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Upcoming Changes to our Old Rewards Program

J_PM
Public Mobile
Public Mobile

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

5,532 REPLIES 5,532

SeniorCitizen
Model Citizen / Citoyen Modèle

This thread should be closed.  
I agree somewhat with @Wolfcore 

I have had posts disappear. 
So the backlash is being controlled. And if you want to have some impact move the protest to another media and make it a protest against both  PM and Telus. 

No doubt PM is making their notes and possibly once all converted there might be some appeasing offers, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. 

Personally, as a multiple year plan, I plan to move away from Telus home services and each of my PM accounts when the average payment is below what I get elsewhere. Right now I can get unlimited in/out Canada wide calling, international texting and 2.5 gb per month for $12.50 on 4G. I will also no longer work on referrals for PM and I will bolster our stand in NOT being involved with loyalty/points programs. 

Venting in an in house platform is NOT going to have a good impact on PM or Telus. 

eyes
Model Citizen / Citoyen Modèle

they say - you can get more with sugar than vinegar.

Wolfcore
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

We're 6 weeks into this announcement, and we haven't heard a single word from them officially (unless you count the responses to CCTS complaints, where they've stood their ground). They've lied to us, sneakily removed bonuses before this announcement in order to reward us even less, they then gaslit us by saying that they're doing this to give us more value, they gave us data gifts that they know nobody needs, and attached expiry dates to them, they've had their minions attack us, silence us, but allow them to freely say whatever they want, etc. 

Multi-billion dollars corporations don't play nice, they aren't looking for "negotiations" with their consumers. These people run Canada, there's no reason for them to negotiate. So no, being polite to somebody like this isn't going to change anything. In fact, they want you that way. The less anger, the better for them. It's one of the reasons why they keep deleting messages. The only way you win against corporations like this, is to make a big public fuss, and force them into a position to defend their reputation; it's the only way. Sad thing is, they pay so much money to the mainstream media via ads, that you'd never see them cover it, and voicing your frustration on their own platform like this, has little value, as they are able to control the narrative via their Oracles/mods.

In the end, your only real option is to cause a massive scene off-site, on somewhere like X, or just leave, and hope they offer you something good to come back. I guess you could also do what others have done, which is to contact the CS Agents and be given some free months of service, or free data, but those will never equate to what was lost with the removal of these rewards.

They'll be losing a lot of customers once the change officially happens and people see their rates go up though, that's for sure. Without the legacy rewards, they aren't all that competitive. I've posted so many comparisons here, where PM ends up in dead last amongst the budget brands. It's actually pretty sad what they've become.

ATHENS
Model Citizen / Citoyen Modèle

Maybe if we all ask politely for some sort of compromise instead of all the vitriolic comments something good may happen. As they say - you can get more with sugar than vinegar.

eyes
Model Citizen / Citoyen Modèle

Perused various other mobile providers but could not find any long term plans that were worth switching. Most other plans initially look like good deals but seem to be bait catch deals. I just wish that PM would allow us to keep the compensation data they gave and not take it away if we choose to downgrade our plans. Can’t see how not taking away the data would hurt them but contrary it would benefit them by preventing some of us from jumping ship.

Moved:

softech
Oracle
Oracle

Discussion about Oracles is off-toipics
If you have constructive suggestions for the Community, please open a proper ticket with CS Agent

ValeryD1
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

Well, first of all, I still have one inactive account, three lines are already with other providers and I think they will stay there for a long time.
Another line (I’m not paying for it) is still working with PM.
Second, it’s purely curiosity about what else the telus will do.

RetiredGuy1
Town Hero / Héro de la Ville

@ATHENS Depending on where you live, Fizz could be an option at $23 for 10GB at 4G speed with a provision to rollover data for 2 months. Outside of their native coverage area, they use the big3 networks and, from what I’ve read, they tend to default to Rogers before the others

ATHENS
Model Citizen / Citoyen Modèle

I'm on the $34 plan with the 50GB data.  I rely on  data a lot because I watch movies and do homework.

RetiredGuy1
Town Hero / Héro de la Ville

Through acquisition or merger they could use existing infrastructure and acquire spectrum licenses and have much more financial capital to make investments to expand, improve technology, etc. but in reality it will never happen as there is no political will to allow it to happen

ATHENS
Model Citizen / Citoyen Modèle

I also -- for some unexplained reason got a few dollars credit on my account ---that of-course I appreciate. Also my account will renew on the 24 and all dollar credits will be applied just as usual.  Has PM reversed their decision or somewhat extending us a compromise?  

eyes
Model Citizen / Citoyen Modèle

Not trying to put you in a spot  but please tell me -- since you ported out to a new provider and obviously are no longer with PM -  why do you still bother posting on this forum? Also something is wrong if PM allows community accounts that are not tied in to a PM plan.

ValeryD1
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

Got a message from PM - if I reactivate my phone number they will refund all my rewards! I think this is spam. Calls on behalf of Telus have become more frequent...
In any case, even if this is true, now I pay LESS for the same service than PM with all the awards! Somehow $11.50 ($18 after 6 months) is less than $29-$7 = $22. Do you think it makes sense to continue making noise about the loss of rewards?

PS. And I completely forgot, the application and call center of the new providers work perfectly, no need to wait 5 minutes for data to load!


@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.


@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
Town Hero / Héro de la Ville

@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.


@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.


@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
Town Hero / Héro de la Ville

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.

eyes
Model Citizen / Citoyen Modèle

I think it reasonable and related to this thread,  why so many off topic and somewhat altered repetitive posts have -- as a good gesture not just moved to the lounge .           If Oracles took the time to peruse and move these unrelated and mostly chi chat posts then we would get a cleared picture of the actual meaningful numbers of this thread and then also possible PM may take notice.

NoseyNick1
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

> 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
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

@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
Town Hero / Héro de la Ville

 

“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
Town Hero / Héro de la Ville

@PMscrewedus wrote:

PMscrewedus


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

RetiredGuy1
Town Hero / Héro de la Ville

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
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

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
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

PMscrewedus

RetiredGuy1
Town Hero / Héro de la Ville

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
Town Hero / Héro de la Ville

@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
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

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
Town Hero / Héro de la Ville

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.

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