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

[Stelawrat]

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@wetcoaster wrote:

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@Stelawrat wrote:

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@PrettyFly wrote:

So let me get this straight.. I have a VoLTE capable device that would have it activated on Koodo or Telus, but not PM, and PM is raising prices on me? Cool. Guess I'll be porting out to someone who offers VoLTE sometime this year once I use up my addons, and I don't mean the time-limited data "gift". It should have been permanent data, not a "few months" to use it.

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Re: the phones whitelisted here: How to use Public Mobile VoLTE | Help Articles | Public Mobile

Can anyone advise if that whitelist is up to date, as it's a year old now. 

Also, for those whose phone isn't on that list, from what I've read online, you may still be able to access VoLTE. 

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The whitelist is not up-to-date, as far as I can tell those are all 2023 or older models - you are not telling me that we wouldn't have seen the outcries in the community from people on the latest and greatest iPhone 15 and Samsung S24 if they couldn't at least access VoLTE?? Someone else confirm this, but I'm quite sure that the newest Canadian version iPhones, Samsung phones and Pixels are probably supported.

While some people have been able to hang on to VoLTE on unlisted devices (I saw a Blackberry Key2 mentioned, but don't remember who posted about it), I'd go with the general rule that, if it's not on the list you will not get VoLTE to begin with, or you are getting VoLTE until the PM system detects that the SIM is in an "unauthorized" device and cuts VoLTE support to the device. 

(I've mentioned this many times: My Umidigi Bison's VoLTE worked flawlessly when VoLTE was first enabled on my account. A couple of months later PM removed it, and all troubleshooting didn't get it back on that phone. My Freedom SIM has delivered VoLTE (and VoWiFi) on the Bison without a hitch. And my PM SIM gets VoLTE in my friend's Pixel 6a...)

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That's what I thought as well. I imagine that VoLTE whitelist isn't current & @PrettyFly's phone might actually be VoLTE accessible with PM. Highlighting for the powers that be at PM. 

Re: phones not listed on whitelists in general: this is a grey area for me, so I'm not advocating either way. I tend to follow the rules, 😐 so trying to bypass the norm, isn't something I'd be comfortable messing around with, not to mention, I'm not tech savvy enough to be messing around anyway! 😛 But I realize that there are lots of people, who are more than capable & @PrettyFly might be one of them, if they decide to remain with PM. 

Thank you @wetcoaster!  & a nod to @fixin   

[JDBlue1966]

All they had to do was grandfather everyone into the new points system (we keep our loyalty rewards). Then, if needed, put up the monthly rates a dollar a year. Think most could live with that. Instead, they just basically shaft every loyal customer. Well, I’m also going to get another provider. Without my current $7 rewards, there are lots out there who compare, or are slightly better than what I have now. 

[Cybershot]

At the end of the day I feel like I'm getting ripped off after being a loyal customer. I will vote with MY money and make nessary changes including changing providers. I've also removed my referral link on my social media pages. I will not be bullied by big corporate. Bye 

[Lolo_1234]

Just a note for those looking for a new plan, there is a new plan offered if you are Lucky enough to have a Quebec number (5 gb/$22), grab it while it's there! If too many of my referrals are leaving PM I will definitively switch to this plan... (I now have PM's 4 gb/$24).

[RetiredGuy1]

When looking just at plan price, consider the impact of the change in rewards programs. Note the large gap in data allotment between the $34 50 GB plan (likely the most popular of the 5G plans) and the closest downgrade of the $29 20 GB plan (for those who consider 50 GB way more than they need). At first glance, a naive subscriber might say “hey, if I’m losing my loyalty rewards, screw PM, I’m downgrading my plan to save $5 a month so $60 savings a year for a plan better suited to my needs!”

Using the popular profile of an old rewards subscriber ($2 AP and $5 loyalty):

$34 - $7 = $27 per month x 12 = $324.00 revenue for PM over a year

Downgrading to the $29 plan, under the new rewards program, that same subscriber:

$29 per month x 12 = $348 - (5% or $17.40 + $10) = $320.60 revenue for PM per year

So, with the switch to the new rewards program, you’re basically paying the same annually. This is the context for my previous posts when I suggested, in some cases, plan prices were not effectively coming down. Its smoke and mirrors and no coincidence.

