Problems with Texting on Public Mobile? Read my insights and share yours

[pm-smayer97]

I do not text much but this past week I came to realize how bad things are with texting on Public Mobile. Please note that the following only addresses texting prolems on the network, not making calls.

My family and I now have 9 PM plans, where at least 4 are active at any given time (for various reasons). All are on the $10 50/50 plan. We also have one plan with Telus, and two with Virgin.

Bottom line is, this is what I discovered:

- all the plans tested CAN receive texts

- all the plans tested CANNOT send texts, except...

-... here is the insight: they CAN send AND receive text IF communicating with phones on non-PM/Telus networks.

So, at least in my case, the problem only occurs if I am trying to text to phones on PM/Telus network.

I have reviewed our texting logs and tested this with PM, Telus, Rogers, and Virgin.

This has been going on for almost 2 months, AFAIK. Did not identify this problem before because, we do not text a lot, and it works sometimes, as noted above.

Please share your insights to see if your experiences are the same or different. It might help PM resolve this issue, if they do not know the root cause.

@CS_Agent @Alan_K  you may want to monitor this thread to see if it helps.

[darlicious]

@Jbrunnen  Hopefully your sons texting issues is a simpler problem to fix....an issue with connectivity of the phone. Rebooting can often fix it. Next turn airplane mode on for 5 min. Then turn it off. Try texting again. If you continue to experience this issue on a regular basis then you will need a moderator to look into the account and see why the problem persists. You can choose to do this now and get it taken care of once and for all.

      To send a service request click on the (?)at the bottom right of your screen and submit a ticket via Simon explaining your issue to the moderators. Type in human or rep and choose account related issue and follow the prompts to explain your issue and submit your ticket. Keep an eye on the envelope icon next to your avatar at the top right corner of your screen for a little number will pop up indicating a message from the moderators thru your private message box. Responding promptly to messages will speed up your service times.

[Jbrunnen]

Got a small plan for my son for Christmas, but the texting has been totally unreliable. Similar to what others have mentioned, texts to and from my number (TELUS) seem to be the worst effected. We don't always get failure notifications, which makes the situation even more frustrating. I'll send a text saying 'meet me here' and he won't receive it. What good is a primarily texting plan when you can't rely on the texts? 

[Macgurl]

A lot depends on your plan. I Have not had any problems as my plan covers unlimited talk and text. My friend had to change her plan to a higher plan as her original plan allowed only certain # of text messages that could be send. Now she does not have any problem.

[Macgurl]

A lot depends on what your plan. If you have unlimited text then there will not be a problem. But if you have a limited plan, then for sure there will be a problem.

[Anonymous]

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@Dunkman wrote:

Wow, I wonder how widespread this texting issue is....  Most of our family phones are with PM and we can text each other with no problems, but we use iMessage....   

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A number of people have been here with this issue. But I have the $10 plan and the original $15 plan and they have texted fine between them and to another Telus recipient all this time. As I suspect the substantial number of people that never showed up here do too.

But it sucks when something of a service you're paying for doesn't work.

[Dunkman]

Wow, I wonder how widespread this texting issue is....  Most of our family phones are with PM and we can text each other with no problems, but we use iMessage....   

[pm-smayer97]

For anyone else following this thread, my problem seems to have been solved, based on preliminary testing...

Of course, this came at the high cost of moderators failing to understand the problem, then not following through on helping to resolve this issue and performing adequate testing, and many fumblings and dropping the ball that just dragged this out for weeks...

So what was required to fix this? Nothing on my part.

In my case, it turned out to be a 2-part fix:

- the first part required PM to perform some kind of resetting... unsure if this was account specific or soemthing more global, as I have 9 plans and all were having the same problem of not being able to send texts to either to other PM phones or also specifically to Telus phones, even though sending and receiving to NON-PM and NON-TELUS phones worked fine.

- the second part required Telus to adjust some settings on one specific phone.

Only 3 PM and one Telus phone where retested but it appears that text communication is working between at least the test phones works fine again, so far. Based on this, I suspect there will not be any issues with our other PM phones too. I will report back after I have had a chance to properly test all the remaining 6 lines (this will take some time).

Note that in NO case was it necessary to power-cycle phones, reset or pull our SIMS, use the Lost/Stolen feature, etc. Even the Telus rep confirmed that this type of problem cannot be resolved from my end but can only be addressed through adjustments in settings from their end.

So to any others still experiencing problems, be persistent with PM and do not let them drop the ball Also consider dealing with carriers of any non-PM phones to see if any adjustments are needed on that end too.

HTH.

[pm-smayer97]

Additional info I notice:

Any failed SMS outbound does NOT show up in the usage log and the count of used text does not change. 

Inbound SMS text messages do show up in the usage log.

[pm-smayer97]

Additional info I notice:

Any failed SMS outbound does NOT show up in the usage log and the count of used text does not change. 

Inbound SMS text messages do show up in the usage log.

