I left Public Mobile and I regret it

[Zero]

I was on the 90 day/$120/12gb plan and got lured to Fido with the 10gb/$60 plan. Aside from a bunch of small hidden fees, my coverage is absolute trash, and I'm in downtown Toronto. Dead spots all throughout the Path, no service in my gym, poor service in my condo, MUCH slower speeds.... The Telus network is far superior to the Rogers network, at least in the financial district. I have regrets. I'll be switching to Telus if they offer the 10gb plan again. I had no issues with PM and loved them, but couldn't turn down 10gb.

[koimr1]

@will13am, yes - I should probably keep my thoughts to myself. 🙂

Edit: Sorry, I hope I don't sound snarky! Don't mean to be! 🙂

[torontokris]

As someone mentioned the ceo wanting to get people upsell off the value prepaid brands and into monthly. Koodo then can increase your price with 30 days notice... Maybe you also buy an overpriced phone as well or run out of unflexible data & buy a data add on at $7/100mb & pay more for USA calling & roaming.

[will13am]

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@koimr1wrote:

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@will13amwrote:

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@Wonder_whywrote:

@will13am PM raising price up for 12GB Data for 90 days for  $150 😃

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@Wonder_why, yes I know that already.  All of us with the ubiquitous 2016 fall promotion look like deer in headlights at the moment.  We are all speechless.  We do have time and so everyone is going to make an informed decision and do what is appropriate for their situation.  I will say this much, Public Mobile will never be the same again.  Given the way this came out of nowhere, those who opt to leave will not be doing so under good terms.  The impairment will not be just in the numbers leaving but in the goodwill department.

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I agree it won't be the same again.

They say the plan being offered is similar (ignoring bonuses) - ok, then what's the whole point in moving people over in the first place? Am thinking there won't be a PM at all soon.

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Unless we are a fly on the wall at Telus HQ, we can only speculate the reasons why.  I am trying to rationlize a reason and I just can't figure it out. 

[koimr1]

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@will13amwrote:

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@Wonder_whywrote:

@will13am PM raising price up for 12GB Data for 90 days for  $150 😃

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@Wonder_why, yes I know that already.  All of us with the ubiquitous 2016 fall promotion look like deer in headlights at the moment.  We are all speechless.  We do have time and so everyone is going to make an informed decision and do what is appropriate for their situation.  I will say this much, Public Mobile will never be the same again.  Given the way this came out of nowhere, those who opt to leave will not be doing so under good terms.  The impairment will not be just in the numbers leaving but in the goodwill department.

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I agree it won't be the same again.

They say the plan being offered is similar (ignoring bonuses) - ok, then what's the whole point in moving people over in the first place? Am thinking there won't be a PM at all soon.

[will13am]

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@Wonder_whywrote:

@will13am PM raising price up for 12GB Data for 90 days for  $150 😃

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@Wonder_why, yes I know that already.  All of us with the ubiquitous 2016 fall promotion look like deer in headlights at the moment.  We are all speechless.  We do have time and so everyone is going to make an informed decision and do what is appropriate for their situation.  I will say this much, Public Mobile will never be the same again.  Given the way this came out of nowhere, those who opt to leave will not be doing so under good terms.  The impairment will not be just in the numbers leaving but in the goodwill department.

[Wonder_why]

@will13am PM raising price up for 12GB Data for 90 days for  $150 😃

[will13am]

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@Wonder_whywrote:

@will13am I know not everyone need 10GB Data,for those who can chew up the Data,I myself chew up almost 9GB Data every month now with Koodo 😄👍

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Hold the door open for us, we coming to join you, perhaps not on the 10 gig plan, but we are coming.  Keep the coffee warm.

[Wonder_why]

@will13am I know not everyone need 10GB Data,for those who can chew up the Data,I myself chew up almost 9GB Data every month now with Koodo 😄👍

[smp99]

@Zero it's been a while since PM has offered up any kind of promo that has brought the website to its knees, so here's hoping there may be one in the near future. 