For the $24 plan, the actual difference is $60.40 instead of what appears to be $120 less per year.

[Korth_]

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@fixin wrote:
After that you CAN do a CCTS complaint all you want!

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I know you mean well.

But this is not a matter of simply clicking through step-by-step instructions in a walkthrough strategy guide to defeat a difficult boss monster.

If you treat the matter flippantly then your complaint will get dismissed. If you don't make an actual effort then your complaint won't be given any more attention than a routine fire-and-forget email response. The CCTS is in the business of arbitrating and resolving complaints, the CCTS is not in the business of wasting time following through on every random copypasta petition which is sent to them.

Follow CCTS rules when you're invoking CCTS intervention. Just like you would follow business protocols in a business meeting, police procedures in a police station, legal orders in a court of law, etc.

Don't circumvent the rules and just copy-paste through the forms then type your angry one-liner in the final box unless you want the CCTS to throw your complaint into their trash bin without any kind of serious consideration.

[Edit: The reason I say all this is not to discourage people from registering complaints. But to encourage complaints which are valid and meaningful. Just flooding the CCTS with garbage is going to make them ignore the spam and roll their eyes at yet another angry rant from an ex-customer of their favourite unpopular Telus subsidiary. But forcing them to actually read through real complaints will focus their attentions and investigations onto real customer perceptions. They can't fire shots unless you provide the bullets. And they have dismissed quantity without quality before.]

[fixin]

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@bm_too wrote:

This isn't very good news.  The points program is not as good as the rewards program for my plan as my costs will be going up about 35%.

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@bm_too - Many... Many people are displeased by this move by PM. ONE way is to file a CCTS complaint about this issue

• FIRST contact CS_Agent for help, most likely no resolution other than removing from the points and no legacy rewards

⬇️ Click the link for an Agent * ⬇️

https://urlshortner.tiia.ai/xYpc_I

If the link above doesn’t work, please go here to create a ticket to CS_Agent: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

* - CS_Agent will typically get back to you within 48 hours.  You will be required to login to your Public Mobile Community Account to contact CS_Agent. Once you are finished making the ticket with CS_Agent, please ensure that you monitor for an agent because they may notify you asking for some information via Private Message, in your mailbox by clicking this link here: Messages

• After that you CAN do a CCTS complaint all you want!

https://www.ccts-cprst.ca/for-consumers/complaints/complaint-form/

NOTE: People have gotten confused by the "Contract" part of it. Please ignore the field.

[bm_too]

This isn't very good news.  The points program is not as good as the rewards program for my plan as my costs will be going up about 35%.

[wetcoaster]

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@Stelawrat wrote:

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@PrettyFly wrote:

So let me get this straight.. I have a VoLTE capable device that would have it activated on Koodo or Telus, but not PM, and PM is raising prices on me? Cool. Guess I'll be porting out to someone who offers VoLTE sometime this year once I use up my addons, and I don't mean the time-limited data "gift". It should have been permanent data, not a "few months" to use it.

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Re: the phones whitelisted here: How to use Public Mobile VoLTE | Help Articles | Public Mobile

Can anyone advise if that whitelist is up to date, as it's a year old now. 

Also, for those whose phone isn't on that list, from what I've read online, you may still be able to access VoLTE. 

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The whitelist is not up-to-date, as far as I can tell those are all 2023 or older models - you are not telling me that we wouldn't have seen the outcries in the community from people on the latest and greatest iPhone 15 and Samsung S24 if they couldn't at least access VoLTE?? Someone else confirm this, but I'm quite sure that the newest Canadian version iPhones, Samsung phones and Pixels are probably supported.

