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

[kb_mv]

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@RetiredGuy1 wrote:

@kb_mv Everybody has a price. Bell/Rogers/Telus are not worldwide giants by any stretch of the imagination. Looking at 2024 market caps of the largest telecoms you have T-Mobile ($190 billion USD), Comcast ($171 billion USD), and Verizon ($163 billion USD). They all dwarf Robellus by comparison.

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@RetiredGuy1 I think you missed the point I was making. What infrastructure would these international corporations use in Canada? The big 3 here own almost all of the networks and spectrum licenses.

[RetiredGuy1]

@kb_mv Everybody has a price. Bell/Rogers/Telus are not worldwide giants by any stretch of the imagination. Looking at 2024 market caps of the largest telecoms you have T-Mobile ($190 billion USD), Comcast ($171 billion USD), and Verizon ($163 billion USD). They all dwarf Robellus by comparison.

[kb_mv]

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@RetiredGuy1 wrote:

True enough. Actually, a former poster sent me a DM just a short time ago in response to my comment about the power the oligopoly wields in Canada. He stated “What we need is worldwide open competition. Let the worldwide giants in. That would likely kill our little "Big 3" due to their size.” I think inflation is a factor but I can certainly agree with what you and he are both saying on a larger scale.

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@RetiredGuy1 How would this work when the big 3 own almost all of the infrastructure?

Edit: The CRTC put an end to the plans of true MNVO's like DotMobile by requiring MNVO's to eventually install their own infrastructure.

[RetiredGuy1]

True enough. Actually, a former poster sent me a DM just a short time ago in response to my comment about the power the oligopoly wields in Canada. He stated “What we need is worldwide open competition. Let the worldwide giants in. That would likely kill our little "Big 3" due to their size.” I think inflation is a factor but I can certainly agree with what you and he are both saying on a larger scale.

[NoseyNick1]

> what has changed in the last few years. I submit its the rapidly-escalating inflation which, despite Telus still recording high profits, has a direct impact on PMs bottom line

Though i respect and thank you for your opinion and input here, I don't buy it. Record profits, in a market where the bandwidth and equipment has been getting cheaper and more plentiful each year, and where Canadians are paying orders of magnitude more than the rest of the world (literally, I am going to UK next month and expecting to have a choice of SIMs with twice the data I need per year, for less than the cost of 1 month of PM, despite being one of the cheapest in Canada). Less towers deployed in Canada too, by most accounts.

[jimbobs2023]

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@NoseyNick1 wrote:

...

Loyalty points: 1pt/mo after your first year at PM, 2pt/mo after your 2nd year at PM, up to 5pt/mo after 5yrs as an active loyal customer

Autopay points: 2pts/mo for autopay - this must save a lot of debt-chasing hassle after all? Win-win for customer and PM

Referals points: 1pt/mo for any referrals, as long as both you and your referred customer remain active

Option for 1pt to be automatically traded in for $1 off your bill every month, no need to log in to spend points, unless you WANT to gamble them away or whatever of course. ...

 This is pretty much what I suggested to them in one of my messages to CS.  It appears to have been ignored by them but it is the position I'm taking for my CCTS resolution.

[RetiredGuy1]

“Budget 2024 announces the government's intention to amend the Telecommunications Act to better allow Canadians to renew or switch between home internet, home phone, and cell phone plans:

• Carriers will be prohibited by the CRTC from charging consumers extra fees to switch carriers.
• Carriers will be required to help consumers identify plans, which may include lower-cost plans, in advance of the end of a contract.
• Carriers will also be required to provide a self-service option, such as an online portal, for customers to easily switch between or end plans with a provider.

The CRTC will be responsible for implementing these measures and will consult on specific requirements.”

——————————-

After all the posturing at the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology held last month where the Big 3 CEOS were “grilled” about the state of the Canadian telecom landscape, the budget focuses on the cost of activation fees, communications, and use of technology for self-service? Nothing about any possible measures to increase competition. That’s the power an oligopoly wields.

[RetiredGuy1]

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@PMscrewedus wrote:

PMscrewedus

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C’mon man, get to the point already! 😆

[RetiredGuy1]

Yes, I agree only time will tell if this is “new Coke” part deux. Its also hard to speculate on just how financially healthy PM is when Telus annual reports don’t breakdown financial data at the Telus brand, Koodo, and PM levels.