[srlawren]

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@will13amwrote:

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@Wonder_whywrote:

@will13am just for $20 more from PM you can get 10GB Data ,is a steal , look at PM 5GB Data price 

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@Wonder_why, if I applied this kind of logic, I would eat at a buffet restaurant every night because food cost on a $/calorie basis would be theoretically fantastic.  $/gig is not the only figure of merit worth considering.  As I pointed out, how many of these customers really need and will consume most/all of the 10 gigs every month?  If the typical customer only uses around 5 gigs per month, then the plan is actually a $60 for 5 gig plan.  So, is the extra cost for a buffet really worth it on a continual basis?  I don't think so. 

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@will13am pretty good analogy!  I guess technically a buffet would more aptly represent an unlimited data plan, but it still works pretty good in this context.  

[will13am]

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@Wonder_whywrote:

@will13am just for $20 more from PM you can get 10GB Data ,is a steal , look at PM 5GB Data price 

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@Wonder_why, if I applied this kind of logic, I would eat at a buffet restaurant every night because food cost on a $/calorie basis would be theoretically fantastic.  $/gig is not the only figure of merit worth considering.  As I pointed out, how many of these customers really need and will consume most/all of the 10 gigs every month?  If the typical customer only uses around 5 gigs per month, then the plan is actually a $60 for 5 gig plan.  So, is the extra cost for a buffet really worth it on a continual basis?  I don't think so. 

[Wonder_why]

@will13am just for $20 more from PM you can get 10GB Data ,is a steal , look at PM 5GB Data price 

[will13am]

I am sure there will be many cases of buyers remorse showing towards the end of the year come hardware replacement time.  Many probably went from a 1 to 2 gig plan to 10 gigs.  It takes time to learn how to use a lot more data.  Over the coming months, they will find that they are paying money for nothing as unused data is flushed down the toilet every month.  The real huge clunker of a surprise will happen when they want to buy a nice shiny replacement iPhone and the agent at the kiosk says "that will be $1300+tax for BYOD customers, what is your preferred method of payment".  Anyway, I look forward to paying $1 less per month same time next year for the ubiquitous 2016 fall promo. 

[Wonder_why]

@Zero sorry to hear, you choose the wrong provider , Bell , Telus or Koodo you will be happy, Koodo came out same day with Rogers and Koodo on December 15th, I choose Koodo, I wish I waited one more day, I would choose Telus, I am very happy with Koodo also.

[sheytoon]

@Zero

Sucks to hear. Thanks for sharing your experience. In the future, consider switching to Telus, Koodo, Bell, Virgin, or Lucky Mobile. They all have the exact same coverage as PM.

[srlawren]

@ckl no worries.  I'm pretty sure the SAF is a thing of the past, thank goodness!  I remember those days.....

[ckl]

@srlawren

Thanks for the info. Those fees... okay, got it. I was thinking more along the lines of something like an evolved System Access Fee where it would just be tacked on every month.

[srlawren]

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@cklwrote:

I'm curious to know what those extra fees are as well.

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@ckl oh, I have some ideas here.  Now, the 10gig plan varied a bit from provider to provider, so take this for what it's worth, but:

- The Fido version only included domestic texting; so if you wanted to text to the US or abroad, there was a per-message-sent fee.  I believe someone on another thread indicated it was 40 or 45 cents per outbound message to the USA.  I would assume it was the same or more to othe rinternational countries

- The Fido version only included basic 3-message voicemail, which might not have been enough for some.  There were upgrade options.  I think ther was a package for $5 that was appealing, had more voicemail, voicemail to text, and errr maybe included texting to the US as well.  I was going to add it if I'd kep my line.

[ckl]

I'm curious to know what those extra fees are as well.

[marsbar]

My issues with them were all with their customer service not giving proper fixes to what I perceived were incorrect bills. And their refusal to escalate issues to managers until I asked like 6 times. Left them for Virgin 7 years ago though.

[srlawren]

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@marsbarwrote:

Fido is now fully-owned by Rogers and provides Roger's level of **bleep**ty idiotic customer service. 

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@marsbar I had a couple of interactions with them.  I tried for a few days to get ahold of them by phone or online chat, all in vein, but that was during the 10 gig promo sales dates and EVERY carrier (other than PM, Lucky, and Chatr) were slammed with people trying to get onboard.  But once that died down, I got prompt, friendly, and effective serivce twice by online chat:  once to cancel the 10 gig plan, the other to request activation on the tablet plan and had them (snail)mail me a SIM card.  

