Can a community account be closed?

[BEER]

(1)Can a community account be closed? 
(2)If yes what would be the consequences other than the helping others reward.

NOTE:

Why was this simple question moved to the lounge? From what I gather from responses community accounts can not be closed --------But my key question re consequences has not been answered. As mentioned I do realize that if one doesn't participate in the community then obviously would not benefit from "helping others" rewards. It's not difficult to change one's community email to an alias email and then deleting that email however I wonder if by doing so would one no longer be eligible for PM gifts of free bonus data and voice minutes.

[darlicious]

@BEER 

Maybe I missed it but what is the basis of wanting to close the community account? Is it based on the family members who have ported out wanting to ensure no personal info is tied to the community account? If so then the most important thing is to delete all private messaging and change the profile info. Change the email by creating a new throwaway email and verify the change....if you want or just change the email without verification and it will not directly be tied to the closed self serve account. Otherwise getting banned etc...does nothing but prevent you from accessing the account as it bans your email address and/or IP address but does nothing to delete the account. Spammer accounts still exist they just can't access their accounts or reuse the IP address that's associated to that account.

[Korth]

@BEER 

There's always some visitors here who are not (yet) PM customers - apprehensive about the brand, asking questions before they sign up, worried about losing their phone numbers, unable to activate their SIM, unable to navigate through clunky Self-Serve, etc.

There's always a few visitors here who used to be PM customers - just hanging out in a familiar forum, indecisive about returning their business, waiting for their contracts elsewhere to expire, etc.

PM needs to allow those non-subscriber community members access. There's no other way to communicate with the CSAs, to get official or unofficial support.

And PM wants to allow anyone (everyone) access to the community. It's their primary advertising platform. They don't have stores and kiosks to push the brand.

But I agree that there should be some way for actual subscribers to identify each other. Maybe a little icon on user names (on every one of their posts) which clearly identify them as actual subscribers with actual plans. Maybe replace the silly "mayor" "great neighbour" titles with more meaningful designators which clearly identify customers and non-customers. So that visitors could clearly understand who works for PM, who is a customer of PM, and who is just another random stray off the world-wide internet.

Or they need to provide some way for nonsubscribers to access CSA support without community registration.

And maybe they need to somehow lockout non-Canadian internet visitors (at least those from places without Public Mobile roaming options). Revealing our "private" locations to the website is a small price to pay if it removes all the constantly-churning foreign clutter, confusion, and spam from people who aren't able to buy and use Public Mobile's service anyhow. I personally think this could go a long way since the vast majority of internet use (and internet trash) comes from mobile devices these days.

This is all stuff I suggested years ago in the defunct idea lab. I recall they just gave their usual "we'll look into it" response and nothing happened. Years passed. Nothing happened. It's obviously not something which interests them, which they consider an actual problem, which is within their limited technical abilities to implement. And if they never thought it a worthwhile thing back in the day then they certainly don't care at all now that they're just a front for Telus managerials.

[BEER]

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@softech wrote:

@BEER   Assuming you are leaving PM (not sure if that was your plan), after you left PM, make a new email address  and ask PM to change the Community account to that new email address.  Then your Community account would have no tie to your real info at all.

No need to even ask - like I previously mentioned .......... this can be done by just revising one's profile with no authentication required. And yes 2 of my family members have switched back to Bell prepaid and have already revised their Community profiles with fictitious names and emails. Ohh the community names were already made up - ha ha so no need to change that.

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UPDATE:  OHHHHH NOOOOOOO........ I spoke too soon .... now I'm asked to confirm the made up emails I used to update the profiles.........  But I can always use alias email and then delete the email.  Also just noticed that they ask for two factor authentication in order to log in to one's account.

[softech]

@BEER   Assuming you are leaving PM (not sure if that was your plan), after you left PM, make a new email address  and ask PM to change the Community account to that new email address.  Then your Community account would have no tie to your real info at all.

[BEER]

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@softech wrote:

Also, the Community does not hold any "real" personal info nor any payment info.  So, there is no privacy or security reason for community member to ask for closing of the account. 

Thanks --- I now understand and no longer concerned.  Up until now thought that community accounts must be tied to plan accounts. That of course seems to be totally optional and the only drawback, if not, would be the loss of the GIVE BACK rewards. 

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[softech]

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@BEER wrote:

 Shouldn't the PM Community only be for active PM plan holders? 

