no local calls

[robgelinas]

I cannot make any local calls without a message telling me to buy add ons for long distance. .I am paid up and without service. I must be credited with all unusable time and my service must be restored. I am a 5 or more year customer!!

[alanbrenan]

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@justsomeguy wrote:

I'm happy to say that yesterday the moderators credited back the original payment which Public Mobile received a couple of days in advance, but still cut off or blocked my phone service. It's great to get the money credited back to my account. What would be even better is some compensation for the service interruption for half a day (missed calls and text messages plus not able to make any calls or send texts), time wasted posted here, time and gas driving to a convenience store to buy a voucher that I should not have had to buy, etc. And that convenience store trip was quite an unpleasant and long experience that wasted at least half an hour of my time, just in the store, not even counting the time and gas to drive there and back when I already had a hectic schedule. But I needed to get my phone working ASAP. 

I understand mistakes happen. But in at least 20 years of using cell phones, and even more using landline phones, I've never had my phone service interrupted or had to go through so much hassle. It would be one thing if I didn't pay my bill, but I did, and my phone service still got cut off. If this happens again, I may go back to Fido, whom I was with for 15 years and never had an issue, other than the rising cost. But, maybe it's worth paying a bit more for more reliable phone service. So far I've been with Public Mobile for three months, and not off a good start.

For now, I'm just glad my phone service is working. We'll see how the next three months goes. Thanks to all who helped fix this problem.

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Thank you ever so much for checking in! It's great to hear all is well.

I understand it can be frustrating when things go awry, but I assure you there are many (including myself!) happy customers with Public who have had no issues. Hopefully this will be the same for you for the remainder of your time with PM and all will be well.

As far as it goes for additional compensation: it would be amazing if companies would refund for wasted time, lack of service and such. Unfortunately if it were that way it would be too easy to exploit and I don't think there's a single place that would compensate you for all of those things -- even if they were entirely in the wrong. The only thing that would really make sense crediting back to you is the loss of service, but assuming your plan costs $50/mo, a day of service would only be $1.64.

[justsomeguy]

I'm happy to say that yesterday the moderators credited back the original payment which Public Mobile received a couple of days in advance, but still cut off or blocked my phone service. It's great to get the money credited back to my account. What would be even better is some compensation for the service interruption for half a day (missed calls and text messages plus not able to make any calls or send texts), time wasted posted here, time and gas driving to a convenience store to buy a voucher that I should not have had to buy, etc. And that convenience store trip was quite an unpleasant and long experience that wasted at least half an hour of my time, just in the store, not even counting the time and gas to drive there and back when I already had a hectic schedule. But I needed to get my phone working ASAP. 

I understand mistakes happen. But in at least 20 years of using cell phones, and even more using landline phones, I've never had my phone service interrupted or had to go through so much hassle. It would be one thing if I didn't pay my bill, but I did, and my phone service still got cut off. If this happens again, I may go back to Fido, whom I was with for 15 years and never had an issue, other than the rising cost. But, maybe it's worth paying a bit more for more reliable phone service. So far I've been with Public Mobile for three months, and not off a good start.

For now, I'm just glad my phone service is working. We'll see how the next three months goes. Thanks to all who helped fix this problem.

[justsomeguy]

I've sent my screenshots of my credit card statement showing payment two days early, plus a photo of the voucher I bought yesterday and my bank statement showing the Interact payment at the convenience store for that voucher. Plus, my Public Mobile transaction history that verfiies all of those payments were made, but only the second one was applied.

They're probably inundated with messages, so hopefully they will get to everyone soon.

[robgelinas]

worst customer service i have ever seen/heard of EVER!!!!!!!!

[wetcoaster]

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@robgelinas wrote:

@I have to go to work soon but I will send more pm's  until i get a reply 0 for three so far @ 24 hoyrs waiting!!!

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@robgelinas

I know that it's frustrating, but...

Assuming that you have sent a private message through the community here, one message with all the required information is all that's needed. Sending more is actually counterproductive to the whole system because the mods will need to look at every message and check if the problem has been solved / is worked on by one of their team mates.

The messages are worked on in the order they came in, but there seems to be a higher than usual work load. The mods will get back to you as soon as they can.

Have e-mail notifications enabled so that you get alerted as soon as you have got a reply.

Fingers crossed that the back log is cleared soon and everybody is up and running asap.

[abullaoit]

I got a reply! the system glitched with the renewing process for the plan.  I sent a e-mail to the mods before posting on this discussion. May have been quite a few people but they will get back to you and fix it all!

[robgelinas]

I have to go to work soon but I will send more pm's  until i get a reply 0 for three so far @ 24 hoyrs waiting!!!

[robgelinas]

Ive sent 3 private messages and zero replies

[kikkoman12]

Good to hear that it worked out for you!  I was about to purchase a new monthly plan to replace my newly bought 90day plan yesterday.  Thanks  for the update and hopefully they'll get to the rest of us soon.

