Text regarding $5/mo 3G usage price increase

[Sham_Madani]

Hello, I just received a message that I’m going to charge 5$ more because of my device that uses 3G, I’m not sure why because I’m using 5G data on my phone & I don’t really understand the extra charge!

[OrionSteel]

Thanks. I was trying to remember which carrier passed it 😅.

Personally I think more than  5-6 years is not unreasonable expectations for a $700+ phone, but such is life.

PM Support just told me their whitelist will be updated by June 15, so maybe it will be ok after all. If not I guess I'll go with Bell until they kick me too. Still cheaper than a new phone that barely is better by the specs and worse battery.

[OrionSteel]

Update: support told me PM white list should be updated by June 15.

I guess I'll wait and see, and if my phone is still not supported according to PM, switch to a carrier that doi support a Canadian moto g8 power that was bought in 2020.

[slusagm]

@OrionSteel 

G power 8 is a bit old.  I checked for you, only Bell will take it, not even Rogers

[OrionSteel]

Motorola G8 power, bought in 2020, and yes it was bought in Canada (apparently that matters if what I'm seeing on forum is correct)

But I did try a online check with another carrier (I forget which but higher tier)  and checked white lists with Robbers and He'll, er Rogers and Bell. From what I can see this is a PM issue (maybe Telus too).

I think you are right and I need to avoid tier 3 providers who could not be bothered updating their lists for anything but newest phones.

[slusagm]

@OrionSteel 

what phone do you have? if your phone is not whitelisted here, likely it is not whitelisted with other Tier 3 providers as well, so you will have to check with Tier 2 or Tier 1

[OrionSteel]

Yes. I meant 4G. Thanks.

Well it will be cheaper to find a new carrier I guess, since the phone does do 4G, volte, etc. so this is just some whitelist snafu disguising a cash grap, IMO

[hTideGnow]

HI @OrionSteel 

I think you meant 3G and 4G.

if you have the choice 'Automatic" on the network mode, change to Automatic.  With Automatic, it will use data with 4G and when you need calls, the phone will scale back to 3G itself

but you will still need a new phone before March 2027, when PM really ends 3G network 

[OrionSteel]

Yep. Good advice.

Already tried that, x3.

LTE and G4 on phone does not work anymore (last confirmed working last week).

G3 mode on phone still works.

[slusagm]

@OrionSteel 

Ontario still has 3G and your phone should still work

Please Reboot phone and reset network settings and try making calls again

[OrionSteel]

Thanks for replying.

I'm in Ontario not Manitoba. It literally worked last week when I tested it LTE, says G4 when I call).

After I contact PM about the G3 $5 fee, suddenly my phone stops working and it is not on some list? I find it rather suspicious and to convenient. If PM does not want me as a customer just say so and stop giving me the runaround.

Guess I'm switching providers.

[slusagm]

it is not whether your phone has VoLTE or not, it is the fact that your phone is not on PM's VoLTE whitelist.  

If your phone is not on the whitelist, which yours not, you will have to pay the $5

if you are in Manitoba, the 3G networks already decommissioned, that's why you are not receiving calls and unable to make one.  You need another supported device

[OrionSteel]

Like many people I received a warning that I would get charged five dollars for using G3.

My phone supports LTE and G4. I tried talking to support, I posted here, it's just a big run-around with support giving me canned responses asking same questions.

Now here is the really interesting part, my phone is G4 compatible it has LTE, and last week when I was trying to troubleshoot and test this I could see the phone saying LTE on the status bar and when I make a call I can see it sayG4. .

Now today after I've tried talking to tech support about this issue, my phone refused to make or receive phone calls until I explicitly turned off the phone LTE and switched to only G3. Then  suddenly it could make and receive calls. Frankly I have no clue what public role model is doing at this point in time. A suspicious person may think they are deliberately breaking my G4 so they have an excuse to charge me an extra $5 a month claiming my phone is not compatible, despite it working last week.

[Anna_Yeonjun]

Thank you so much for your help!

Have a great day.

[slusagm]

@Anna_Yeonjun 

Take a screenshot of the IMEI checker result and open ticket with PM and ask them to confirm and make a note on the account so they won't charge you 

To open ticket, Just open ticket with PM using the Orange Chatbot icon on the lower right. (For 2FA when login, you might need to use email to receive if you cannot receive the text on the phone.) Type the question Submit ticket and select Contact Us to get to ticket open screen       

But if you have trouble with open ticket using Chatbot, then message them using this link: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

CS_Agent will reply to your community inbox, check here: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/privatenotespage

[Anna_Yeonjun]

Thank you so much for your reply. I checked IMEI on the link and it says VoLTE Network and 5G Speed. My phone is Samsung GalaxyA34. What to do now? Could you please let me know? Thank you agian!

[Chapman-Boss]

I will be getting a new cellphone it's on Thursday May 21 it's on back order My plan it due May 26 so as your email says l should still pay $25.00 a month Thank You 

[waytay]

PM is owned by Telus. These voLTE phones work ok on both Telus and Koodo.  They appear to have been crippled on PM for other reasons that Telus won't divulge.  But many of us subscribers suspect...

