100% SERVICE

[Luddite]

Updated Jan / 20 In French Below

If you are in a situation where you feel that never losing calling service is critical to you, peruse the following.

Until recently I believed  local landline (not cable) service was the optimum. However,  my neighbor just had a 2 day delay before Bell repaired their service that died suddenly. So, now I think the following is the most frugal way to "guarantee" continuity of service.

a) get cell phone service from your preferred provider (Publc Mobile for me for now: robotwink 🙂 PLUS internet service with a different company (I like DSL because the cables are properly buried)

b) in case your phone dies get a cheap "emergency" phone with the SAME operating system as your main phone; keep it charged and keep your contact list synced to a cloud service (Google, Apple, Microsoft for example)

c) get a VOIP account (I like  fongo.com  because it's free and Canadian) port your primary number to them (cost $ 25)

d) forward your primary (fongo) number to the cell phone number.

OR just use the fongo number as backup without porting (Textnow is also an option for only backup as they do not support port-in, but do have free texting)

If your cell phone service is disrupted turn off fongo call forwarding. All your calls / messages will be on the voip account and you will have service whenever you can connect to wifi. 

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Si vous êtes dans une situation où vous estimez que le fait de ne jamais perdre le service d'appel est essentiel pour vous, lisez attentivement ce qui suit.
 
Jusqu'à récemment, je croyais que le service fixe local (pas le câble) était le meilleur. Cependant, mon voisin a juste eu un délai de deux jours avant que Bell répare son service qui est mort soudainement. Donc, maintenant je pense que ce qui suit est la façon la plus frugale de "garantir" la continuité du service.
 
a) obtenir le service de téléphonie cellulaire de votre fournisseur préféré (Publc Mobile pour moi maintenant Robot clin d'oeil) PLUS service Internet avec une autre société (j'aime DSL parce que les câbles sont correctement enterrés)
b) dans le cas où votre téléphone meurt, obtenez un téléphone «d'urgence» bon marché avec le même système d'exploitation que votre téléphone principal; maintenez-le chargé et gardez votre liste de contacts synchronisée avec un service cloud (Google, Apple, Microsoft par exemple)
c) obtenir un compte VOIP (j'aime fongo.com parce que c'est gratuit et canadien) vous pouvez leur transférer votre numéro principal (coût 25 $)
d) transmettez votre numéro principal (fongo) au numéro de téléphone cellulaire.

e) OR simply use the fongo number as backup without porting (Textnow is also an option for backup only since they do not support port-in, but have free SMS)
 
If your cell phone service is disrupted, deactivate transfer of fungo calls. All your calls / messages will be on the VoIP account and you will have a service each time you can connect to the wifi.

[Luddite]

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@koimr1 wrote: 

But I will take your word for it - the will to implement a system like the above has to be there otherwise yes I can see managing each on their own would be chaotic!

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A friend tried to sell an idea to CBC and got to meet a VP, whose response was totally apropos to Public Mobile: " I have no shortage of ideas, but a shortage of resources to implement them.".

[koimr1]

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@srlawren wrote:

@koimr1 in this case, I will disagree.  Up until a year or so ago (I forget exactly when), PM offered exactly what you said:  support via an email address, via PM to the mod team, via Facebook, and via Twitter.  Unfortuantely, it did way more harm than good.  It was utter chaos at time. I won't go into the details, but having a single channel, abeit less convenient on the surface, is actually way more efficient.  

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That would be a somewhat-different problem - there is support software out there that will aggregate those various sources into one "master list" that CSRs reference (so that no one source has any priority, just first-come first-serve).

But I will take your word for it - the will to implement a system like the above has to be there otherwise yes I can see managing each on their own would be chaotic!

[srlawren]

@koimr1 in this case, I will disagree.  Up until a year or so ago (I forget exactly when), PM offered exactly what you said:  support via an email address, via PM to the mod team, via Facebook, and via Twitter.  Unfortuantely, it did way more harm than good.  It was utter chaos at time. I won't go into the details, but having a single channel, abeit less convenient on the surface, is actually way more efficient.  

[koimr1]

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@srlawren wrote:

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@koimr1 agreed.  It should be in the community header that's rendered on every page. Why on Earth they don't see the value in making the only way to contact PM for support as discoverable and easy to use as possible, I will never undertsand if I live to be 150.

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Wanna hear something even crazier? 🙂

I think there should be a "support@publicmobile.ca" email address too.

