When and How to Suspend or Place an account on Hold (Extended absence, etc)

[pm-smayer97]

Much info and other pseudo answers elsewhere on this site are incomplete and confusing... what is correct info?

(see next post below and click Accept Solution if it helps you)

[zblackma]

Thanks. Appreciate the effort.

[pm-smayer97]

Added Q8: to clarify how to decide which method, manual or not.

Added Q10 and Q11 to discuss what happens to addons and rewards.

Made other small edits in several places, including making language a bit more clear in Q12 and Q13.

Added a bit more language throughout  as it relates to AutoPay.

[pm-smayer97]

@darlicious 

Some mods gave me the ticket # they opened some did not but they ended up going nowhere. My latest attempt to get them to open a ticket got pushback and stonewalling.

Which mod were you able to get to escalate the issue? Would you care to share the ticket # opened for you, even via p.m.? 

[darlicious]

@pm-smayer97  I can only tell you this that after my post/thread complaining about the issue the moderator team was directed to launch a "deep" investigation into the matter and I was given a reference # to refer to when inquiring on results if any. Surprisingly it was started and I was informed of this on Christmas morning so i dont know how that plays into it in importance or not. I shall keep you informed.

[pm-smayer97]

@darlicious 

As I mentioned, I have reported this a dozen times before and had it corrected and tickets were supposed opened on this issue. But lately, unlike you, I have received pushback form several mods and manager. Most frustrating.

So I would not expect much from any "investigation". But do report back if you find any meaningful info. I certainly will use our discussion as further leverage.

[darlicious]

@pm-smayer97  You are correct in your stance and the information given to me is the same. There is an error in the system that causes the reward not to be applied it does not mean you are not entitled to the reward. Which is why I have it manually added. The moderator that emphatically insisted they are not to be applied retroactively was wrong. Pm reached out to confirm this and launched an investigation into why this "glitch" is happening two weeks ago. No update has been provided so I can only assume they are still working on it. I will provide you with any new information as it is provided to me.

[pm-smayer97]

@darlicious

what I get is the following:

1. suspend account (with AutoPay still registered). This also suspends any pending AutoPay Reward that IS currently sitting there for next renewal.

2. after over 30 days, try to reactivate account. Cannot in one step. Have to Resume (unsuspend account first).

3. After account is resumed, all documentation says AutoPay should auto-renew but it does not.

4. The only way to renew is to ADD funds to the account manually (minimum of $1). As soon as ANY funds are added, AutoPay triggers (so system knows that AutoPay is still active).

5. BUT pending AutoPay reward that was suspended (in 1.) does NOT get applied until NEXT renewal cycle.

So in case you do not catch it, this is actually a twofold problem:

1. AutoPay does NOT auto renew once an account is resumed (unsuspended)

2. AutoPay Reward does not get applied even though AutoPay triggered.

Both of these are system problems. The first is a straight system problem. The second is a system problem because it contradicts all documentation by PM.

I am very familiar with the policy that if an account is suspended, no rewards apply. I have no issues with that. My argument is that:

1. In Self-Serve everything states that AutoPay is still active and NO funds are needed to renew, even for an account that has been resumed/unsuspended

2. After adding funds of any amount, Self-Serve IMMEDIATELY triggers AutoPay. That means that the system recognizes AutoPay is active AND applies. Therefore AutoPay Reward IS applicable and should be applied.

3. PM documentation states that if registered for AutoPay, reward is applied. In this case, an account is taken out of suspension, therefore qualifies. The facts that AutoPay triggers and that documentation in Self-Serve says it will support that position.

That said, although for well over a year PM USED TO acknowledge what I say and would correct the situation, lately, some of the mods and one manager have claimed otherwise. BUT in their response it is clear that they are leaving out important relevant details as outlined above, which tells me they are either missing the 2 system problems OR are willfully trying to take a different position than what is supported by the above.

I'm still working on this.

P.S. If PM wants to take a different stance on the AutoPay Reward, I have no issue with that  BUT

1. They will need to update their documentation to support any new policy

2. They will need to change the behaviour of the system.

As it stands, everything supports that AutoPay Reward qualifies and should be applied.

[darlicious]

@pm-smayer97Are you saying you didn't get the reward? Upon reviewing the account I have never waited for it to be applied on the following  renewal I've always asked to be applied after the affected renewal and the following months reward is there to be applied. But because there were  three temporary suspensions in three consecutive months with all being applied manually. This being a suspension free month the autopay reward sits in the reward section waiting to be applied. I can only comment on the autopay reward because it is the only reward on this account. Does that make sense? Lol I'm starting to confuse myself!

[pm-smayer97]

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@darlicious wrote:

@pm-smayer97  The auto pay reward does indeed resume after suspension it just does not get applied upon renewal requiring a moderator to apply it manually afterwards or wait until the following renewal to have it applied automatically with that months (2×$2=$4) autopay renewal.

