US/Canada Long distances Add-on Usage Balance Verification

[ashleyau]

Hi,

I have a provincial-wide (Ontario) unlimited calls plan.  The Usage Balance shown seems a lot off than expected.  How can I verify my out of province calls?  I have tried browsing thru the phone usage history but it's really lengthy and time consuming.

Please advise.

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

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@ashleyau wrote:

@Nezgar ... How can we decide which "bucket" to deduct from first?

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"We" can't. We can have all three add-ons and it consumes in a logical manner. When the $5 add-on first came out, there was a problem of using an illogical bucket like the 200 minute when it was a Canada call. They fixed it.

[Nezgar]

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@ashleyau wrote:

@Nezgar ... How can we decide which "bucket" to deduct from first?

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it's not something you can control, but I've read coverage of this topic numerous times in the past in these forums...

"Canada Wide" minutes are consumed before "Canada+USA" Minutes, which are consumed before "International" minutes.

But if all you have left is international, those will be used for Canada calls, etc.

[computergeek541]

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@ashleyau wrote:

@Nezgar ... How can we decide which "bucket" to deduct from first?

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You can't and it's automatic.  The minutes are suppsoed to be set to be used in the way that best benefits the customer.

[ashleyau]

@Nezgar ... How can we decide which "bucket" to deduct from first?

[ashleyau]

Thanks ALL!

[gblackma]

@ashleyau try the TextNow app for your out of province calls. Stay safe. 

[Nezgar]

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@ashleyau wrote:

I can't give up my great promoted plan that I joined 3 years ago - $120 for 3 months (4G) and unlimited provincial call.

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I agree! You could consider a $5 500 minute "Canada Wide" add on - so as to preserve your remaining minutes from the 200 min US/Canada add-on for USA calls. Out-of-province calls would then first deduct from the 500 minute "Canada Wide" bucket before deducting from the "US/Canada" bucket.

[ashleyau]

@Anonymous 

Yes and No.  I'm still not convinced that I made that many out-of-province call.  Will keep monitor.

However, glad to know about the ON and NS voicemail numbers issue!

[Anonymous]

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@ashleyau wrote:

@Nezgar 

I will confirm again tomorrow.  If still no deductions then I will monitor my out-of-province call every week but I doubt it.  And I really don't like checking the Usage History page after page.  Wish PM improves this feature.

I can't give up my great promoted plan that I joined 3 years ago - $120 for 3 months (4G) and unlimited provincial call.

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Front page counters are pretty much immediate. If you make a call and then refresh the page, the counter should increment.

[ashleyau]

@Nezgar 

I will confirm again tomorrow.  If still no deductions then I will monitor my out-of-province call every week but I doubt it.  And I really don't like checking the Usage History page after page.  Wish PM improves this feature.

I can't give up my great promoted plan that I joined 3 years ago - $120 for 3 months (4G) and unlimited provincial call.

[Anonymous]

 @Nezgar LOL

 @ashleyau 

So yeah...back to page 1. You just need to examine which exact calls are consuming your 200 minutes. gblackma has had you long since covered.

The side track was why your access number is from NS.

[Nezgar]

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@ashleyau wrote:

@Anonymous 

Both Ontario and NS voicemail numbers do not show any deduction of my 200 add on minutes.  Wonder it would show tomorrow?  Or it's not related to the voicemail calling?

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Yay! 5 pages later and we have an answer, lol! 😃 The results of add-on minute consumption on the Overview page are immediate on next refresh of the page after call hangup.

So there's no need to change your voicemail access number. Your add-on minutes must deducted from some other calls. Just pay regular attention to your self-serve overview page to identify which calls are decrementing minutes.

You may also want to consider a current Canada-wide plan to eliminate any further concern... After you've used up your add-on minutes I guess.

[ashleyau]

@Anonymous 

"

The test is you pressing and holding 1 to access your voicemail. Does that deduct a minute from your 200 minute counter? Not leaving a voicemail. That shouldn't deduct.

With your provincial plan, calling an ON access number shouldn't touch anything."

I called and left a voicemail and checked with either the Ontario (speed dial 5) or NS (long press 1) voicemail numbers.  Both don't deduct minutes.

[Anonymous]

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@ashleyau wrote:

@Nezgar ... My son's Samsung Note 10 can change!

Checking a more other phones here...

• BlackBerry Z30 - cannot change
• Samsung Galaxy S4 - CAN change

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The plot thickens. My Z30 CAN change. 🙂 Although it's in airplane mode and the radios are off.

brb

Radios on and out of airplane but it's a suspended account...CAN.

[ashleyau]

@Nezgar ... My son's Samsung Note 10 can change!

Checking a more other phones here...

• BlackBerry Z30 - cannot change
• Samsung Galaxy S4 - CAN change

[Anonymous]

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@ashleyau wrote:

@Anonymous 

Both Ontario and NS voicemail numbers do not show any deduction of my 200 add on minutes.  Wonder it would show tomorrow?  Or it's not related to the voicemail calling?

