Wost Service Ever - Cancel your account before you end up like me

[FlyingFitz]

We lost the account info for Self Service- and lost the phone.  Now 4 months later we are still getting billed and we can't stop it - no human to contact and nobody in this community is active unless they are trying to get you into a contest or something. No help what so ever - contacting BBB and our laywer next to see what we can do. Simply the worst experience I have ever gone through since having a cell phone over 25 years now.  I will never go with these people again or ever recommend them to anyone .  Get out now before you end up like me!

[darlicious]

@softech 

Yes. If you have ever done a SIM card swap, email change and an account pin change thru customer support you will know what that info is....

[softech]

@darlicious   so you sent OP extra info to get it sorted out?  

[darlicious]

@Luddite 

The solution chosen is correct but for anyone in this unique position as the OP was can private message me for the additional info I gave the OP to have on hand when they contacted customer support to verify the account.

[darlicious]

@FlyingFitz 

I certainly hope you were able gather all the info required to verify the account. At least you know they take account security seriously at PM.

[FlyingFitz]

Yes, waiting now on reply. Thanks!

[FlyingFitz]

Sent all the info to CS_Agent privately - waiting on reply. Thanks for the detailed response, which is the route I had to take as per their reply on Friday. 

[FlyingFitz]

Why do people offer suggestions that don't work at all. Do your research before saying "EASY FIX" -....it isn't an easy fix - FAR FROM IT!  I already went to the bank, and talked with them.  Where this is a subscription, even getting a new card and even a new bank account will still allow Public Mobile to get their money.  Where this is a contract, we have to deal with Public Mobile to get cancelled, not the bank.  

[og2]

@FlyingFitz This is an easy fix by talking to your bank and then getting a new card so the charges don't  continue. At the same time explain the situation to your bank and they will take your side.

[darlicious]

@FlyingFitz 

This is the verification info for access to your account thru a private message. Surely you can glean enough info to verify. Additional verifiers I will send you via private message that you should be able to supply to the CSA.

Yes Simple--Simon is stupid....I never use him. 

An autopay payment is usually processed at about 2am eastern the day of renewal if renewals are running on time. They can be be delayed a couple of hours up to 6 to 8 hours. The best way to judge renewal timing would be to phone 1-855-4PUBLIC at about 10 minutes after midnight. If the autopay reward has been applied to the account then they are running on time.....or until rewards are applied then add at least two hours for autopay to attempt to charge the visa debit card.

Your other option would be to call the fraud department of your bank late on the night of renewal and ask for a temporary freeze on your accounts until you can get to your branch in the morning. That would hopefully cause an autopay fail.

Here is the method I use for account verification for customer support....

Send a private message...   Contact the CSA's (formerly moderators) by sending a private message and leave a detailed message explaining your issue and the info to verify your account by including the following information:  

1. Full name and address on pm account. ( Or province and postal code for newer accounts.)
2. Email, phone # and pin #.

If  you cannot remember your pin # include at least three ( if they apply)of the following:

1.  Date of birth (n/a on newer accounts.)
2. Last payment, date, amount, type and last 4 digits.
3. Alternate phone number if any.
4. Security question and answer.
5. Plan amount, any add ons or promos on account.
6. Last 4 digits of sim card.
7. Any rewards in your account.
8. Autopay y/n?
9. Account #.
10. Frequently called/texted phone numbers in the last 30 days.  

The average wait time is 2 to 4 hours but be prepared to wait up to 48 hours for non urgent requests. Current wait times are about one hour and are probably even less as I have had some very quick responses in tne past week.

Keep an eye on your private message box the envelope icon next to your avatar for a little number to pop indicating a message from the CSA's (formerly moderators.) Responding promptly will speed up service times.

 Do not post any of this info in the community only in your private messages when communicating or contacting the Moderator_Team.

  To send a private message to the CSA's (formerly moderators) click below
: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

[Anonymous]

 @FlyingFitz : lol and I was one of those. But I called CIBC to verify in the end because I just couldn't believe it. Crazy.

There's a very slim chance the call centre might be able to do something for you but I doubt it. But still worth the attempt.

While a super hassle for you to get control of this account...I'm pleased for everybody's security that it's this hard. It should be. You need to verify the account...not just the account holder. If the account holder name is such and such but the actual user is so and so then you need to verify using such and such. (Just as a simple example.)

[softech]

@FlyingFitz  it has been couple hours.. did PM reply you yet??  any progress?

[FlyingFitz]

Yes agreed and they come standard now with a bank account so you can also use it online when needed. Didn't think it would be such a hassle using the card that way - but lesson learned. This will be the last time it is used that way and appreciate the only good comment to this thread after almost 200 posts back and forth people telling me the same thing and telling me options that I didn't have .... enjoy the rest of your day - hopefully the CSA can fix it up .

[Anonymous]

 @FlyingFitz : Wow. Indeed. I just got off the phone with them and no indeed you can't "pause" a Visa Debit card (at least with CIBC). They said for you to call them but I would not hold out much hope from that end.

Seeing as how this company was given permission to take your money ie. a contract/agreement if you will then I can't see how a chargeback would work either (if there is such a thing for that card). You permitted the company to take the money.

If you just can't get through to the CSA's for lack of verification then I think your only option is to cancel that debit card and get another one. Then of course you'd have to change any other payments but at least you could stop this one.

I think I'd never get a Visa Debit card. Why bother. It's really just a debit card that happens to use the Visa network. I'll stick with Interac or the other debit type networks thanks. Although nowadays I rarely use a debit card anyway.

What a super hassle.