However they are actively investigating this anomaly.

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So if I understand correctly, you are saying that AutoPay reward does not get applied immediately after you reactivate BUT if you wait until the next cycle you get DOUBLE the AutoPay reward? If so, that has not been my experience. I have had 12 accounts that I have repeatedly suspended and unsuspended, and I have NEVER seen this happen.

If I did not understand you, please clarify.

[darlicious]

@pm-smayer97  The auto pay reward does indeed resume after suspension it just does not get applied upon renewal requiring a moderator to apply it manually afterwards or wait until the following renewal to have it applied automatically with that months (2×$2=$4) autopay renewal.

However they are actively investigating this anomaly.

[pm-smayer97]

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@darlicious wrote:

@pm-smayer97  @kl1216pm  In regards to suspending the account (in my case using the lost/stolen feature) all times were short ranging from 5min to 2 days. There was no effect on the 500mb bonus it stayed intact and to my understanding it is more coded to the plan than autopay itself but I cannot confirm that aspect. But there have been reports of receiving the autopay data bonus without being registered for autopay. The concerns I had raised were with the $2 autopay reward not being applied after suspending your service using lost/stolen for any amount of time.

   This is still being investigated  but the current word from pm is the rewards are not applied during renewal because if your service is suspended for non payment you are not to be able to use those rewards (all not just autopay...but autopay is the only one affected in this case)to pay for your service however they will be applied on your next renewal. Hopefully this clarifies your concerns.

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Thanks for that. So this alone does NOT confirm that bonuses are NOT lost if you turn off AutoPay, because your time period was not long enough. I would be curious to see what happens if someone having the bonus tied to AutoPay disables AutoPay, places their account on hold, then does not reactivate until AFTER the renewal cycle. That would be a more determining test.

As for AutoPay reward, I have documented that PM's policies and documentation DO NOT support the idea that the $2 AutoPay reward should NOT resume immediately when an account is reactivated if a customer still has AutoPay active. After some back and forth, PM seems to be choosing to ignore my requests to discuss my details, but instead choose to hold fast to their "belief" rather than looking at their written policies and the way SelfServe ACTUALLY handles the whole reactivation process from a suspended status.

I am still working on trying to get the ear of management to have them look at this more objectively...we shall see.

BTW, it is not the first time I have run across where policy does not match system implementation or vice versa. There are many documented and confirmed scenarios here. I would not be surprised if AutoPay bonuses and the Suspend feature is another one of these scenarios.

[darlicious]

@pm-smayer97  @kl1216pm  In regards to suspending the account (in my case using the lost/stolen feature) all times were short ranging from 5min to 2 days. There was no effect on the 500mb bonus it stayed intact and to my understanding it is more coded to the plan than autopay itself but I cannot confirm that aspect. But there have been reports of receiving the autopay data bonus without being registered for autopay. The concerns I had raised were with the $2 autopay reward not being applied after suspending your service using lost/stolen for any amount of time.

   This is still being investigated  but the current word from pm is the rewards are not applied during renewal because if your service is suspended for non payment you are not to be able to use those rewards (all not just autopay...but autopay is the only one affected in this case)to pay for your service however they will be applied on your next renewal. Hopefully this clarifies your concerns.

[pm-smayer97]

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@darlicious wrote:

@pm-smayer97  @kl1216pm 

    In regards to the 500mb bonus that you are referring to:

2. You lose nothing else except any bonuses that are tied to any AutoPay bonuses. In your case, you may lose the 500MB bonus per 30 days, if you have it.

(Though officially when you reactivate, you are not supposed to be able to get the bonus back, I wonder if in practice this is enforced...that said, I would not take a chance). You will have to decide if saving about 2.5 to 3 weeks, one time, is worth the risk of permanently losing the 500MB.

...

If it is the 500mb bonus with autopay you will not lose it as long as you are signed up for autopay. When you unsuspend your account and are or reregister for autopay you will again recieve the autopay bonus of 500mb data. You will not recieve the $2 autopay reward for the time you are suspended but you will recieve it for the following renewal of your plan cycle.

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Have you confirmed this yourself? If so, how long was you account suspended before reactivating?

[darlicious]

@pm-smayer97  @kl1216pm 

    In regards to the 500mb bonus that you are referring to:

2. You lose nothing else except any bonuses that are tied to any AutoPay bonuses. In your case, you may lose the 500MB bonus per 30 days, if you have it.

(Though officially when you reactivate, you are not supposed to be able to get the bonus back, I wonder if in practice this is enforced...that said, I would not take a chance). You will have to decide if saving about 2.5 to 3 weeks, one time, is worth the risk of permanently losing the 500MB.

