Porting out without closing account

[StandingWaves]

How can PM be allowed to close my account when the number is ported and take away the pre-paid data and call time?  I paid for 3 months of service.  I would like to use 3 months of service no matter if I port the number out.

If there is no way to get what I paid for how can there be no refunds?

[srlawren]

@zoomzoom87 that feature will not help you.  You can only select a NEW number, or port a number from elsewhere.  

The mods used to offer up the swap by request, but I guess it became too popular and too much of a workload and the official line is that they no longer will do that.

[zoomzoom87]

Pm will not swap one number to another account. I've asked the mods and they will not do it. 

I pay for two accounts, I want to keep them both but swap numbers for the respective accounts (transfer of responsibility). At the moment public mobile will not do this for you. Unfortunately you lose your plan if you port your number out. 

Bummer. There's a change number under my account, I'm not sure what would happen if that's utilized. 

[Michael77]

The moral of the story is........ use all your gas up or do a workaround before you get rid of your car/truck. 😉

[jeffster1970]

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@StandingWaves wrote:

That's like filling up my car with gas and telling my that if I get rid of my car, I can't use that gas in a different car.

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Perhaps a better way of looking at it; you drive a big ass truck, take a good 110 litres of regular. You fill the tank, pass by a dealergship, and they have a massive sale on their trucks -- however, they're deisel.  So yeah. you can't use that gas in the new vehicle. 

[wetcoaster]

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@StandingWaves wrote:

Are you kidding? I pay for my plan not for my number. I should be able to assign a new number and continue.

That's like filling up my car with gas and telling my that if I get rid of my car, I can't use that gas in a different car.

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The reality you have to face is that your account will be closed if you port out the only number attached to it. Period.

And - yes, I know that I'm repeating myself here - that is the case with any Canadian cell phone provider.

With any prepaid provider I know of, including Public Mobile, you are loosing the remaining balance on the associated plan. (So it's up to you to time the port-out / closure of your account so that your losses are minimized.)

If you'd be on a post paid contract you might get a refund (minus the cancellation fee) or an invoice for prorated additional charges.

I have mentioned and linked to the work around in my post above, it's up to you to put the information to good use if keeping that account but porting out the associated number is important to you.

If you insist on the gas / car analogy, the gas station has only agreed to put that gas in that particular old car, they don't give you a refund on the remaining gas in the old car if you choose to take that vehicle off the road before all the gas is used up.

The second plan for the work around is the hose/pump system you have to buy if you want to transfer the gas from the old car to the new car.

[StandingWaves]

Are you kidding? I pay for my plan not for my number. I should be able to assign a new number and continue.

That's like filling up my car with gas and telling my that if I get rid of my car, I can't use that gas in a different car.

[ckl]

@StandingWaves

I don't get it, if you port the number out, how is PM supposed to keep providing you service? What phone number is the account going to be using once you've ported out?

PM doesn't give out refunds so unfortunately, the funds are lost.

For future reference to other PM users, if you are going to port out, disable auto pay, then port out a few days before the plan is set to renew. Don't do it on the last day or the day of the renewal...

Same goes for those porting in. Make sure your account with the other provider is in good standing. Wait until a few days before your cycle renews, then port in. Don't do it on the day the cycle renews.

I would rather have a few days of lost service that I paid for than the headache of port in/out problems and/or the cycle renewing before the port out is done (causing you to pay for extra cycle).

[srlawren]

Excellent explanation, @wetcoaster.  A+.

[wetcoaster]

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@StandingWaves wrote:

How can PM be allowed to close my account when the number is ported and take away the pre-paid data and call time?  I paid for 3 months of service.  I would like to use 3 months of service no matter if I port the number out.

If there is no way to get what I paid for how can there be no refunds?

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@StandingWaves

They have agreed to provide service to that phone number at the outlined terms. If you move the number to another provider you are pulling out of that agreement by taking the key component, the phone number the paid for service is delivered to, away from them.

If you are going to the gas station and fill up, then you are starting to drive a new vehicle before that tank of gas in the old car is fully used (say the old car's engine quit)... you are not expecting the gas station to put the equivalent of the remaining gas in your old car into the new car for free, are you?

Every prepaid provider I know of does the exactly same thing.

(I've never had a post-paid plan so can't comment on how it's dealt with under those circumstances.)

If you want to keep your plan (for example if you have a promo plan that is no longer offered) there is a work around at an additional cost. Here is the link to the according post again: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Discussions/How-do-I-port-out-my-number-and-still-kee...

[KMG]

Unfortunately, that's how prepaid phone plans all work.  Once you pay, there's no refunds, even if you leave before the term is up.