Upcoming Changes to our Old Rewards Program

[J_PM]

Hey Community,

We have an important announcement to share with our subscribers who are currently enrolled in our old Rewards program.

We’re making changes to our rewards program and are sharing how these changes impact some of our subscribers. Starting in May, we’ll be retiring our old Rewards program and moving all subscribers to our Public Points™ program. 

We launched the Public Points™ program in January 2022 to provide our subscribers with more ways to earn and spend rewards, with greater flexibility. As part of our commitment to continuously evolve our products and services, it's time to retire our old Rewards program and shift our focus on enhancing our Points program.

To show our appreciation for your continued loyalty, subscribers on our old Rewards program will receive a special thank you. We'll send you a text message when it has been added to your account by March 31st. 

We’re excited to continue providing you, our valued subscribers, more opportunities to earn and spend rewards with Public Points™ moving forward.

To learn more about your move to Public Points, check out our FAQ here.

The Public Mobile Team

[joe77]

This is exactly the issue I'm currently trying to figure out for my in-laws.  I convinced them a few years back to go on the $10 plan. They're on fixed incomes and this was considered a "luxury" that they could afford. They strictly use it for safety reasons as they are still independent and it gives my wife some piece of mind.

PM was a leader back then with plans like that to service people in these situations... but now they are like all the rest... nothing special here any longer.

[byildir]

Hi Public Mobile,

These changes reduce what I am getting from PM for the same prices I am paying now. You are violating the contract based on a clause you point to. The same clause makes this contract totally one-sided, so much so that it is an "unconscionable"  agreement which is invalid.  You can bring out a new program but you cannot weasel out of the contract which you are bound to. In addition to making many customers upset, you are inviting a class action law suit against the company. I strongly suggest that you grandfather the existing contract obligations while introducing this new program. Bulent, yildir@enginia.com. 

[hTideGnow]

HI @Bottomshelf 

to file formal complain with PM, please submit a ticket with CS Agent using this Chatbot link:  https://widget.telus.tiia.ai/publicmobile/publicmobile.html  Type the question "Submit ticket", Then click the following in order: "Contact Us" ,  "Other",  "Log In".  
If any issue with ticket submission, you can  submit by direct message:  
      https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437   

[Bottomshelf]

Did you file a complaint with PM, wait for a response from PM before filing a formal complaint with the CCTS?

How did you file your complaint with PM?  I was trying to determine where the PM formal complaint could be filed.

Is there a specific link I can go directly to file my complaint to PM?
Thanks.

[Public_Cust_17]

@Oakestester and for anyone on the lower priced plans aka seniors, financially vulnerable or just those looking for a plan that saves them money for things like food, the hit is substantially greater...

[RetiredGuy1]

Yup and it hasn’t escaped my attention that the new program doesn’t even include the word “rewards” in its title. At least they’re being honest and upfront about something for a change

[Public_Cust_17]

@4star601*existing rewards become ongoing points*  is where you're mistaken as an existing customer on the $15 plan after 5 years.. $15*.05=$0.75 - new reward is no where close to the existing $2 autopay/subscription and $5 loyalty reward.. and the 10 points/$10 a year doesn't come close to making up for the difference.

[Bottomshelf]

If you do the math, the old loyalty rewards were more beneficial than the upcoming point system.  For example, on the existing reward system the $15 plan on auto pay, gets you a $24 annual benefit at $2 per month (BEFORE considering years you are a customer = $1 per year, max. $5 total).  Under the new system the customer gets .75 points per month ($15 x 5%) or 9 points annually plus 10 anniversary points .  Equating points to dollars that gives you 19 pts or $19.  On your anniversary you get to apply 15 pts ($15) to reduce your monthly fee or you pts for promotions contests etc.
Granted, the difference is only $5 ($24 vs $19) for this specific example and not accounting for a customer's years with PM (maximum 5 years), it may mean a lot to some customers at the lower income level.  For other it's the principle of why they signed up in the first place; a cheap no frills plan.

I'm on the $15 plan paying $7.84 .  In my case I will be paying over $85 more annually. At my plan value, there are NO(?) equivalent plans at the $15 that will also give you "rewards" like PM?  Although the new rewards are not much, I will wait until May to decide I should leave PM.  If I do leave the Freedom Mobile $119 prepaid annual plan sounds like a good deal even though I will be paying more $80.08 (PM 5 yr customer)  vs $133.28 and this not even factoring my spouse who also is a PM customer.

As others have said, the major impact is on the $15 plan as others on a higher $ plan ($25 and above) have more options to shop around.

[Wolfcore]

I think this is their plan, just because I see certain people (including Oracles), who appear to be pushing this as if it's some sort of great compromise. Feels too convenient to not be coordinated.

The reality is, that would just be another slap to the face. These plans should already be available to all customers, not just new ones. They're literally offering objectively better plans to people who haven't even given them a cent yet, but not to loyal customers who have paid them for years. Just very disrespectful and they clearly don't care about loyalty at all (which makes sense, considering they're getting rid of loyalty rewards).