3. You will not lose this as it is not linked to AutoPay; just as long as you renew before the 90-day suspension peiod is over. After that, you lose everything; plan, phone #, bonuses, rewards, credit, etc.

If it is the 500mb bonus with autopay you will not lose it as long as you are signed up for autopay. When you unsuspend your account and are or reregister for autopay you will again recieve the autopay bonus of 500mb data. You will not recieve the $2 autopay reward for the time you are suspended but you will recieve it for the following renewal of your plan cycle.

[pm-smayer97]

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@pm-smayer97 wrote:

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...

a global search would hopefully pull up this article.

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Though clearly some are finding this thread, unfortunately, it does not seem to come up as easily as I had hoped.

[pm-smayer97]

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@kl1216pm wrote:

Hi there, I found this very helpful, though I'm not sure how exactly it works in my situation.

I signed up the $25 plan in mid December 2019 that comes with a $25 credit for 30 days, as well as the free add-ons, and I have opted the Autopay feature.  I currently have some $30+ in my account.

I am planning to travel out of the country for about 1 month in early February, and woud want to place my account while I am away.  I would appreciate some advice from the community members on the following questions, if I were to place my account on hold from, say, February 5:

1.  My next payment due date is the Januarty 15.   Will I be charged for the full month (I mean 30 days) regardless, or if I get charged for the full 30 days, will I get a credit for the number of days the account is on hold?

2.  Would I lose any of the free 30 day bonus, the referral credit or the autopay reward etc.?

3.  Any impact on the free add-ons?

Thanks.

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1. At renewal you are always charged in full 30 day periods (or 90 days if someone was able to get on that type of cycle; no longer offered). In your case the $25 credit you received will be applied to that renewal. The credit issue is answered in Q2. No credit is given for time not used.

2. You lose nothing else except any bonuses that are tied to any AutoPay bonuses. In your case, you may lose the 500MB bonus per 30 days, if you have it.

(Though officially when you reactivate, you are not supposed to be able to get the bonus back, I wonder if in practice this is enforced...that said, I would not take a chance). You will have to decide if saving about 2.5 to 3 weeks, one time, is worth the risk of permanently losing the 500MB.

3. You will not lose this as it is not linked to AutoPay; just as long as you renew before the 90-day suspension peiod is over. After that, you lose everything; plan, phone #, bonuses, rewards, credit, etc.

HTH.

[kl1216pm]

Hi there, I found this very helpful, though I'm not sure how exactly it works in my situation.

I signed up the $25 plan in mid December 2019 that comes with a $25 credit for 30 days, as well as the free add-ons, and I have opted the Autopay feature.  I currently have some $30+ in my account.

I am planning to travel out of the country for about 1 month in early February, and woud want to place my account while I am away.  I would appreciate some advice from the community members on the following questions, if I were to place my account on hold from, say, February 5:

1.  My next payment due date is the Januarty 15.   Will I be charged for the full month (I mean 30 days) regardless, or if I get charged for the full 30 days, will I get a credit for the number of days the account is on hold?

2.  Would I lose any of the free 30 day bonus, the referral credit or the autopay reward etc.?

3.  Any impact on the free add-ons?

Thanks.

[darlicious]

@yoshi101  You would want To message the moderators to confirm but I do believe that the feature only disappeared  aesthetically in your account as this issue was raised a few weeks ago. You still have it...its just not listed as before. However your account is suspended and in order to keep it you must pay and reactivate the plan before the 90 days pass. It is grandfathered in so you can keep it as long as you don't change plans.

[pm-smayer97]

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@yoshi101 wrote:

I signed up when they had that 2GB US roaming promo for their $60 8.5 GB plan. I let my account go into suspension last month and now I no longer see the 2GB US Roaming listed on the features of the plan.

Did I lose the 2GB roaming feature by letting my account go into suspension?

I haven't renewed it yet because I'm not sure I want to if I did in fact lose that feature. 

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Where are you looking at the description? If you are looking at the public home page of plans, that promo plan is not avaialble to new customers. What does the description say inside your Self-Serve login? I would expect it to still show up there.

Also, looking at the description in the original promo here:

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/Updated-Get-8-5-GB-at-3G-speed-2-GB-of-...

it does not look like the 2GB roaming data is tied to AutoPay, only the extra 500MB of base data, so you would only get 8GB of base data instead of 8.5GB since you let AutoPay lapse.

But if in doubt, by all means reach out to the mods for confirmation (hopefully they will give you the correct info... not always reliable though 😕 ).

HTH

[cellphoneuser1]

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@yoshi101 wrote:

I signed up when they had that 2GB US roaming promo for their $60 8.5 GB plan. I let my account go into suspension last month and now I no longer see the 2GB US Roaming listed on the features of the plan.

Did I lose the 2GB roaming feature by letting my account go into suspension?

