Loyalty maybe isn't that high on PM's list. - My experience with ongoing service issue

[Amygrahamloves]

Since I signed up with Public Mobile I've had reception/ extremely low volume/ cut out issues when on a phone call. I figured it was my iPhone because it was an older model and I had dropped it many times, the screen was cracked and the speaker must be damaged, which is what's causing my ongoing problem. It must be a hardware issue. I'm on long term medical leave for PTSD and receive some help from the government. But the amount I receive per month isn't enough to cover life. I switched to Public Mobile because of their amazing build your plans that I could afford, how loyalty was a high priority to the company, and that they advertised "Canada's largest mobile network - we've got your back from coast to coast." I entered my address into the coverage map and it showed I would be covered. I signed up that day!  In 4 months, I saved what money I could and sold a ton of stuff on Kijiji so I could purchase a brand new iPhone XS MAX. I placed my first call with my new phone and to my surprise the issue was still there. I couldn't believe that I went 4 months dealing with the problem because I figured it must be a hardware issue. When I found out it wasn't a hardware issue,  I contacted PM immediately and let them know the problem I was having.

The first rep I spoke with was really friendly and genuinely interested in helping me. She listened to my problem and went through the list of troubleshooting ideas to pinpoint the problem. I switched out my SIM card for a new one, reset network, tried my phone in other locations, did everything you can imagine, and the problem continued. About two weeks of messaging back and forth trying to figure out a solution, the rep informed me that tech would be calling me to resolve my problem. YAY! --- I received a call and after speaking for about 20 minutes, I was notified that my location (St. Albert) which is a smaller town of about 70 000 people, and located right outside of Edmonton, Alberta, is one of the "problem areas".

Public Mobile is aware of this issue and the cause, which is there just aren't enough TELUS towers set up for the area. So some users at certain times in certain locations could experience issues with reception/service. My issue being that I can hardly hear what the person on the line is saying, it sounds like the volume is on the lowest setting and I experience cut-outs during some phone calls. These issues happen on 70 percent of my phone calls.

I was told that I would be put on a list of people who are experiencing problems in the area and I would be notified when a new tower would be built. She told me adding another tower should resolve the issue I am experiencing. 

I wasn't happy with this resolution and messaged into to PB support expressing my frustrations with my issue and how long its been going on for, how I purchased a new phone because I thought it was hardware issue, the troubleshooting that I have tried, the conversation with the tech and I asked if there was some kind of temporary fix/bandaid until this new tower is put up and my problem can be resolved. I asked if there was something the company could offer me for the huge problem it's causing me, or an upgrade or a type of credit or compensation to "bandaid" the problem while I wait it out. I expressed how I really want to stay with Public Mobile. I did a lot of research on phone companies and narrowed it down to Public Mobile being the best company for me and my situation. I want to continue my plan with PM because I can afford to pay for this plan and love everything else about the company and the unique features it offers its customer. I was really drawn to the company's dedication and incentives to loyal customers. But I am having this ongoing problem when I'm on the phone and my services do not work properly. 

I received a message back that was short and I felt it was rude. It was from a new customer representative that I hadn't received a message from before. She said "sorry for the inconvenience, but if there are not enough towers in your area, the issue will not be fixed soon enough. Your current plan expires on October 26. I suggest you find a different provider that has coverage in your area. Let me know if you want to remove the auto-pay from your account."

I'm extremely upset with the message I received and kinda feel like PM is throwing me out. I feel like a company that I want to stay with and holds loyalty as such a high priority would want to keep my business and my loyalty. But clearly, I do not matter to Public Mobile. Instead of trying to help me deal with an issue that is their fault, but they can't fix immediately, they would prefer I discontinue services and give my business to another company. I'm wondering if that's what they told everyone on the waiting list in the troubled area. 

[mimmo]

@Amygrahamloves   I understood your point,  a little financial compensation for your troubles.I dont think I have ever seen PM really do that.  

the last rep who told you about 5g vs 4g as being the issue is completly wrong. telus does all its voice over 3g not 4g and not 5g.  some phones can do VLTE (voice over LTE but those are limited) so i will not consider them a factor.

If you had good coverage with telus, you should have good coverage with PM period, this thing of a missing tower now seems fishy as you had and your BF has no issues with telus.  What happened when you put your sim in your boyfriends phone?  

Since it seems there is no issue with the actual network, If I were in your situation, I would go to your local dollarama buy a Lucky sim card and 3-4 days before your renewal port over to Lucky mobile, as they have similar plans to public (no rewards though).  

also since there has been no proper resolution and you were told fibs  (5g 4g, possibly the tower thing) you could possibly open a claim with the CCTS, especially since you have tried resolving the issue with no luck.

hopefully @sheytoon  can add some insight or some suggestions.

[darlicious]

1. ---

   @Amygrahamloves wrote:
   

   @mimmo 

   I appreciate the info and the solution!

   I understand there is no fix for a missing tower, the point I was trying to get across was that I had asked Public Mobile for some type of compensation in credit form or with an upgraded plan for the same cost of my current plan, as a way to say "sorry, we acknowledge there is a problem with your service, but currently there is nothing we can do to fix it. But we appreciate your business and would like to keep you as a customer, so we would like to offer you a credit of $$." I've had telecommunications companies offer credits for issues in the past, it's one of the reasons a company can give credits to customers. 

   I'm not familiar with Rogers or the smaller companies mentioned so I'm going to research them and see if it's a fit, thanks! Super smart idea about testing the sim in my phone to check the coverage. Problem is I don't know one person who uses the rogers network, although I could always try going to one of their stores and seeing if there was a way to "test their network" haha. 

   My boyfriend uses TELUS and one of the several moderators I spoke with had me try my bf's sim in my phone and make a couple of calls. I had no issues and the coverage was great. The tech explained it as TELUS uses 5G but Public Mobile does not. 

