Autopay reward: Do not use lost/stolen trick*** Issue now resolved (for all rewards) Edit: its back!

[darlicious]

Edit: This issue has returned as of 11/27/20. I have asked pm to look into why it has returned and why the moderators have reverted to adding rewards manually only if they choose to do so...YMMV!

This is a warning to all the doubters and all the helpful hardworking community members who suggest using the lost/stolen trick to get services in their account working again.

  I can attest that I used this workaround for my boyfriend in his first month when all his incoming calls were going straight to voicemail. He needed his calling and it worked like a charm! Awesome it was minimum 48 hour waits for moderators at that time. I heard you might not have your rewards applied....no problem just get them applied after. Renewal comes, autopay doesn't get applied, I wait til it's not so crazy busy and the moderator happily applies the $2. But I was warned you will not have your rewards applied because of a known bug do not use this as a workaround.

 Next monthly boyfriend actually loses his phone and report it lost/stolen...and I have my purse stolen, all my cards, id,  even a very persistent attempt at my identity. The boyfriend gets a hopelessly smashed phone back but working SIM backas well....put it in my back up flip phone and report it as found. I replace all my cards and go into our accounts and replace the stolen card info with the new card info. Again after renewal I message the moderators and they sympathetically apply the $2.

  Third month the boyfriend wipes out on his bike and loses his phone(mine) and his wallet with my card that is registered for autopay. Report the phone lost...he goes searching and finds the phone but the wallet is long gone. Report the phone found. I message a moderator ahead of renewal asking if he can fix the reward issue ahead of time...no...but they very kindly replaced the card info on all three of the accounts it was on and i would just have to have it applied after renewal.

  I messaged the moderators this morning explain the issue and ask for the $2 to be applied. The answer  NO.  The account was suspended you will not receive the autopay reward this month. After sending all my previous moderator conversations on the issue the autopay reward was applied with this caveat. " please note as this is the second time this has happened we will no longer be able to apply the autopay reward retroactively."

  You have it from the horses mouth....using the lost/stolen feature even if you actually have your phone lost or stolen you will not have your rewards applied retroactively more than twice!

[Anonymous]

 @pm-smayer97 : I would hesitate to harp too hard on things written. They might make it so that things they've written come true.

[pm-smayer97]

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@computergeek541 wrote:

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@pm-smayer97 wrote:

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@darlicious wrote:

...the moderator telling me going forward pm would not retroactively apply rewards...which is not pm's policy.

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Actually, many mods simply do not know what the written policy is nor how to interpret it correctly. Sadly, that is why there is so much variance as to what result you get from mods on this issue.

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I can see Public Mobile not wishing to credit the rewrds if a customer has the account suspended when the renewal would have occured.  ....

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I disagree... and their written policy also states otherwise. I even had a manager and mods agree with me BUT not all do. The policy is poorly written to reflect their practice vs what is written. Based on what is written, if you are signed up fro AutoPay, you should never be penalized. Period. And if you think about the set-up and timing, it does make sense.

[computergeek541]

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@pm-smayer97 wrote:

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@darlicious wrote:

...the moderator telling me going forward pm would not retroactively apply rewards...which is not pm's policy.

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Actually, many mods simply do not know what the written policy is nor how to interpret it correctly. Sadly, that is why there is so much variance as to what result you get from mods on this issue.

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I can see Public Mobile not wishing to credit the rewrds if a customer has the account suspended when the renewal would have occured.  However, if a customer has reactivated the service before the renewal, the custoemr has paid for the service up until that point even it wasn't being used. The customer should not be penalized.

[Anonymous]

I third the rewards not happening on reactivation from lost/stolen. But the mods put it all in just fine in short order. Sure it's an extra hassle to ask them to but oh well.

As to why, sure, never any harm in asking. Is anyone gonna get a straight or consistent answer? Highly doubtful. Will it ever get fixed? Who knows.

Edit: Whoa. This is an old thread. Just shows t'go ya that these topics come and go over the years.

[pm-smayer97]

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@darlicious wrote:

...the moderator telling me going forward pm would not retroactively apply rewards...which is not pm's policy.

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Actually, many mods simply do not know what the written policy is nor how to interpret it correctly. Sadly, that is why there is so much variance as to what result you get from mods on this issue.

