Covid-19 crisis and data usage

[awoserra]

Hi,

I'd just like to ask if anyone at public mobile has thought about temporarily increasing data limits for plans during the Covid-19 crisis?

As I live in a rural location, cellular internet is all I have to stay connected to the information people need right now. I'm finding that staying informed about health announcements and keeping in touch with everyone is having an unusually high cost in data.

Perhaps even a promotion on data add-on's would be a timely and helpful thing to do for people having a tough time in the short-term?

I believe it would mean a lot to people.

[awoserra]

I guess it's what we get for electing governments who sell out critical infrastructure to profiteering private enterprise - the worst service and the highest rates in the developed world.

[smiley3]

@awoserra 

I agree that Public Mobile doesn't have any very good options if you want to add data.  It seems very expensive even at the half price to add only 1GB!

I think they should have some type of 30 day unlimited data add-on option to help with people in rural communities needing more during the pandemic!

[awoserra]

Thanks, trying that.

Still, wouldn't a data add-on be a more reasonable way to add data?! This is ridiculous...

[gblackma]

@awoserra contact the moderators directly using this link  https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

Check your private message sent box (click on the envelope top right of your screen) to make sure the message was sent. Also keep an eye on the envelope, the mods answer will show up there.
You can also enable email notification to receive a private message notification sent to your email.
Go into your community account > my settings > PREFERENCES > Private Messenger > enable "Receive email notifications for new private messages" > Save

[awoserra]

Yah again, I'm not on a Public Mobile site asking about Telus offers.

I'm now trying to find a mod to renew my plan now, and getting a 404 error from the bots "Submit a ticket" link.

AGAIN, why is this process so convoluted, time consuming and obfuscated? Why, when I choose to "CHANGE PLAN NOW", do I also require a mod, and lastly, why can't I submit a ticket to actually get it done?

[Felixbthe1]

That's a sick plan @gblackma

[Anonymous]

 @mpcdesign 

No extra...:)

 @darlicious 

Fair enough.

[darlicious]

@Anonymous  Since the OP said they live in a rural location and likely cannot get traditional wired connection internet service I suggested they see if they qualify for telus smart hub.

[mpcdesign]

@Anonymous , what extraterrestrial services?

[darlicious]

@mpcdesign  Well if @awoserra goes with $25plan+hub = $1/1gb +tax=$1.12 in bc per 1gb

[Anonymous]

 @darlicious , @mpcdesign 

Telus Smart Hub is not available nation-wide.

I would happily recommend it though as that is my home internet service.

No cable, no adsl, no optic, far superior to a satellite provider, less cost than other terrestrial services.

[mpcdesign]

@darlicious, am so glad I tag you on that last post....see everyone, it takes heart to get into all this math stuff. my brain hurts when I read the numbers, figures, data....make it stop.

@ShawnC13 , c'mon you are a math wizard too, can you break this down even further by the MB?

@awoserra, I think darlicious has a great point. And by the looks of it too, you can install it too! Here's the link to the Telus Smart Hub

[darlicious]

@awoserra  If you are living in a rural area you should see if you qualify for telus smart hub. $60/100gb 2yr contract +$10 finance your smart hub device. $65 per month no contract. Multiple devices can connect to the WiFi. If there is more than just you at home then its more than worth it.

     Currently you're paying $100/17gb if you switched to the $25/1gb +smarthub=$100 $40/5gb+hub=$115       $50/gb+hub=$125   You can then adjust your pm plan according to your data needs outside the home and use much less since most uploads and downloads will be done on WiFi rather than mobile data.

[mpcdesign]

@awoserra, am on the opposite end here. I been home for the past few weeks with a landline and cable internet at home. Shaw has now unlimited internet for the time being. So, my plan of $40 a month, with 5 gigs, is almost pointless. Although, I did go out and got lost, and thankful I had data for Google Maps to help me get out and find the bakery that I wanted to find!

I couldn't find the email or message from ( @darlicious ) who I mentioned that I was planning to go from the $40 plan to the $25 plan. She suggested I go to the $15 plan. Buy the 1gig data-add-on for $15 and buy the $5 Canada Wide minutes for 500 minutes (Any unused minutes will roll over to your next cycle.). To be honest with you, I really had to think this one through, because my math and finance thinking is truly bad! Hence, why I became a designer and not an accountant like my dad! 

