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

[Bunnyhop]

Good save! Thank you for sharing those!

[Bunnyhop]

Some folks dont know what they're doing sadly.

[Wolfcore]

Why exactly are you even here then? You've spent the past month telling people that PM did nothing wrong, and for them to just get over it. Why not just let people voice their frustration? Why do you feel the need to constantly defend PM with every message?

[kb_mv]

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@golfball wrote:

The bait and switch was offering plans like the $34 can-us plan for people to swap to and then surprise announcing that the price you thought you'd be paying will actually be much higher. Just look at my rewards page, next month I'll have to pay over $10 extra after taxes. As someone who was on the $15 plan before this month I would never have signed on for such a drastic jump. 

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@golfball That argument is getting old. Their ToS say/said they can change or even cease the rewards program as they see fit. As you no doubt read the ToS when you signed up perhaps you should have taken it into consideration that they could at any time change or get rid of rewards. As for your plan, there is nothing stoping you from changing back to the $15 plan before your next renewal.

Bait and switch? Not even close. You got the plan you signed up for and as i said you can change back to the $15 plan before you are out any more money. Google bait and switch. If you feel that strongly about this whole thing call a lawyer.

Everyone on the old rewards is losing out going forward, myself included. No more available funds deposited into my account monthly. It sucks but it isn't near as traumatic for me as it appears to be for some. 

[Joe_G]

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@golfball wrote:

The bait and switch was offering plans like the $34 can-us plan for people to swap to and then surprise announcing that the price you thought you'd be paying will actually be much higher. Just look at my rewards page, next month I'll have to pay over $10 extra after taxes. As someone who was on the $15 plan before this month I would never have signed on for such a drastic jump. 

 

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I too was on the $15 plan with legacy rewards, and upgraded to the $34 can-us plan. When the points system kicks in for me in May I will actually pay around $30 plus tax, which I think is a pretty good deal for that plan. I have one referral so I will get 1 point for that, plus 5% of my payment, plus 10 points every twelve months =  0.83 points/mo. I pay with vouchers which I buy at a grocery store with a credit card which pays 3% cash back at grocery stores. I know its not as good as the legacy rewards but I think it's still a pretty good deal.

[kb_mv]

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@Ha2fly wrote:

Anywhere outside US

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@Ha2fly If you are travelling outside the USA a much cheaper option is a travel sim, data only. I use one all through the Caribbean, central America and Europe with no issues. Add on roaming from providers is usually way more expensive. Rogers roaming outside the US is $15 day. Freedom has a monthly plan, 15GB/$45 per month. Telus Easy Roam is $16/day. There are much better options out there. 

[Bunnyhop]

It is good to see where you stand on this.

[golfball]

The bait and switch was offering plans like the $34 can-us plan for people to swap to and then surprise announcing that the price you thought you'd be paying will actually be much higher. Just look at my rewards page, next month I'll have to pay over $10 extra after taxes. As someone who was on the $15 plan before this month I would never have signed on for such a drastic jump. 

 

[ashishg1]

i think what it comes down is deceptive plans and unethical marketing practices. Here is a 100$ plan with 20 discounts that bring it down to 15$. these discounts are forever but we can take away at anytime and create a loophole of increasing price of grandfathered plans without giving any more benefits.

The best way to deal with companies that do this is to switch. Plain and simple. Our governments are too inept to have any laws that prevent these companies from doing such things so its all legal

[Ha2fly]

Anywhere outside US

[colleeno]

Name calling just because someone disagrees with your opinion??? And the fact that some people are losing their sanity and politeness towards others over a phone plan?

I am a nobody at Public Mobile (so don’t call me a shill) and have been a customer for 5 years. Yes, I am disappointed that my rewards will be changed because who wants to pay more for anything BUT it was written in the Rewards Terms and Conditions since the beginning of the program that Public Mobile could change or cancel it at any time.

By the way, I agree 100% with the sentiment expressed in the 3 comments you pulled from Reddit.

[kb_mv]

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@Ha2fly wrote:

The only reason to stay with a provider that doesn’t offer roaming in 2024 was the price thanks to the legacy rewards plan. 

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@Ha2fly Roaming to where?

[Ha2fly]

I will move to a different provider as soon as the change is effective. The only reason to stay with a provider that doesn’t offer roaming in 2024 was the price thanks to the legacy rewards plan. 

[NoseyNick1]

> A good marketing team may conclude to leave the “old timer” accounts be and just focus on gaining new accounts

I dunno, there's also a certain expense in keeping 2 systems active, not just running 2 sets of servers and 2 sets of software, but the support hassle of "oh wait, you're a legacy rewards customer, let me check the other system", training staff for 2 different systems, and so on. Take this to its illogical extreme, they could be maintaining 5 (dis)loyalty systems in a few years and training staff to understand all 5 of them? From time to time, you just gotta obsolete the old stuff and force people onto the new stuff... I get it.

HOWEVER, we were promised that "in 5 years, you'll be saving $5/mo" - that was a pretty long-term commitment, part of the reason I signed up, part of the reason I acted as uncontracted PM marketting with my referrals too. It SHOULD have been trivial to offer 2 points/mo for autopay, 1pt/mo for a year of loyalty up to 5pts/mo for 5 yrs loyalty, and so on - keep 1pt=$1, ideally make it so I can automagically spend X pts to take $X off every bill, but in any case continue to reward our loyalty as promised, just on the new system.

