 1% of PM's customers.

That being said, PM is low cost and no frills - we pay less because we get only what is really needed, no extras.  I hope the disappearance of the plan calculator isn't a symptom of PM "reinventing" itself to conform with the competition (ie: less flexibility, fewer options, and extra costs) - if PM becomes the same thing as everyone else then PM will lose the niche identity it's always struggled to carve out.

...

The new muted colour scheme is pleasant enough.  But it's rather horrible when using a mobile device outdoors or in sunlight.  Perhaps PM should create a few different themes (or simply bring back the original default) as user profile options, seems like the easiest way to make everyone happy.

[srlawren]

---

@KamWest wrote:
That's for an overage, they do not charge 100/1gb

That's really not a fair comparison because I'm not talking about overages. I'm talking about being able to buy 1 gig of data and $30 is very expensive for that considering you can get a 5 gig plan with call and text for $38.

---

@KamWest I've heard @kav2001c argue that overages and data add-ons are fundamentally different too, but I honestly don't think so.  In either case, you are using more than the amount included in your plan (whether that's no data or 100 GB of data) and paying for an amount above and beyond your plan amount in order to use/keep using data during the cycle. Why is this an unfair comparison?  In fact, some providers now pause your data and make you authorize the overage (e.g. Koodo's "shock-free data"), which makes them even more like explicitly buying an add-on for data.  I'm really struggling to see why these concepts are fundamentally different, and why you think $30/1GB is outrageous but for some reason think $100/1GB is okay.  

[stonechucker]

---

@KamWest wrote:
That's for an overage, they do not charge 100/1gb

That's really not a fair comparison because I'm not talking about overages. I'm talking about being able to buy 1 gig of data and $30 is very expensive for that considering you can get a 5 gig plan with call and text for $38.

---

I beg to differ, I see the two data addons at Public Mobile as overage penalties, as I do not expect t go over my data bucket of 12 GBs (1 GB on my backup device) in my 90-day (30-day) period.  I know my data will shut off if I use my entire bucket - if I will not renew my plan early, as I budget my money.  If I require more data, I will first use WiFi (as I do most of the time already) then but the $30 addon for the current, and future overages that may come.

[dabr]

---

@jor123 wrote:

---

@dabr wrote:

Just noticed the plans page has been updated and all the plans now list the features of each plan for immdediate comparison. 

---

Looks good! 

---

It wasn't a good idea to remove it in the first place, but happy they've changed it back:)

[jor123]

---

@dabr wrote:

Just noticed the plans page has been updated and all the plans now list the features of each plan for immdediate comparison. 

---

Looks good! 

[dabr]

Just noticed the plans page has been updated and all the plans now list the features of each plan for immediate comparison. 

[KamWest]

---

@Bj03 wrote:

Looking forward to the faster load times on the site 🙂

---

I never understood that

Does basic service mean a basic website?

How a big company like telus could have such a slow website was inimaginable to me. If any one of my websites would have loaded that slow I would have fired my webhost.

That said it is almost impossible to have a slow site like that with anything but basic hosting. That slowness had to be engineeered in. I think it was done on purpose to encourage an upgrade to koodo but I think public is seeing now that some people will never upgrade and it's found business.

The low flanker has a purpose and I for one am glad to see Telus finally take things seriously and to put some energy into the website and marketing.

[Bj03]

Looking forward to the faster load times on the site 🙂

[dabr]

On the whole I think the change is good and PM's website was definitely in need of a bit of a facelift!  It certainly has a much cleaner look than before.  But I agree with others that in some respects it feels a bit retro or dated. 

I'm hoping that Alan_K/PM design team have been taking notes of some of the suggestions and perhaps a little more tweeking will be considered.   I agree with the poster who suggested not being able to see what features are available immediately with the plan offerings and being able to do a quick comparison is a big mistake for getting the attention of a prospective new user.  The background colour should be perhaps a little paler and I'm hoping they will consider bringing back PM's original orange logo which has a much more contemporary look to it.

JMO:)

[CMOADMIN]

I honestly don't know how I feel about the logo. But then its not the logo and template design that has me using public mobile so I suppose my opinions on the two don't matter as much as my opinions on PM's services and plans. 

So far I have no complaints about the service to my cell. I do find some network transfers and load times to be sluggish but all in all no real boohoo's to cry about. 

Thanks for the fair rates 😉

[jor123]

---

@dna2016 wrote:

I'm very excited to see how the new two initiatives works out once it's in action.

In terms of the re-design, to be honest I'm not a huge fan of it.  The colour scheme is quite off, and not a very welcoming visual.  It has this farmers market feel to it.

Not sure how potential customers will gravitate towards something that looks a bit old school.  I preferred the prior look with the brighter colours.  Not saying to keep what you had before, but utilize more exciting colours, especially if you're trying to reach the younger demographic and their short attention span, dull colours won't get their attention.

I guess we'll see how this re-branding goes over the next while, luckily the branding is not what drives the growth as much as it is the referrals that we the existing customers bring to PM.  So with that said I'm sure this look will stay for a few years until the next re-brand. 