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The test is you pressing and holding 1 to access your voicemail. Does that deduct a minute from your 200 minute counter? Not leaving a voicemail. That shouldn't deduct.

With your provincial plan, calling an ON access number shouldn't touch anything.

[ashleyau]

@Anonymous 

Both Ontario and NS voicemail numbers do not show any deduction of my 200 add on minutes.  Wonder it would show tomorrow?  Or it's not related to the voicemail calling?

[Nezgar]

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@gblackma wrote:

I have been looking for a fix to changing the voicemail number. It seems to be  a problem with  Samsung phones, and I can't find one.  Remove the sim card, and try to change the voicemail number. If it works reinsert the sim card and restart the phone.

@Nezgar , @Anonymous would a factory reset work here? Thanks.

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I have  BlackBerry Keyone (Android 8.1) - and I am also prohibited from editing the voicemail access number, hence my belief it is "enforced" by network provisioning. Maybe some (older?) phones ignore "locking" the setting pushed from the network.

Checking a more other phones here...

• BlackBerry Z30 - cannot change
• Samsing Galaxy S4 - CAN change

[Anonymous]

 @ashleyau 

So you can dial an ON access number and that won't deduct minutes from the 200 minute add-on right?

But if you press and hold 1 which dials that NS access number it deducts from it right?

 @gblackma 

I had wondered about removing the SIM and trying to change it as well. A whole factory reset does sound drastic of course. Maybe I should try the SIM idea. Maybe. 🙂

[gblackma]

@ashleyau did you try resetting the voicemail number with the SIM out? Thanks 

[ashleyau]

@gblackma 

Just tried the SIM card removal and restart method but not luck.  Thanks.

[gblackma]

@ashleyau I have been looking for a fix to changing the voicemail numbet. It seems to be  a problem with  Samsung phones, and I can't find one.  Remove the sim card, and try to change the voicemail number. If it works reinsert the sim card and restart the phone.

@Nezgar , @Anonymous would a factory reset work here? Thanks.

[ashleyau]

@Nezgar ... Your recommendation:

"All I was suggesting was basically manually dialling one of the other numbers. Or save it to your address book, or assign it to a different key speed dial, i.e. "2" - but this is only necessary if you actually confirm from testing that dialing any of them actually deducts from your add-on minutes."

It's working at the mean time.  Just tested.  Will still contact the Moderator to see if there's anything else they can do.  Thanks.

[Anonymous]

 @Nezgar 

From what I've gathered, moderators _can_ fix this.

I agree with your testing and verification.

Airplane mode is a phone to network reset. Not necessarily related to data.

Lost/stolen is an account reset. Unfortunately it didn't work for her in this case.

Nor the SIM re/re.

The last one is the added dollar. But I wouldn't hold out much hope for that either.

 @ashleyau 

Hopefully by now you've started in with contacting the moderators.

While you're waiting, an idea strikes me for you to try scanning for networks and seeing Public Mobile and selecting it. Who knows. Can't hurt to try. And restart.

Interestingly, my old Nokia Windows Phone and old BBZ30 can set the number fine. But my S7 doesn't.

All of this to say...that's how I understand things.

[ashleyau]

@Anonymous ... Tried Lost/Stolen but still no luck!

[Nezgar]

@ashleyau- You cannot change the "voicemail access number" that is linked to long-pressing "1" - that is programmed to your phone by public mobile. Don't open a ticket with the moderators, this is not something they can change.  This is also nothing that any combination of clicking Lost/Stolen/Suspend is going to do anything to change. The only time it might change is if you change your phone number to one from a different province.

All I was suggesting was basically manually dialling one of the other numbers. Or save it to your address book, or assign it to a different key speed dial, i.e. "2" - but this is only necessary if you actually confirm from testing that dialing any of them actually deducts from your add-on minutes.

And just test 1 call to the voicemail number that Public Mobile assigned do you, and confirm it does not consume your add-on minutes.

Then dial one of the other local voicemail access numbers in the province you currently reside if you are not in your home province, and also confirm that your add-on minutes were not deducted for the call.

This has nothing to do with your data usage. No need to do airplane mode on/off to troubleshoot.

[Anonymous]

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@ashleyau wrote:

@Anonymous  ... lost/stolen idea - how?

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Log in to self-serve. Click on Plans & Add-ons tab. Click on Lost/Stolen. Click on Suspend. Log out. Wait a minute or three. Log in again from maybe even another browser. Back to that screen and click on Resume. Then restart phone.

That's from memory 🙂

No guarantees that it will fix things. Just another possible workaround to kick it.

[ashleyau]

@Anonymous  ... lost/stolen idea - how?

[Anonymous]

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@ashleyau wrote:

@Anonymous .. Just tried the removal of SIM card method but no luck.  Will contact Moderator.

Thanks.

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Did you try the lost/stolen idea?

[ashleyau]

@Anonymous .. Just tried the removal of SIM card method but no luck.  Will contact Moderator.

Thanks.