That, they haven't done. I signed up for "up to $5/mo discount after 5yrs, $2/mo for autopay", knowing that even if it started out overpriced, like the rest of the Canadian mobile providers, it would eventually approach more reasonable EU/UK/rest-of-world pricing (even if MUCH less data).

It might not be an immediate bait-n-switch, it might have been a bit of a long-con bait-n-switch, but I was still sold on a 5+yr loyalty plan commitment, only to later find it rug-pulled before i ever had a chance to claim that $5/mo back.

[G_Pomzz]

@Ohnewone  said;

This is bait and switch and bad business practices we were told this was supposed to be for new users only and old users were supposed to be kept with the old rewards program

You are pretty misinformed. It's absolutely not a case of "bait and switch" advertising. 

A vendor that advertises an item to get you into the store, then doesn't have that item but pressures you into buying a similar higher priced item is the classic bait and switch technique. 

[kb_mv]

@Bunnyhop So everyone who disagrees with you is a corporate shill?

Edit: Shill - a person who publicly helps or gives credibility to a person or organization without disclosing that they have a close relationship with said person or organization.

The four posts that you showed are from people that you believe have an undisclosed close relationship with PM?

[Bunnyhop]

Here are three examples of what these corporate shills on reddit think about about us

1. The sense of entitlement is pretty strong. I would just shut down PM and let those entitled brats choose between Telus and Koodo.
Anyhow, even without any rewards system, Public already has the most competitive plan in the market with great coverage.

2. Agreed, even with the new points system (I typically cash in for the $15 off my bill) PM is still the best price I have found. Most phone companies don't have any rewards program at all. I have been a part of many rewards programs for different businesses/ stores that have changed over the years (or just flat out ended).I understand that people are mad about the changes, really I do. But i just don't think there is much of a claim here... "this company was giving me free stuff and now they decided to stop (give less)". I am sure in the fine print than no one ever reads it says something like “we reserve the right to modify the rewards program”.

3. So what? My PM plan is five years old. You are entitled and paranoid. Imagine protesting over a BONUS.  Just move to another provider. Pretty sad when you're in here criticizing the age of my Reddit account. Laughable. $34 for 50GB!!!!

Edit: I had to take one example off because it is duplicate.

[Public_Cust_17]

@Bunnyhop  I'm also encouraging everyone to read over the email I drafted up and sent to The Standing Committee on Industry and Technology (E-mail: INDU@parl.gc.ca) and to use it as a starting point (or to create a new one themselves) and include all of their points in an email to the committee. The committee is currently reviewing the pricing policies of the mobile operators and I'd like them to have every complaint and bit of information that they can regarding PM's tactics.. the more they hear from might not help but it won't hurt.   Cheers

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/Upcoming-Changes-to-our-Old-Rewards-Pro...

[Bunnyhop]

Yikes guys the astroturfers on r/publicmobile are so balatant and disrepectful.

[Bunnyhop]

I support you and wish you the best in your fight for customer protection.

[eyes]

After all these posts PM ‘s MESSAGE IS CLEAR—- Take it or leave it we don’t care. 

[kb_mv]

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@Ohnewone wrote:

This is bait and switch and bad business practices we were told this was supposed to be for new users only and old users were supposed to be kept with the old rewards program. 

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@Ohnewone Bait and switch is where a company advertises one thing to get you in and then tries to switch you to an more expensive product once you're in. You have been on the legacy rewards for at least two years, receiving monthly "cash" rewards payments. How is this bait and switch? If they tried to do this immediately after you signed up sure. But two years (minimum) later?

[Ohnewone]

This is bait and switch and bad business practices we were told this was supposed to be for new users only and old users were supposed to be kept with the old rewards program. 

[Retiree2024]

I think this is a bad idea as we were always told the points program was for new subscribers and if we wanted to join it was voluntary. Now we are told we have no choice you must join the points program. Well my choice will be to find a different provider as PM is changing the way their organization dictates to their subscribers. The bonus data you have given will run out before i use any of it. Also my bill will increase by $6.00 plus tax and as a senior on a fixed income that extra money will have to be taken from somewhere and i dont know where that is. 

[Yatti4201]

You can see how much of a rip off it is see my pics. I coululdnt use the promo data if I wanted too right now.. 

[SBM1]

This is unacceptable. I chose Public Mobile a number of years ago because of the rewards program. As a senior on a fixed income, it's very important that I control my spending as much as possible. The rewards program allows me to save $$ every month on this essential service and the additional saving of $1/month for each year is a key component of that.

When I first signed up with PM, I was assured the rewards program was a permanent feature. Forcing this change on existing customers who have already declined the new program is unacceptable. If PM goes through with this change, I will have no options other than filing a complaint against PM and looking for a company that treats customers fairly.

[kb_mv]

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@Bunnyhop wrote:

I dont know where to begin with that part unfortunately.

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@Bunnyhop  Maybe call a lawyer?

[Bunnyhop]

I dont know where to begin with that part unfortunately.

[kb_mv]

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@Bunnyhop wrote:

 We could start a class action lawsuit as-well for false advertisement.

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@Bunnyhop Any luck finding a law firm to take on a class action lawsuit?