Why Public Mobile

[jp2]

I am posting this for people thinking about switching to Public Mobile (PM). I will also post a review once I've been with PM for a month. 

I had been with Bell since I got a cell phone but over the past few years I have been getting really frustrated with their customer service and constantly trying to charge me more for the same plan if I want to use my upgrade for a phone that's better than a flip phone. I heard about PM from a coworker when I was complaining that I didn't have signal at work just outside of Edmonton but they did with PM. (Some community members have told me this is impossible because PM network it on Telus and Bell towers but I know I didn't have signal at work with Bell after switching to PM I have always had service.) The price and flexibility of the plans looked good; I could custom build a plan instead of having to choose from premade Bell plans that don't have exactly what I want. They also don't make you sign contracts and offer rewards. I found that I could buy a decent new phone every 2 years with the savings I would have by switching to PM. I would also be able to buy any unlocked phone instead of being restricted to the phones Bell sold. 

Pros:

Lower price 

Customizable plans 

No contract

Rewards

Good online customer service 

Helpful community

Largest network in Canada

Cons:

Customer service is only online and could take a couple days to get back to you

There are glitches sometimes

Can't finance your new phone 

The only reasons I see you wouldn't switch is if you never want to risk having a glitch, you hate computers, you don't like forums, you want to finance the latest iphone over your contract every 2 years, or you love waiting on hold for an hour just to getting ripped off and pushed around by Bell. 

[Glally]

My reason to switch to Public Mobile is because of the great value data plans. With my Bell plan I was on a 2 year plan for $39 a month that included unlimited Canada wide calling, unlimited global text and pay per use data while my Public Mobile plan for $40 for 30 days includes unlimited Canada wide calling, unlimited global text and 5 gigs of data. What's great about the plan is I can surf the web or find a location outside of a wifi zone without extra charges to my bill.

[ottawa]

I believe for MMS (picture/video text), data has to be working on your phone, even if you're using WiFi. Is the data working on your phone if you turn off WiFi? Probably not, so have you checked the APN settings?

There may be better references for APN setup but this one came up first:

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Phones-Hardware/How-do-I-setup-data-and-APN-on-my-And...

=aw

[tomgirlbc]

Hi okay thanks, everything seems to work , import etc, just does not seem to be able to access data, so even though i am home with my own wifi, i try to send or recieve a pic and it says no data, so i have put in a message to them , do you know what it could be, i have everything se okay on my phone i am sure 

[ottawa]

---

@tomgirlbc wrote:

or can you change from month to month if there is a better plan

---

What the others said. Note that in addition to the $40/4.5GB and $45/5.5GB plans,  there's also a $50/6.5GB (build it yourself in plan builder) and this one includes unlimited calling from Canada to US (the other 2 are Canada-Canada calls only). 

If you decide to change plans in future, you have to be careful to set it "on next billing date", if you do an immediate plan change you _don't_ get a prorated credit. The only time I've done immediate change was when i had used up all my data and was burning through a data add-on. I activated a new plan while sitting in a parking lot. 🙂

=aw

[stonechucker]

@tomgirlbc, great to hear!  The &40 or the $45 Promo offers look great, and I’m sure you’ll be happy with either.

There is the plan builder option, if you want to get a 6 GB per 30-day cycle on 3G speeds if you want that little bit more.

Good luck with your activation and porting!

[Wonder_why]

---

@tomgirlbc wrote:

Thanks I have my sim card now, and everything is active and unlocked, just about to proceed, i just not sure what plan I want, either the 40 or 45 have to decide or can you change from month to month if there is a better plan

---

You can change every month as you wish,PM is a prepaid mobile ,rem remem PM will not credit you back, you have extra funds left on the account, like rewards money or so,if you planning to use for short term,then don't add funds to the account or add-ons for long distance call features,is perfect to stay for Koodo Migration Promo offer through your text messages,welcome to PM

[tomgirlbc]

Thanks I have my sim card now, and everything is active and unlocked, just about to proceed, i just not sure what plan I want, either the 40 or 45 have to decide or can you change from month to month if there is a better plan

[popping]

I like PM because PM service is Canada wide service.  It is not like Chatr which is zone based service.  There will be roaming charge on highway for Chatr  PM service is included if I am outside my home city which is important to me.

[jejenkyns]

Personally, I rarely, if ever, contacted customer support during my tenure with any of the big companies. 

I really wanted to pay less money from here on out. I was offered a great plan at a great price, with a free month and reward incentives.

I was very happy to accept to accept close to twice the data I had previously at 2/3 the cost, despite the lower speeds. I rely on mobile data, but I do not rely on mobile download and upload speeds. I have computers for this. 

So far, so good.

[computergeek541]

---

@Shaheer wrote:

---

@computergeek541 wrote:

---

@Shaheer wrote:

The sales rep that sold me the SIM card said that I was the first person she had met that switched from Koodo to PM instead of the other way around. With what was being offered, though, I'm surprised that more people switching from Koodo wasn't the norm!