[darlicious]

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@AE_Collector wrote:

@darlicious 

Has anyone noticed in the past if the rewards that are instantly showing after renewal (Autopay, loyalty & Referals) disappeared after lost/stolen was applied? Or did they remain showing but failed to move up to Available Funds?

So things are now fixed so it will not automatically mess up rewards at renewal after having used lost/stollen? This is what used to take a moderator to restore every time if someone noticed and thought to contact a moderator?

With this change if the account is Currently in Lost/Stollen right as renewal happens it will still mess up though. Have I got everything correct?

AE_Collector

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@AE_Collector  Previously after unsuspending the autopay reward (and presumably other rewards) would still be showing in the appropriate sections of the account. They just wouldn't automatically be applied...they wouldn't double either. The manual application by the moderator would just be a credit in your balance and would not reflect in the rewards accumulitive totals on the reward page.

I believe you have everything else correct.

[Anonymous]

 @AE_Collector 

As I understand it...self-suspending (using lost/stolen) was a great tool to reset the account if something got tripped up. Your paid term is still in the background and the 90 day clock starts. Self-resuming (using lost/stolen) inside of that time frame will now not affect rewards. There were a couple months there that self-suspending affected rewards even in that time frame.

So then your paid term expires and you're still in suspension. This will be like any suspension then. Self-resume. Pay up the full amount of the plan. Service resumes. No rewards. Apparently rewards will come back afterwards.

That's how I understand things other than the assumption at the end.

[AE_Collector]

@darlicious 

Has anyone noticed in the past if the rewards that are instantly showing after renewal (Autopay, loyalty & Referals) disappeared after lost/stolen was applied? Or did they remain showing but failed to move up to Available Funds?

So things are now fixed so it will not automatically mess up rewards at renewal after having used lost/stollen? This is what used to take a moderator to restore every time if someone noticed and thought to contact a moderator?

With this change if the account is Currently in Lost/Stollen right as renewal happens it will still mess up though. Have I got everything correct?

AE_Collector

[darlicious]

        It's official.....the fix is in!!!

I heard back from the moderators today in regards to the Auto pay reward being applied automatically at renewal this month in the bf's account after being forced to use the lost/stolen feature in his account....again. The same moderator that dealt with the original service ticket on Christmas Day responded to my request today. He first confirmed there was no issue in particular in the account causing the the reward to not be applied  two months ago and previous to that date.

The good news was with the application of the autopay reward during this months renewal confirmed for public mobile that recent updates and system improvements specifically aimed at rewards had fixed the glitch causing rewards to not be applied at renewal for a temporary suspension. Going forward suspending your account temporarily using the lost/stolen feature for essentially 29 days or less in a 30 day period will not affect your rewards being applied upon renewal as long as your account is not suspended at the time of renewal. All rewards will be applied and credited to your balance.

This also frees up the use of the lost/stolen feature for troubleshooting if waiting for a moderator is not possible to fix some account issues that are known to reprovision and benefit from this technique. Public mobile still prefers customers to contact the moderators to fix issues stemming from your self serve account.

Yet another glitch fixed by public mobile as per "Dave's Open Letter" posted in early January that will add up to a marked improvement for all users by years end.

[iPhoneUser]

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@CannonFodder wrote:

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@darlicious wrote:

    Well here's an update to using the lost/stolen feature in your account. No surprising news here...the bf couldn't locate his phone yet again! After searching and calling it with no luck I reluctantly went into his account and reported it lost. He goes back to his friends house that he was at the night before and there's his phone where he left it charging on the counter but with it powered off!

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You know, I'm seriously startin' to think that the BF needs that thing we got as little kids.... you know, where your two mittens were attached to another string that would go inside your jacket, down your sleeves, so you'd never lose your mitts - maybe get an extra long USB charge cable, and duct tape one end to the Umidigi A5 Pro, and the other end to the RCA phone, and have it inside his jacket sleeves when he's goin' out somewhere..... trouble is, I suppose, given his propensity for being "hard" on phones, he'd invariably lose his jacket and BOTH phones!!! 😜  🤣 

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So that makes me think......I like to wear my Fit Bit while sleeping to let it analyze my sleep. I find it very hard to leave my arm pointing out of the bed in one position to make sure the the charge cable doesn’t get accidentally pulled out. 