While some people have been able to hang on to VoLTE on unlisted devices (I saw a Blackberry Key2 mentioned, but don't remember who posted about it), I'd go with the general rule that, if it's not on the list you will not get VoLTE to begin with, or you are getting VoLTE until the PM system detects that the SIM is in an "unauthorized" device and cuts VoLTE support to the device. 

(I've mentioned this many times: My Umidigi Bison's VoLTE worked flawlessly when VoLTE was first enabled on my account. A couple of months later PM removed it, and all troubleshooting didn't get it back on that phone. My Freedom SIM has delivered VoLTE (and VoWiFi) on the Bison without a hitch. And my PM SIM gets VoLTE in my friend's Pixel 6a...)

[fixin]

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@Stelawrat wrote:

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@PrettyFly wrote:

So let me get this straight.. I have a VoLTE capable device that would have it activated on Koodo or Telus, but not PM, and PM is raising prices on me? Cool. Guess I'll be porting out to someone who offers VoLTE sometime this year once I use up my addons, and I don't mean the time-limited data "gift". It should have been permanent data, not a "few months" to use it.

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Re: the phones whitelisted here: How to use Public Mobile VoLTE | Help Articles | Public Mobile

Can anyone advise if that whitelist is up to date, as it's a year old now. 

Also, for those whose phone isn't on that list, from what I've read online, you may still be able to access VoLTE. 

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@Stelawrat - It is on a whitelist so yes. It just changes when PM wants to add new phones to it.

Some people have had luck connecting to VoLTE without their phone on the whitelist.

[Stelawrat]

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@PrettyFly wrote:

So let me get this straight.. I have a VoLTE capable device that would have it activated on Koodo or Telus, but not PM, and PM is raising prices on me? Cool. Guess I'll be porting out to someone who offers VoLTE sometime this year once I use up my addons, and I don't mean the time-limited data "gift". It should have been permanent data, not a "few months" to use it.

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Re: the phones whitelisted here: How to use Public Mobile VoLTE | Help Articles | Public Mobile

Can anyone advise if that whitelist is up to date, as it's a year old now. 

Also, for those whose phone isn't on that list, from what I've read online, you may still be able to access VoLTE. 

[Wolfcore]

I don't think people understand how many people 750 actually is, when you consider the fact that this is a forum for a telecom company lol.

To convince 750 individuals to make a second account just to post on the forum of a budget telecom company is no easy feat. This is without the rewards even technically being removed yet, and that fact that a large percentage of these people will only know about this change once they get their first bill with the increased fee (because how many people actually read emails or texts from their service providers? Let's be honest).

This number is indicative of a much larger group of people. 

[ShawnC13]

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@eyes wrote:

Now I’m more confused than ever — your comment to me has been marked as the solution to this OP . 

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Was working off of my phone and must have hit the screen with a part of my hand.

[ShawnC13]

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@eyes wrote:

Sorry. But I’m a bit confused with your comment- I don’t think it was me that questioned you . I think with all these overwhelming posts you may have me confused with another post. Cheers and keep up the great work. 

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This is what I was replying to 

[Insignia]

and whatever they want to gain from the dollar 33 or 53 cents they get instead of the seven dollars that wont be automatic it would be multiple ( more than once log in to the system 1st to direct the points in plan price  reduction then it would be a second login to apply that amount in for example your bill reduction so the automatic part is also gone )if you don`t apply log out then  relogging to pay for the plan reduction the points just keep accumulating but you don`t get anything a clever approach now to force the customer to do it him/ Her self every month .the new point system is not good at all but that is the way public repays your loyalty .

[ShawnC13]

@eyes I said have made the majority of the posts in this thread I didn't say all the posts 

Edited:  Was working on my phone and must have hit the wrong button when I was editing

[ShawnC13]

@eyes as long as the discussion stays respectful there should be no problems

[ShawnC13]

@hTideGnow why does all this matter?  Your post is only going to create friction and adds nothing to this thread.  There is no need for such comments

[PrettyFly]

So let me get this straight.. I have a VoLTE capable device that would have it activated on Koodo or Telus, but not PM, and PM is raising prices on me? Cool. Guess I'll be porting out to someone who offers VoLTE sometime this year once I use up my addons, and I don't mean the time-limited data "gift". It should have been permanent data, not a "few months" to use it.

