200 US minutes add on problem

[carma]

hi, 

I purchase this add on for 200 US talk minutes a couple hours ago, the payment went thru immediately, and the add on shows active in my account, but when I tried to place a call to a US number a few minutes ago, the call was denied. I heard a record d message stating that I do not have this option in my account. my account status shows that I do indeed have this option. I tried restarting my phone and it made no difference. us there something in missing, my understanding is that the add on takes effect immediately upon payment?

[Angelfireheart]

Thanks.  Actually I realized the conference call company has a bunch of numbers that I can use so all should be okay. But I did mention to pm that they should check out a premium add-on and review the $50 plan details as they as far as I could see didn’t show the note about not being able to dial some numbers.  I have what’s app and messenger etc but will check out the one you mentioned. 

[Angelfireheart]

I just moved from Koodo! 

[hairbag1]

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@Angelfireheart wrote:

Okay. Well how can I call one of the blocked numbers???  Pretty disappointed as that’s why I switched to public mobile. ?? 

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You can try using a free voip app like TextNow to call US for free. As long as you have a good wifi signal, it works good. And did I mention it's free ?

[GinYVR]

@AngelfireheartIf you want access to those numbers that you will have to move to Koodo post paid / Telus.. do note the rate are substantially higher than other US numbers. Link here.

[Angelfireheart]

Okay. Well how can I call one of the blocked numbers???  Pretty disappointed as that’s why I switched to public mobile. ?? 

[carma]

thanks for digging that up, Mandy...old posts can be tough to find, so I really appreciate your kind effort 🙂

Bravo's all round to everyone....reminds me of a way back when......I think I was 8 or 9 years old when I had a crush on Greg Brady ;)....dunno if anyone else remembers his johhny bravo alter ego, I personally loved the movie remakes, but I should probably not admit that outloud....especially cos I'm new here. 

🙂

[MandyJ]

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@carma wrote:

712-432-____

check.

yep. that's the problem right there. out of curiosity, why the restrictions on those specific US numbers?

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I dug up this forum post from when the change to the US plans was made a few years ago. 

Which U.S. area codes are not supported in the U.S. Talk packages?

It mentions that their "agreement with our partners in the U.S. makes it extremely expensive to support calls made to these regions. In order to keep our Talk prices as they are, we had to make a difficult decision to exclude these numbers from our Talk packages."

You can read that post for the full explanation if you want. 🙂

[carma]

712-432-____

check.

yep. that's the problem right there. out of curiosity, why the restrictions on those specific US numbers?

I'll be back later to bravo everyone, I have a frying pan fire (for real) to attend to. plus ordering out for dinner now, thank goodness it's a local call, lol

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

 @carma 

T&C #6: Calls made to numbers starting with the following six digit combinations are not included in U.S. calling from Canada and will not be completed when dialed: 712-432, 605-562, 641-552, 605-475, 605-477, 712-775, 559-726, 530-881.

[geopublic]

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@carma wrote:

yep,ok double checked and I purchased the 200 mins Canada/US add on, not the US long distance one. 

so this is super weird....I just tried calling a home depot in Iowa, and the call went thru just fine. so then I tried the 712 number I wanted to call before ( which is a typical Iowa area code, nothing unusual) and got the same recorded message I got earlier:

"hi. public mobile here. sorry, talk is not included in your plan"

dunno, but I swear this is typical of my life, aren't I special, lol. 

I also did the lost/stolen phone trick, and tried calling the 712 area code again, same results. but if anyone needs anything from home depot in akeney Iowa, I got that covered 😉

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@carma Are you sure you are dialing the correct number? Are you dialing the number directly or from your contacts?

[carma]

yep,ok double checked and I purchased the 200 mins Canada/US add on, not the US long distance one. 

so this is super weird....I just tried calling a home depot in Iowa, and the call went thru just fine. so then I tried the 712 number I wanted to call before ( which is a typical Iowa area code, nothing unusual) and got the same recorded message I got earlier:

"hi. public mobile here. sorry, talk is not included in your plan"

dunno, but I swear this is typical of my life, aren't I special, lol. 

I also did the lost/stolen phone trick, and tried calling the 712 area code again, same results. but if anyone needs anything from home depot in akeney Iowa, I got that covered 😉

[geopublic]

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@fanfan wrote:

Did you purchase the correct add on ?

There are 2 different types and both are $8.

One is for 200 long distance minutes when calling from Canada to Canada/USA. 

The other $8 plan is for when you are physically in the USA and calling within the USA. 

If you need to make a call to the USA try downloading the TextMe app. It will give you free local number and gives you free calling to Canada and USA thru wifi. 

