Bait and Switched Automatically from 12GB LTE Fall 2016 Promo?

[PoweredByPho]

I was on the 12GB LTE/$120 3 month Fall 2016 promo since the inception of the plan. 

Without warning, on October 21, 2018 - I was automatically switched to the 4.5GB/$40 plan? I didn't even notice, since I was on AutoPay.

Just today, I was surprised that cell phone service was cut off, until I logged back in to make a payment and "reactivate my plan". Looking through my history I realized that they had changed my plan to $40 in October without my consent and likely disabled my autopay.

This is pretty ridiculous and the exact definition of a bait and switch.

What should I do? Contact the CRTC? Seems likea  very unfair business practice.

@CS_Agent

Date Transaction Type Credit (Payments) Debit (Charges) Balance

Nov 23, 2018	4.5 GB at 3G Speed/ 4.5 Go à la vitesse 3G		$30.00	$0.00
Nov 23, 2018	30-day plan/Forfait de 30 jours		$10.00	$30.00
Nov 23, 2018	Credit/Visa Debit TopUp-Réapprov crédit/Visa Débit	$36.00		$40.00
Nov 20, 2018	Reward - Loyalty Recognition/Récompense - Reconnaissance de Fidélité	$2.00		$4.00
Nov 20, 2018	AutoPay Reward	$2.00		$2.00
Oct 21, 2018	4.5 GB at 3G Speed/ 4.5 Go à la vitesse 3G		$30.00	$0.00
Oct 21, 2018	30-day plan/Forfait de 30 jours		$10.00	$30.00
Oct 21, 2018	Automatic Top-Up/Réapprovisionnements auto.	$37.00		$40.00
Oct 21, 2018	Reward - Loyalty Recognition/Récompense - Reconnaissance de Fidélité	$1.00		$3.00
Oct 21, 2018	AutoPay Reward	$2.00		$2.00
Jul 23, 2018	Unlimited Provincial Talk/Appels Illimités dans la Province		$51.00	$0.00
Jul 23, 2018	Unlimited International Text/Messagerie texte à l'International		$45.00	$51.00
Jul 23, 2018	12GB Data/Données 12 Go		$125.00	$96.00
Jul 23, 2018	90-day plan/Forfait de 90 jours		$25.00	$221.00
Jul 23, 2018	Fall 2016 Promo/Offre de l’automne 2016	$126.00		$246.00

[srlawren]

@PoweredByPho okay I'm going to jump in here.  I'm not going to defend PM and I don't mean to be critical, but this is clearly something that was done in error.  There was another recent case where the moderators were in fact able to restore someone's fall promo plan that was also switched in error.  There is no conspiracy here and no bait-and-switch--this sounds like a system glitch or a human error (find me a human that never makes mistakes... go ahead, I'll wait...)

Bottom line is that the only people that can help you resolve this is the moderator team.  This has been asked already but I don't see an answer from you so I'm going to ask it again:  have you sent them a private message?  If so, great, now you just have to be patient to hear back from them.  If not, please do so right away, and you can read how to here: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Knowledge-Base/How-to-Get-Help/ta-p/251745.

Regarding your further speculation about what you think PM will change to claw back rewards.... well, you're welcome to speculate as is anyone else.  Personally I don't agree with you and don't see those items going away or being reduced anytime soon; in fact, the community awards were actually increased a few months ago.  I think PM is committed to the reward system and recognize it for what it is:  an inexpensive-to-provide perk that helps attract and retain customers with little to no cost or effort on their part.  

[dr-et]

reality is that it takes forever to resolve certain issues with the moderators.

autopay not working well if one has more than three accounts. this is third time i had to deal with that issue myself.Luckily i could resolve it myself. last time took over 2 weeks.

Now to the claims that the company changed the settings on purpose highly unlikely.

Chances are that rewards will be eroded with time,until then everyone is entitled to to what they want with their money and where they will spend them

take care best of luck

[Anonymous]

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@PoweredByPho wrote:

@stonechucker

Yes, I've been here long enough to know that the forums are the only way to get support (hence tagging moderator team). 

I understand what you're saying and what others have reiterated, but if I wanted to pay $40 or less for a Canada Wide month to month plan, I would have just ported to Koodo $35/5GB LTE Canada Wide with the option of visual voicemail when I had the chance. (Which I'm going to try to do now, since reading other posts - it's impossible for them to set 120 plan back up).

As much as you guys can defend PM, I also have the right to question unauthorized changes to my account (example auto pay was cancelled). But who knows, maybe I was possessed, changed my plan, and cancelled my autopay a month later and not remember a single thing.

Listen, at the end of the day - this line is for my aging parent. I just want to set it once and forget it without their line being disconnected. 

And don't get me wrong, I used to be a huge supporter of PM, (had 5 lines here at one point and multiple referrals). But as time goes by, it's definitely getting worse.

Here's what I'm thinking is going to happen in a few years, based on their recent plan changes:
1. First, your referral rewards are going to be cancelled.

2. Next they are going to remove autopay credit.

3. Loyalty credit is going be cut.

4. Your plan is going to get jacked up.

Not that any of you care, I certainly don't anymore. But best of luck to yall, especially the PM supporters.

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"(hence tagging moderator team)"

But did you send them an actual private message and not just tagging them here?

"I also have the right to question unauthorized changes to my account"

Nobody is challenging your rights to say and do whatever you like.