So, instead of saying $40, I still have a phone for emergency purposes for $15. And if needed turn on data (250mb), and if necessary, use the 1gig data that I would have purchased. And the minutes? 100 minutes. IF I truly don't want to use my minutes, I could text them to call me instead. But, that's kinda cheesy/ But, not really, if you want to be frugal in these times.

The worst-case scenario is going back to the bigger plans in a month's time. If it works out well, I would save $25 a month if am lucky! 

*If money was no object, I would keep the current plan or go bigger! IF I lived in rural area, I keep the bigger plan too! And get the $15 data-add-on x 3...just in case!

[Anonymous]

 @awoserra 

You only need the moderator for early renewal.

I currently carry around 2 devices. One is my primary line. The other is what I call my data line. Do the hotspot wifi thing with them. It's admittedly a bit of a hassle and I won't be doing this forever.

Earlier last year there was a 5gb promo offered. I bit.

[awoserra]

And further,

Just to leave this idea here, it would be easier to have an option for a 8GB top-up at that rate then (50$), I'm not sure why the obfuscation and convolution is necessary.

Renewing the plan also changes the renewal date, which can be undesirable and exacerbate an already annoying 30 day billing cycle when most people get paid monthly.

A monthly plan would be a nice option.

[awoserra]

My plan is the $50 dollar one (both of them).

There is a place in the self-serve web interface that asks if I wanted to implement changes at the end of the billing cycle or immediately, I chose immediately, but it did not actually do it - and made no mention of needing a moderator to intervene.

I will remember that for future reference though, thank you. I'm not put out by having two devices anyway, it's nice to have a seperate line for voice calls and one for data sometimes as stateful connections are sometimes interrupted with the cellular (soft) handshake from 4G to HSPA, and I actually want to experiment with aggregating them anyway...

To request moderator intervention seems inefficient, I wouldn't have anticipated the need as it was provisioned for in the self-serve interface...

[will13am]

I have an opposite situation.  Since I am stuck at home and on WiFi, I actually need a lesser plan that what I currently have.  More than ever, I need my home internet to be up 100%.  The point is that while we hope our service providers to be benevolent, there is only so much they can do.  Because communications are an essential service, there are lots of men and women who are putting their life at greater risk to keep the network running smoothly.  For that we must be grateful.  I am anyway. 

[Luddite]

@awoserra There's no particular need to get a second plan just for more data. Any current plan can be renewed early by making a one time payment to increase Available Funds to the plan cost, then send a request to the moderators.

Of course, upgrading your current plan to the $50 one is the first move to make.

[ShawnC13]

---

@awoserra wrote:

Switching provider is not a sufficient solution for why we're getting gouged for data add-ons at public mobile, even when discounted 50%...

---

Public Mobile is obviously a provider that won't work for high quantity data users for that to economical you would need to step up to a different provider.  PM provides a great plan and price for some people.  Not all providers will work for all people.  If you are a heavy data consumer than a service provider switch is probably your best option.

[awoserra]

Switching provider is not a sufficient solution for why we're getting gouged for data add-ons at public mobile, even when discounted 50%...

[gblackma]

@awoserra Telus currently has a $85 - 20 gig peace of mind plan  https://www.telus.com/en/mobility/new-at-telus This may be a better option for you. 

[awoserra]

Further,

So I'm within 1 GB of expiring my *second* plan with my first plan roll-over date Friday.

(It's hard to even stay in a monthly budget of 17.4GB data, thank god for openbsd efficiency!)

The next problem I've experienced, is that trying to renew to the same plan *before* the plan expires (30 days) also proves problematic... interesting right?

Why's it so hard to spend $50/8.7GB data in a straight forward manner?

[awoserra]

You can... although I just bought a second device, sim card and second plan...

The math: 60$ (blackberry from bestbuy outlet), $10 sim card and $50 plan = $120/additional 8.7GB and only 50$ for 8.7GB ongoing monthly...

Or you can pay $120 for only 8GB in data add-ons throughout a month - every single month. (Normally $240)

I just don't see the sense in pricing data add-ons so as to make it more reasonable to have a second phone and plan... do you?

[gblackma]

@awoserra what plan are you on? Have you considered a temporary move up to the $50 hybrid plan? You get 8.5 gigs of data with autopay and free calls to the US from within Canada. This plan

Here's an article on changing plans https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/on/get-help/articles/change-your-plan Stay safe.

[JoyLuck]

You can purchase 1 GB for $15 right now. Half price.

Unused portion rolls over.