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@BEER   Untrue.  PM has no sales support.  The Community, other than for plan holders to ask support question, it is also a place for potential new subscribers to ask questions before they join

Also, there could be old plan holders to come back and ask for account related questions for the account they closed

Other providers are have community like that, Koodo, Fido, Rogers, Bell.  Their Communities are all like that.  Everyone welcome 

Also, the Community does not hold any "real" personal info nor any payment info.  So, there is no privacy or security reason for community member to ask for closing of the account. 

[BEER]

Thanks for advise ----- however forgetting one's password doesn't delete the account.  BUT......I just stumbled on the solution............. I had assumed that as with other websites changing one's email must be authenticated ....... this doesn't seem to apply with PM community accounts ..................  using a non existing made up email, have just updated the email on my account and it worked. without having to authenticate it.   Of-course one can always update again to a valid email but now it seems the member has control. 

PS. Just wondering  how many of the 246,338 members are actually PM plan holders.

[BEER]

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@darlicious wrote:

@BEER @Plan 

The simple answer....no

Now that you have been lounged just relax sit back and chill with @BEER or @coffee with @donut or share @Donuts with others who know how to be chill in the community. I might just have a glass of @Bin555 with @Cheese and @Pickle and maybe @lemoncreampuffs for dessert?!!

😉🍺🍷🧀🥒🍪🍇🍩🍋🥐☕😊

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Thanks for the humour - but again to amplify my point - are most of the account you list still PM plan holders? Shouldn't the PM Community only be for active PM plan holders? 

PS. Just wondering  how many of the 246,338 members are actually PM plan holders.

[BEER]

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@Korth wrote:

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@hTideGnow wrote:

I guess they try not to open the floodgate. Today they help Beer, tomorrow they help wine,  then coffee and tea...

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I don't think the problem would be too rampant since most of us didn't choose delicious beverages for our usernames.

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Having possibly non PM plan holders posting is exactly what is wrong by not being able to close community accounts. 

[Korth]

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@hTideGnow wrote:

I guess they try not to open the floodgate. Today they help Beer, tomorrow they help wine,  then coffee and tea...

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I don't think the problem would be too rampant since most of us didn't choose delicious beverages for our usernames.

[softech]

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@BEER wrote:

if an account is banned then it would obviously be closed - In the past I was threatened that my account could be banned if I continued to give too many undeserving bravos.

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@BEER   banning and closing are not the same

When an account is banned, it is banned form posting in the forum here.  But PM still allow you to login so you can open ticket with PM support or private message them.  

Account closed meant you cannot even login and cannot use the account to open ticket or message them at all. 

Again, I still don't understand why you want to cancel the account.  If you do not want to participate, just don't post, don't read the posts here.  Leave the account active so you can open ticket.

Or if you plan to port out like what @Plan said, then you just don't come back here anymore.  You really don't need to cancel your account 

(but you sure you won't miss us ? you won't miss your 🇬🇧 buddy here??)

[Korth]

Well, I'm not sure how I could help @BEER get deliberately banned ...

But I suppose I wouldn't be in any position to argue against suddenly receiving piles of Bravos and Solutions for no particular reason, lol.

And again ... it doesn't hurt to ask. They've made rules and they've bent rules before to accommodate customer needs.

[hTideGnow]

Hi @Korth

 I think it is for sure doable, can be done easily as you said.

But they have not been doing it unless in some extreme situation,  like banning of our beloved friend earlier this year.  I guess they try not to open the floodgate. Today they help Beer, tomorrow they help wine,  then coffee and tea...

[hTideGnow]

Its a big Beverage and Food family.  Need good Plan for a gathering 

[Korth]

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@darlicious wrote:

@BEER @Plan 

The simple answer....no.

Nor can customer support.

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I'm not convinced this is true. Public Mobile has routinely closed accounts before. When an Oracle passed away. Whenever Mods left. When spammers need stomping. When members violate enough rules to earn permanent bans.

I've setup online forums before, I've been a moderator or admin on some before. Deleting a user account (or at least flagging it as retired, inactive, deactivated, banned, offline, whatever) is an easy chore. I'm not intimately familiar with PM's junky Lithium/Khoros software but I'd be astounded if it lacked this essential and common functionality.

I'd advise @BEER to simply request the CSAs close his account - and, if the CSAs aren't authorized to do so, to forward his request to the webmaster or whomever else can do it instead. It doesn't hurt to ask.

Another option is to change your password - to some utterly random long smashing garbage on the keyboard. Nobody (including you) would ever guess it again. You probably wouldn't even be able to remember it with hypnosis, lol, especially if you quickly follow the action up with a healthy dose of beer.

