$15/month plan no longer has unlimited incoming minutes?

[Xue1]

Hi there, I've had the $15/month plan for about 6 years now. (edit: I've been with Public Mobile for 6 years on this plan, and I started with the $10/month plan that is now gone. I swapped to the $15/month plan to take advantage of the minutes and texting.) Today I received a message saying that I'm about to run out of minutes (edit: about to run out of minutes on my add-on).

I logged into the PM account management, and I am out of minutes on my account and I have also used up every single minute add-on. (edit: Almost, about 90% of) All my calls were incoming from someone in the same city as me. 

I tried looking it up on these forums, but everyone else said that their plans were still working (up until the recent post in June 2023), and that it was a graphical error on their side. But I feel like I really don't have any minutes or add-ons anymore. I also double checked my "usage history" and it really is all incoming calls from the same number. (It's a 587 area code number from Alberta if it matters.)

Did the plan actually change or is it just me?

EDIT 3:

-I have confirmed that incoming calls reduces my minutes

(Above) I made an incoming call with a duration of 38 seconds. It is my only usage for this day

(Above) My plan minutes usage has increased by 1 minute. (CS_Agent had made an adjustment to my account and added 95 minutes to test with.)

-For what it's worth, CS_Agent has confirmed that I have unlimited incoming minutes, and that I have not used my monthly 100 minutes (yet they were still reduced?). 

-CS_Agent claims my add-ons were depleted because of outgoing calls (yet I didn't use my 100 monthly minutes, but somehow I used my add-ons?) 

 

EDIT 2:

-No it's not my voicemail
-I am sure that I have no more minutes
-I have refreshed the PM account page
-100% guarantee these people are in my City that I'm getting calls to/from. It's all family.
-I had add-ons from all the winter giveaways every year until now, and they were not used. +500 minute plan I bought at the beginning for "just incase" I needed it at times
-I had checked in the past month (? hesitant on this one, but at least the past few months) and there were still thousands of minutes.

EDIT 1:

1) I went ahead and Downloaded my Usage history. My plan goes from the 24th to 24th, but I started at the 23rd to even give it one more day.

2) I filtered the data to hide Incoming/Outgoing Texts, Data since these are irrelevant. We are only looking at incoming/outgoing calls.

3) I split the times into columns delimited by the colon in Excel. So 1:23:22 (1 hour, 23 mins, 22s) becomes 1, 23, 22 (csv)

4) I rounded all the seconds up to 60, assuming that seconds don't matter and it'll go straight to the next minute up.

5) I added hours, minutes, and seconds separately. I also kept incoming/outgoing separate.

6) We observe that I have less than 100 outgoing minutes, but my monthly minutes are expended. (Even though we are adding an additional day-- 23rd)

Below are the photos of the above edit, with captions

 (Above) Monthly minutes used up, 100. No visible voice add-ons.

(Above) a portion of the split data is shown for incoming. Top right shows the summation.

 (Above) A portion of the outgoing calls to get a sample of what they look like. Note that the darker column is the rounded "seconds" because I wanted to add them as minutes.

 

[Xue1]

Thank you for the suggestion! I'll definitely let them know all the things you guys have brought up because I think they would be interested too

[Xue1]

Hi Nezgar thank you for replying and even taking the time to read other replies even though I'm very verbose

I'll be honest and say I have no idea when I switched. I only roughly know how many years it's been active because of my loyalty points (the old $1 off for every year), and that I signed up at like the end of the year or something. There is definitely the chance that you are correct because I'm managing 4 accounts (family) and have read the plans a lot so I don't necessarily remember each detail for the correct account (though I am 100% sure about the rough timelines. This one is definitely manually changed to $15 plan years ago, definitely before COVID too)

From talking with everyone here, it's my understanding that the current $15 plan has unlimited incoming calls as well, so I'll definitely try to "change" to it in a second here. I didn't buy the extra 500 minutes last night because I wanted to preserve the state of the account in case I needed to check anything else, but dust2dust got me to check the calling and i think that's the only thing I can get out of it.

I'll give it a try

[Camera4617]

I just checked mine and based on the usage, it incoming calls were not counted (have 15$ plan). I cannot believe that PM doesn't have filter for type of usage (data, incoming calls, etc) and I'm not able to download usage for all filtered days, just what's on the page. What's the point of download (unless I'm missing something here)?  