[FlyingFitz]

it is a bank card that it was setup under and they don't have that option to pause the card and any subscriptions coming out- that was directly from the teller at the bank.  I don't have that option, I wish I did.

[Anonymous]

 @FlyingFitz : Because you need to verify the information on the account. Not who you are or the account holder. It's what's in the account that matters. It's not about ID as anybody can type anything they like in the account as it's not verified at activation or afterwards. So you need to verify what's on the account.

If you dial the toll free number you can hear the _next_ renewal. Yes, the payment varies each month because it's a 30 day plan. Then "Lock" your card for that short period and hope no other transactions want to happen and then the account will suspend. Unlock the card and walk away. No need for any other verification or waiting for CSA's and going back and forth with verification wasting all that time. Just stop the payment.

[FlyingFitz]

I can verify anything needed to get access back - Driver license number, SIN ... etc.  I just don't have any info about the account that was setup except the name and the phone number.  The payments come out on different days and times each month, never a set date but withing 3 days of each other, so that would be very hard to do pausing / unpausing the account without nothing else getting messed up - have enough problems with this - don't need to start more issues.

Just need someone to say "Send some ID and we can reset your account and send you the details" - Why is that so hard to do?  

[FlyingFitz]

I had to create this account to get even close to getting any help. Got nowhere with the BOT.  Hoping a CSA can help.  Waiting on response.

[AE_Collector]

---

@FlyingFitz wrote:

They system states that the username you signup to the community forum must be the same as your account that you signed up for or else the credit wont' go to the right account. Then they try to verify you.  Then when you can't get verified, they won't setup the account.  It is a painfull process without the login details that only gets you to a part that you can't go any further.

---

Not the “user name” but the email address must be identical. You wont be able to get anywhere with the actual cell phone account from this community account that you just created. But hopefully a CSA can track things down for you once they respond to you.

AE_Collector

[Anonymous]

 @FlyingFitz : That would be the risk. Call the toll free number, get the renewal date. The wee hours of the morning of that date is when the renewal happens. Apparently more like 6am ET.

If, on that date and the overnight, you have other known transactions coming out then that would of course be a problem. But if you don't then:

Edit: Would you like just anybody being able to ask them to do things in your account. This is the security. If you can't verify then they won't do anything in the account. So stop the payment from your side and walk away. Nothing will happen to your credit. This is prepaid.

[FlyingFitz]

They system states that the username you signup to the community forum must be the same as your account that you signed up for or else the credit wont' go to the right account. Then they try to verify you.  Then when you can't get verified, they won't setup the account.  It is a painfull process without the login details that only gets you to a part that you can't go any further.

[Meow]

---

@FlyingFitz wrote:

And I only have 1 account setup which is this one - which I only was able to setup as a dummy account and not related to the persons account at all.  

---

Actual PM service accounts are not related to Community accounts. Anybody can set up Community account if he/she wants to participate - ask questions and provide comments.

I believe PM clearly stated in FAQ that PM has no live support. If I am wrong I suggest PM to have mandatory to read and acknowledge disclaimer that PM does not provide live support, most support is provided by volunteers and only account related issues support is provided by moderators to be contacted through ticketing system.

From time to time I see quite a few angry posts how PM service/support sucks. I do not find that justified as all potential/current customers should be well aware what they are signing for.

[FlyingFitz]

I tried many times to get the info from the BOT - only to get a verification question we couldn't answer. Over and over again.  Waiting on the reply from the ticket.

[softech]

.. you should have tried to get the logon to My Account at the beginning, then you can stop Autopay, that would save a lot of work

Since you opened a ticket with PM, let's wait and have your My Account login back.

[FlyingFitz]

We have payments coming out of that account for more than just Public Mobile. Pausing the account risks others not geting their money as well, which then we would have to pay NSF fees - adding more to our loss.  Not an option.

[FlyingFitz]

I didn't take there word for it - I physically went to the bank and we put a stop payment on the account for Public Mobile and the amount / date of payments. This is what they said they can do - nothing else.  They also said the method wasn't 100% guaranteed - which they were correct for Public Mobile just took another payment.  Call the bank yourself if you think they can do anything else.  Call CIBC which is who we deal with.

[t_p]

---

@FlyingFitz wrote:

No they don't. I already tried their methods of stop payment - but that didn't work so no other options as per the Bank.   And I only have 1 account setup which is this one - which I only was able to setup as a dummy account and not related to the persons account at all.  

---

What I find hard to believe is that your bank told you they can't stop the payments and you took their word for it. Just by googling the issue, I can find several suggestions about the process to do so. If you have indeed exhausted all options and have documented the process, you can always go to the last resort, the Bank Ombudsman. I've had good experience with them in the past.

[Anonymous]

 @FlyingFitz : It's not really like a stop payment. It's pausing the account so that NO transactions will happen. Then when you've passed the renewal date (say mid-day) then unpause it.

The idea is for a misplaced card. Or lost. You pause the card and then when you find it you unpause. All to stop possible misuse of the card. Same effect here. You're stopping the card from being used. Just for that short period of time.

[FlyingFitz]

No they don't. I already tried their methods of stop payment - but that didn't work so no other options as per the Bank.   And I only have 1 account setup which is this one - which I only was able to setup as a dummy account and not related to the persons account at all.  

[Anonymous]

 @softech : Credit cards have a way to temporarily pause transactions. Surely Visa Debit does too.

No, this place does not do recurring payments. It's a permitted pull from the payment card. Recurring payments are a push to the vendor.

[softech]

PM payment does not considered as a "monthly reoccurring" charge to Financial Institutions as that was on a 30 days cycle, I wonder if that is the reason making it hard to stop payment on the CC/Debit card side.