[alanbrenan]

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@justsomeguy wrote:

Update! As I posted that reply, one of the moderators replied back and asked for a screen shot of my credit card statement showing proof of payment. I will do so right away. They said they will credit me back. I actually checjed for messages right before my last post, so the moderator must have been replying as I was posting.

---

That's awesome! I'm sure they'll get ya from there. Glad to hear you're being straightened out.

[justsomeguy]

Update! As I posted that reply, one of the moderators replied back and asked for a screen shot of my credit card statement showing proof of payment. I will do so right away. They said they will credit me back. I actually checjed for messages right before my last post, so the moderator must have been replying as I was posting.

[robgelinas]

Ive been waiting more than 24 hrs and no reply!!!!!

[justsomeguy]

No reply yet. It's 12:30 pm Eastern time, or 9:30 am Pacific time (my time zone). Maybe they're looking into it right now and will get back to us later today, I hope. 

Glad I got my service working again, even if it meant paying twice. I needed to have my phone working as my employer calls or texts me to let me know when to come in to work. I got his text message at 8:30 this morning, otherwise I would have had to drive to work to find out.

[kikkoman12]

Anyone hear back from a mod yet?

[justsomeguy]

It seems you have to pay twice to get your service restored. Obviously this is a glitch, since many of us are now having this problem. And I totally understand if you don't want to pay again. I was reluctant to do so, but I was desperate (since my employer calls or texts me to let know when I come in to work). I thought it was worth a try, and it seems that paying twice gets the service working again. I'll be pretty upset if I have to pay twice and not get refunded or credited for the overpayment (otherwise it kind of defeats the purpose of switching to a discount cell phone provider if we have to pay double). I'm sure once the mistake is noticed, Public Mobile will make it right. 

[Anonymous]

@abullaoit,  It seems that several users who had their plans renew today have been having issues with service disruptions.  I suggest you contact the moderators team via private message, and add yourself to the list of those who have lost service.

Click here to send them a private message.

You can find information regarding the moderators team by following this link.

[justsomeguy]

Thanks, I sent them an email earlier today, prior to going to the convenience store to buy a voucher. I will send another message to update and a link to this thread.

[robgelinas]

I did send a pm and will wait as I have no options.  thnx

[Anonymous]

@robgelinas, I see no reason why you would need to pay again.  As @wetcoaster & @alanbrenan mention, you should send a PM to the moderators team.  They will be able get this resolved for you in the mornig.

Click here to send them a private message.

[abullaoit]

yes i am experiencing this as well but it's weird cause I had my plan renew today also.  Another thing was my phone was functional and working mid day before it randomly glitched out.

[robgelinas]

I used a voucher from a store to pay my monthly rate today and no service so I'm not going to pay again.

[matbasm]

@justsomeguy,  You need to send a private message to the moderators team to get this sorted out.  They will be available as of 9AM (Eastern time), and should answer you within (hopefully) a couple of hours.  be sure to provide your account details, and any other information that might prove helpfu;.

Click here to send them a private message.

Information regarding the moderators team can be found by following this link.

[justsomeguy]

Looks like there could be a lot of people experiencing this issue, so it's probably a glitch. In the mean time, we need to suffer through the incovencience. It would be great if they give us some credit for the hassle. I was really inconvenienced by this, missed and could not make phone calls and text messages for several hours (yeah, I know, first world problem)... and had to drive to a convience store and wasted at least half an hour with the guy there who was not totally knowledgeable with this. He had never even heard of Public Mobile until I came in! He said it must be a new company! I think he's the store owner too, and one of the three places in my town that sells PM vouchers!

I should not have even had to buy a voucher since my credit card was charged already! But if anyone is in a pinch and must get their phone working, it might be worth buying a voucher at a convenience store and then seeing if it can be refunded (since we're paying twice). Seems to be the only way I could get my phone to work.

[kikkoman12]

I'm also unable to make local calls or receive sms.  Hope the fix is quick!

[justsomeguy]

I expereiced the exact same thing today (same message about rate plan). I could not make or receive any calls sometime after 12:00 noon Pacific time today (January 15, 2018). I only noticed this around 4:00 when I met up with a friend who asked me if I got his text message. It did not. It also seems that any text messages I sent were not receved by the people I texted, but there was no indication of message failure on either my end or the other people.

I signed up with Public Mobile on October 17, 2018 and took the 90 day plan with unlimited texting, unlimited province-wide calling and 1.5 GB data. I thought it was going to renew on February 18. A few days ago, I had to charge an unexpected expense on my credit card. Two days ago, I noticed there would not be enough for my auto-renew payment to go through, but there would be enough for a one month plan, totaling $32 ($30 +$2 tax). I made a bill payment to my credit card but it probably won't get applied until tomorrow since I did it on the weekend. So I made a manual payment to Public Mobile for $32 since I had enough available on my MasterCard and set it up so that my new PM 30 day plan would take effect upon renewal. It seems today was the renewal. 