[Xue1]

Thank you for the link!

[Xue1]

I have no phone or SIM issues. I can no longer receive calls on this phone because it tells me that I need more minutes at 611 (yes it says this even if I call in lol) I mean I have extra sim cards for emergencies (unused) if we really think that's the issue but I'll go there only if needed 

The account is definitely active. I know what a deactivated account looks like: I had a different phone I kept on the $10/month plan, and they deactivated it when they forced the price to go up. This plan is different because I switched it to the $15/month one years ago to take advantage of the texting and calling.

[Nezgar]

@Xue1 

Reading through your additional comments, I further suspect you might be on an early version of the $15 plan that didn't include unlimited incoming minutes. The unlimited minutes feature came to be in late 2019, maybe you switched to it prior to then?

If so, the prudent next steps for you right now are:

1. Immediately purchase a $5 500 minutes add-on to restore your ability to make and receive calls until your next billing cycle
2. Schedule a plan change for your next renewal to the current version of the $15 plan that includes unlimited incoming minutes.

[dust2dust]

Ah, the second text about long distance is the one I haven't seen in a very long time, if ever.
Tell them that Messages Usage bar line is wrong. It should be just a solid green bar with the infinity symbol like from the other user. I know that has nothing to do with talk but it's an indication that your account is messed up. And that you can't receive calls. That should not happen.

[Xue1]

Hello!

When I uploaded those screenshots I filtered it from Sept 23-Oct 24 because I thought it would at least kind of represent the "current usage" and wanted to show that I wasn't even at 100 outgoing, but it was like 3am and I think I pasted one of the pages wrong. (It's really dumb and you have to download each page separately instead of your filtered time..) but I think it's fine because the page that I duped actually had more consumption than the real page I should've pasted. (It was all text, one incoming and a short 1 min? outgoing compared to the multiple lines I duped instead)

I took a photo of the messages I received last night. I actually have multiple plans and multiple phones, so it's actually a photo instead of a screenshot because I wanted to show that I can do all the test calling by myself. 

Here is the photo of the text messages.

 Note that it talked about my addon's because I think it went through my monthly minutes already and now it's going through the addon's.

I cannot receive calls on this account. If I try calling it, I'm told that I need to top up at 611 and buy more minutes (even though I'm the caller). I can call orger people just fine so it's definitely that this account is out of minutes.

I have definitely clicked the refresh button! But I'll click it again and put up pictures to guarantee it.

 

 I'm even on a different browser in case we suspected cache or cookie issues.

Thanks for taking the time to reply thoroughly, I'll have a look at the page you linked shortly, though I have pestered the bot and he let me submit a ticket last night. (I could only barely type in a line though, and CS_Agent just replied a second ago asking for me to explain what issues I'm having.)

[BKNS27]

@Xue1 

That is very strange and suspicious. I would definitely contact a CS_Agent to investigate this for you at:

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437 

[Grinch]

@Xue1 

Has your account been suspended?
Do you have a phone or SIM issue?

[dust2dust]

I'm not liking the looks of that texting bar line. That should look like the image from Grinch.
The usage warning texts I get with the $10 plan are only for 10 minutes left. Not when out. This is the same I get with a 100 minutes - 10 minutes left. Can you show us these texts you've received?
You've clicked on those little spinner refresh icons where it says "a minute ago" on the left and also lower down on the right by the shop add-ons button?
But it does seem like your account has got messed up. That texting display and your apparent use of minutes for incoming and that you can't take calls now. You absolutely should be able to take calls regardless of number of minutes available to you. Those minutes are for outgoing. If they changed this feature of the plan then they didn't lawfully notify their customers. And i don't think they have changed it. It's your account that has got messed up. You would need to get support to clear all this up and hopefully they can give you back all those minutes. You can only go back 3 months for usage details unfortunately and I think you're right that you might not be able to trust those details.

The plans are 30 days by the way. The "month" will shift up as time goes by. It's currently on 12:01am eastern Sep 24 to 12:01am eastern Oct 24. The morning of the 24th should see a new set of 100 minutes. That renewal will take you to Nov 23.