And since I'm just going nuts here I'll even just add that you can get support from another carrier via Facebook and Twitter - and it's all manned (or womaned, I don't know the proper term these days) by the same team!

I mean, is it really a stretch? PM is supposed to be online-support-only and since these are the standard ways of getting online support.... nah, I'm going too far.

[srlawren]

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@koimr1 wrote:

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I still personally think a link to private message  the mods should be on every page.

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@koimr1 agreed.  It should be in the community header that's rendered on every page. Why on Earth they don't see the value in making the only way to contact PM for support as discoverable and easy to use as possible, I will never undertsand if I live to be 150.

[koimr1]

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@Jorno wrote:

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I know I am late to the party, but (thanks to @Luddite and this post) I just discovered that the direct link to private message the Moderator Team is available via Support Chat/Simon the Public Mobile chatbot.

Select , then "Contact Moderators", then "Private Messages - Contact Support".  When you are signed-in to the community, a new private message to Moderator_Team is opened.

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That's a good sighting. 🙂

I don't think anyone will ever find it though. I still personally think a link to private message  the mods should be on every page.

[Jorno]

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@Luddite wrote:

This link works when logged into this forum: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

Perhaps put the link here? 

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I know I am late to the party, but (thanks to @Luddite and this post) I just discovered that the direct link to private message the Moderator Team is available via Support Chat/Simon the Public Mobile chatbot.

Select , then "Contact Moderators", then "Private Messages - Contact Support".  When you are signed-in to the community, a new private message to Moderator_Team is opened.

[Luddite]

This link works when logged into this forum: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

Perhaps put the link here? 

[koimr1]

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wrote:

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wrote:

@alyssagooch25, please send us a private message with your account information. Thank you! 

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@CS_Agent "...which you can do via this link."  Come on guys, it isn't hard--you NEED to include the link because usually when people reach out here publicly, it's because they don't know HOW to contact you privately.  Please....I don't know how many times I have to bring this up.  I'm getting very frustrated.

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I agree, @srlawren: there's also a "Get Help" button up top that when you click on it does nothing helpful - I am surprised it doesn't at least show the link for sending a private message to the mods (I know it's there at the bottom but it's not visible until you click on "Still can't find the answer...").

Even better would be a nice garish (so you can't miss it) link up top on every page that says something like "For account-related problems or questions that aren't answered in the forums click here to send a private message to a moderator" (which would then prompt for the necessary private information). Yes I say "garish" because it would be ugly but people are here looking for help not judging web design.

I can understand why people get frustrated - so many posts where the answer is "send a private message...", at least make it easy to do so.

[CS_Agent]

@srlawren, Thank you for the reminder, we're working on it 🙂 ! 

[srlawren]

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wrote:

@alyssagooch25, please send us a private message with your account information. Thank you! 

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@CS_Agent "...which you can do via this link."  Come on guys, it isn't hard--you NEED to include the link because usually when people reach out here publicly, it's because they don't know HOW to contact you privately.  Please....I don't know how many times I have to bring this up.  I'm getting very frustrated.

[CS_Agent]

@alyssagooch25, please send us a private message with your account information. Thank you! 

[alyssagooch25]

hello i need a mod to  let me access the sin access unlock pin and puk for after.

[jasmina0m]

Will need to keep this saved in case... always useful.

[torontokris]

Good info but just a meanial point of argument

1) Not all DSL phone lines are buried - mine run outside on telephone poles and racoons have been known to chew them up regularly.

2) Accessing wifi/voicemail maybe hard if the power is out... yes its only once every decade or so but when power was out in Toronto  during the ice storm, and during the Ohio blackout... having a Bell landline helped my family stay in touch (and a hot water heater that wasnt based on electricity was also priceless). Is it worth $40+/month landline for or once in a decade? probably not. As I say just a minor nit-pick.

Now onto cutting cable... Netflix internet etc etc

[Wafik]

Great post @Luddite, this should be pinned.

[will13am · Accepted solution]

I am 100% wireless, nothing more complicated than that.  Ever since the cord cutting took off, the writing was on the wall that if the plain old telephone system ever suffered an outage, it would not be prioritized on top of the list.  In fact, internet related failure would receive greater attention.  Living in the big city, I am protected by multiple redundancies.  It is extremely unlikely that a single tower failure or fiber optic failure would lead to a total outage.