[Wolfcore]

It is, and it isn't. In this case, driving away customers isn't their main goal, but rather, just a side-effect of that goal. Their hope is that they'll make more money by removing these legacy rewards, than they'll lose from the angered customers. They're probably right in the end, but the damage to their reputation is a bit harder to gauge and value. It's very possible that in the long run, this decision may have been a bad one. We'll have to wait and see I guess.

[PMscrewedus]

PMscrewedus

[RetiredGuy1]

But the fact remains that their actions are indeed driving away customers. I dunno, driving away customers and trying to make more profit reads like an oxymoron to me.

[RetiredGuy1]

@NoseyNick1 Agreed, not controversial at all if it was PMs intention to continue on with the spirit of rewarding loyal customers as in the past but simply changing the label on each category of reward from dollars to points while applying them in the same manner. But, we know that is clearly not their intention which leads to your question of what has changed in the last few years. I submit its the rapidly-escalating inflation which, despite Telus still recording high profits, has a direct impact on PMs bottom line and thus making Telus shareholders just a wee bit grumpy. The poor things.

[Wolfcore]

A bunch of people have suggested this, and I've considered it, but at the end of the day, these corporations never work that way. It just wouldn't make sense. Why possibly lose your customers to competitors, when you could just transition them over to your other brands, and keep them? 

They've done this in the past, where they've tried to lure people over to Koodo via text messages. But we're not seeing any of that this time. So sadly, this is just a money decision for them. They believe that it's in their best interest to kill this legacy program, and they'll make more money doing it (even after they lose customers and their reputation craters). 

All of these decisions are money decisions, and money decisions (in favor of the company), are never good for the consumer. It'll always appear like they're trying to drive away customers, when in reality, they've just trying to make more profit. 

[RetiredGuy1]

Perhaps its Telus who don’t care about their tier 3 (PM) customers. Telus would still meet the CRTC requirement of a low-cost, low-data plan through Koodo’s $15 starter plan. Couple that with increased competition from emerging carriers such as Freedom, Fizz, No Name - who knows who will be next. Maybe the ultimate motive behind the switch is to discontinue PM altogether? It certainly feels like they’re making a concerted effort to drive PM customers away.

[NoseyNick1]

> We could instead try to negotiate a deal for us

OK, controversial idea, but how about...

Loyalty points: 1pt/mo after your first year at PM, 2pt/mo after your 2nd year at PM, up to 5pt/mo after 5yrs as an active loyal customer

Autopay points: 2pts/mo for autopay - this must save a lot of debt-chasing hassle after all? Win-win for customer and PM

Referals points: 1pt/mo for any referrals, as long as both you and your referred customer remain active

Option for 1pt to be automatically traded in for $1 off your bill every month, no need to log in to spend points, unless you WANT to gamble them away or whatever of course.

Oh wait... not controversial at all, it's just meeting previous promis-err-marketing commitments, in a world where wireless bandwidth has been getting cheaper and more plentiful each year, a world where Canadians are paying about 20x as much as our European friends and relatives for cell plans

Too much to ask? If so, what changed in the last few years?   😕

[mh1983_2]

Well, this is a huge mistake.

[Wolfcore]

PM doesn't care about their customers, they aren't looking to "negotiate" en masse, they've made that very clear. They lied to their customers, then slapped them in the face with a data gift, that they know the customers have no use for. They're literally lying to their customers again, saying that this switch is to give the customer more value. They're gaslighting people to their faces. They've been losing hundreds/thousands of customers (more to come), and they've barely flinched.

So no, I don't think negotiation is in the cards. The best bet at this point, is for their reputation to be destroyed, everybody to leave, and then (if you only care about money), wait for them to attempt to lure you back in with a great offer, and come back. If they lose enough customers, only then will an attempt at fixing this mistake, be considered.

[mikasik2]

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@ShawnC13 wrote:

@mikasik2 we do not need to see the same post all the time.  Please stop repeating your posts.

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It's for the new people who likely won't read the entire thread, so they have more ammo for their complaints.

[ShawnC13]

@mikasik2 we do not need to see the same post all the time.  Please stop repeating your posts.