I haven't renewed it yet because I'm not sure I want to if I did in fact lose that feature. 

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2GB for that plan isn't a bonus. It's part of the plan. The 2GB doesn't show in the description. 

[yoshi101]

I signed up when they had that 2GB US roaming promo for their $60 8.5 GB plan. I let my account go into suspension last month and now I no longer see the 2GB US Roaming listed on the features of the plan.

Did I lose the 2GB roaming feature by letting my account go into suspension?

I haven't renewed it yet because I'm not sure I want to if I did in fact lose that feature. 

[Anonymous]

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@pm-smayer97 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

And then this all twigged a memory that I thought I'd seen this before that Luddite put together.

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Paying-for-your-service/Extended-Absence/m-p/142735#M9767

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Yes, it was a good starting point but was still missing a lot of specific details. What I compiled above was from many different pieces from the forum and personal experience and tried to present it all in a hopefully readable user friendly way for easy reference and lookup.

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Now I see where slash407 might have got the idea of a dollar voucher to add. The note for Q9 where it mentions voucher. There are no $1 vouchers. Recharge.com starts at $5. Stores are more. Also, as I understand it, the $1 is just acting as a nominal token of triggering this process. It could really be any amount and it would have the same effect. And then it could be a voucher. But linking a dollar to a voucher is incorrect.

But yes...your post is more in-depth than Luddite's.

I find it distasteful that you are asking for it to be pinned (and your others). Really...it ought to be others nominating/suggesting posts that should be pinned. And your penchant for self-solutions. There. I said it. Your references are excellent though. Well written and organized.

But who am I to say? Just another anonymous punter on the intertubes.

[pm-smayer97]

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@Anonymous wrote:

And then this all twigged a memory that I thought I'd seen this before that Luddite put together.

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Paying-for-your-service/Extended-Absence/m-p/142735#M9767

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Yes, it was a good starting point but was still missing a lot of specific details. What I compiled above was from many different pieces from the forum and personal experience and tried to present it all in a hopefully readable user friendly way for easy reference and lookup.

[Anonymous]

And then this all twigged a memory that I thought I'd seen this before that Luddite put together.

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Paying-for-your-service/Extended-Absence/m-p/142735#M...

[pm-smayer97]

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@slash407 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@slash407 wrote:

u wont lose ur credit/funds in ur account if u suspend ur account for 90 days right?

to reactivate, u dont need to actually buy a voucher, u can just start off with ur credit card again???

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If your account is suspended for 91 days then it's gone and everything to do with it.

Before 90 days, with a valid, working, pre-registered cc on autopay yes...un-suspend and it will restart your current plan from that day.

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what about the funds though, if u have credits in ur account when u go on vacation and suspend ur account, ur credits will remain intact when u unsuspend, say 2 months later?

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VERY good question...

Whether no matter HOW your acount gets suspended, ALL your existing funds in the account will remain. You will only lose your balance if the account becomes deactivated after the 90 days have past.

This is confirmed both from discussing this with moderators AND from personal experience having tried ALL methods.

I will update the OP to include this info.

Thanks for bringing it up.

[computergeek541]

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@slash407 wrote:

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what about the funds though, if u have credits in ur account when u go on vacation and suspend ur account, ur credits will remain intact when u unsuspend, say 2 months later?

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Nothing happens happens to the account balance unless the account gets closed.

[Anonymous]

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@slash407 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@slash407 wrote:

u wont lose ur credit/funds in ur account if u suspend ur account for 90 days right?

to reactivate, u dont need to actually buy a voucher, u can just start off with ur credit card again???

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If your account is suspended for 91 days then it's gone and everything to do with it.

Before 90 days, with a valid, working, pre-registered cc on autopay yes...un-suspend and it will restart your current plan from that day.

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what about the funds though, if u have credits in ur account when u go on vacation and suspend ur account, ur credits will remain intact when u unsuspend, say 2 months later?

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Yes. If YOU suspend it.

I'm not sure if suspension for lack of funds will leave it there. Maybe it puts what's there in a kind of limbo saying "well I could take this but I otherwise don't have enough so put in more please". That I'm not sure.

[pm-smayer97]

Also updated the strategies if one wants to suspend the account beyond 90-days.

[pm-smayer97]

I edited the OP to include a NOTE with a work-around to deal with a bug in the system that might prevent automatically renewing a plan when trying to reactivate/resume your account. 

[Anonymous]

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@slash407 wrote:

u wont lose ur credit/funds in ur account if u suspend ur account for 90 days right?

to reactivate, u dont need to actually buy a voucher, u can just start off with ur credit card again???

---

If your account is suspended for 91 days then it's gone and everything to do with it.

Before 90 days, with a valid, working, pre-registered cc on autopay yes...un-suspend and it will restart your current plan from that day.