The rest is pure speculation but thanks for your theories which are yours and belong to you and you own them.

No one here expects everything to stay the same just as they are now. That would be unreasonable.

[PoweredByPho]

@stonechucker

Yes, I've been here long enough to know that the forums are the only way to get support (hence tagging moderator team). 

I understand what you're saying and what others have reiterated, but if I wanted to pay $40 or less for a Canada Wide month to month plan, I would have just ported to Koodo $35/5GB LTE Canada Wide with the option of visual voicemail when I had the chance. (Which I'm going to try to do now, since reading other posts - it's impossible for them to set 120 plan back up).

As much as you guys can defend PM, I also have the right to question unauthorized changes to my account (example auto pay was cancelled). But who knows, maybe I was possessed, changed my plan, and cancelled my autopay a month later and not remember a single thing.

Listen, at the end of the day - this line is for my aging parent. I just want to set it once and forget it without their line being disconnected. 

And don't get me wrong, I used to be a huge supporter of PM, (had 5 lines here at one point and multiple referrals). But as time goes by, it's definitely getting worse.

Here's what I'm thinking is going to happen in a few years, based on their recent plan changes:
1. First, your referral rewards are going to be cancelled.

2. Next they are going to remove autopay credit.

3. Loyalty credit is going be cut.

4. Your plan is going to get jacked up.

Not that any of you care, I certainly don't anymore. But best of luck to yall, especially the PM supporters.

[stonechucker]

@PoweredByPho, have you directly contacted the Moderator_Team via private message?  You've been here long enough to know that is the way to get support from the company.  The community can only advise on account issues.

Frankly, I agree with the post above that wonders if you were contemplating a plan change.  I would prefer a $40/30-day payment, I'm on the same plan as you've had changed.  I'm currently sitting with a plan change to do just that.  I'm probably going to cancel the change the day before, as I've done previously.

Believe it or not, user error is the number one cause of issues here at Public Mobile.

[PoweredByPho]

@CS_Agent

A week later and still waiting for a response...

[Someone_here]

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@RobertQc wrote:

It does seem unlikely they would bait/switch, at least without warning, without an announcement and without notification.

[...] give them the benifit of the doubt that this is just a mistake.

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Unlikely but not impossible 😉 It was mainly just to highlight the ToS.

I think there is not doubt this is either a mistake from the client or from Public Mobile, since nobody else reported this has happened to them.

[RobertQc]

@PoweredByPhoYou would also go from Unlimited provincial to unlimited canada wide (if you care about free long distance) and don't need super fast data with a wider bucket range 90 vs 30 to spread it out- you actually could be getting a better deal.

Although it does say in the Service Terms ("Public Mobile has the right to change any of the terms of service, including rates, without notice"). This does not allow them carte blanche. It does seem unlikely they would bait/switch, at least without warning, without an announcement and without notification.

So far everytime I thought public mobile was truly doing something wrong and/or unfair they have said sorry we made a mistake, "ooops, thanks for pointing that out", we will still honor it, we will make an exception, even on cases when its the customers fault and even go as far as to not make the changes because of complaints. Although I think public mobile can improve in many ways.... I think public mobile has proven itself to be an extremely fair company and we should give them the benifit of the doubt that this is just a mistake.

Report back and let us know what the mod team says.

[Someone_here]

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@Anonymous wrote:

will13am's idea is interesting though. $120 / 3 = $40 12 / 3 = 4.

So for the average of the same cost per 30 days you get 500mb more data. Except that it's only available per 30 days and not able to spread it out over 90 days.

Seems some people like that. But for your dollar, you're getting a little more product.

So maybe you had entertained going to that 30 day plan and maybe accidentally clicked ok.

Interesting.

---

Don't forget that it's also 12GB LTE vs 3 x 4.5GB 3G data 😉

[Anonymous]

will13am's idea is interesting though. $120 / 3 = $40 12 / 3 = 4.

So for the average of the same cost per 30 days you get 500mb more data. Except that it's only available per 30 days and not able to spread it out over 90 days.

Seems some people like that. But for your dollar, you're getting a little more product.

So maybe you had entertained going to that 30 day plan and maybe accidentally clicked ok.

Interesting.

[will13am]

@PoweredByPho, I highly doubt the system spuriously did a plan change on you.  Did you happen to by chance consider making a change and forgot to cancel out?  I am on the 2016 fall promo and still am.  In any event, you should be able to ask for it to be changed back if it was not your fault.  No need to involve the CCTS.  Besides, they will not intervene until after the customer as attempted to resolve the differences with the carrier first. 

[Anonymous]

 @PoweredByPho

I hardly think the switch of the bait would happen 2 years later.

But it does look like something crappy happened along the way. This would be a job for the mods.

Send ONE (1) private message to them here and include your phone number and PIN to minimize back and forth identity verification delays.
Forget your PIN? Then you'll need 3 of either of these pieces of information you used when you signed up: full address, birthdate, last 4 digits of CC you might have used, email address on the account, alternative phone number you might've entered when you signed up. Or, in addition, either of these to get to 3: last payment amount and date, last add-on bought and date.
And of course your question/problem.
Then hopefully they will get back to you as soon as they can between M-F 9-9 (ET) and Sat-Sun 9-7:30 (ET). But it could be up to a couple days.
Depending on your notification settings, you would get an email notifying you of a reply. Get back here and see a red blob over the little envelope in the upper right of your screen and click on it to see the message.