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@fanfan  Great catch!! @carma  That would explain why it's not working.

If you have an Android phone you can use an app like Hangouts Dialer to call any NA number free of charge.

[MoreYummy]

you can do that!  

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@carma wrote:

Oh PS....I don't know the etiquette around here, should I be giving everyone Bravo's or hitting that solution button so you guys all get points or something? happy to do so if it benefits people some way 🙂

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[fanfan]

Did you purchase the correct add on ?

There are 2 different types and both are $8.

One is for 200 long distance minutes when calling from Canada to Canada/USA. 

The other $8 plan is for when you are physically in the USA and calling within the USA. 

If you need to make a call to the USA try downloading the TextMe app. It will give you free local number and gives you free calling to Canada and USA thru wifi. 

[dabr]

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@carma wrote:

Oh PS....I don't know the etiquette around here, should I be giving everyone Bravo's or hitting that solution button so you guys all get points or something? happy to do so if it benefits people some way 🙂

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Give bravos if it's helpful or thoughtful, and click solution if it resolved your problem...that hasn't happened yet I believe.

[carma]

Oh PS....I don't know the etiquette around here, should I be giving everyone Bravo's or hitting that solution button so you guys all get points or something? happy to do so if it benefits people some way 🙂

[carma]

yeah, I'll hang on to it.....I guess I thought I signed up for a recurring monthly charge, but if the minutes never expire as long as I have my account, it's no biggie. well, except it was a time sensitive call I had to make, and now i have to make some other arrangements with the other party, and hope they understand and/or believe me when I explain why ilthey didn't hear from me at the arranged time. 

area code was 712.

haven't tried the lost/stolen trick yet, now that I missed making that call I'm in no hurry, so I'll wait for the mod to get back to me. or maybe I'll try the trick a bit later tonight for the benefit of someone else in the future...I'll let you guys know if it works, except I have no other US number or contact in the US to try. maybe I'll look up the number of a retail store or something in the same area code.

[Anonymous]

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@carma wrote:

my plan includes unlimited Canada wide talk....I paid for the $8 -  200 US minutes add on....so i guess that won't work? gosh I wish the system wouldn't let me do it then. looks like the family not other option I haven sbto upgrade to the $50onth plan that includes unlimited US minutes.....but I almost never call me he aUS, I paid for the add on because I have ONE important US call to make, I was going to drop the add on next month. 

any suggestions? and thanks for your reply btw, I hope there is a work around, l need to cancel the add on if it won't work for me. 

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It's not a bad add-on to keep hanging around for those times you need it and it's not a lot of money (unless you're tight of course). There are people here still with it a couple years later.

What was the area code and exchange/prefix you were wanting to call? There are some exclusions.

[dabr]

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@carma wrote:

thank you dunkman, I've sent a message to the mod 🙂

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Did you try the lost/stolen trick as suggested by @Dunkman  because that has been known to reset the account, also you'll need to restart your phone too.

PM is prepaid, so not sure if you will get reimbursed, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

[carma]

thank you dunkman, I've sent a message to the mod 🙂

[Dunkman]

@carma 

It should work with your plan.  If you are not in a rush for the US call, you can contact moderator to see whether they can fix the problem, but expect 1-2 day wait.  

Send a private message to moderator through the following link :

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

[GinYVR]

@carmaI dont' think you can cancel the addon as it is a 1 time thing. It stays with your account until you have exhausted it.

[carma]

my plan includes unlimited Canada wide talk....I paid for the $8 -  200 US minutes add on....so i guess that won't work? gosh I wish the system wouldn't let me do it then. looks like the family not other option I haven sbto upgrade to the $50onth plan that includes unlimited US minutes.....but I almost never call me he aUS, I paid for the add on because I have ONE important US call to make, I was going to drop the add on next month. 

any suggestions? and thanks for your reply btw, I hope there is a work around, l need to cancel the add on if it won't work for me. 

[popping]

@carma 

Do you have call minutes in your plan?

If not, your 200 Canada/US long distance minutes add-on will not work.  This add-on is meant to supplement your call minutes - NOT to enable you to have call minutes.

[Dunkman]

@carma 

Buying an add on is a two step process.  Need to load money and then purchase add on.  

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Plans-Add-Ons/HOWTO-Purchasing-Add-ons/m-p/198974#M22...

If you see the 200 minute add on your overview page, you should have done it correctly.  You could try the lost/stolen phone trick to reset your plan/sim card.  

To report your phone  lost/stolen.  Login to your account.  Choose Plans and Add-ons tab. Then choose Lost/Stolen Phone tab.  The choose Suspend Service tab.  Logout.  Wait few minutes.  Login in and report your phone found.