[darlicious]

@CannonFodder  I've had exactly that thought in regards to the many things he loses on a daily basis and eventually finds....and he's convinced that someone moves his stuff just to mess with him. He reminds me of bulldog from Frasier when he's looking for something.....he does have his redeeming qualities!

[CannonFodder]

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@darlicious wrote:

    Well here's an update to using the lost/stolen feature in your account. No surprising news here...the bf couldn't locate his phone yet again! After searching and calling it with no luck I reluctantly went into his account and reported it lost. He goes back to his friends house that he was at the night before and there's his phone where he left it charging on the counter but with it powered off!

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You know, I'm seriously startin' to think that the BF needs that thing we got as little kids.... you know, where your two mittens were attached to another string that would go inside your jacket, down your sleeves, so you'd never lose your mitts - maybe get an extra long USB charge cable, and duct tape one end to the Umidigi A5 Pro, and the other end to the RCA phone, and have it inside his jacket sleeves when he's goin' out somewhere..... trouble is, I suppose, given his propensity for being "hard" on phones, he'd invariably lose his jacket and BOTH phones!!! 😜  🤣 

[Korth]

@darlicious

Google around for "proximity fobs" and "proximity tags".

The fobs are usually a battery-powered little gizmo which can be set to vibrate/chirp/scream whenever the linked tags are detected entering range or are detected leaving range. Usually designed for keychains but you could wear one on a belt, tie it onto a neckchain, glue it onto a forehead, etc. Typically has 10m omnidirectional range.

The tags can be as small as a teeny tiny broadcast-powered RFID Bluetooth button about the size of a penny. You can stick the tags on anything you might need to not lose - a smartphone (case), a wallet, a purse, a remote control, etc.

Many different kinds, usually something like $10 for a fob-plus-tag or $20 for a better-fob-plus-a-bunch-of-tags. They can be a standalone system or they can link to a phone/laptop through Bluetooth, GPS transceivers, app, etc. Some can even be set to autodial or automessage a phone number (presumably the phone number of a tagged/linked phone, although could be any number, even 911).

[Anonymous]

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@darlicious wrote:

@Anonymous  I'm following up on the reference number I was given and just verified the account so hopefully I will have some solid answers soon.

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Remember that sometimes different mods have different things to say. Hopefully you luck upon one that gets all the correct information.

It would still be preferable to see how it plays out in the wild.

[darlicious]

@Anonymous  I'm following up on the reference number I was given and just verified the account so hopefully I will have some solid answers soon.

[Anonymous]

 @darlicious 

That's great news.

Wouldn't it be nice if the company let the community know that changes like this have been done? It doesn't need to be in some big formal Announcement like the roaming texting bug. Just when someone mentions the idea along with the warning to very nicely pipe in saying oh but by the way we fixed that.

We'll see going forward if others experience this positive outcome.

[darlicious]

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@mpcdesign wrote:

So, basically, 'never cry wolf' again!?

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This is what happens when Farley Mowatt is forced to live in the city with modern technology.

[mpcdesign]

So, basically, 'never cry wolf' again!?

[darlicious]

@Korth 

   It's a lost cause with this one I can only accept what I cannot change. At least he didn't lose his autopay reward this month! And it appears the community has gained a fix for using the lost/stolen feature if it wasn't for his propensity for losing his phone how much longer would we be waiting for that to be investigated?!!

[Korth]

@darlicious

Maybe you and boyfriend should start using the built-in Find My Device apps?

[darlicious]

    Well here's an update to using the lost/stolen feature in your account. No surprising news here...the bf couldn't locate his phone yet again! After searching and calling it with no luck I reluctantly went into his account and reported it lost. He goes back to his friends house that he was at the night before and there's his phone where he left it charging on the counter but with it powered off!

     So after about 12 hours I report it found again. With about a week to go before renewal I scheduled a plan change on next renewal. I topped up the balance to cover the new plan cost and the $2 for Auto pay since I will have to get it applied manually afterwards. Great all set.

