Leaving PM - on the fence

[pav]

It is with a heavy heart that I write this... 

I have 2 active Public Mobile (PM) lines which have both received a solid level of LTE data support for almost a year now. For the most part, I have had no issues with the service , however I have recently found the need to upgrade my monthly data for one of my accounts. The 30-day data plans from PM are limited to 1GB, 4GB, and 6GB. I require a 2GB or 3GB monthly data plan. Unfortunately, these options are not currently available.  To be honest, the PM 30 day pricing is, in certain cases, cost prohibitive when compared to BYOD offers from competing service carriers - even those using the same (Telus) network.  I have reached out to PM but have been told there are no other data plans available at this time.

Given my limited options, I have temporarily signed up with another service provider and will be evaluating their services over the next 2 weeks. 

If the new service provider meets my needs, I will be faced with the decision of porting out my lines or remaining a loyal PM customer.  Admittedly, this will not be easy as I very much like being part of the PM family.

Will keep you posted on my decision.

[dhilscher]

@pav

I would really recommend switching to 90day plan you can get 6gb which works out to 2gb per month for $46 per month compared to 30days you would only get 1gb a month for $45. You would be getting double the data each month for only $1 extra

Unfortunately the next step up would be 12gb which is equiv to 4gb a month with big price jump up to $65 per month. Sadly no 90 day equiv of 3gb per month.

Anyhow I feel price savings are truely worth upgrading to 90day plans I am sure glad I did

[pav]

There are actually 2 mobile service providers in Ontario that offer unlimited music streaming - 3 if you include the Rogers Spotify offer (available under the family share plan). 

When you consider there's already a monthly fee for subscribing to music streaming services (such as Apple Music, Spotify, or Google Play), having access to unlimited streaming data makes sense. Otherwise, there's no real incentive to subscribe to music plans - especially if you have to pay twice (subscription & mobile data) to access the service.  

IMHO, this may be the future for some cell phone data plans - similar to the current cable TV "pick and pay" bundles:  Imagine a "basic" data plan of 500MB with "add-ons" such as unlimited "video streaming" (Youtube, Netflix), or unlimited "audio streaming" (Apple Music, Spotify, or Google Play). Mobile service providers would be smart to enter into agreements with these streaming services to subsidize network access through subscriptions - Rogers is doing this now with Spotify.

[Rockdaddy22]

A lot of people are using these workarounds, but I love PM 🙂 I'm also in Ontario

[homer]

Oh but he said he was in Ontario... Unfortunately I don't live near the country's capital... 

[Rockdaddy22]

@homer I guess you missed it when I mentioned the provider a couple pages back. The big V

[makkahn28]

PM is certainly the best so far, and I can only see much more positive things happen for PM.

[homer]

ok I think I know who is your new provider cosidering there is only one carrier have free music streaming service (correct me if I am wrong). However I only have one line and don't use much data (have wifi at home and at work) so PM is still the best

[pav]

@homer

Thanks. Actually, I am enjoying it very much - especially the unlimited music service!

According to my phone, I have used 5GB of mobile data to date - mostly  due to music streaming.

Incidentally, the new provider has only recorded 600MB of data usage on my account - well under my 2GB monthly allotment. Impressive!

BTW, l'm also in Ontario. 

[homer]

I hope you enjoy the new provider - I just couldn't find a better deal than PM in Ontario LOL

[pav]

@homer

I did evaluate the 90 day option (see my reply earlier in this thread here). Savings are not as substantial when compared to the "new" provider discounts with multiple lines.

I'm now approaching 25 days with the "new" provider service.  Very happy with the quality of signal and level of customer service so far.  I have 5 days remaining on my active PM line and, admittedly, not sure if it's worth keeping for much longer.

With the limited plan options that are currently available, there's just not enough "added value" to justify paying a higher price with PM.  

[homer]

I tried but I didn't get the name of the 'new' provider LOL... 