[pm-smayer97]

Based on a conversation in another thread that started here, I thought I would include the following additional info, just to demonstrate that it does not matter what type of phone or configuration you have (assuming the default set by the SIM).

I can guarantee you that there is NOTHING you can do to fix this problem. I have 9 plans, multiple phones, including iPhone, LG, Alcatel... ALL behave the same way. One phone does not even have a place to define PM texting # for SMS or service centre # ... but it used to work with PM and does work will all other carriers but stopped working with PM ONLY (to send; still can receive)... Tracing the logs it stopped working at least around March, maybe even sooner.

Texting is ONLY a problem via PM and NO ONE else. I have plans with PM, Telus & Virgin. Problem is isolated to communication with PM. Period.

This is a problem that ONLY PM needs to address and fix!

[Arman]

At the same time, I had an issue with my Lucky mobile and it took me less than 5 minutes of a phone call. it was really enjoyable after an experience of 14 days waiting time with PM.

[pm-smayer97]

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@Arman wrote:
Technical support response time for me was 14 days. I got a text from tech support that PM does not know the root cause and it has escalated and reassigned to a higher level of support.

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Wow... I supposed that at least they responded eventually, so that is good. Thx for sharing.

[Arman]

Technical support response time for me was 14 days. I got a text from tech support that PM does not know the root cause and it has escalated and reassigned to a higher level of support.

[burnr142]

I have the 15 plan. I'm still not able to send anything in or out. Including calls .nothing working. No response from any mod. @Alan_K  hopefully this helps 

[byKevin]

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@pm-smayer97 wrote:

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@pm-smayer97 wrote:

See this new announcement:

[Fix in Progress] Select customers unable to send text

where they finally acknowledge a problem on the $15 plans. Unfortunately, they have not acknowledged the same problem on the $10 plans.

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Seems that PM implemented a solution for the $15 plan (see link above). That has had no impact on the $10 plans, at least not for me.

As mentioned before, some progress was made such that now my $10 PM plans can send and receive text to/from others, including other PM plans, but still cannot text out to Telus plans (but can receive from Telus). Very odd.

If anyone else is on a $10 plan and is still having issues, please be sure to share any update here.

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The NOT able to sent text out has been only worked for 3 days, starting yesterday, i'm no longer able to sent any text ... receiving is still fine. PM MOD again ... event thay said it was fixed, but look like it's not for everyone 😞

Thanks

[pm-smayer97]

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@pm-smayer97 wrote:

See this new announcement:

[Fix in Progress] Select customers unable to send text

where they finally acknowledge a problem on the $15 plans. Unfortunately, they have not acknowledged the same problem on the $10 plans.

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Seems that PM implemented a solution for the $15 plan (see link above). That has had no impact on the $10 plans, at least not for me.

As mentioned before, some progress was made such that now my $10 PM plans can send and receive text to/from others, including other PM plans, but still cannot text out to Telus plans (but can receive from Telus). Very odd.

If anyone else is on a $10 plan and is still having issues, please be sure to share any update here.

[pm-smayer97]

See this new announcement:

[Fix in Progress] Select customers unable to send text

where they finally acknowledge a problem on the $15 plans. Unfortunately, they have not acknowledged the same problem on the $10 plans.

[Arman]

where do you see this setting in your phone? I like to check on mine?

[gslauen]

So it turns out the reason I was unable to send text was because the automatic system for blocking spam blocked my outgoing messages for no reason. Anyone that is having problems might want to look at this solution. My text works fine now but it seems I am having a problem using data now.

[Arman]

Have been waiting for 13 days.

[Jie001]

I have 2PM line. One is ok, the other just changed 15$ plan, NOT send message successfully. hope to solve quickly

[pm-smayer97]

Late this evening (just before closing) a mod just informed me that they made some changes and to try things out. My results are as follows: I tested 4 PM plans and one Telus plan (that is what is available to me at this time).

The net of it is that whatever changes they made has now made it possible for our 4 PM plans tested to both receive AND send text messages BUT ONLY to other PM plans. Currently, our 4 PM plans can still receive text messages from the Telus plan but still cannot send to the Telus plan; so, an improvement, but we are still not fully there.

I have not confirmed that this holds true for any of the other PM plans we have. I'm also awaiting confirmation from PM as to whether these changes are universal or only apply to these plans.

Note that in my testing, I included 2 PM plans that I had not tested nor communicated to PM that they were having problems. This suggests that the fixes may apply more broadly but this is unconfirmed.

Although I had already determined this, this latest development confirms 100% that the problem is entirely on the PM/Telus network AND that there is nothing you or I can or need to do to improve this (other than to continue to communicate with PM the problems that still exist).

HTH.

[Arman]

I can not send a text at all whether the recipient is inside or outside of PM/Telus. One of our phones is with Bell and I still can not send a text to that.

