Issues with changing plans--how to avoid?

[alex_s]

Hi everyone! I've just been with Public Mobile for under a week. I'm on a 30-day, 1GB plan, and assuming I'm still happy with PM by the end of the month I'll switch to a 90-day, 2GB plan. But I keep seeing questions in the community from people whose phone service didn't work the day the new plan took effect.

(One example: http://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Discussions/New-Plan-can-t-kick-in-as-planned-today/m-...)

Questions for people in the community:

1. Does this issue happen every time someone changes plans? If you've changed plans without this problem, let me know.
2. Any tips to avoid the issue? I don't want to be without phone service even for a few hours.

I don't mind if self serve doesn't work for a while on the renewal date, but if my phone stops working that's not acceptable, especially if this is a very common bug that PM has known about for months and hasn't fixed.

[SD08]

@monzie1

No, you should not be double-charged.  The payment due date (as listed in the "Overview" page) always matches the last paid day of the current period.  After midnight of the payment due date, sometime in the early hours of the morning, the payment for the new plan will be collected.  The system usually works correctly.  Check your plan details on the overview page after 6AM on June 21st, and check your credit card too, just to be sure.  If they charge you the wrong amount, then get in touch with a moderator via private message.

Just a heads up:  Your account will show a status of expired on June 20, and then "suspended" after midnight.  This is normal behaviour and is nothing to worry about unless your service actually halts (can't make calls or use data).  After the payment is collected, sometime between midnight and 6AM, your account will show active status again, normally without service interruption.

[monzie1]

Hi I have a quick question.  I'm new to PM and did the 30 day 1GB for a test run (due to expire on June 20th).  I've decided I like PM and switched to the 90 day 6GB plan with autopay and selected the future date option.  But on my account it says next auto pay is June 20th and for the new plan it says it will be switched on June 21st.  So am I going to be charged the 42 dollars on June 20th and then the 120 on June 21st for the new plan? I'm sure I'd get reimbursed if i were charged but I kind of want to avoid the hassle of dealing with it.. Am I better off just cancelling the order and waiting til June 20th to change the plan instead of selecting the future date option?

[SD08]

@alex_s

No problem.  Thanks for the update. Glad to hear that it went smoothly.

[alex_s]

Quick update: Changing plans went smoothly. On my renewal date (last Friday), my phone continued to work fine. I signed in to my account and confirmed I'm on the 90 day, 6 GB plan and it looks like I was billed correctly.

Thanks everyone!

[alex_s]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I'm already on auto-pay but I think some people have had problems even with that on.

I'll avoid signing in to self serve on or right before my renewal. And if the most likely problem is that I won't be on the right plan for the first day or two of the month, that's alright, I'll contact someone and get it fixed.

[SD08]

Thanks to @Luddite for the additional input.

@alex_s

Okay, based on what Luddite said, on the morning of the renewal/plan change date (day after payment date), it's best to first check your phone for service, then check your account for the right plan. If either isn't right, then contact a moderator as I outlined earlier. The best time to check this would be between 6:30-8:30am, after the renewal process normally completes, but before the moderators come on duty at 9am. That way, it gives you a continuous window during moderator coverage to send a message and get response and action from the moderators.

To ensure communication with them is timely, it's a good idea to make sure e-mail notifications for receipt of private messages are turned on for your community account. To do this, go to Settings -> Preferences -> Private Messenger. There will be a checkbox for "Receive email notifications for new private messages".  Be sure to click save after changing the setting.  Another good idea would be to bookmark that weblink containing the moderator contact info (preferably not just on your phone but also on a computer) so you don't have to search for it later.

Hopefully, the advice you have in this thread will help make your plan change as smooth as possible.  Let us know how it goes.  Oh, and welcome to PM. 

[Luddite]

Sadly I think this post is still true: http://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Plans-Add-Ons/EXPIRED-vs-SUSPENDED-AVAILABLE-FUNDS-vs-... 

So, based on my personal experience you should expect service to continue BUT be renewed on your old less expensive plan. Only repairable as @SD08 outlined.

[will13am]

@SD08pretty much covered all the bases.  Given that the account portal reports various inaccuracies around renewal time, my only advice is to not look into the account until renewal is complete.  This will ensure that the automatic systems are not interfered with.  The best proxy that things are working as they should is no service interruption. 

[SD08 · Accepted solution]

Glitches do happen, but for the most part, only to a small percentage of users. Of course, it's those users who will be posting here to get their issues solved, so that's what you're seeing. No, it's not every plan change.  From what I've seen, it's the plan changes that are attempted after an account has expired that are problematic.  No one can guarantee you won't have any problem, but if you're worried, I would recommend you add a credit card to turn on autopay, and future date the plan change ahead of time to begin right as your 30-day plan expires. On the payment due date, which is one day before the renewal date/plan change date, your account will show "expired" in the evening. In the early hours of the next morning, your account will then show "suspended", then the payment will be collected and your account status will return to active, all while your actual service remains uninterrupted.

Check your phone around 7am or 8am on the renewal/plan change date, and on the small chance that your service actually halts (can't make calls or use data), then send a private message to a moderator with your phone number, explaining the plan you wanted, and they should be able to get things back in order fairly quickly. How to contact moderators:
http://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Knowledge-Base/Contacting-our-Community-Moderators/ta-...

Beyond that, I don't know what other assurances we can give you. It helps to know what to expect and to be prepared. Good luck and hopefully everything works out smoothly.