To get contacted with support:
https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

[Xue1]

@Nezgar @Grinch @dust2dust @BKNS27 

I added additional screenshots to the original post, but I don't know how reliable the usage history is. However we can still see rough trends.

However, the recent text I got from Public Mobile stated that my Add-On was the one that expired-- therefore the monthly one was gone way before these records. These records should at least show that I didn't burn through 500+ minutes on outgoing calls this past cycle, even with an additional day. Therefore, I must be consuming my incoming calls as voice minutes.

I even left a couple of numbers on the call record so we can see it's 100% the same person in outgoing, and 90% the same person in incoming. I guarantee it's all Canada, even the same city.

[Xue1]

Sorry for the third reply. I don't see an edit button while I'm on mobile and I keep missing parts of your message because i don't see it all at once 

The minutes are all gone. The voice add-ons are all gone. Unless I just go buy another pack now I don't think there's anything to refresh. 

Edit: I found the edit button but it's painful to fix it now. I'll just append to this post 

[Xue1]

No it's not my voicemail lol, but thank you for checking. Today was a 1hr incoming call and the number is a family number. Last time I had a call was 2 min outgoing today. Then it's like a week ago with another 1hr incoming from the same number. (I think voicemail is outgoing? I don't even use it actually)

[Xue1]

The caller cannot call me anymore, no. The call disconnected mid call and it told me to top up. The plan is active.

[Xue1]

The thing is, public mobile usually gives out data and talk every Christmas and I've been collecting those. I also bought a data pack and voice pack when I first activated the phone because I knew they carried over--- but all the voice add-ons are used up including the monthly ones. I still have all my data addon's, and when I checked a month(?) Or so ago the voice was all still there, so I kept receiving incoming calls.

(Last time) I got a text saying my minutes were low but I checked and it didn't seem like they went down

(Today) I got a text saying my minutes were gone, all used up. I checked and they were not on the account page

[Xue1]

Forgot to say that I actually used to be on the $10/month plan that they used to have, and then I swapped to the $15/month when I saw it with unlimited incoming and the texting because i believed it would be good. 

[Xue1]

Yup it's maxed out with nothing left. I don't call a lot of people, only one person calls me. 

[Xue1]

Well I think for my call history it's pretty simple because I only have one person who I really call. I was also on the phone with them when it disconnected me and said I had no more minutes and now I'm all out of minutes

[Nezgar]

@Xue1 

You need to confirm by logging into the "My Account" portal and checking the "Minutes Usage" section as @Grinch  screenshotted. Click the little refresh circled arrow in the bottom right of that section before and after an incoming call to see if the number of minutes used/remaining changes.

Unfortunately, the call history details page logs provide no indication of which calls did and did not use minutes, so you can only rely on comparing your remaining/used minutes before and after a call to confirm for yourself that incoming calls don't use data. Unless you are on some very old version of the $15 plan that didn't include incoming calls, this would have been prior to August 2019 when I joined...

This summer I switched up to the $25 plan up from my usual $15 plan for a couple months, and have since moved back to the $15 plan. The plan still functions as expected for me with unlimited incoming calls, and the 100 minutes only deduct for outgoing calls still.

[Grinch]

In your my account. Check this often. 

 

[Grinch]

I think we would have been advised. They did start quite awhile ago to “omit” unlimited minutes in describing the $15 plan.  Which leads to a trust issue.  BUT I have 3 $15 plans and one acts as our land line. Both of our smart phones are rarely used….like rarely. Our land line has never run out of minutes and there are quite a few $5 500 minute add ons on it. And we have never dipped into the add ons. I check monthly. 

Like I am old. Real old. And would never think to see minimal phone use, talk wise, as most family communication now,  is by iMessage. 

I think you need to dig deeper. 

And look at buying the Canada wide 500 minutes for $5.  They don’t expire, till used up. 

[dust2dust]

But can that caller call you? Can any other number call you and does it ring through and can you answer and does it stay connected? Is your plan currently active?

[BKNS27]

@Xue1 

I am not aware of any changes to the $15 plan. Still 100 minutes outgoing calls, unlimited incoming callings, unlimited texting.

Is the number is ending in 4001? That is your voicemail box and minutes counts if you call your mailbox.