For those who say PM doesn't reward Loyal Customers (This didn't age well)

[ShawnC13]

Edited to add:  Below was written before the removal of the Legacy rewards Program and the removal of the converion of 1 point for ever 30 days you have been with Public Mobile.

I see many posts in here about how PM doesn't reward or value their long term customers, and only offers good plans to new customers.  Well just my personal experience with PM will show that it isn't true.  I came to PM like many others in the Fall of 2016 for the famous "Fall Promo" it was $120 for 12GB over 90 days.  So basically a $40/4 plan but gave you the flexibility in data usage over the 90 days.  Some 30 days spans you used more or less but had 12 over the 90 days.  This plan was an industry disrupter, there were so many new activations daily.  You think wait times can get bad now waiting for a couple of hours, wait times were in the weeks during this time and people were willing to wait as it was such a good deal.  Not only was it a great deal this company then had ways to lower your bill with autopay, referrals and community rewards.  That right there is rewarding loyal customers that other providers don't do.

The offers here were so good during that time the referrals were very easy to get and it wasn't long and I had a free cell phone plan.  Besides a work issued phone where can you get that.  Over time the Telus culture grew within PM and it was no longer an industry innovator as it was prior to the purchase, but they were still rewarding loyal long term customers with the loyalty and all other rewards.  There were a few years where (I personally found) PM very stale for offeres and hard to refer as other providers had the same plans, but it switched again and PM started offering very attractive plans to bring in new customers just like all other providers.  Some plans were for new customers only (industry standard) but they usually made their way to be available for all,

I think recently with the re-introduction of Canada US plans with substantial data buckets that PM is again on the innovative, industry disrupter side.  While Teir 1's are increasing roaming rates, PM is including it their plans, which is AMAZING!!  Don't get me wrong there are somethings that I think need to be looked at and improved on.  The lower priced plans seem to be stale and not much changing on the while the higher priced plans are getting added features and additional data, not everyone needs or can afford those plans.  So that is an area I think PM should be taking a look at next.

To wrap this up and get back to my point I started here in November of 2016 on the $120/12GB 90 day plan ($40/4gb) and now I have the $34/50GB Canada-US Plan.  I am not sure how I could have gotten here with one provider and not leave them over those 7 years if they didn't reward their longtime customers.  Remember I have been earning rewards over that time as well which I wouldn't see elsewhere.  PM Does value their longterm customers.  I am not saying they are perfect as I think a revamp of lower priced plans needs to be looked at, but I am not searching for a new provider anytime soon.  Plus this recent new offer I was able to bring more people over to PM and help my current referrals get more features and data all the while saving them more money.

Apologies for this turning into a bit of a rant, but just got tired of complaints on not rewarding loyal customers.

[jjre]

I agree. P.M. is the best carrier out there nowadays..🤞

[aip0401]

Fully agree.  I also had the $120/12GB plan originally and I was convinced that PM would need to pry it from my cold dead fingers before I gave it up.  I'd say they succeeded with the $34/50GB monthly plan!

[jor123]

Yeah I agree, I'm very happy with the new $34 50GB, but on the low end, long overdue for something in the middle data wise. The value proposition is not so much there on that side anymore .

[Pete973]

I agree 100%, and I've only been with Public Mobile for 8 months. I started last June with a $39 plan with 20GB Canada only. Since that time I have switched to a $40 plan with 40GB and then a $40 plan with 60GB ... both Canada only. I just recently switched to a $40 plan with 75GB Canada/USA!!! No other mobile provider I was previously with has ever come anywhere close to offering better plans to existing customers ... and like ShawnC13 said, all while earning points at the same time. 

[golfball]

They do need to do more in the less than $30 range. They never send me any offers in that range but texted me about the US plans.

[HALIMACS]

I tend to agree @ShawnC13 , however I don't think too many longer-standing users felt it unfair, moreso the ones who were recent activations only to find out a month or two later something much better come along.

I believe where there may have been some love lost was with the introduction of Public Points.

While it's still a reward plan for new activations which not many others provider, it's really too bad they didn't make switching reversible within, say, a 24 hour time-period.

I do acknowledge that offering new activation plans only is certainly par for the course for most mobile providers and the fact they opened up the $34 50GB US-Can plan to all is fantastic.

I, for one, see Public Mobile as my service provider for as long as they keep on top of things.

[ShawnC13]

@Frequent_flyer this is also a great example of a benefit of Public Mobile.  You aren't tied into a long contract.  You find something that works better for you, then you have the flexibility to move on it.  With their new provider, do you know if their current subscribers could get the new plan your family got?  I doubt current customers were able to get that plan as all carriers do new subscriber only plans.  I am not sure how long your family had been with PM but they would have given up some rewards during that time as well.

[Frequent_flyer]

Rewarding loyal customers is paramount in ensuring those loyal customers stay with you. When the competition offers new customers a plan that is substantially better than what you offer your own customers you have to decide fairly quickly to match what the competition is doing. Failing to do so over and over will cause your loyal customers to move to the competition. Case in point, my partner was a loyal customer with PM for many years we also added our children when they were old enough. Over the Christmas time frame the competition was offering plans substantially better than PM, not knowing if those plans would expire a decision had to be made. He left PM and went to the competition and also took the kids. So public mobile lost three customers to the competition because they would not offer a similar plan to existing customers. To wait for public mobile to make a decision whether or not they will match or beat a plan offered by another carrier could be detrimental. It took public mobile almost two months to offer a similar plan. Then a month later they offer a $26 15 GB plan to existing customers. Waiting for 3 months for public mobile to reward it's loyal customers is a long time to wait. With all of the carriers trying to one up each other public mobile has to definitively shorten its reaction time. The bottom line in all of this is that public mobile lost three customers to the competition and if it wasn't for the fact that I don't use a lot of data and still have four gigabytes of the data they gave us the last two years over Christmas, they would have lost me as well. Public mobile cannot discriminate against one set of its customers in favor of another set. To offer a better plan in Quebec and not offer it to the rest of the country will just piss people off. Just my two cents. No offense intended.