I've never believed it's right for users to erase or overwrite all their contributions to online forums and wikis. To me it's a form of vandalism. But then again, the owners of the forum always have the right to censor or remove all posts from a user and it has to work both ways to be fair.

[darlicious]

@BEER @Plan 

The simple answer....no.

Nor can customer support. It takes a great deal of effort to put an account into "Anonymous" status and would require extremely egregious activity for pm to put the effort in to make another anonymous account. If the point is to delete your previous efforts then it will take a whole lot more effort to erase your past. Trust me I know from getting mad at being a target of harassment and deleted all of my pics with exception of instructional ones (except a few that I couldn't remember what was posted when I had deleted them.)

I am sorry to hear you feel this way but can perfectly understand why you do.....some members don't understand the difference between constructive criticism and insulting comments and/or harassment. Ignore the haters.....and take the high road but be careful if you are Scottish because some people might consider that racist! Figgy leaves and olive branches burned in the process.

Now that you have been lounged just relax sit back and chill with @BEER or @coffee with @donut or share @Donuts with others who know how to be chill in the community. I might just have a glass of @Bin555 with @Cheese and @Pickle and maybe @lemoncreampuffs for dessert?!!

😉🍺🍷🧀🥒🍪🍇🍩🍋🥐☕😊

[softech]

@Plan they are two different systems.  The setup allows people who are not PM customers to still post questions here.  So,  there is no problem to have the Community account stays here  and your number ported away

  And noo, you cannot delete or cancel your Community account 

[jib_tech]

As far as I know it's forever.

[benfatto]

Nothing. An active PM SIM is not required to create/keep a Community account. Of course, there will be no reward for participation unless you change your email to some other account. 

[Plan]

What happens to community account if porting to another service provider?

Do non PM plan holders get deleted from the community?

[Plan]

I think you have the answer - so why has this topic been moved to the lounge? 

[Plan]

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@CountyDownIeUk wrote:

While this is a pointless post, here is what you can do. 

Make up a password that you won't possibly remember. 

And change password on your community account.

Get a new gmail address

Change your community account email address to the new one. 

Change gmail password to one that you won't possibly remember. 

Delete the gmail address. 

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Pointless ????? So if you don't know how or even if it possible or not ,why your suggestions that seem just a bit silly and seem that you are just posting for the sake of posting. 

[BEER]

Really not worth the trouble - in past I thought it a nice gesture to give bravos but members harassed me and even reported my account for giving too many undeserving bravos-  Members even complained that I gave undeserving solutions to others and why not them - by the way hell will freeze over before I give a bravo or solution to members like CountyDownIeUk       -------cs-agent advised me to just ignore these unpleasant busy body posts. 

PS. Just occurred to me ta way to close a community account---------- if an account is banned then it would obviously be closed - In the past I was threatened that my account could be banned if I continued to give too many undeserving bravos.

[hTideGnow]

Hi @BEER oh , no worry I lost some bravos.🤣

start giving bravos back.. just give to others and not your daughter 

Let me give you one: 👍

[BEER]

I did remove my bravos because I was criticized for giving too many and also a few to my daughters posts. I didn't see the harm or gain by giving bravos but I obliged and removed them.

[BEER]

Here we go again - ----you again missed the point. In future instead of being pointlessly insulting why not just ignore posts that you feel are not worth responding.

[softech]

@BEER why would you want to do that?   

I don't think PM will close any account even you requested

I see people who violated the rules and all their posts and activities got wiped.  

I see people who violated the rules and the account becomes Anonymous 

Doubt they will just close the Community account just because you want to

[hTideGnow]

@CountyDownIeUk great idea 👍 

[Meow]

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@CountyDownIeUk wrote:

While this is a pointless post, here is what you can do. 

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Why is that pointless post???

What is wrong of asking or requesting to delete Community account? Do you prefer PM to have database of zillion accounts people never use anymore or neat database with active participants and occasional lurkers?

Maybe PM can develop some clean-up process to go yearly from database and delete all accounts not posting any notes. Similar as bank tracks your dormant account and notifies you to become active, delete it or pay fee.

[esjliv]

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@BEER wrote:

(1)Can a community account be closed? 

You cannot close your community account yourself. Public Mobile can change usernames or discontinue community members' accounts at their discretion.

(2)If yes what would be the consequences other than the helping others reward.

Not really any consequences, other than not being able to communicate with customer support...but then you just create a new profile/account, I suppose.

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@BEER   - see above.