Calling international without pre-pay add on

[butts-ahoy]

I'm trying to make a quick call to the USA and after I dial, I get a message saying I don't have an active long distance add on.

Is this an error, or am I unable to call internationally without pre-purchasing minutes?! 

[Bcs2233]

[StewartMann]

I've been very pleased with the long distance add-on, its so much cheaper than my previouse tel-com who charged my $7 per month for the privelages of access to12c per minute charges.

I also like the lack of surprise in the pay in advance model.

[butts-ahoy]

My issue is not that it's not included, but it's that it was blocked by defualt and poorly explained (not explained). I thought it was an error until I came here. A company shouldn't rely on new customers interpreting knowledge base articles. They could have tried a little.

I was just annoyed, but I'll purchase the minutes this afternoon and move on.
Just hoping I don't run into more surprises!

[srlawren]

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@stonechucker wrote:

I just think different from the average customer.  I read every prompt before I press it.

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@stonechucker this line here is key.  You are different than the average customer.  I know it's frustrating (because I'm more like you in this regard too), but we have to be patient and understanding because most people are in fact different in these regards.  

[stonechucker]

@srlawren, I have to disagree.  I research everything before I make a purchase of a service.  I read everything on this website before I signed up, because I didn’t want surprises.

 I was surprised to see I get what I pay for, no surprises.  No extras that I don’t want, or need (well, too much data, SMS and MMS aside).

Customers fail on a regular basis to due their due diligence.  

I just think different from the average customer.  I read every prompt before I press it.

[srlawren]

@stonechucker this is another one of those things where PM is just a bit different, and people are taking their 0-35+ year experience with other providers in the mobile industry in Canada that use pay-per-use billing for things not explicitly included in your plan and just assuming PM works the same.  It's human nature to apply past experience to new situations and make assumptions about the outcome.  Another example of this is the repeated number of people that wonder why their payment/renewal dates are changing some months from the previous, totally oblivious to the fact that "30 day" plans mean 30 days rather than a calendar month.  

[Bcs2233]

You have to pay for international calls, must prepay before calling

[stonechucker]

Are you saying because you do not see specifically US calling is not included, US roaming is not included, international calls are not included, that somehow PM is hiding this from you?

I feel Public Mobile is more that obvious in the detail in the plan selections, both ready made, and in the plan builder.  They tell you exactly what you get.

There are links on all pages to see the terms of service, and the knowledge base, where you can further research what can be added, and specifics on how to do so.

I think you’re making this into something bigger than it needs to be.  Not every carrier is the same, and that’s what I like about Public Mobile, i pay for what I want to use, and purchase an add-on if I need something else.

Remember to add your money to your account first when you go to buy any addon, as it’s a two step purchase.

[butts-ahoy]

I agree the actual per/min price is reasonable, and thank you all for the helpful information.

I'm just frusterated that Public isn't up front about something like that (at all) for new customers. We're heading to the US for a couple days this month and I could have been in a real bind if I hadn't happened discover this before hand.

If something big/normal/obvious is blocked by defualt, people aren't going to think of looking for knowledge base articles about add-ons. That's like selling a car where one of your key marketing points is it's safety, then someone finding out after the fact that air-bags are an extra, and that was only mentioned in the online documentation. My wife has been with public for 1+ year and had no idea she was blocked from international calling. 

But again, thanks for all your help and clarity.

[dna2016]

@butts-ahoy, unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on your situation), PM does not offer "additional charges", everything revolves around pre-paying for services in order to use those services.  I think a lot of people forget this is a pre-paid company and everything you need must be paid for ahead of time.  I personally like that if I do something outside of my plan then the service won't let me, unlike postpaid plans that let you do what you want when you want, and then you pay the $100's when you get the bill, then spend another 3 hours calling to complain, and wasting hours getting in contact with managers and emailing the Ombudsman.  