All should have been ok. I see my credit card was indeed charged $32 by Public Mobile. And logging into my Public Mobile account shows that my plan applied the features I wanted, but only took $30, leaving a $2 credit in my PM account. But as I said, sometime after 12:00 noon today, my phone service quit working, despite showing that I made a payment that was successfully applied. 

I needed my phone to be working ASAP. So I found a convenience store that sold Public Mobile vouchers. I've never bought one before, so I'm not sure how they work. The guy working at the convenience store did not seem too knowledgeable either. I asked him for $100.80 (that's $90 plus tax = $100.80) for my original 90 day plan, since I want to switch back to that when my plan renews next month.He also asked for ID and recorded my name and passport number, apparently since I was using a debit card. He finally got a voucher to print. It did not show my PM balance or the 12 digit PIN code. He would not let me keep the voucher either so I had to take a picture of it using my phone's camera. I had no idea if I'd actually get the amount applied to my PM account, and he wanted to charge me tax on top of the tax plus an extra $7.95 service fee (which I would not incur if I paid online by credit card). I told him to cancel it, and I'd wait until I can use my credit card online tomorrow. He said he cannot cancel it, and tried calling either Public Mobile or the company that provides the voucher machine. He could not reach anyone (closed). He would not let me leave the store without paying, saying he will be charged $100.80 and it's already on my account. I was worried I'd pay $100.80 and have nothing to show for it.

I just got home and checked, it seems the voucher did indeed applied. But it looks like I got charged $30 AGAIN, immediatley upon the voucher being applied since my balance is now $70.80 ($100.80 - $30 = $70.80). BUT... I paid $32 on the weekend, PM took $30, so now I've paid $60 for $30 worth of service. I've had to pay TWICE to get my service back on! I'm not happy about this. Of course, I cannot phone for assistance. I'm hoping a moderator here can help me sort this out, and either refund the $32 I paid over the weekend, or credit it back so that I'll have 4 months of service pre-paid. I'd like to revert to my original 90 day plan for $90 as mentioned above.

[robgelinas]

I did renew my plan today and before I could renew I was not able to call them @ *611 without being cut off after recieving a greeting from the anserer.

[robgelinas]

I tryed rebooting but same issue.  Two months ago I changed my plan and was tols I lose my ability to talk to a real person. So now I am at the mercy of messeging while thy keep my money.

[alanbrenan]

@robgelinas wrote:

I cannot make any local calls without a message telling me to buy add ons for long distance. .I am paid up and without service. I must be credited with all unusable time and my service must be restored. I am a 5 or more year customer!!

Good evening @robgelinas!

First, it's great to have you on the forums after all your years of service with PM! I wish it were on better standings than a lack of service, but it's good to know in the five years you've been with Public Mobile this is the first issue you've brought to the forums.

What troubleshooting have you attempted on your own? What plan are you on currently?

As @Anonymous stated, if you are a Legacy customer and as such have access to the IVR (Dialing 611). I would expect the numbers for the call center are:
Monday - Friday: 9am - 10pm EST

Saturday, Sunday: 9am - 8pm EST

If you would like, you can PM the Moderator Team by clicking HERE with your account info and issue that you're having. Their hours are:

Monday - Friday: 9am - 9pm EST

Saturday: 9am - 5pm EST

EDIT: It's worth mentioning that today was an odd day, with a few unexplained outages and a higher-than-normal response time from moderators. There may be something relevant to the update on Sunday that is rolling into today that is causing a delay. I'm sure the team would appreciate your patience in this manner.

[wetcoaster]

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@Anonymous wrote:

@robgelinas,  If your plan is 5 years old, I believe you have 611 support available to you.  I don't know what the hours are, but it's worth a try.

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@Anonymous

Small detail: The OP said " 5 or more year customer" - they only have phone support if they are still on a legacy plan, ie haven't changed plans in the last 3 years.

@robgelinas

Have you tried rebooting your phone?

Have you put your SIM card into another unlocked / locked to Telus/Koodo phone to eliminate hardware issues?

In case the above doesn't help:

If you are indeed on a legacy plan you can talk to a customer service rep by dialing *611.

If not, you need help from the moderator team - they are PM employees and can help with account issues. Please be aware that they have have left the office for the night and will be back tomorrow 9am eastern. Working on a first come, first serve basis, they will get back to you as soon a they can.

Use this link to send a private message to the @Moderator_Team, include all relevant information in your message, such as account number, phone number, PIN, detailed problem description.

More information on contacting the mods: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Knowledge-Base/Updated-Contacting-our-Community-Moderators/ta-p/76452

[Anonymous]

@robgelinas,  If your plan is 5 years old, I believe you have 611 support available to you.  I don't know what the hours are, but it's worth a try.

Otherwise, did you recently renew your plan?  Do you have autopayment activated?  Sometimes the renewal gets 'messed up'.