[srlawren]

@Zero totally undertandable!  I was briefly seduced, too.  Activated with Fido for a few days on that 10gig plan to try it out.  Fortunately, I activated with a new # and didn't port out my PM.  I wanted to use both in parallel for a while to make my final decision.  Glad I did that.  I also found (for me in the greater Vancovuer area, suburbs and downtown) I also found that the Rogers network was not nearly as good on average.  I had many places where I'd drop down to HSPA+ (or, amusingly, even Edge briefly in my local mall!!) where with PM I'd usually have full LTE/LTE+.  Speed tests in the same spot switching my data back and forth (dual-SIM phone), Fido line routinely scored lower numbers.  

After only a few days, I had a good think over it and realized that the 10 gigs was a nice safety net for the future, but that my current plan (same one you were on at PM) meets my current needs fine, and costs me less.  Yes, the $/GB number is higher on my PM plan, but the extra GB were likely to be wasted more often than not for me so I couldn't justify spending more for more serivce I wouldn't need and (in my limited experience) a somewhat lesser network.  So, I cancelled the Fido line and stuck with PM.*

*Full disclosure:  I have a Fido line in my name that my mother uses, and I pay for and administer for her, so I ended up instead getting a Fido $15/3GB tablet plan for my second SIM slot to augment my data and also give me service in a few key places that Telus doesn't reach, such as some underground portions of our SkyTrain (light rail commuter train in Vancouver area) that have exclusive Rogers network coverage sadly).  So far, I haven't used it much.  Not sure if I'll keep it indefinitely, but I'll try it for a few months.

[marsbar]

Fido is now fully-owned by Rogers and provides Roger's level of **bleep**ty idiotic customer service. 

[Zero]

Didn't think it'd be greener, just wanted 10gb of data. I loved Public Mobile.

[Acekiller]

grass is not always greener on the other side

[ShawnC13]

@Zero, thanks for sharing your story.  I am sorry to hear about your issues and do appreciate you coming back to share your experience with us.  I was afraid many people would jump at that promo just because of the volume of data even if they didn't need it.  But to hear that it is service related makes it harder to take as you think FIDO would have decent service.  Keep your eyes open but don't hold your breath as you never know when PM could offer another promo

[koimr1]

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@Zerowrote:

I was on the 90 day/$120/12gb plan and got lured to Fido with the 10gb/$60 plan. Aside from a bunch of small hidden fees, my coverage is absolute trash, and I'm in downtown Toronto. Dead spots all throughout the Path, no service in my gym, poor service in my condo, MUCH slower speeds.... The Telus network is far superior to the Rogers network, at least in the financial district. I have regrets. I'll be switching to Telus if they offer the 10gb plan again. I had no issues with PM and loved them, but couldn't turn down 10gb.

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That does suck.

Might I ask what the hidden fees are and the total cost added?

Paying for something you can't actually use is not fun (I was a Freedom customer so I know!). Might be worth looking at what @stonechucker suggested for a short-term switch  and then wait for a promo to hopefully pop up either with PM or Telus/Koodo. I take it you need the 10gb?

Anyways, good luck! Hope you make it back!

[Mana]

Keep checking for promos.  

Maybe you can come back.

[stonechucker]

@Zero, I was with Rogers, and WIND before I came here, and when I was in downtown Toronto for anything, the service was always awful.  I've not had the chance to experience Telus (or Bell for that matter) since joining Public Mobile.

I also experienced the same lack of service in my apartment and my workplace, in suburban Southern Ontario, in a City straddling the Hwy 403.  Rogers was weak, Wind was awful.  Barely had service outside in the clear areas, no walls / bridges / etc...

I came to PM, it was night and day difference.  Bonus, cheaper than Wind at the time (and Rogers).

I'm not interested in the 10 GB plans per month, way too expensive for what little data I use.  However if I was looking for a new plan now, I'd do the 90-day Provincewide talk, the texting, and 6 GB for $135 on 4G.  

I am still on the really good promo.

[Samianauman]

Lots of peoples  got attractive by those 10gb plan I probably lose 4 refferal during that time of promotion but pretty much all 4 are not happy with bell n virgin servics. They want to move back to pm as well.