Got 2 lines in Vancouver but other companies are charging long distance

[tourajghanbar]

I purchased 2 new lines from Londondrug in Vancouver to be used in vancouver but Fido has charged me long distance as their system sees this number as whistler number. Please remedy asap. Fido is not waving the charges as they are 100% confidence that numbers are associated with Whistler.

[computergeek541]

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@tourajghanbar wrote:

I am new to this. How do I send a private message to Public mobile moderator/ Agent?

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

[computergeek541]

@tourajghanbar 

Your choices about what to do still remain the same. 

Step 1 is to change your family member phones numbers to Vancouver phone numbers.  Have you done that?

Have you contacted the Public Mobile moderators?  As we were saying before, they might have a wider selection of phone numbers available.

In any event, I understand why Fido won't issue you a refund.  The calls really were made from Vancouver to Whistler phone numbers.

As for Public Mobile being able to do anything for you, that is between you and the Public Mobile moderators.  Any of that discussion will be done in private with them.

Unfortunately, there isn't anything others here can do for you in this matter.  However, if you haven't already done so, I would get those accounts onto Vancouver numbers and/or contact Moderator_Team to at least see if they have different phone numbers available to you..

[tourajghanbar]

I am new to this. How do I send a private message to Public mobile moderator/ Agent?

[mimmo]

@tourajghanbar  as mentined previously you need to

1) do a number change, to a prefix that is Vancouver.  you might need to take a number that you dont like.  

or

2) you could also send a private message to the mods and ask them if they have access to any other numbers that are more to your liking.  

or)

3) you could change your fido plans to include provincial or canadawide calling. 

the community has given you all the possible opions.  its up to you to decide.  

[tourajghanbar]

Maybe I was not clear with my problem. Me and wife are with fido and I got 2 new lines for kids with area code 778 that is Vancouver prefix.

The lines were sold to us through Londondrug store in Vancouver on behaf of Public mobile. We assumed that we have purchased Vancouver numbers for kids, but all the calls that me and wife made from our Fido lines to the 2 new public mobile numbers are being charged long distance. Fido says that 2 numbers with 778 prefix belong to Whistler (another city of BC).  What a mess. Londondrug says they can not do anything about it although they were the ones that sold the 2 lines and Fido is not waving charges.

I am hoping that Public mobile resolve the mess. 

[Anonymous]

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@will13am wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

When I signed up and went about looking for a number in my area I did manage to find a 250 number but a very different prefix. Presumably it's "local" to the area. Sure I would have preferred a traditional prefix but with the gazillions of devices claiming phone numbers what'r'y'gonna do. But that was the first I'd heard of 236. I'm like...236???!!

That was last May.

I'm old school, I still care to have a so-called local number. That's why I didn't port my previous number from a different area.

Edit: Oh man...Luddite comes in for the kill!

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My wife uses a 416 number that was obtained from our first cell line.  Nearly 2 decades later I got a cell number for my son that is the same area code and exchange or prefix.  What are the changes of that?  I remember trying to get a home phone number from Bhell at my current home.  I did not like the exchange in my area.  It was quite the headache trying to get the agent to recognize that in the post switchboard era, the concept of exchange or prefix association with a neighborhood made no sense.  I would have been a leader in cutting the home phone cord if it were not for the luck of landing a good agent in a second attempt.  Really Canada looks like a 4th world country allowing cell phone plans to exist today that charges long distance for a call across the street because it's a different political jurisdiction.  

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It is. And now with overlapping area codes. I could barely see with geographically separate area codes but not with overlapping ones.

It's funny...the OP said something about people only knowing 604 and 778. I remember the hue and cry when 250 was introduced and the province got carved up. Then 778 overlapped 250 (correction - 604 then province). And now 236. Now I see 236 here and there. It's just the way it is.

I agree, this thing called long distance should be a thing of the past. If anything, *anything*, the same geographic area covered by any area code. If they want to overlap them well then that's not a long distance call.

But as always...follow the money.

[will13am]

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@Anonymous wrote:

When I signed up and went about looking for a number in my area I did manage to find a 250 number but a very different prefix. Presumably it's "local" to the area. Sure I would have preferred a traditional prefix but with the gazillions of devices claiming phone numbers what'r'y'gonna do. But that was the first I'd heard of 236. I'm like...236???!!

That was last May.

I'm old school, I still care to have a so-called local number. That's why I didn't port my previous number from a different area.

Edit: Oh man...Luddite comes in for the kill!

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My wife uses a 416 number that was obtained from our first cell line.  Nearly 2 decades later I got a cell number for my son that is the same area code and exchange or prefix.  What are the changes of that?  I remember trying to get a home phone number from Bhell at my current home.  I did not like the exchange in my area.  It was quite the headache trying to get the agent to recognize that in the post switchboard era, the concept of exchange or prefix association with a neighborhood made no sense.  I would have been a leader in cutting the home phone cord if it were not for the luck of landing a good agent in a second attempt.  Really Canada looks like a 4th world country allowing cell phone plans to exist today that charges long distance for a call across the street because it's a different political jurisdiction.  