Only downside is if this is an emergency then you're kind of stuck temporarily until you add the service, and then you have to wait for the service to kick in.  You definitely need to pre-plan with this pre-paid service provider.

[stonechucker]

oops... posted to wrong thread.

[Psygineer]

Personally, I would hate it if I could call a number and get a surprise bill because I didn't realize it wasn't part of my calling package. I really love the fact that I know my bill will always be the same each month, no data overage, no long distance charges, nothing. I get so many calls from the USA with people looking for Blue Cross/Shield that I can only image how much their typo costs them in long distance charges. I'd rather my phone just not place the call, which would let me know, "oops I put 807-7 instead of 800-7" rather than have me have to pay a bill for an unwanted international call.

[srlawren]

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@stonechucker wrote:

As for the addons...  $15 for 400 minutes, that do not expire until they are used, is a really good deal.

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@butts-ahoy one further thought here:  since you were asking specifically about calling the USA, you have two options:  $8 for 200 mins or $15 for 400 mins.  The $8 add-on will only let you call to the USA (and outside your province in Canada if you are on a province-wide talk plan), whereas the $15 add-on will let you call those plus I believe it's 18 countries internationally, listed here:  https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Plans-Add-Ons/Calling-an-international-phone-number/m...

[stonechucker]

@butts-ahoy, you can sms and mms to more countries than you can call.  Use letting you know now, so you don’t bust a vein when you try to make a call to a country not supported.

As for the addons...  $15 for 400 minutes, that do not expire until they are used, is a really good deal.

[srlawren]

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@butts-ahoy wrote:

Seriously?! Given that plans push unlimited international texting as a key feature, it's pretty confusing that international calling is straight up blocked unless you prepurchase minutes.

I checked the website again and can find no mention of that at all, super disapointing. If that was mentioned at all I'd probably have shrugged it off and planned around it, but that's pretty trust breaking. Curious what else I'll discover what else they weren't up front about.

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@butts-ahoy yeah it's not super easy to find but it is covered by this Knowledge Base article here in the community: Plans & Add-Ons.  Have a look specifically at the table under the organge heading "Long Distance and U.S. Roaming Add-Ons".  I'm not sure which Talk option you have in your plan, but your situation probably falls into the area I've highlighted with a blue box:

[krzcnck]

well unless you signed up for the $50 plan with unlimited calling to the US and Canada, you will have to buy minutes to call to the US

[smp99]

All those points you make out as negative, I see as positives

[butts-ahoy]

Seriously?! Given that plans push unlimited international texting as a key feature, it's pretty confusing that international calling is straight up blocked unless you prepurchase minutes.

I checked the website again and can find no mention of that at all, super disapointing. If that was mentioned at all I'd probably have shrugged it off and planned around it, but that's pretty trust breaking. Curious what else I'll discover what else they weren't up front about.

[srlawren · Accepted solution]

@butts-ahoy [amusing name aside,] you're far from the first and unfortunately will definitely not be the last to assume based on past experience with other providers that PM would offer pay-per-use services outside of what is included in your plan.  With Public Mobile, literally you get exactly what you pay up front for and nothing else--there is no pay-per-use billing here.  The long distance add-ons @ShawnC13 mentioned are available, or if it's only for occasional use you could consider using a VoIP app with free calling to the USA, such as Hangouts, Fongo, or I believe even Skype has free calling to the USA.  Or you can always pick up a pre-paid calling card from your local grocery/convenience store like people have used with landlines in the past to make long distance calls at a reasonable per-min rate.

[ShawnC13]

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@butts-ahoy wrote:

I'm trying to make a quick call to the USA and after I dial, I get a message saying I don't have an active long distance add on.

Is this an error, or am I unable to call internationally without pre-purchasing minutes?! 

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It isn't an error.  PM is a fully prepaid service.  You will need to purchase a long distance addon.  $8 for 200 minutes or $15 for 400 minutes.  These addons do not expire they are active until fully consumed