[homer]

What about a 90-day plan with 6gb data? so on avg. you would get 2gb every 30 dayd

[pav]

**Update**

After 2 full weeks of usage with the "new" provider, I have to say that the experience from a mobility and data perspective has been relatively solid. I had a few hiccups with billing which was sorted out quickly thanks to their telephone customer support agents.

As mentioned earlier in this thread, the market reach of this "new" provider is limited to a specific part of Canada. They aren't exactly a national service provider with respect to the area codes they offer for new subscribers.  I'm not sure if the area code limitation also applies to "ported" lines. If not, it may provide a subscriber 'loophole' for new BYOD customers. Either way, their plans include equivalent national coverage  - overall, the value for money is hard to beat.

PM should take note here: these "regional" and niche market providers are having a positive impact for consumers. In direct response to these local market pricing pressures, Rogers, Bell, and (ironically) Telus currently offer lower pricing for subscribers in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.   

Incidentally, I have ported over the Rogers line and one of my PM accounts to the "new" provider.

BTW, both of my ported lines are NOT Quebec numbers and my address is not in Quebec either. 

The other line remains active with PM. 

[Rockdaddy22]

I don't disagree at all, it's wonderful for people in those provinces. I just wouldn't compare them with a national carrier, that's all.

[Rockdaddy22]

Just like I wouldn't care Sasktel to PM, it's just not a fair comparison. These provincial players are great options for people who live in those provinces, they also help bring down other prices with them.

[deltatux]

---

@Rockdaddy22 wrote:
That's great if you live in Quebec, it's a wonderful deal for them. But, can I call them up and get an Ontario area code with an Ontario mailing address? If so, then I guess they are a national carrier, if not, then they're just a provincial player. I believe PM offers area codes in all provinces.

---

@Rockdaddy22, don't think they provide Ontario area codes. Videotron is a regional player, but so are pretty much every 4th carrier in every region is a regional player. However, at the end of the day, it's what's the best deal for the OP's region is what matters. In your region (same region as mine), Public Mobile suits the best. However, that's not the case in other regions.

If Shaw (via WIND) expands and build the network up like Videotron and have similar agreements, we might see the tables change again, and then we get to see who in our region has the best deal. You have to see this in a region by region basis and not a nationwide basis.

[Rockdaddy22]

That's great if you live in Quebec, it's a wonderful deal for them. But, can I call them up and get an Ontario area code with an Ontario mailing address? If so, then I guess they are a national carrier, if not, then they're just a provincial player. I believe PM offers area codes in all provinces.

[deltatux]

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@Rockdaddy22 wrote:
I wouldn't compare Videotron to a national carrier like PM, I don't think it's a fair comparison.

---

@Rockdaddy22, they do offer Canada-wide LTE coverage and unlimited nationwide talk. To me, this seems pretty fair. Plus, at the end of the day, as long as the person is getting a better deal, it doesn't really matter if it's a "national carrier" or not. Each region has their own competitors.

[Rockdaddy22]

I wouldn't compare Videotron to a national carrier like PM, I don't think it's a fair comparison.

[deltatux]

---

@Rockdaddy22 wrote:

The only company that comes to mind is Videotron, am I on to something 🙂 I believe it's the only company in Canada that's lets you stream music and not have it count on your data plan.

---

@Rockdaddy22, exactly what I'm thinking too.

[makkahn28]

fascinating

[Rockdaddy22]

The only company that comes to mind is Videotron, am I on to something 🙂 I believe it's the only company in Canada that's lets you stream music and not have it count on your data plan.

[pav]

Day 9 update:

DATA USAGE:

• My phone has tracked 2.3GB of mobile wireless data consumed to date - mostly from music streaming.
• The "new" provider's mobile data app has only counted 400MB of usage.  This clearly shows that music streaming is NOT deducted from the monthly data allotment.

If I was using a standard 2GB mobile plan, I would have blown past my data usage in just 9 days (ouch)! 