[RetiredGuy1]

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@Gimli007 wrote:

Well.  Its been 13 days since my complaint (April 3rd) 

-CCTS acknowledged the complaint.

-PM objected April 5 ( thanks Michael from pm escalations)

-CCTS rejected PM's objection April 9

I have not heard boo from PM  - via text, phone, email, wire, or stone tablet.

You simply cannot "sell" your service with the promise of no price changes and a "stay with us and we will credit you" system, and think it is okay to arbitrarily drop the fundamental piece of the service equation. 

in the meantime - i will keep on getting random dropped calls ( i catch the msg on screen saying something like  "server did not respond") and spending lots of clicks to authenticate with 2FA to comment on a forum....

wheres my scotch.....?

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@Gimli007  Your scotch is still behind the bar because your “server did not respond” 😂 

This post will likely get deleted but if even one viewer gets a chuckle, it was worth it…

[fixin1]

@Yatti4201 - But we should be "Lucky" just to get a rewards system. There is only a handful of carriers that do this... and Public Mobile is one of them. 

Fizz, PC Mobile, Virgin, cannot even think what mobile carriers have one after that... TELUS home services.

[Yatti4201]

Elon isn't even this bad. I mean he tests the water but pulling off what PM has done will send X tanking. The rewards program - all the terms etc all have the standard disclaimer that PM can change them at anytime for any reason and you can't hold them accountable if things go wrong lol (within the legal requirements - for notice in specific provinces for example).. Its' all allowed what PM is doing imho. Just not wise!

[newtimus604]

Can Public Mobile legally change the agreement of my mobile plan without my consent?

I do not want to be moved to the new Public Points program. It sucks! The discounts for being a loyal customer on the legacy/old Rewards program is way better and incentivizes me to stay with Public Mobile.

If you are forcing me to change to the new program, then good bye. You lost a customer and likely thousands of others.

[MintBerry]

Is anyone else having issues with replies going through?  

I tried to make a couple last night regarding the recent texts PM sent looking like a last ditch attempt to backup the story they told in their objection which was disproven by a number of us that showed this text never came out and none of them showed up.

The timing of this new text and wording are not accidental.  PM probably got told by CCTS they never sent the text they claimed and now are sending it so they can say "see we did it".

[Kevin6432]

See ya, Public. It's been nice saving money with you. Unfortunately, just as I finally hit my $5/mo in loyalty discounts, I think it's time to find a new company. By taking away the rewards, there is zero reason to stay with you.

With the advent of No Name Mobile and Fizz offering significantly more data for similar price points... Public has just become a waste of time and money.

For example, up until now, I pay around $8 for my 250MB. I can make do considering how much I'm saving. But now that with Public Points my monthly bill would increase to around $14/mo for that same 250MB and no other bonuses.... Why would I not switch to No Name or Fizz who offer 2-3GB for just $19?

By forcing Public Points, you have no longer made Public an economic option.

Good on you guys for ruining a good company. It always happens.

[fixin1]

@Gimli007 - I hope PM responds by May 1st so then Public Points doesn't go in effect.

[Gimli007]

Well.  Its been 13 days since my complaint (April 3rd) 

-CCTS acknowledged the complaint.

-PM objected April 5 ( thanks Michael from pm escalations)

-CCTS rejected PM's objection April 9

I have not heard boo from PM  - via text, phone, email, wire, or stone tablet.

You simply cannot "sell" your service with the promise of no price changes and a "stay with us and we will credit you" system, and think it is okay to arbitrarily drop the fundamental piece of the service equation. 

in the meantime - i will keep on getting random dropped calls ( i catch the msg on screen saying something like  "server did not respond") and spending lots of clicks to authenticate with 2FA to comment on a forum....

wheres my scotch.....?

[Cheefster]

Hello Y4J259. Thank you for posting your correspondence from CCTS. Can you clarify, does the message mean that CCTS rejects your complaint (presumably about PM's veiled price increase), or that CCTS rejects Public Mobile's objection to your complaint, meaning that CCTS is continuing to examine the merits of your complaint (against Public Mobile's veiled price increase)?

I'm trying to assess if there are merits to following the same route that you did (e.g. complain to PM, then complain to CCTS).

[Nermal3]

This isn't correct.

On my $15 plans, I got a 5GB data bonus.  On my $25 plans, I got a 30GB data bonus.