Reviews

[JFBR]

Was just going to sign up and thought I would check reviews first. 1.6 on trust pilot with most people saying stay away!! That definitely seems concerning. I’m just looking for the same reception I had with Telus in Canada and US

[JFBR]

Update since signing up and using this service. My reception in Canada and US is identical to Telus. If I knew this sooner I would have switched long time ago. Half the price same reception and unlimited US is a no brainer

[hTideGnow]

Hi @Codybraithwaite 

what phones you have?

My friends, family and myself have iPhone, Samsung and other Android phones have good experience using US roaming.  It is true that some older Android phones might not have voice working due to the lack of 3G in US and the non-VoLTE whitelisted phone, but overall data and text work great

[Codybraithwaite]

Noone in my family has successfully made a call in the usa. Tried every network. It's not real. False advertising 

[Codybraithwaite]

Yes stay away. Non of my family's phones work in the usa. On any visit. The customer service reps just kept resetting our network. Then they close the ticket. I've gone thru upwards of 20 different reps. Always someone new asking what the problem is. I can't believe it. The last rep was incredibly rude. So now they add Mexico to the plans. Lol 😆. I was with lucky for 8 years. I'm going straight back. Been with public a few monthes. Absolutely hate this crap 

[Phil_Adelphus]

@Vivalableue   I have to get a new number after 15 years

You don't have to get a new number unless your PM account is still inactive and you don't want to re-activate it.  You just get Bell to port the number over to them.

[Vivalableue]

But also using your logic, if the original payment date was October 7th (35$), a chargeback occurred a week later (Bringing the balance to 0$) and then the service was suspended on October 21. I was told October 23 to buy vouchers for the monthly amount plus tax to reinstate the service (which is weird being that I paid taxes 2X, once for the voucher purchase and then they applied 35$+ tax 40,24 but wtv) and then I presented the voucher on October 25. The service is pay as you go, wouldn’t the service be reinstated until the end of the original billing cycle so until November 7th? Why would they say that I needed to pay for the month of service again? So they should either take the 2 weeks of service from the 35$ or give me access to the full month.

 I’m upset because I need my number for MFA for my job, the lack of honesty and overall empathy again for a customer of over a decade disgusts me. I have to get a new number after 15 years… 

[Vivalableue]

Honestly I’m not taking anything up with them. It’s been escalated, and I got the information that I needed from them.

Plus I provided them with birth certificates, passports, bank statements, communication etc to put on record that the chargeback was a mistake and that they treated me like crap 💩. 
Good news is that I’m switching to Bell today, and for the better. I travel a lot and tbh PM is very inconvenient for my needs. I also filed a complaint with the CCTS so wtv happens it can 9-12 months down the line… it’ll be a PM issue not mine. But I’ll continue to tell any and everyone who is in earshot what a piece of crap company this is. Also my cousin is the CTV Quebec City bureau chief, so I screenshot and sent her everything to pitch as a buyer beware piece. If she likes it I’ll be more than happy to go on the news with this. 

[Phil_Adelphus]

@Vivalableue   I'm sorry you have been having difficulty.  Regarding the payment date being out of sync, remember that Public Mobile plans are 30 days (or in some cases 90 days) and are not renewed on a specific date each month so it will not remain at the same date every single renewal but move according to whether a month is 30 days, 31 days or 28/29 days.  You say you had no access to the terms and conditions of your "contract" but there is no written long-term contract, your service is just renewed each 30 days.  The general service terms are available to anyone whether they have an account or not, see "Service Terms" at the bottom of this page.  On a quick skim I don't think it mentions what happens when a payment is disputed on a credit card although it has been mentioned many times in this forum that a chargeback will result in customers being unable to make automatic credit card payments for a year and have to use vouchers for the duration.  As for the extra payment, you would have to take that up again with customer service since we're only customers here.

[Vivalableue]

I was with PM for 14 years, never missed a month. My mother recently put my bill on her cc as I switched jobs a few months back and the monthly renewal date was out of sync with my pay. No worries, until a couple months into our arrangement she forgot. She called her bank after reviewing her statement and made a dispute. So PM abruptly suspended my account. Even though my mother was willing to explain herself, there’s no way for her to call and speak with someone. First red flag 🚩. Then they mentioned that they don’t contact cardholders or customers when there’s billing issues. Second red flag 🚩. Then they said I was going to be locked out of my self serve for a year, leaving me without access to the terms and conditions of my contract. Third red flag 🚩. Then a rep in the chat said I would need to repay the month using vouchers and the service would be restored. I do that 2 days later, send in the vouchers. Then they switch and say that I need to pay another month in advance before turning on the service. Fourth red flag 🚩. I asked for the transaction summary, no fee was applied to the account. I asked what policy or term to refer to when it comes to this situation. They literally admit they don’t know and that I paid for the month but still had to pay for another month even though it’s a prepaid/pay as you go service. I don’t have access to the month I bought with the vouchers. 🚩🚩🚩🚩 Beware of this company, they are thieves and treat their long term customers like 💩 

[Stonechucker1]

@JFBR I came back to Public Mobile.  I miss the old rewards program, but the recently available 5G plans brought me back.  I was a long term subscriber from 2015-2023, and I wasn't happy with other carriers.

I'm better off here with the low costs, and the shared Bell and Telus network.

[colleeno]

Both my husband and I have been with PM for 5 years and have never had any problems. We live in a rural area in SW Ontario and also own property north of Sault Ste Marie. We get strong signals in both areas. We have Canada-US plans which also work well when travelling to Northern Ontario through Michigan.

[hairbag1 · Accepted solution]

@JFBR 

Telus and Public are related companies...PM uses Telus poles, wires and towers. The main difference other than plan costs is that with a PM account, you'd need to be able to navigate the Community Forum for answers if you run into problems. There is no traditional "customer call center".  We're that call center and to be frank...we can be faster to get answers than a call center AND you don't have to listen to elevator music.

I've been here since 2017 and liked saving $$ ...until recently PM removed Rewards and forced points upon us.  Other than that...service is great. Give it a try...you only commit to 30 days at a time, if you change your mind you can leave without penalty.

[Meow]

PM coverage is good. Never had an issue in GTA area.

People do not like PM much because they do not get LIVE support. ALL support is on-line through Ticket (or personal mail to agent) and posting your issue here where other customers will try to help you out.

Another (BIG) issue for customers is losing monetary rewards every 30 days so some customers lost up to $7/30 days. Not to mention that lately people cannot update credit card info and get temporary service suspension until bill is paid (voucher).

I personally cannot complain (a lot) as service was always present. Any issue agent did resolve in a timely manner. Some experience different and get angry and annoyed.
Go through this forum and see what most complains are about.

[will13am]

@JFBR , Public Mobile is a sub brand on Telus.  You will get the same coverage in Canada and US with Telus.  I don't follow trusted pilot, not sure of the reasons for the low score.  Public Mobile uses an online support model which is viewed as inferior to Telus.  Recently the rewards program was changed and many upset customers are venting online.  I have been on this service since 2016. I still haven't found a reason to switch. 

[Phil_Adelphus]

@JFBR   I've been on PM for a couple of years and had no problems at all (hope I haven't jinxed it now!), my data speed is often up to the plan maximum.  Having said that, if you need to be able to phone someone if you do have an issue, then PM is likely not for you.  All support is online.  Usually it works well but if there is a large volume it can take a while for customer support to get back to you.