What is the justification for not giving prorated refunds when changing subsciptions?

[JunkBondtrader]

I bought the $19 subscription because I couldnt afford the $34 subscription until the next day, today. I did this based on what I feel is a very fair assumption that Public Monbile would refund me a prorated amount for my unused services. Every other mobile provider I have ever used in my life operates this way.

Now I am learning that for some unfathomable reason, they dont offer refunds for time remaining on your plan. So now I am left without data, and I cannot work withouut data, so I'm stuck in this catch 22 due to incredibly unfair service terms by Public Mobile... Why does Public Mobile feel justified in keeping my money for unused service? what cost are they incurring to justify this? They are keeping my money for no reason other than they want to. Theyre essentially robbing me... I never encountered a mobile company that operates this way.

And then they charge $40 for 4gb of data?? how does that make sense when their $34 plan provides 50gb of data and unlimited throttled data? eSim providers offer 4 gigs for like, a few dollars... Unfortuantely my current phone doesn't have eSim function.

Really feels like Public Mobile are just a bunch of crooks that are worse than even the big three telecom companies in Canada. They at least don't keep your money for unused service. Freedom mobile doesn't either. I assume Fizz doesn't either and am for sure switching to them because of this.

What are my options, if any, here? I need data to work but cant afford the $34. I can afford $34 minus 29 days worth of the $19 plan, and assumed that would be an option based on how ANY DECENT COMPANY IN THE WORLD operates. I'm not even asking for a straight up refund, I'm trying to give them more money... It hardly makes sense even from their end to operate this way. The few bucks they  are essentially stealing from me can't possibly be worth the poor taste this leaves in customers mouths.

Any guidance or help would be grateful. Please don't tell me to "read the fine print" next time.PM advertises as a fair alternative to the "big guys", I think it's totally reasonable to assume their refund policy works in a fair manner, tghey way it does with other pay-as-you go providers like Freedom and Fizz... Major telecom providers like Telus, Rogers, and I assume Bell. Plus, realistically, who reads the fine print? thanks for your time.

[Wayworn]

It just occurred to me —and just guessing - that maybe as you explain it may be about free data.

[Wayworn]

My suggestion was, since the OP is strapped for money …..to contact CS and politely ask to downgrade his plan to the $15 plan. However most likely they don’t allow downgrades and would only possibly oblige if an upgrade was requested. 

[hTideGnow]

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@Wayworn wrote:

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@Phil_Adelphus wrote:

@Wayworn  Except you can't drop to the $15 plan any more as an existing customer, lowest is the $19 1GB.

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Maybe worth a try for the OP to contact CS and politely ask. 

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hi @Wayworn 

if course OP can try, but pretty sure he won't get the refund he wants. 

[Wayworn]

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@Phil_Adelphus wrote:

@Wayworn  Except you can't drop to the $15 plan any more as an existing customer, lowest is the $19 1GB.

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Maybe worth a try for the OP to contact CS and politely ask. 

[golfball]

@JunkBondtrader  You're correct that this is an anti-consumer practice that has no real justification. You're not correct in thinking that PM is the only one that does this, it's generally how prepaid carriers work in Canada. They're not worse than the big 3 as all of them have prepaid plans with the same restriction either directly or under a subsidiary (like PM belongs to Telus.)

There's nothing stopping you from contacting customer service and seeing if they will make an exception and refund you like Lucky did for you in the past, but it's not automatic. You certainly have a better chance of them doing it since you want to give them more money.

[Phil_Adelphus]

@Wayworn  Except you can't drop to the $15 plan any more as an existing customer, lowest is the $19 1GB.

[Wayworn]

My take on his post is that he can’t afford to pay for a plan with reasonable data and needs the refund to apply to his now $34 plan. But then what does he do when the plan expires  ?  If he can’t afford it now how will he afford it next month? He also states that he needs data for his work . If he’s strapped for money why not drop down to the $15 plan and use free WIFI at coffee shops, malls, etc? 

[DennyCrane]

@Joe_G It sounds like it, yes. I'm just trying to point out that even if Public Mobile allowed refunds, it's not reasonable to expect it when you used the full months worth of data.

[Joe_G]

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@DennyCrane wrote:

@Joe_G No because pro rated refunds also means pro rated data allowance. 1GB/30 days gives you 34MB per day to use.

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True. But my reading of the OP was that he was expecting to get a refund of (plan price/30) X days remaining in spite of having used up his data allowance. Is that not what he was expecting?

[slusagm]

@Wayworn I know you try to help OP, but prepaid is prepaid. People shold know what they are in

Also, @DennyCrane made a good point, the person already used up some part of the service (the expensive part of it) and really no reason to ask for a refund of any kind 

[DennyCrane]

@Joe_G No because pro rated refunds also means pro rated data allowance. 1GB/30 days gives you 34MB per day to use.

[Wayworn]

Unfortunately in addition to losing some money it’s also causing you frustration. Again unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done about getting a credit and just increased frustration if you try. I know that it’s not just the loss of money but mostly the principle of being unfairly treated so just accept and forget it and maybe even look for another provider. 

[Joe_G]

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@DennyCrane wrote:

So you used 100% of the data on the $19 plan, but you want a 90%+ refund? Even if Public Mobile offered pro rated refunds, why would you think you'd be entitled to one when you used all the data?

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If PM gave the type of refund the OP desires, and there was no limit on how often or how many times one can change plans, then one could get an awful lot of data by switching back and forth between the $19 plan and $34 plan every day and using up all the data from each plan each day. That's $26.50 765 GB per 30 days.

[DennyCrane]

So you used 100% of the data on the $19 plan, but you want a 90%+ refund? Even if Public Mobile offered pro rated refunds, why would you think you'd be entitled to one when you used all the data?