     I went in to check the account today and prepare to contact the moderators and lo and behold the Auto pay was applied upon renewal!  Now there is no official word from public mobile but I will be digging out my reference number to find out if public mobile has finally figured out how to apply the reward automatically for temporary suspensions. Call it a late christmas present since the service ticket was submitted on Christmas morning and a little more luck going my way!

[darlicious]

Good news! At first I went in and made a payment...but nothing. Then I realized I forgot my own advice....cleared my browser, used secret/incognito mode and voila! Payment made. Services working. Happy but really the first time I forget to pay manually the autopay fails?!!

[wetcoaster]

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@darlicious wrote:

Well isn't this a little insult to injury. After several months of having to use the lost/stolen feature a whole cycle goes by without an incident. Except I forgot to make a manual payment as per usual. Guess what happens....the autopay reward gets applied and autopay fails! I haven't done anything in the account....rebooted the phone but no services. As it stands account says "expired". Other than the obvious....contact a moderator. Should i try to make a payment and reactivate?

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@darlicious 

Is tonight your renewal? (ie is it possible that the renewal still in process and might resolve it by tomorrow morning?)

[darlicious]

Well isn't this a little insult to injury. After several months of having to use the lost/stolen feature a whole cycle goes by without an incident. Except I forgot to make a manual payment as per usual. Guess what happens....the autopay reward gets applied and autopay fails! I haven't done anything in the account....rebooted the phone but no services. As it stands account says "expired". Other than the obvious....contact a moderator. Should i try to make a payment and reactivate?

[Anonymous]

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@Korth wrote:

Not sure I understand...

You can use the Lost/Stolen/Found trick then contact the Mods to get everything back on track.

Or you could simply contact the Mods to get everything back on track.

So what do you gain from using the trick?

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When it was taking an unknown number of days to get a reply from the mods, this method was very useful to get people going. It would seem that response times are much improved. But still...if it's several hours to overnight, wouldn't you really rather have a method to get going quicker.

A question should be, why are some accounts getting confused where "re-provisioning" fixes it. Whether by the lost/stolen or by the extra dollar. When you need the phone working, waiting for the mods is intolerable.

Solving that would preclude needing to do these "tricks" to begin with.

Not solving it...don't penalize the use of the feature. This is the problem. Rewards are being impacted when someone uses the feature thereby effectively forcing people to have to wait for the mods rather than a short cut or knowingly affecting their rewards.

[darlicious]

@Korth  I have used it to " reprovision" an account when all incoming calls were going straight to voicemail. We could not wait for a moderator (it was 48hrs at the time) to get the calling fixed. By turning lost/stolen on...5 min...and turning it off again. Rebooting the phone. Incoming calls returned to the phone. So very effective. Contacting the moderator to fix the rewards to be applied at renewal had no urgency. Raising the thread issue was the moderator telling me going forward pm would not retroactively apply rewards...which is not pm's policy.

Edit: I have also used it twice for an actual lost phone.

[Korth]

Not sure I understand...

You can use the Lost/Stolen/Found trick then contact the Mods to get everything back on track.

Or you could simply contact the Mods to get everything back on track.

So what do you gain from using the trick?

[darlicious]

@Anonymous  The moderators have started an investigation to confirm the cause of rewards not being applied and we will have a definitive answer soon. Thanks for your interest and concern it's about the community looking out for the community. Y'all have a Happy Noel and a Merry New Year!

[Mitch1]

Being truthful and accurate helps solve technical problems quicker in the long-run.

[darlicious]

@AE_Collector  Lol! Yes it does seem that we have been having a run of bad luck lately lets hope the karma gods even it all out. Maybe i should go buy a 6/49 ticket for tonights draw. My activity does go up and down according to my schedule but often im online late with few to help in real time and i read thru most threads (my board/page/post read count is quite high) i usually dont respond unless i have someting new or helpful to offer. If i did just comment for the sake of it my post count would be ridiculous but that is not my goal in the community.

  Garfield brought a smile to my face and seeing as I'm already sick of the sight of turkey from the leftovers of the Christmas dinner for 70 I cooked at the Billy you have inspired me to make lasagna in the next few days....mmmm!!! All that cheesy goodness! Have a Happy Noel and Merry New Year!    P.S. Having ham instead tonight.