[will13am]

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@tourajghanbar wrote:

What credit could the moderator give me? Note that this was not my error

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I suspect nothing.  Long distance charges are paid by the caller, not the recipient.  I can understand seeking adjustments for errant charges on this end.  I don't see at all why Public Mobile has anything to do with a charge incurred at a competing service.  This has got to be the most interesting refund request of all times in this forum.  

[wetcoaster]

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@Anonymous wrote:

When I signed up and went about looking for a number in my area I did manage to find a 250 number but a very different prefix. Presumably it's "local" to the area. Sure I would have preferred a traditional prefix but with the gazillions of devices claiming phone numbers what'r'y'gonna do. But that was the first I'd heard of 236. I'm like...236???!!

That was last May.

I'm old school, I still care to have a so-called local number. That's why I didn't port my previous number from a different area.

Edit: Oh man...Luddite comes in for the kill!

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I got a, at that time becoming increasingly rare, 250-abc-yyyy number when I came to Public Mobile, but lost it since I ported in the local number I had for more than a decade before that. It's 778-efg-yyyy only these days.

Still plenty of 236-xxx-yyyy available, but 672 is on the horizon...

[Anonymous]

When I signed up and went about looking for a number in my area I did manage to find a 250 number but a very different prefix. Presumably it's "local" to the area. Sure I would have preferred a traditional prefix but with the gazillions of devices claiming phone numbers what'r'y'gonna do. But that was the first I'd heard of 236. I'm like...236???!!

That was last May.

I'm old school, I still care to have a so-called local number. That's why I didn't port my previous number from a different area.

Edit: Oh man...Luddite comes in for the kill!

[Luddite]

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@tourajghanbar wrote:

What credit could the moderator give me? Note that this was not my error

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You must proceed on the assumption that it will be $0. Why not convert your kids to Public Mobile and gain the referral credits?

[wetcoaster]

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@computergeek541 wrote:

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@wetcoaster wrote:

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@tourajghanbar wrote:

Tried but numbers are not good, All are 236 area code. Not common in this area. People are used to 604 and 778

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Well, if all 604 and 778 numbers are used up for Vancouver, 236 numbers are being issued.

As above, either you have your 778 numbers that are going to inqur long distance costs for people who are still on local calling plans in 2019 OR you get a 236 Vancouver number so that your friends are not paying long distance.

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For a large part, people don't even memorize phone numbers and dial them manually anyways due to contact lists/phonebooks within the device always being used these days.  People don't really care as much about easy-to-remember numbers or even which area code the number has as much as they used to.  I'm not saying that it's not a factor any more - just that it's a lot less important than before.

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Totally agree, specially for a city of the size of Vancouver.

There are people who have a harder time wrapping their head around the area code overlay though. It's been a while but we had a member here who insisted that there were "only Vancouver numbers" [sic] available when they were seeing only 778-abc-yyyy numbers (quite common and used for many years in the according area) but were still trying to get very specific 250-def-yyyy numbers...

[Anonymous]

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@tourajghanbar wrote:

What credit could the moderator give me? Note that this was not my error

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Only you and the clerk know what interaction you had upon ending up with a number from a different area. Maybe when you heard a 236 number at the time you wouldn't have it and insisted on a 778 number. The clerk obliged.

We don't know.

[mimmo]

@tourajghanbar  by cancel you mean starting a new plan and canceling the current ones yes you will need new sims as they cna not be used to activate new accounts.  

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@tourajghanbar wrote:

This is my last question. if I cancel the numbers do I have to buy a new sim card again or I can use the existing sim card.

I just need to stop the bleeding fast. My 2 kids are teens and very active with phone. I believe I need to restart the whole thing again

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[computergeek541]

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@tourajghanbar wrote:

What credit could the moderator give me? Note that this was not my error

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It could be any small amount  for the fact that you had to go through the trouble of changing your phone number.  I don't work for the company and it isn't guaranteed.  It would be far more likely than trying to get a full refund.

The other thing you can do is contact moderator_team and ask them if they have any 604 or 778 area code Vancouver phone number that they have access to and can assign to your accounts. https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

[Anonymous]

First world problems.

All the landlines both residential and business. Still existing fax land lines. Security monitoring land lines. All the cell phones. All the cell-tablets. All the internet modems both land and cell. etc on and on ad infinitum.

So. Many. Numbers.

Deal.

[computergeek541]

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@wetcoaster wrote:

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@tourajghanbar wrote:

Tried but numbers are not good, All are 236 area code. Not common in this area. People are used to 604 and 778

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Well, if all 604 and 778 numbers are used up for Vancouver, 236 numbers are being issued.