   
   I was with TELUS before switching to Public Mobile. I thought it was the perfect company for me because I couldn't afford the plan I had with TELUS and knew TELUS/PM used the same tower. So I thought a cheaper plan for the same network was a great deal. 

   ---

@Amygrahamloves  Aha found him... @sheytoon is your man. Search for "the brilliance of telus" post and you can read up on his expertise and maybe he can offer you some solid knowledge that even the best customer service agent couldn't offer.

[darlicious]

@Amygrahamloves  Now you have me thinking...if you had no issue with call quality before and your boyfriend has no issue with telus and the reasoning is 5g or 4g for that matter than the issue is with the 3g signal which would or should not make any difference in your call quality by building another tower. The difference would be achieved by boosting the 3g signal in your area. By another repeater? This is way above my pay grade but I did have discussion a couple of weeks ago with someone who is paid for having the expertise in that exact area of technology. Now @korth was involved in that same discussion so he may Remember the individual as he had also posted some great articles on this kind of framework. He maybe able to come up with the name before I look thru my past posts but stay tuned the info will come your way and give you a greater understanding of your very issue.

[Amygrahamloves]

@kselmak 

I'm really happy that I posted and joined this community. All the solutions you gave me are things I didn't know or wouldn't have ever thought of. 

I did give up after and end the conversation when I received the last message from the moderator. You are right, I shouldn't let it ruin it for me. With all the support and helpful responses from the community, I think I have the confidence to not give up and continue to fight for what I deserve or chose to find a new company, but test it out before making any commitment. 

Thank you so much for your help!!

[Amygrahamloves]

@mimmo 

I appreciate the info and the solution!

I understand there is no fix for a missing tower, the point I was trying to get across was that I had asked Public Mobile for some type of compensation in credit form or with an upgraded plan for the same cost of my current plan, as a way to say "sorry, we acknowledge there is a problem with your service, but currently there is nothing we can do to fix it. But we appreciate your business and would like to keep you as a customer, so we would like to offer you a credit of $$." I've had telecommunications companies offer credits for issues in the past, it's one of the reasons a company can give credits to customers. 

I'm not familiar with Rogers or the smaller companies mentioned so I'm going to research them and see if it's a fit, thanks! Super smart idea about testing the sim in my phone to check the coverage. Problem is I don't know one person who uses the rogers network, although I could always try going to one of their stores and seeing if there was a way to "test their network" haha. 

My boyfriend uses TELUS and one of the several moderators I spoke with had me try my bf's sim in my phone and make a couple of calls. I had no issues and the coverage was great. The tech explained it as TELUS uses 5G but Public Mobile does not. 

I was with TELUS before switching to Public Mobile. I thought it was the perfect company for me because I couldn't afford the plan I had with TELUS and knew TELUS/PM used the same tower. So I thought a cheaper plan for the same network was a great deal. 

[88cranston]

Before you change carriers or have final judgement on PM. Ask any one you know or see.....and ask are you happy with your call quality on your cell phone.....then ask what carrier. Could it be St Albert or just spots in St Albert? Albertans are friendly. 

[darlicious]

@Amygrahamloves  Its important to remember that koodo uses the telus network as well so you would definetly want to test that out as I don't think that would help call quality issue. I highly doubt freedom will even have service at all in your area. I had spotty service in Vancouver with them by virtue of a similar issue you are experiencing now except I would lose all services for minutes up to 3 or 4 hours. Once past the Caulfield exit in west van I no longer had service nor at the ferry terminal in tsawwassen. The roaming charges weren't worth it. Looking at bell or Rogers lower priced mobility tiers might work or if you have home WiFi an internet calling ap will be a perfect fit.

[Amygrahamloves]

@GinYVR 

Thanks for the info! I wasn't aware that Koodo supported VoLTE, I'm going research them and see if I can find an option that works for me. 

[PAULRANG18]

There likely isn't much you can do. Try switching to another carrier. If cost is a concern, Freedom offers 4G at lower prices.

[Lemony_Snicket]

Businesses are in business to make money.  They are not charitable in any way and thus have no compassion.  If a company supports a charity, it's for the photo op and marketing, nothing more.  This is a harsh view but it's hard to sugar coat reality.

[kselmak]

As I understand 3g towers are not a priority at all. How is your data signal? If that's good you could use textNow or fongo for important calls.

Family member of mine lives in a farm with very spotty coverage and has no hope of improving the situation. There are both Rogers and bell tower in the area so he has to go into the field or the forest to catch one or the other signal. He told me he ended up getting some kind of booster and that helps. 

It would be so helpful not to have that last person respond to you at the end as the conversation was going well and it took one person to crumble it all.

BTW before any change find out from other people in the area ask to test if possible, you can walk into freedom Fido Koodo and other stores and ask them to test it too

[mimmo]

@Amygrahamloves  Unfortunately there really isnt anything that can be done to "fix" the call issue if it is a missing tower.  Since Telus( virgin, PM) and Bell (Virgin, Lucky) all share the same towers, your only choice is to go to Rogers, fido Chatr, or zoomer or possibly freeedom, as they  use different towers, not sure what their coverage is.  do you have any friends are family on the rogers network that you can put their sim in your phone to test coverage?  or even a teuls/bell family sim (to see if you get the same results).  Often when troubleshooting the community often recommends this a a troubleshooting exercise. 

Also what carrier were you with before moving to public, did you have the same issues?

[GinYVR]

@AmygrahamlovesThere isn't much you can do. If your new iPhone is from Telus network, you can upgrade to Koodo to take advantage of VoLTE.. which should be better because they are just not investing in 3G networks (which Public Mobile is based on for voice) anymore.