This really depends on the plan that you are on.  Generally, Public Mobile pricing has lower pricing that Koodo, especially now with 3g speed plans.  So people who have regular priced/non-promotional Koodo plans are probably more likely to switch to Public Mobile.

The reason for the large amount of people switching from Public Mobile to Koodo has to do with Telus agressively marketing promotional plans and credits to try to convince customers to switch.

---

Yeah I presumed it was the aggressive marketing what with talks about a $40/6GB and related plans for customers willing to switch to Koodo from PM.

However, I can’t imagine those plans being marketed to a large number of PM subscribers. So with the majority of Koodo customers not on promo/retention plans and with the PM rewards in play, I’d still assume that in an ideal situation, more people would switch from Koodo to PM. Who knows? Maybe I’m wrong. 

---

That $40/6GB plan at Koodo was only offered to Fall Promo 2016 Public Mobile customers.  That plan was very popular at Public, so the amount of customers who were marketed must have been huge.

[Shaheer]

---

@computergeek541 wrote:

---

@Shaheer wrote:

The sales rep that sold me the SIM card said that I was the first person she had met that switched from Koodo to PM instead of the other way around. With what was being offered, though, I'm surprised that more people switching from Koodo wasn't the norm!

This really depends on the plan that you are on.  Generally, Public Mobile pricing has lower pricing that Koodo, especially now with 3g speed plans.  So people who have regular priced/non-promotional Koodo plans are probably more likely to switch to Public Mobile.

The reason for the large amount of people switching from Public Mobile to Koodo has to do with Telus agressively marketing promotional plans and credits to try to convince customers to switch.

---

Yeah I presumed it was the aggressive marketing what with talks about a $40/6GB and related plans for customers willing to switch to Koodo from PM.

However, I can’t imagine those plans being marketed to a large number of PM subscribers. So with the majority of Koodo customers not on promo/retention plans and with the PM rewards in play, I’d still assume that in an ideal situation, more people would switch from Koodo to PM. Who knows? Maybe I’m wrong. 

[computergeek541]

---

@Shaheer wrote:

The sales rep that sold me the SIM card said that I was the first person she had met that switched from Koodo to PM instead of the other way around. With what was being offered, though, I'm surprised that more people switching from Koodo wasn't the norm!

This really depends on the plan that you are on.  Generally, Public Mobile pricing has lower pricing that Koodo, especially now with 3g speed plans.  So people who have regular priced/non-promotional Koodo plans are probably more likely to switch to Public Mobile.

The reason for the large amount of people switching from Public Mobile to Koodo has to do with Telus agressively marketing promotional plans and credits to try to convince customers to switch.

[Shaheer]

I just switched from Koodo about a week ago. The sales rep that sold me the SIM card said that I was the first person she had met that switched from Koodo to PM instead of the other way around. With what was being offered, though, I'm surprised that more people switching from Koodo wasn't the norm! Maybe I'm in the honeymoon phase though, who knows? Time will tell.

My Koodo plan included 1GB of LTE data with 500 minutes talk/unlimited text for $40. My current plan is the $40 ($38 w/ AutoPay) promo with 4.5GB throttled LTE data (3G) and unlimited talk/international text. I can honestly say, I don't think I'll find a better deal elsewhere. I've been using the data consistently for the week I've been with PM and it's not as slow as the 3G moniker would imply at all—it's almost as fast LTE, at least perceptibly so. Couple all of this with the rewards and I find it actually a no-brainer to switch over to PM.

The lack of over-the-phone/in-person customer support is, like @will13am stated above, a perceived issue instead of a real issue if you're even marginally technically capable. Everybody is incentivized to be helpful and the mods do their best, so majority of the time your questions are answered in a timely manner. 

I came with adjusted expectations, however, so the transition has been beyond smooth. I can understand how people that come expecting the same services as first/second-tier service providers will be disappointed when they cannot have their problems immediately solved. 

So adjust your expectations and enjoy the savings!

[stonechucker]

@tomgirlbc, just make sure your current service is active if you want to bring your phone number to public mobile, and also that your phone is unlocked from Virgin Mobile, as it will not work if it's still locked to them.

If you have a recent phone, it should be compatible with Public as you're on the shared Bell and Telus network.

There are some glitchy things, but if you look through the Knowledge Base before doing anything else, you'll find all the tips and tricks to make signing up easier.

[tomgirlbc]

so my contract runs out with Virgin mobile which i have been happy with but the price i pay now is over 50 dollars lots of options but no data, if i put 2 gb on its 65, so the deal is pretty good, can someone tell me is there hidden fees, or any glitchy stuff. also when and if i travel in canada is there roaming charges, i will keep my same phone as i really like it 

[jp2]

I have now completed 1 month with PM. My auto renewal occurred the night of May 5 when they were doing maintenance but everything worked fine. I'm still very satisfied with this company so far and most of all this community! This company would have terrible customer service wait times if it wasn't for the very helpful community members that answer questions at all hours day and night 

[Korth]

I'm just one of the lowly peons, not an almighty Oracle.  Can't even tell which post was edited, or when, or by who, let alone why.

[jp2]

---

@kav2001c wrote:

Curious as to what got censored out of this post?