As above, either you have your 778 numbers that are going to inqur long distance costs for people who are still on local calling plans in 2019 OR you get a 236 Vancouver number so that your friends are not paying long distance.

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For a large part, people don't even memorize phone numbers and dial them manually anyways due to contact lists/phonebooks within the device always being used these days.  People don't really care as much about easy-to-remember numbers or even which area code the number has as much as they used to.  I'm not saying that it's not a factor any more - just that it's a lot less important than before.

[tourajghanbar]

What credit could the moderator give me? Note that this was not my error

[will13am]

I am going to suggest a contrarian view of this situation.  The problem is with the Fido plan being local calls only.  This is the 21st century.  It is unconscionable that there are still active local calling plans only.  It's bad enough that there are still in market province wide calling plans.  Canada is so third world.  

[wetcoaster]

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@tourajghanbar wrote:

Tried but numbers are not good, All are 236 area code. Not common in this area. People are used to 604 and 778

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Well, if all 604 and 778 numbers are used up for Vancouver, 236 numbers are being issued.

As above, either you have your 778 numbers that are going to inqur long distance costs for people who are still on local calling plans in 2019 OR you get a 236 Vancouver number so that your friends are not paying long distance.

[computergeek541]

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@tourajghanbar wrote:

This is my last question. if I cancel the numbers do I have to buy a new sim card again or I can use the existing sim card.

I just need to stop the bleeding fast. My 2 kids are teens and very active with phone. I believe I need to restart the whole thing again

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Sim cards can only be used the one time.  If you cancel, I strongly suspect that you're not going to get any refund. You can ask the moderators, but I don't see it happening since there are Vancouver numbers available.  Good luck if you decide to try.

[tourajghanbar]

This is my last question. if I cancel the numbers do I have to buy a new sim card again or I can use the existing sim card.

I just need to stop the bleeding fast. My 2 kids are teens and very active with phone. I believe I need to restart the whole thing again

[wetcoaster]

@tourajghanbar 

Did you request 778-xxx--yyyy numbers? I believe there are not a lot of 778 numbers left for Vancouver that are available to choose from for Public Mobile customers.

I just went into my self serve account and tried to change to a Vancouver number. Even after several times of refreshing it only came up with 236-978-yyyy variations. While I'm aware that there are slightly more choices when you are signing up for a new account, it's easily possible that there were simply no 778-xxx-yyyy numbers available for Vancouver and if you insisted on a 778-xxx-yyyy they gave you one from a place in the GVA that still had them.

So, you have two options:

1) You either hang onto your 778 number and have your friends deal with their long distance problems.

2) You change your number (you can do one number change every 30days). Either choose one available to you in self serve. Or find a provider who still has Vancouver based 778 numbers, sign up with them (at the according cost) to get the number and then port the number to your Public Mobile account.

[Anonymous]

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@tourajghanbar wrote:

Tried but numbers are not good, All are 236 area code. Not common in this area. People are used to 604 and 778

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At least callers wouldn't get charged long distance.

Jeez...the basea$$ minimum plan here is Canada-wide. What's with long distance in-province from that provider?

[computergeek541]

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@tourajghanbar wrote:

I checked the suggested numbers and dont like the numbers, I am going to look for a good number, but could I just cancel and get credit? and re use the same sim card again. I am asking for at least one month of refund.

I need to see what are my options but have to stop this madness as people are being charged long distance

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The complaint was that you were given a Whistler number by mistake, but as shown, there are Vancouver numbers available.  Customers service at Public Mobile might give you a small goodwill credit into your account balance for the inconvenience, but why would there be a refund issued and cancellation be done?

I've taken a look and the 236-978 numbers being offered right now are City of Vancouver phone numbers. http://www.cnac.ca/data/COCodeStatus_NPA236.htm

[tourajghanbar]

Tried but numbers are not good, All are 236 area code. Not common in this area. People are used to 604 and 778

[mimmo]

Why not login to Self-serve and do a numberchange.?

[tourajghanbar]

I checked the suggested numbers and dont like the numbers, I am going to look for a good number, but could I just cancel and get credit? and re use the same sim card again. I am asking for at least one month of refund.

I need to see what are my options but have to stop this madness as people are being charged long distance

[computergeek541]

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@tourajghanbar wrote:

Here it is 778 793

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Fido is correct.  These are Whistler, BC phone numbers.  You can change the phone numbers to Vancouver phone number if you wish.  The person at London Drugs did not activate your account properly.

Please go to https://selfserve.publicmobile.ca/ and log into your self-serve account.

From there, near the top, click on the "Plan and  Add-ons" tab.  Then click on "change phone number".  Make sure "select a new phone number is selected", and then under "select your local calling area", choose "BC-Vancouver".  It is shorted alpahabetically by province first.  Chose one of the numbers offered and click on "submit".

[tourajghanbar]

Here it is 778 793