[Tamarra]

After a deep rabbit hole, what I understand to be a brief version is that it's probably not our phones， the carrier, Telus, can turn VoLTE on since it's on your phone. But if your phone is not on the whitelist, meaning the manufacturer hasn't paid Telus for access, then they have disabled it. That's why you see the option for it, but can't toggle it.

[waytay]

Completely agree.  I know my wife's S10e has been an issue with PM since we subscribed.  But didn't much matter to us as she only wants her phone for emergencies and some surfing while waiting in a doctors office.  3g was Ok.

Same goes for the mother-ship Telus and Koodo -- S10e is whitelisted there.

I'm suspecting that PM no longer wants people on their low cost plans that use 3g.  Perhaps the declined phones would be ok on their 4g plans?  Or perhaps Telus is prodding folks to jump back to them or Koodo?  Or maybe Telus wants to sell more updated phones to disaffected PM subscribers?

There are other discount providers out there nowadays offering very similar or better deals than Telus's PM.  Loblaws No-name on the Bell system comes to mind.  They are actively looking for subscribers, even sending out SIMs free of charge to those who ask.  And they (Bell) will fully accept her 2019 4G voLTE phone with no issues.  And their plans don't increase in cost unless you change to another tier. 

Whatever, they are going lose a lot of subscribers with this practice.  Especially when other providers have no problem accepting dated but compatible phones.

Because the industry is so competitive, it has become even easier to switch providers. 

[NT31]

Hi Slusagm, I am now considering buying a new phone AHLO it is made in Canada and available through Bell & Virgin Plus - I do not need many features just the basics because I need to have it for emergencies otherwise using the laptop is easier for me. thank you so much for the info and have a wonderful weekend.

[NT31]

Thank you so much HS666. I am now considering buying a new phone AHLO, which is made in Canada and available through Bell & Virgin Plus. I do not need the bells & whistles just a basic phone for security, otherwise I use the laptop it's easier for me. Have a wonderful weekend.

[NT31]

Hi Markk123, lucky you - I put in a ticket that never got a reply. so I followed up with another ticket & I got lucky. But I am considering moving away from PM - no real support we all rely on each other not customer support. so I am considering buying a new phone AHLO which is made in Canada and currently available through Bell & Virgin Plus - I don't need the bells & whistles so a basic phone is good for me if the companies are responsive. Good luck to you.

[NT31]

Hi Roo3d, I am considering buying a new phone AHLO, it is made in Canada, and currently available with Bell & Virgin Plus. I don't need all the bells & whistles I need the phone for emergencies other wise I use a laptop which is easier for me. hope that helps, all the best to you. 

ca

[NT31]

Hi John2112, I am considering buying a new phone, made in Canada, Ahlo - currently it is available for Bell & Virgin Plus - it is a basic phone and I don't need the bells & whistles - I am senior and need a phone especially for emergencies, otherwise I use a laptop it's easier for me... something to think about. All the best

[john2112]

I got check marks across the board on the IMEI checker so I think it's got to be the plan I'm on. It's the cheapest one I could find so it no doubt goes directly to the 3G side of the network. I'll have to upgrade my plan so to save $5 I'm going to have to spend $10. They've got me. lol. PS I use a Moto G 5G 2024 model.

[Roo3d]

Hello, I have seen you copy-paste that same reply to multiple people.  This issue is affecting most of the phones in my collection - none will be able to use PM.  I'm not into the modern day Apple/Samsung/Google Phablets.  The thing is, all of my phones do support VoLTE.  But for some reason PM has chosen to block their access by not putting these devices on their whitelist.  I am wondering if you have any further information to support your statement that "your phone is not compatible with PM's VoLTE network" suggesting a technical problem with the phone rather than it being a whitelist issue on PM's end.  For PM to tell customers, essentially "Go and buy a recent Apple, Samsung or Google phone or we will increase your bill in a month as a penalty and kick you off entirely in a year or two" feels like quite an aggressive act towards their customers, especially when in the past year they already doubled my monthly cost for the same service with little warning. 

[Tamarra]

I did that too, but still no response, so I entered my IMEI number and it was rejected. I changed to Chatr, no problem with my phone there.

[Markk123]

I put in a help ticket, service ticket. After sending my acct info, phone info, etc. They replied today. about a 3 day wait period. Even though I was receiving these text messages for the $5. They confirmed that my phone is VoLTE compatible and to disregard these messages.... I believe the answer is to put in a help ticket if you can confirm with the IMEI checker that it is compatible with PM... Good Luck

[Tonya_B]

I had the same thing happen, I had to change to Chatr. 

[HS666]

"If you have a Umidigi G9x (or a phone with a UNISOC chip) and got the $5 3G surcharge text, don't throw the phone away! Try this:

1. Dial *#*#83781#*#* to enter EngineerMode.

2. Go to Telephony > VoLTE/VoWiFi.

3. Enable 'VoLTE Whitelist'.

4. Restart and check *#*#4636#*#* to see if IMS is 'Registered'. It saved me from a $5/month 'legacy fee'!"

If your phone is not using the UNINSO chipset but qualcomm or other, get a different number from AI chatbot.