Thankfully, the unlimited music streaming option has saved me from overage shock.  For the first time in a very long time, I can listen to internet music on my mobile phone without having to worry about my data consumption.

[pav]

@Luddite

Agreed. Public Mobile (PM) can't be all things to all people. No carrier can - which benefits consumers by providing greater choice in the mobile market.  IMHO Telus needs to "step-up" accordingly by positioning PM as a National Pre-paid/Pay-as-you-go value champion to grow their marketshare. Otherwise PM will remain a "fringe market" service similar to PC Mobile - which, coincidentally, also uses the Telus network.

With regard to the need to accommodate "family shared plans", I agree that PM shouldn't bother with this approach either as, IMHO, this is an excuse for telcos to overcharge for individual lines.  Note that the "new" provider I am currently evaluating doesn't offer "shared" plans. Instead, they provide a substantial discount directly to each line added. This provides the flexibility of individualized plans with an added reward for each participant in the "account group".

In other words, more lines = more discounts.  Everbody wins.

[Luddite]

Although I have a family who could participate in some sort of family plan I see no need for PM to be all things to all people.

The focus on individual accounts is just fine; besides I can get the referral reward from everyone else and each gets the plan that suits them. If families get a better deal at Rogers/Fido/Telus, go for it.

PM does not work well for minimilist plans unless one will use data only with Fongo (for example) for voice and SMS.

[Duckman]

I appreciate the post. If we read between the lines we can pretty much guess who the new provider is.

I also challenge PM to offer better options for having multiple lines on the same account. Either a small discount or free bonus data. A data boost would cost nothing and may help win customers over from the other carrier who seems to be extremly competatively priced.

My choice to switch to PM had to do with a combination of factors including being on the telus/bell networks that work in my workplace. I gave up an excellent corperate plan with 5 GB of data because I simply couldn't get service. I

[pav]

@srlawren

I purposely haven't named the "new" provider as I didn't want to make this seem like a shameless promotion. Wanted to keep my observations objective. 🙂

[srlawren]

@pav Glad it's working out for you!  I don't think you've named the "new" provider explicity yet?  If you did, I missed it.  I'm thinking it's Fido? 

[pav]

Soooo.... it's been 1 week so far with the "new" provider:

SIGNAL QUALITY::

• Fairly solid mix of 1-4 bars of 4GLTE during my day-to-day travels to/from work, home, gym.
• Occasional signal "brown" outs - but the recovery time to access another available signal is fairly fast.
  
  

DATA SPEED and CONNECTIVITY:

• Like I mentioned before, data throughput is slower compared to Telus/Public Mobile but, on average, faster than some free Wi/Fi hotspots (such as in shopping malls and coffee shops).
• I'm really enjoying the unlimited music streaming (Google Play and Spotify). Data consumed for music streaming is not deducted from my monthly usage which IMHO makes a HUGE difference!
  
  

VALUE FOR MONEY:

• Hard to beat the pricing for their BYOD plan. Especially true when considering monthly data allotment, unlimited music streaming, and multi-line discount.

Incidentally, I was contacted by Rogers after making numerous inquiries to see what they could do to match or beat the pricing for this plan. The representative admitted it was an amazing deal. Nothing they could offer comes close - even for a loyal Rogers customer of 22+ years.

[pav]

To add to my earlier comment regarding Public Mobile's market challenges;  I believe there is room for a "BYOD/Pay-as-you-go Value Champion" that offers access to a high-speed national LTE network. The BYOD market is growing as more people are choosing to buy their own high-quality, low cost phones (e.g. Asus, Huawei, Xiaomi, Motorola, OneplusOne).

Telus would be smart to move quickly with PM to build marketshare and add clients during the time that Wind/Shaw is busy building its LTE network.  They should market PM's high-speed (LTE) BYOD value proposition to a client demographic interested in quality mobility for less $$.