What makes it worse, is that porting out to another company, and porting back into PM (in order to obtain these exclusive offers), isn't even that difficult, and they know this. But they also know that if you port out and port back in, you'll lose your legacy rewards, so that's another reason why it's exclusive to new customers. I guess there just weren't a lot of people biting on their tricks, so they had to force the removal of the rewards system instead.

[RetiredGuy1]

Rubbing the PM crystal ball, I can see those two 4G plans ($24/$29) currently available for new subscribers only magically being made available to existing customers as well just days before the forced migration to the new points system! 😉

[Wolfcore]

Ahh, you're right, I should've doublechecked before saying that.

As for the limiting of data, yeah, if somebody is responsible, it shouldn't be an issue. I just know how a lot of people operate, and when they KNOW they have access to data, and they really need it, they'll use it. So if they hit that 1gb mark, and know that they can use their data if they just switch their settings, they may do it. So really all depends on the user and their self-control. Definitely good for a lot of people though. 

[jakeoh1]

Family of four here, all with Public Mobile. Will be porting all four numbers to a different carrier in May.

[LTD2023]

@4star601 wrote: I am not sure what the curfuffle is from existing customers, other than points need to be applied when 15 are acumulated(or more).  I believe ZI still pay my current discounted rate as existing rewards become ongoing points which I will apply(granted inconvenient).

It's not the inconvenience of claiming the points. It's about our plans are going up. Myself, the points are useless. When the loyalty rewards disappear, my plan will be 84.00+ tax more a year. There are cheaper and better plans out there when these changes kick in. Not allowing existing customers to take advantage of the discounted plans that are for new customers is not helping the situation either. All of this is just pushing long standing customers away.

[wetcoaster]

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@dariovitale wrote:

Problem with the Lucky Mobile $15 a month plan is that it's 3G and only has 100 mins talk time. 

BETTER OFF with Freedom Mobile's prepaid $119 yearly 4G plan with unlimited national calling and texting with 15GB total for the year.

---

Depends on where you are.

Going to Freedom only makes sense if you are in Freedom's native coverage. Yes, with the new and improved nationwide network you can use Freedom pretty much anywhere where the big 3 have coverage, however, you can't port a PM/Telus number to Freedom if the later is not offering numbers in the same exchange. Which still excludes Canadians in smaller / rural communities and in Atlantic Canada.

With all the drawbacks you've pointed out, Lucky operates on the same footprint as Public Mobile. 

[Oakestester]

Instead of the $2 autopay discount ($24/year), you will get 5% x your monthly plan amount. For most of us with a  $34 plan, that's 1.7 points per month (20.4/year). 

Instead of the $5/month loyalty discount if you've been with PM for 5+ years ($60/year), you will get 10 points once per year.

So instead of $84 per year under the old system, you will get 30.4 points per year. Points are redeemable in increments of 15 for a $15 bill credit. So, putting the hassle of manual redemptions and having to wait until you have 15 points aside, you're spending an extra $53.60 per year.

[4star601]

What's changing. You will get points and be able to apply them????

[wetcoaster]

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@Wolfcore wrote:

Yup, another great option. I just didn't mention it because you have to pay a large sum upfront, and maybe not everybody can do that. But also, it's 15GB all at once, not separated monthly. So I can just imagine people using more than they should per month (even by mistake), and then midway through the year they just run out of data, which would suck. At least the $19 one resets each month.

But yeah, another good option for dual-sim people would be Freedom's $99/year unlimited talk/text ($8.25/month) + a data-only plan from somebody like Fizz. May be able to get very close to that $15 mark for cheap.

---

The $99 Freedom plan does not include outgoing messages. It's unlimited talk (in and out) and unlimited incoming texts, outgoing texts are $0.05/outgoing message (= 160 characters). So if you are sending more than one traditional text message per day, the $119 plan is the better choice.

On Android you can always set a data limit to prevent going over the 1GB /month by accident. Not sure what the options on iOS are.

[mikasik2]

The guy who responded to my CCTS complaint thinks his job is to help me better understand the new rewards system 🤣

Good luck everyone 🙄

[4star601]

I will add that the "bonus" is indeed useless as I just switched to a data included paln of 150GB/3months, all I will need.

[4star601]

---

@J_PM wrote:

Hey Community,

We have an important announcement to share with our subscribers who are currently enrolled in our old Rewards program.

We’re making changes to our rewards program and are sharing how these changes impact some of our subscribers. Starting in May, we’ll be retiring our old Rewards program and moving all subscribers to our Public Points™ program. 

We launched the Public Points™ program in January 2022 to provide our subscribers with more ways to earn and spend rewards, with greater flexibility. As part of our commitment to continuously evolve our products and services, it's time to retire our old Rewards program and shift our focus on enhancing our Points program.