[ShawnC13]

---

@maurelle wrote:

---

@hTideGnow wrote:

HI @ShawnC13 

i don't think they will do much either.  For low incoming family, people can get the Telus special plans instead

---

Wow, want to rethink that sentiment?

Of course, an affordable basic cell phone plan is not on the two bottom levels of the Maslow pyramid, but, like it or not, having a functioning cell phone is pretty much a social necessity in Canada these days.

So, just because we have food banks, and some people qualify for shopping there, it's great that food prices for normal, average quantities of healthy food at the grocery store are sky rocketing? After all, you are getting the fantastic deals at Costco...

Logging out of this.

---

I think you have interpreted their response wrong.  I don't think they were saying whoever has low income doesn't need to have a plan here.  More that they don't PM will alter the lower priced plans

[maurelle]

---

@hTideGnow wrote:

HI @ShawnC13 

i don't think they will do much either.  For low incoming family, people can get the Telus special plans instead

---

Wow, want to rethink that sentiment?

Of course, an affordable basic cell phone plan is not on the two bottom levels of the Maslow pyramid, but, like it or not, having a functioning cell phone is pretty much a social necessity in Canada these days.

So, just because we have food banks, and some people qualify for shopping there, it's great that food prices for normal, average quantities of healthy food at the grocery store are sky rocketing? After all, you are getting the fantastic deals at Costco...

Logging out of this.

[hTideGnow]

HI @ShawnC13 

i don't think they will do much either.  For low incoming family, people can get the Telus special plans instead

[ShawnC13]

@maurelle , I did recognize this in my post about PM needing some sort of revamp for the lower priced plans for the people who don't need the data or can't afford that plan

[hTideGnow]

Great post @ShawnC13 

I think many just not understand this is not uncommon that good plans are reserved for new activation with mobile carriers.  But I am happy to see PM plan has dropped in price by a lot.  We were still talking about $35 for 3GB last year, now $35 get you Canada-US plan for way more data than most people needed

[softech]

it all has to do with industry trend.  Other than the Freedom Annual plan, you really don't see any plan change for anything below $25 with any provider.  I would say, the $24-4GB (new activation and vis SMS promo),  the $26-15GB (via SMS promos) and $29 -10GB (new activation) are all good and reasonable plans for anything below $30.  

Yes, not all these plans are open for existing customers, but we seem it again and again that some of the new activation only plans had opened up for us eventually , so just a bit of patience will pay off

[dabr]

@maurelle     Recent plan offerings with tons of data and recent options that include roaming features built into them have been incredible deals for customers for sure, however, have to agree with your points regarding the lack of interest PM has shown over the last year or so for offering anything appealing in the +/- $20 range which has been further negatively compounded with the loss of roll over data (with no corresponding price drop for a seriously diminished feature) which, IMO, was PM's best selling point along with legacy rewards, of course. 

edit:  for posterity's sake:  We can now add legacy rewards (loyalty and autopay) to the list of features PM has decided to discontinue (starting May/2024) and requiring all customers to be on the more inferior points system.   The cherry on top is the ability to be credited 1 point/month of service with PM that was removed (previously PM's carrot to entice customers to make the switch to points) apparently one day before the announcement advising of the elimination of legacy rewards.  Nicely done PM!  /s.

[maurelle]

I acknowledge that your point is valid for that market segment who can and will spend $40/month on their data plans. But Public Mobile has, in the past, also catered quite well to a good chunk of less fortunate people who don't have that kind of money to spare. In these harsh economic times the later group is simply craving for some updated plans at the low end of the line-up. (And yes, I know, PM is a business not a charity.)

All but one of my referrals came to Public Mobile for the (then) nicely priced low use plans, which were unbeatable when combined with the carry-over data-ons for the occasionaly time that one exceeded their plan data by 20 or 50mb. Around $200/year (or less with rewards) for pretty much all the talk they intended to do on the phone, unlimited text, and the occasional data use as needed. Over time the later has definitely increased, so some would jump up to $25/1GB, still supplementing with the non-expiring add-ons.

Then PM decided to put the 30 day expiry date onto the add-ons... And leaving a huge gap to the next bigger plan (right now , for existing customers, it's $25/1GB or $34/50GB). Add the slap in the face seeing $24/4GB offered to new customers only.

None of these accounts opted out of promotional texts but never got recent messages for special deals that some on this community insist were sent to everybody - the messages were clearly targeted to a specific group, and my referrals where not part of it. Seeing that some community members reported getting the new customer only or special plans through CSR, we sent polite inquiries - and were denied every single time. Some of the replies from CSR were rather rude on top of it.

I guess because I remember the relatively fair and equal times at Public Mobile, where getting a better plan didn't depend on whether the CSR got out of bed on the wrong side this morning or really likes your community handle, it's that YMMV part that I mainly struggle with. While PM used to be a breath of fresh air and a good choice of a "proper" cell phone provider for low income people, it is now just one of the herd. 

While I've lost most of my PM referrals now, I don't blame them for leaving for plans with better data buckets in the $20 range elsewhere. Every single one of them would have been happy and did try to stay and give PM adequate more money for a bit more data, if only PM had been willing to give it to them / opening those plans to all. These people are now happy with their new providers, plans and coverage. I don't think we see them back here anytime soon.