[EB0]

@JunkBondtrader the only option which may not work is sending a private message to CSA through the following link telling them about your situation and ask nicely for prorated, may be they can give you a refund 

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

[slusagm]

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Yes I made a mistake, but that doesn't mean that the policy in question cannot also be predatory and unethical. They know that the vast majority of people don't read the fine print. I made a mistake, and this policy is unethical.

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glad that at least you admit you made a mistake.

But it is really your own problem for failing to read the terms and understand the product.  You shouldn't come and blame others who were trying to explain. And there is no question of ethical or not

if you cannot make up your mind what plan you want and tends to like to change plan anytime you want, or you don't control your usage and need to jump from plan to plan just to make up for your mistake for data overage, you should choose a teir 1 or 2 postpaid provider.  They are slightly more expensive, but at least you don't have to face another mistake

[hTideGnow]

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@JunkBondtrader wrote:

 The vast majority of services or products bought outside of the mobile world are prepaid, and they typically offer refunds for unused service.  

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HI @JunkBondtrader 

you need to compare apple with apple. 

Vast majority of mobile world are postpaid.  There are not many prepaid mobile provider.  And in this world, no prepaid provider will give you refund.  Unfortunately, you are in Canada and talking in a prepaid provider, you need to follow the game rule here, like it or not

[JunkBondtrader]

This is the problem with using communities as customer support. The only ones willing to be proactive in answering questions have the predisposition of sucking the companies D. Nobody who wants to hold the company accountable for unethical pracices is willing to answer questions. A mob mentality forms around the idea that the company in question is morally infallible. 

Yes I made a mistake, but that doesn't mean that the policy in question cannot also be predatory and unethical. They know that the vast majority of people don't read the fine print. I made a mistake, and this policy is unethical.

If I switch plans, which I am going to have to do, then I will have paid for nearly an entire months worth of service that I will not be utilzing, therefore public mobile will be keeping a chunk of my money that isn't going towards them providing services, it's free money for them that will go straight to their bottom line. I never said they stole, I said they are essentially stealing, which they are. If not can you tell me what cost that ~$18  they are keeping is going towards? If the answer is nothing, than that is essentially stealing. Not literally stealing, essentially stealing, there is a difference. 

Is there anything PM does that you take issue with? Or do you just defend everything they do no matter what? Quit highlighting "your" in red, you're just further affirming your biased answer that serves only to defend a BS policy. And yes, I will move on, there isn't much choice, is there?

[JunkBondtrader]

Them being a prepaid service as a justification for this is a non sequiter. The vast majority of services or products bought outside of the mobile world are prepaid, and they typically offer refunds for unused service. My real question I suppose, is what costs are PM incurring where they feel the need to keep my money? 

Also my mistake, by Freedom Mobile I actually meant Lucky. Lucky gave me prorated refunds on more than one occasion for switching plans mid cycle. I'm not seeing the connection between being a prepaid provider and not being able to offer refunds, nor am I seeing a valid connection between credit cheques and not giving money back for servies that won't be used. There is a massive gap in that reasoning. The only valid answer, as far as I can still tell, is that it is a predatory practive with no ethical justification. I incurred them maybe a couple dollars at the most in costs, and I paid $23. Why are they keeping the difference? I understand they are a prepaid provider, this doesn't justify anything. As I said, Lucky would frequently refund the difference when changing plans. I will say, granted, you did this by talking to a chat agent, and I can't say for sure if it was an automatic refund or if they just did it out of good will, but that brings up another annoying problem to where you can't talk with PM employees in real time. So there is no recourse in my situation.

And when I said I was out of data, I meant, I am out of data. I can't simply drag on. I need data to work, and I need to work to buy more data.  Also it's not about "you aren't out that much money it was only $19". It's about being stuck in this catch 22. But youre  right its not a lot of money and I will obviously figure something out, but this is also definitely a matter of fairness, there's no good defense for this practice the only reason they do this is because they can. It's not fair in any way. I prepaid for a 14mm deep socket the other day from Home Depot, and turns out I needed a 13mm. I brought it back and they gave me my money back, as expected. If they refused, would you say that's fair? No, that would be a BS, unfair policy. 

[hairbag1]

@JunkBondtrader 

they didn't essentially rob you at all. You bought the new plan without really doing your due diligence. You used all your data and only now realize your mistake. They're not stealing anything from you as you seem to have convinced yourself they have. Just learn from your mistake and move on !!

Ask some questions here in the Community Forum if you have any. We're here, helping 24/7/

[Phil_Adelphus]

@JunkBondtrader   From Fizz's FAQ "You can unsubscribe from your plan at any time, but the cancellation will officially take effect at the end of your current payment cycle. You will not receive any prorated refund. Fizz is a prepaid mobile service, and the choice to cancel before the end of your cycle is yours."  Not quite the same thing as changing plan though. From what I read they don't allow plan changes before the next renewal.

[BKNS27]

@JunkBondtrader 

Prorated only applies to postpaid plan but not on prepaid plans.

Major carriers offer postpaid and prepaid plans so be careful on which type of plan you are going for.

As @hTideGnow noted that postpaid plans requires credit checks whereas prepaid plan doesn’t require checks because you pay for the plan before you receive service.

[hTideGnow]

hi @JunkBondtrader 

it is not a matter or fairness, the nature of PM is it is a prepaid provider, you paid for the full 30 days ahead and hence no refund.  Some allows refund because they are postpaid provider.  But with postpaid, they usually need to do a credit check, which PM does not need. There are other prepaid provider, not just PM. Lucky and Chatr are some other prepaid providers

I suggest you to drag on till you absolutely need the new data, then do a Change Now plan change at that time.  You only have a $19 plan now, so, you didn't lose a lot I think