It has been 28 months since PM introduced Points. If anyone referred someone during that time, the new subscribers started out on Points. Nothing has changed for them. Why was it okay to refer them before, but not now? The deals are still the same for anyone who never had Rewards.
I was on a $ 15.00 plan until they introduced unlimited throttled data. For over two years, my plan was free, because my rewards were slightly more than my bill. I am grateful for the savings during that time. While I would prefer to continue to get the same discount, I'm glad I got it for 28 months. Even with the switch, it is still the best deal for me, financially, to stay put.
It might be unreasonable to expect all of one's referrals to jump ship with a person, solely for the purpose of getting new referral rewards elsewhere. The referrals may have more motivation to stay, if their own discounts are high enough. It smacks of multi-level marketing thinking to me - one person getting friends/family (in this case, referrals) to follow them, so that the one can get referrals again. Granted, the referred people would probably get something, too, but plan needs, reception, coverage, etc., are all considerations for each person. Not everyone might want to go. I am reluctant to switch to a Bell-associated carrier, as there are only nine towers south of Duncan on Vancouver Island. Even though they supposedly have access to Telus' ones, I am unwilling to shift, as I'm not interested in finding out my reception has reduced or vanished. It's bad enough now when I'm sitting at home, then get a voice-mail notification, but the phone never rang.
As has been pointed out multiple times, the fine print has said they could change things any time, but it seems that few people read them. I have a Terms and Conditions document for my business, and all clients must sign it, acknowledging they have read, understood, and accept it. Six years after introducing it, I still have clients that appear to have signed it without reading it, as evidenced by their reactions when I remind them of policies.
It is not our God-given right to keep the Rewards. Did anyone really think they would keep two systems going indefinitely? Why would they bother introducing Points at all? All this hugga-mugga for a maximum of $ 5.42 lost per month (not the $ 7.00! expressed by multiple individuals), even though plan prices have come down, and offerings gone up ($ 40.00 for 4 GB in 2018, vs. $ 34.00 for 50 GB now, plus US calling). It seems like some people are seeing only the $ 5.00 loyalty and $ 2.00 AutoPay eliminations, and not seeing the 5% back or the 10 points per year. On a $ 40.00 plan, that's a $ 2.83 discount per month, with no referrals or Community. That's a difference of $ 2.59.
And another thing! If discounts are more than your plan, they are banked, but can be used only for future PM purchases (plans, data, etc.). If you have $ 60.00 in excess, and want to port out, you lose that money. Below 0 payment, all the excess does is kind of keep you around, so you don't lose it. For example, if you had a $ 100.00 in excess, but wanted to leave, you might think twice about losing that money, as you can't take it with you. If you're happy with PM, then, of course, it helps with future discounting, since you're sticking around.