[OldNicknameGone]

@softechI wasn't planning on replying to this thread anymore, after I finally got my price-increase calculations posted for everyone to see, but this has brought me back to ask a question - Do your stats include the messages that were mass-purged in the early days of this thread? We're at 3086 posts now, and it looks about right that there are 15 new posts above yours, right now. Hundreds of posts were deleted as the thread exploded, so your stats are missing those. Those early posts that were deleted certainly included more posts from the more-active posters in the thread, but many were one-off posters that I hadn't seen before, and haven't seen since. I don't know if the deletions continue now, because I haven't been watching the reply counter closely, but if they have continued, there could be a tremendous proportion of legacy customers who did reply, but were filtered out.

[Public_Cust_17]

@Hordy   you can click on my profile (name) and find the email I drafted up and sent to the The Standing Committee on Industry and Technology (E-mail: INDU@parl.gc.ca) (who are currently in discussions with mobile provider CEO's regarding their pricing policies) yesterday voicing my displeasure.  Feel free to use that as a template or create your own and email them too letting them know.. the more they hear from might not help but it won't hurt.  Cheers

[RetiredGuy1]

@hTideGnow 

The number of postings is not the right metric to use to gauge not only the number of legacy subscribers there are but, more importantly, the level of interest in what is being posted here. For that, the number of page views is more indicative. Imagine how many come on here and read what’s being said and don’t bother to post because they see their thoughts are already covered. Further (and this part is not measurable), imagine they then relay to friends and family members who are subscribers what they’ve discovered in here. In other words, the reach of “only” 700 posters is far greater than simply counting their posts.

[Handy1]

@eyes I’m basically saying I hope to see better priced plans with no speed caps , for 4G or 5G 

Funny thing is I still get better deal with Telus and have for sometime that always been better value you then PM .with family discount i pay $30 get 45GB 1000US mins unlimited international text . And thats true 5G+ speed plan that advised as up to 2GBps but best I’ve ever got I speed text was mid 700-800 mbs that’s 4 times faster then PM up to 250mbs capped 5G plan . This all to say that PM isn’t really saving you that much from what the big 3 will offer customers that have already proven they aren’t not loyal to get these win back plans . So why PM have to be so greedy and take away old rewards in first place / just scrap the points together and be a leader again and offer discount plans . That truly beat the competition . But as we see when you’re loyal you show complacency and that speaks to the management of all carriers that you don’t deserve a better plan . And even my plan now is a dinosaur there’s better same price more data win back plans for those that refuse t stay loyal . So it’s always good to try new places and test and move around . Voting with our wallets  and creating opportunities. 

[HALIMACS]

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@JDBlue1966 wrote:

Thats all on this thread 

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Not all of it.   It appears you had some community posting activity in early January as well.

[JDBlue1966]

Thats all on this thread 

[HALIMACS]

I believe your count, @JDBlue1966 , is around 60.

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/322171

[hTideGnow]

HI @Public_Cust_17 

if only 700 posted, that would show a very small percentage of legacy customers response.   Comment like " overwhelming majority of long time members feel cheated with this disrespectful  treatment" would not stand then.  Yes, some are shy , some don't care to response, but we should now find out how many legacy rewards customers are there, 7000?  70,000?   Someone said 200,000 earlier.  700/200,000?  🤔

[Public_Cust_17]

@JDBlue1966   most likely standard analytics that are available with the forum/community platform that PM is using and easily looked up.

[Public_Cust_17]

@RetiredGuy1  my thoughts are that there are always those who are more proactive, some that will probably get around to checking it out the closer it gets and most will experience "sticker shock" when it hits them on their bill. I think the ones posting now are in the first category since it's not even April now.

[JDBlue1966]

Same with me. Never bothered before. The change in rewards, only go me posting. Why anyone would be bothered on who posts, or how many, puzzles me.