[pm-smayer97]

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@dabr wrote:

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@gslauen wrote:

Yes I signed up for the $15 plan and cannot send any text messages. It worked on the first day and then just stopped. Still no resolution to this problem. I am going to try and change my plan and see if that helps the problem until they resolve this issue.
If they don't resolve it soon it will be time to change provider.

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Did you already try the lost/phone procedure and rebootint the phone?

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Because I have 9 plans (actually had even more at one time) but with only some of them active at any given time (for various reasons) used on different phones, I have had to do this multiple times over the last couple of months, both rebooting phones and using the lost/stolen phone feature to suspend/activate accounts. So, I can confirm with certainty that this has NO effect. 

[dabr]

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@pm-smayer97 wrote:

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@will13am wrote:

...

I wonder if the meter is getting in the way by disallowing a call or text because it thinks the limit has been reached.  Previously, plans were simple with only unlimited talk and text.  The data meter is ubiquitous, all plans have a need for it and it's been there forever.  We are now seeing metering on talk, both directions on one plan, one direction only on another.  Text is metered in one direction only.  How do these plans differ from unlimited use plans that seem to have immunity?  The metering is the obvious smoking gun.  Anyway, failed texting hadn't been officially identified as being broken yet.  Let see if there will be an official announcement.  

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Interesting insight. One nuance to highlight for me is that the problem only exists when texting WITHIN the PM/Telus network with a PM plan (not Telus) but not texting to/from outside. 

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I've just sent and received texts from someone on Telus and haven't seen issues, although I have unlimited text wo agree it have something to do with metered plans as suggested by @will13am .  Will try texting on the limited plan later on and see if there is an issue.

Just to update on texting on a limited plan ($10), didn't have any issues sending and receiving texts to someone on Telus here too.  Wondering why your lines are having this issue.  Strange all these things affect some users with the same plan and not others.

[dabr]

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@gslauen wrote:

Yes I signed up for the $15 plan and cannot send any text messages. It worked on the first day and then just stopped. Still no resolution to this problem. I am going to try and change my plan and see if that helps the problem until they resolve this issue.
If they don't resolve it soon it will be time to change provider.

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Did you already try the lost/phone procedure and rebootint the phone?

[gslauen]

Yes I signed up for the $15 plan and cannot send any text messages. It worked on the first day and then just stopped. Still no resolution to this problem. I am going to try and change my plan and see if that helps the problem until they resolve this issue.
If they don't resolve it soon it will be time to change provider.

[will13am]

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@pm-smayer97 wrote:

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@will13am wrote:

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I wonder if the meter is getting in the way by disallowing a call or text because it thinks the limit has been reached.  Previously, plans were simple with only unlimited talk and text.  The data meter is ubiquitous, all plans have a need for it and it's been there forever.  We are now seeing metering on talk, both directions on one plan, one direction only on another.  Text is metered in one direction only.  How do these plans differ from unlimited use plans that seem to have immunity?  The metering is the obvious smoking gun.  Anyway, failed texting hadn't been officially identified as being broken yet.  Let see if there will be an official announcement.  

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Interesting insight. One nuance to highlight for me is that the problem only exists when texting WITHIN the PM/Telus network with a PM plan (not Telus) but not texting to/from outside. 

I text both Telus and non Telus customers and experience no such difficulty.  I don't have an explanation why texting with customers outside the Telus brands yields different results.  This is what makes debugging fun.  A first step is for Public Mobile to acknowledge there is a texting problem.  

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[pm-smayer97]

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@will13am wrote:

...

I wonder if the meter is getting in the way by disallowing a call or text because it thinks the limit has been reached.  Previously, plans were simple with only unlimited talk and text.  The data meter is ubiquitous, all plans have a need for it and it's been there forever.  We are now seeing metering on talk, both directions on one plan, one direction only on another.  Text is metered in one direction only.  How do these plans differ from unlimited use plans that seem to have immunity?  The metering is the obvious smoking gun.  Anyway, failed texting hadn't been officially identified as being broken yet.  Let see if there will be an official announcement.  

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Interesting insight. One nuance to highlight for me is that the problem only exists when texting WITHIN the PM/Telus network with a PM plan (not Telus) but not texting to/from outside. 

[will13am]

I don't have any issues with any of talk, text and data myself on the 2016 fall promo plan.  I have been trying to monitor the customer feedback here to determine if there's an obvious cause for the large number of problems in recent times.  There does seem to be an association to limited use of talk and text.  I wonder if the meter is getting in the way by disallowing a call or text because it thinks the limit has been reached.  Previously, plans were simple with only unlimited talk and text.  The data meter is ubiquitous, all plans have a need for it and it's been there forever.  We are now seeing metering on talk, both directions on one plan, one direction only on another.  Text is metered in one direction only.  How do these plans differ from unlimited use plans that seem to have immunity?  The metering is the obvious smoking gun.  Anyway, failed texting hadn't been officially identified as being broken yet.  Let see if there will be an official announcement.