---

The design is sort of growing on me. I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first, and it does have a sort of pastel old-school look but I'm beginning to like the more neutral, calm feel. 

[dna2016]

I'm very excited to see how the new two initiatives works out once it's in action.

In terms of the re-design, to be honest I'm not a huge fan of it.  The colour scheme is quite off, and not a very welcoming visual.  It has this farmers market feel to it.

Not sure how potential customers will gravitate towards something that looks a bit old school.  I preferred the prior look with the brighter colours.  Not saying to keep what you had before, but utilize more exciting colours, especially if you're trying to reach the younger demographic and their short attention span, dull colours won't get their attention.

I guess we'll see how this re-branding goes over the next while, luckily the branding is not what drives the growth as much as it is the referrals that we the existing customers bring to PM.  So with that said I'm sure this look will stay for a few years until the next re-brand. 

[jor123]

---

@stonechucker wrote:

@KamWest, at the bigger carriers, as @srlawren has mentioned, is the equivalent of $100/1GB, but charged at 1/10th the price/100MB.  You pay $10 if you only use 1kb of data.

With the $30/1 GB here, you get the whole 1 GB as it doesn't go away at the end of the cycle - it stays on your account until you use it again, and again, and again.  Only once the entire 1 GB of data is used, does it finally leave your account.

I'd much rather have a $30 gigabyte addon, than a $10 0.1 gigabyte booster.

---

Sure it carries over month-to-month, but $30 for 1 GB is still a ridiculous rate. 

[KamWest]

That's for an overage, they do not charge 100/1gb

That's really not a fair comparison because I'm not talking about overages. I'm talking about being able to buy 1 gig of data and $30 is very expensive for that considering you can get a 5 gig plan with call and text for $38.

[stonechucker]

@KamWest, at the bigger carriers, as @srlawren has mentioned, is the equivalent of $100/1GB, but charged at 1/10th the price/100MB.  You pay $10 if you only use 1kb of data.

With the $30/1 GB here, you get the whole 1 GB as it doesn't go away at the end of the cycle - it stays on your account until you use it again, and again, and again.  Only once the entire 1 GB of data is used, does it finally leave your account.

I'd much rather have a $30 gigabyte addon, than a $10 0.1 gigabyte booster.

[KamWest]

---

@BEER wrote:

If you think that $30 for 5GB is insane then sit down -  take a sip of coffee and check out Bell’s pricing.  

After many years with Bell I have switched our family's 3 phones to PM .  Of course now Bell is calling and emailing us because they want us back LOL  —- but hell will freeze over before I switch back to them. 

---

I said 30 bucks for 1 gig was insane

[srlawren]

---

@KamWest wrote:

The thirty bucks is insane and if I get 5 gig for $40 in my plan that means I should be able to buy a gig for around $8. They

---

---

@Jonavin wrote:

Great point about the data price. All the other addons seems to be quite fair but $30/GB is a bit much even if it lasts forever. For years we’ve asked for possible lower price point for this addon.

---

@KamWest @Jonavin as @BEER alluded to, overage charges at the 2nd and 3rd tier big 3 brands are at or above $100 / GB (billed in increments of $10/100MB, rounded up to the nearest 100MB).  Compared to that, $30/GB is an amazing bargain--plus add-on data stays on your account until completely used.

EDIT: forgot to mention, you always pay more for overage than for data in the base plan, so expecting the same equivalent of $8/GB for overages is only going to lead to disappointment.  

[DannyM]

sorry guys, branding, logo, colours... its all reaaaaally bad! who came up with this? my eyes hurt from looking at this... yikes! What you had before was way better... 😞

[Jonavin]

Great point about the data price. All the other addons seems to be quite fair but $30/GB is a bit much even if it lasts forever. For years we’ve asked for possible lower price point for this addon.

I appreciate the free 1GB offer, but I almost wished you’d do a promo of 1/2 price data addons instead for a limited time. Maybe something for Black Friday? 😉

[pm-smayer97]

---

@BEER wrote:

If one likes or dislikes the new look it’s just a matter of opinion. What counts is that PM seems to be the very best provider that doesn't seem to be gouging it's customers.

PM latest gesture of no other reason but just to be nice, (and good marketing) is their gift of an extra 1 GB of data with no strings attached

---

I agree with first line. As for pricing, the problem is that at the moment they are not as price competitive as they once were AND they have removed the flexibility that has drawn many to PM. BUt for sure, this latest offer of 1GB for free is a very nice gesture.

[BEER]

If you think that $30 for 5GB is insane then sit down -  take a sip of coffee and check out Bell’s pricing.  

After many years with Bell I have switched our family's 3 phones to PM .  Of course now Bell is calling and emailing us because they want us back LOL  —- but hell will freeze over before I switch back to them. 

[BEER]

The heart is the best way to go because it is used in many other websites and generally understood as a favorite symbol. The P you suggest is generally used as a parking garage symbol.