There is a minimum level of customer service needed. Public Mobile is not meeting it.

[binaryjay]

I am still with one line that is only half working after porting yesterday.  The sign up process looked bad, didn't work well (I had to go through it multiple times before it took, on the second line, in fact I eventually hours later got multiple confirmation emails about my account and they contained conflicting information about what I actually signed up for), gave me zero feedback about what was going on... (no emails saying hey just letting you know that last time you pressed activate it actually worked, and sit tight it is working and we are not going to lose your phone number you've had for 25 years on you!!).  

I have to say, I kind of expected an opposite experience to the one I've had so far.  I thought I was porting to a bigger parent company with not only a better network but better, more professional, everything backing it up.  I probably should have done my homework but the fact that you get into a situation after JUST signing up for the service and have NOBODY that you can get to help you immediately is - let's be honest - not acceptable on any level.  

I understand the conscious decision to limit forms of customer service as a way of keeping service costs down but when a customer is literally just trying to sign up for your service this is the time that you think you would make somebody available to just get them working.  A 48 hour wait to get an email or message answered for help in getting a number ported properly is not confidence inspiring as a whole.

So I'm personally in a situation where I'm going to have to pay for another whole month of service at Freedom is public mobile can't get their seemingly trash systems to complete my port properly it rolls over July 2nd. 

Maybe I'll feel differently once I can actually use the service properly and it "just works" from there on out, but right now, it's not just Freedom that is hurting I am hurting having tried to join Public Mobile.

-- I have already emailed customer service and tagged/pm a moderator on this forum yesterday afternoon.  This is just venting and/or a cautionary tale to anybody who is thinking about porting that is nervous about ports in the first place (coveted number) or simply can't go through multiple days without fully working phone service.

[binaryjay]

I don't think it's ranting and raging to expect more than a half working phone and absolutely no avenue available to have the problem corrected in a timely fashion other than putting a message in a bottle then throwing it out to sea and waiting for rescue.  

All I'm suggesting is that, while the "nobody home" approach may work after service is up and running fine, there is a critical period during activation/porting that any company needs to get right and provide whatever service is necessary in order to ensure that new customers start out with the company the right way.  There should be some provision for helping those of us giving a new service a shot that at least matches what pretty much all other providers are willing to give us. 

I would be totally willing to wait on hold on the phone for multiple hours if it meant I knew I would eventually get the attention of a human being with the power to correct whatever the system has done wrong that is preventing me from simply using my phone.  

I have always supported the small players in our broken mobile marketplace in Canada and am fully used to some of the quirks that come along with these choices but even with Mobilicity and Wind/Freedom somebody has always at least been available to simply get the service working to some minimum level.

This is not a reflection on the people that are employed by Public Mobile to provide the service. I'm sure that they work very hard to help their customers - but there just aren't enough of them if 48+ hours are needed in a queue to get their attention in a "no service" situation.

[will13am]

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@RogerI wrote:

This guy has every right to rant. Telling him to be patient is just insulting. He is a paying customer. There are several people on this forum who need to realise that PM is operating a for profit business.  And they need to act like it. Pushing all the support on users and a few Mods, no matter how well meaning, is just unacceptable. If that the only business model they have, they are in trouble.

Having said that, to the original poster, once you get over these initial problems with setting up the account and porting, you will hopefully enjoy the new service. The service itself is very good.

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We have to see things from both sides.  There is no statute that mandates a minimum level of service.  I would not want to see such a totalitarian state.  So, there is an element of caveat emptor here.  From the other side of the table, I am sure that the lower level of customer service does hurt the Public Mobile sales.  Some people may see the reviews in the open forum and turn away from the service.  Perhaps some may sign up and decide later that it is not for them.  The market system is working as it should to ensure the viability of this business is proportional to the performance of the business.  I am sure a lot of people are migrating from Freedom because their network blows/sucks.  Are we to expect statutes to force Shaw to provide better service?  Again the market place will help Shaw make the right decisions. 

As for asking for patience being insulting, I don't think so.  For those who have signed up and experienced activation problems, ranting and raging doesn't help the situation.  Why would anybody trying to be helpful throw further fuel into the raging fire?

[RogerI]

This guy has every right to rant. Telling him to be patient is just insulting. He is a paying customer. There are several people on this forum who need to realise that PM is operating a for profit business.  And they need to act like it. Pushing all the support on users and a few Mods, no matter how well meaning, is just unacceptable. If that the only business model they have, they are in trouble.

Having said that, to the original poster, once you get over these initial problems with setting up the account and porting, you will hopefully enjoy the new service. The service itself is very good.

[xCameron94x]

@binaryjay there are people who have been waiting 3+ days for a port to complete. You need to be patient. The mods are extremley backed up with this current promo, so wait times will be more than a day. Normally customer service on the fourms is extremley fast, faster than being on hold with Freedom or any company

The system is also going into maitnence breaks over the next few days for a few hours a day, so hopefully some issues will be resolved. It is a bit of a longer process right now, but the savings and difference in service between freedom and PM will be worth it