To show our appreciation for your continued loyalty, subscribers on our old Rewards program will receive a special thank you. We'll send you a text message when it has been added to your account by March 31st. 

We’re excited to continue providing you, our valued subscribers, more opportunities to earn and spend rewards with Public Points™ moving forward.

To learn more about your move to Public Points, check out our FAQ here.

The Public Mobile Team

---

I am not sure what the curfuffle is from existing customers, other than points need to be applied when 15 are acumulated(or more).  I believe ZI still pay my current discounted rate as existing rewards become ongoing points which I will apply(granted inconvenient)

??????

[Wolfcore]

Yup, another great option. I just didn't mention it because you have to pay a large sum upfront, and maybe not everybody can do that. But also, it's 15GB all at once, not separated monthly. So I can just imagine people using more than they should per month (even by mistake), and then midway through the year they just run out of data, which would suck. At least the $19 one resets each month.

But yeah, another good option for dual-sim people would be Freedom's $99/year unlimited talk/text ($8.25/month) + a data-only plan from somebody like Fizz. May be able to get very close to that $15 mark for cheap.

[Bottomshelf]

It looks like the Freedom prepaid annual plan at $119 is a better deal which includes a total of 15gb on an annual basis?

[Public_Cust_17]

@LTD2023... my thoughts exactly! 15gb of data vs. 3gb (250mb*12), unlimited T&T vs. 100 incoming minutes, 4G LTE data vs. 3G data.. and the before taxes cost will be $9.92 vs the $15 they're pushing me back up to... and forget about having to go claim some b.s. rewards when I'm lucky enough to accumulate them which would only work out to less than $2 month. I'm no accountant but I'm pretty sure I can do that math!  😉

[Bottomshelf]

My guess is, because you're on a $15 plan you received the 5gb.

[Wolfcore]

Yeah, exactly this, perfect response. I can understand Oracles vaguely hinting at how this new points program isn't so bad, or trying to convince people that PM still has the best value, but to guilt us into feeling bad for Telus (when we're impacted far more as consumers), is just shameless. I understand they're trying to protect their $20, and the company that pays them, but come on, have some respect for people.

[Public_Cust_17]

@Stelawrat just to tag onto your post.. https://www.planhub.ca/ for comparing plans as well and Virgin (owned by Bell) is also another one out there.  Cheers & thanks for putting that all together!

[RetiredGuy1]

Yeah, I stopped debating him when I asked, from a Telus shareholder perspective, how much more is enough after Telus posted record profits. His response was essentially “but inflation”. I would argue someone subscribed to a 3rd tier discount telecom provider is likely here for the lower costs and, as such, more likely to feel the impact of inflation over Telus shareholders

[Stelawrat]

Review ToS met: edited to remove customer review statistics & hyperlinks. 

Depending on what happens with PM’s $24 plan, if made available to everyone, then I’ll probably stay, as I've never had problems with PM. I’m taking advantage of my Legacy Rewards until May when, if it’s worthwhile, I’ll begin comparison shopping.

To date, Fizz Mobile seems to be the most comparable to PM, with respect to the plans offered, website navigation, ease of use & the community. My own requirements met, it’s the carrier I would migrate to, if necessary.

Note: Bell & Telus share towers. Bell towers dominate eastern Canada & are shared by Telus, while Telus towers dominate western Canada & are shared by Bell. Rogers coverage is coast to coast. Despite this, many complaints were connectivity related, so you might want to check map coverage / tower locations local to you for work & home.

For the most budget friendly service providers, I’ve looked at customer reviews from several sources, in addition to their own websites. I’ve looked at their plans, support features if any & website navigation.

Fido Mobile: Rogers Network / Owned by Rogers: complaints re: customer service & billing issues.

Fizz Mobile: Rogers/Vidéotron Network / Owned by Québecor: good for internet, not as good for phones.

Freedom Mobile: Freedom/Vidéotron Network / Owned by Québecor: complaints re: customer support & connectivity issues.

Koodo Mobile: Telus Network / Owned by Telus: complaints re: customer support, billing & connectivity issues.

Lucky Mobile: Bell Network / Owned by Bell: complaints: bad in general.

PC Mobile: Bell Network / Owned by Bell: complaints re: customer service, billing & connectivity issues.

Public Mobile: Telus Network / Owned by Telus: complaints re: customer service & billing issues; note: rarely connectivity issues, mostly related to those using 5G who live / work in concrete / eco-friendly buildings, which applies to all service providers.

For those of you who have the time & patience to do more research, these are just a few of many sites available. I chose these because of their engagement with a wide demographic, allowing for a better picture overall.

BBB – Cansumer – cellphones.ca – Reddit – Trustpilot Reviews

Jan.’24: Tutorial: How to Switch to A New Cell Provider and Keep Your Number | WhistleOut

[TaylorZ]

This new program is not good. Old loyal customers are getting incredibly bad value for being for being forced to switch.

[Public_Cust_17]

Typo.. *5GB*  😕