---

I have no idea why they pulled down this thread yesterday?

[jp2]

---

@Wonder_why wrote:

@jp2 once you sign up, no glitch, you be good, most of the times is user error 

---

@Wonder_why Yes most of the time it is user error or confusion but I'm sure you know sometimes the glitches are PM's issue.

[jp2]

@srlawren I was using the exact same phone with both sims. It's a Sony Xperia Z5 premium. 

[kav2001c]

@will13am ironically the reason I even SAW the censorship is that you tagged me in one of the deleted posts lol

I seriously doubt an Oracle was posting bad stuff which is why its confusing 

Unless you were calling me names again   (JOKE! Just to be obvious lol)

[pulp74]

Thanks for good  review and welcome to Public Mobile. I love their system and coupled with great reception service and so many rewards discount to me this is the best provider to be with! Enjoy!👍

[MEU_21]

---

@jp2 wrote:

I am posting this for people thinking about switching to Public Mobile (PM). I will also post a review once I've been with PM for a month. 

I had been with Bell since I got a cell phone but over the past few years I have been getting really frustrated with their customer service and constantly trying to charge me more for the same plan if I want to use my upgrade for a phone that's better than a flip phone. I heard about PM from a coworker when I was complaining that I didn't have signal at work just outside of Edmonton but they did with PM. (Some community members have told me this is impossible because PM network it on Telus and Bell towers but I know I didn't have signal at work with Bell after switching to PM I have always had service.) The price and flexibility of the plans looked good; I could custom build a plan instead of having to choose from premade Bell plans that don't have exactly what I want. They also don't make you sign contracts and offer rewards. I found that I could buy a decent new phone every 2 years with the savings I would have by switching to PM. I would also be able to buy any unlocked phone instead of being restricted to the phones Bell sold. 

Pros:

Lower price 

Customizable plans 

No contract

Rewards

Good online customer service 

Helpful community

Largest network in Canada

Cons:

Customer service is only online and could take a couple days to get back to you

There are glitches sometimes

Can't finance your new phone 

The only reasons I see you wouldn't switch is if you never want to risk having a glitch, you hate computers, you don't like forums, you want to finance the latest iphone over your contract every 2 years, or you love waiting on hold for an hour just to getting ripped off and pushed around by Bell. 

---

There is a whole thread on this already, and you can find a comprehensive list here:

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Discussions/Pros-and-Cons-about-Public-Mobile/m-p/153...

There are other reasons for not being with PM though... namely, better plans elsewhere. Especially since there is no retention department at PM.

[will13am]

---

@kav2001c wrote:

Curious as to what got censored out of this post?

---

Me too.  It was a short thread, with rather innocuous discussion going on. 

[kav2001c]

Curious as to what got censored out of this post?

[Wonder_why]

@jp2 once you sign up, no glitch, you be good, most of the times is user error 

[will13am]

---

@Korth wrote:

Public Mobile is not for everyone.

I prefer PM's support model.  I find PM's quality of service and reliability adequate.  I am attracted to PM's low prices (and Rewards) for the type of phone plan I want/need to have.

I opportunistically refer friends to PM from time to time.  But I'd never recommend PM to people like my parents, they might end up paying a little more overall with another carrier, but in the end PM wouldn't meet their needs as well as a friendly sales rep at a cellular kiosk.

---

I beg to differ on the referring parents and the like to this service.  Recent offerings like the $10 limited usage plans are perfect for seniors who are not heavy users.  You need to do what I do when it comes to referrals.  You need to look after the hands that feed you.  I was account manager to all referrals that needed additional assistance.  Frankly, there wasn't much that needed to be done.  The difference in support model was more of perceived problem than something real.  Over time there was the usual normalization of deviance.  Alas, all this matters not to me as practially my referrals have all left to Koodo. 

[Korth]

Public Mobile is not for everyone.

I prefer PM's support model.  I find PM's quality of service and reliability adequate.  I am attracted to PM's low prices (and Rewards) for the type of phone plan I want/need to have.

I opportunistically refer friends to PM from time to time.  But I'd never recommend PM to people like my parents, they might end up paying a little more overall with another carrier, but in the end PM wouldn't meet their needs as well as a friendly sales rep at a cellular kiosk.

[srlawren]

Pretty good summary, @jp2.

About the signal difference:  was this with the same flip phone or with a different phone?  I'm guessing it comes down to one or both of a couple of possible differences, assuming you're using a different phone with PM vs what you used with Bell:

1) Old phone may not have supported both 850MHz and 1900MHz UMTS 3G frequencies, thus making it harder for you to receive a signal in some locations.  If I had to guess, I'd say it was probably missing 850MHz, since that's the lower of the two frequencies, which would provide better in-building penetration, such as at a place of work (as you describe). 

and/or

2) General network sensitivity improvements with a newer phone.  Might be a better antenna design (or at least one more suited to PM's fequencies, whereas the older phone's antenna design may have worked better for frequencies in a different region such as Europe or Asia), might be better SoC network handling quality in a newer chipset, might be better manufacturer firmware, etc.