Update 2: Public Mobile has reversed their decision–the $40/4GB plan will now stay.
Update: Here’s how to file a CCTS complaint against Public Mobile.
Telus-owned Public Mobile has notified customers today via text message their precious $40/4GB plan ($120 for 12GB over 90 days) is increasing in price by 25%, jumping by $10 per month, to a total of $150 over 90 days.
Clearly, existing customers of this plan are unhappy about this. The Public Mobile Community Forums have a 32 page thread already about the price increase, with many calling on customers to file a complaint with the CCTS about the 25% price hike.
According to Public Mobile, when they first launched this plan, they told customers:
If you have signed up for the promotional plan, you will be able to keep it after the promo period, as long as you are an active customer. This means that, as long as you are an active customer on this plan, your plan price will remain at $120, even after your initial 90 days. No surprises.
You can read the promise–which appears to be broken–in its entirety below: 
According to Public Mobile, customer account balances such as credits will not transfer to Koodo:
Hi Jordan! Your balance itself is not transferable, however Koodo will provide you with a one-time 100$ credit upon your switch to cover the cost of any lost plan or balance 🙂
— Public Mobile (@PublicMobile) February 15, 2018
Public Mobile is explaining to customers their Service Terms, which customers agree to when they activate, allow them to modify them at any time, which includes price increases:
Hi Michael, please take a look at our Service Terms which you agreed to upon your activation for more information about this; https://t.co/9Gb50iYf9t
— Public Mobile (@PublicMobile) February 15, 2018
$40/4GB Plan – getting $10/month price INCREASE! – are you seeing this @iPhoneinCanada? Shame https://t.co/eOmwBcd1aS
— Aarøn Wasyliuk (@theadub) February 15, 2018
But wait! If you don’t want this price increase, Public Mobile says you can jump on a $40/4GB ‘promo’ with sister brand Koodo, available until March 15th, 2018. This switcher plan includes unlimited Canada-wide calling instead of provincial minutes, and includes a one-time $100 bill credit.
Telus looks like it wants to gain more valuable postpaid customers, by forcing Public Mobile users to switch over to Koodo.
Back in September, Rogers’ flanker brand Fido increased the price of their $40/4GB plan by $5.
What are you going to do? Stick with Public Mobile or take up the offer of switching over to Koodo?
Thanks Arthur and everyone
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I don’t know what the problem if you can switch to koto and keep the plan plus $100 credit… Yes its a little trouble to switch carriers but not that much.
The problem is that Koodo doesn’t offer autopay, loyalty, or referral credits which brings my Public Mobile plan cost down to $102 + tax every 90 days vs $40 + tax a month with Koodo. Public Mobile also offers better US roaming plans ($20 for 1 GB of US data for 10 days) vs Koodo ($7 a day).
Finally Public Mobile is a pre-paid service so I never have to worry about billing issues or being charged more than $102 + tax every 90 days which isn’t the case with a post-paid provider like Koodo where my bill could be different every month if I happened to call an international number or used more that my monthly data allowance.
$100 does not even cover what is lost in prepaid service that’s prepaid until May but the switch is until mid March! There’s no prorated refund for it. + $15 for Koodo sim card!
Plus loss of various discounts that made it a maximum of $37/month for everyone rather than $40.
CCTS complaints won’t do anything.
Best thing is to take this public & shame them on Social Media.
I just sent an email to CBC’s Go Public hopefully they can write about it on CBC & expose them
Please expose them on Social Media & you can try emailing Go Public, the more people who email, the bigger the chance they write about it.
Email is:
go******@*bc.ca
If I switch to Koodo I lose $135 in prepaid services, and have to buy a sim ($15)
So out $150, with a $100 credit. The credit is less then the cost.
When someone makes this switch would you be so kind to let us know if Koodo charges you activation fees and/or fees for a new SIM card?
Thanks!
A plan with flexibility to spend 1GB in first month, 1GB in second and 10GB in third IS NOT the same as UP TO 4GB in each month.
Secondly, the real price of the plan with loyalty discount (since everyone on this plan is over 1 year) plus preauthorized payment discount is $37 per 30 days = $37.51 per calendar month. This IS NOT the same as $40 per month.
Plus, $100 credit does not even cover lost 2 months of prepaid service (all the people on the promo were just billed!) plus Koodo’s sim card ($107 with tax).
This is a pure swindle after promises of no surprises.
Do not switch to Koodo as a post paid on their scam plan. It rewards Telus for this shady behaviour. When you think of how many people on other plans they captured with this fake plan and now are offering “limited time” but worse than your existing plan….do not reward Koodo or Telus with post paid business.
Right about now I’m pretty damn happy I jumped ship from PM to Telus for the 10gigs for $60. I was sad losing 45$ every 3 months in referral credit with PM…. but if I had stayed I’d be losing most of that anyways as most will go to Koodo.
I wonder how long before TELUS raises my rates……..
So far Telus has been good to me as I have been month to month for the past 3 years and I am have never had any increases.
Good to hear!
Wow. That is unbelievable. This is why you don’t sign up for pre-paid services! They can change the terms at any time. It’s horrible, but they own the CRTC and they basically can do whatever they want.
PS, this is also why we should just make Internet a public utility. In today’s world, the internet is an essential service. People should have access to the internet as cheaply and efficiently as possible. Canadians pay the highest for cell phone service, so don’t tell me the “free market” can fix it, because otherwise it already would’ve happened.
Show me a comparable (all fees and discounts accounted for) post paid or contract plan and I’ll agree with you and switch.
This is a golden time for Shaw’s Freedom Mobile to jump in and offer a crazy deal tempting all Public Mobile subscribers to switch.
I stayed with Fido on $40/4gig deal (now $45) just because I use 1000 of international minutes per month to call Asia. I don’t regret my decision.
FM is atrocious. Still no LTE backwards compatibility with older devices. The big carriers don’t care about flanker and mvos.
Current plan $120
– $6 Auto Pay
– $6 Refer a Friend (This will probably drop as people jump ship)
– $3 Loyalty
= $105 / 3 = $35 a month currently
Switch to Koodo $40 a month
Stay with Public Mobile $45 a month
Last month I spent $30 on extra data (which I barely used), and I just renewed 7 days ago for $105. So if i switch to Koodo now I’m out $135 which is greater then the Koodo credit. I also have to spend $15 on a Koodo Sim card. So $150. Teensy bit more then the $100 credit.
Does anyone know whether just anyone can sign up for this Koodo promotional plan? Or only people porting a number from public? Do they/can they tell what company you are porting from?
According to what PM sent our phone number is our access code. But feel free to try.
Where most of the telcoms are making their profits now are not from basic rates,
but from overage fees. With the Koodo plan at $7/100mb overage, it is pretty clear the motivations for migrating people to a less flexible post paid plan on Koodo.
With PM from a plan where people get to manage 12GB over 3 months (eg 2 months of 1GB and 1 month of 10GB). If you really need extra data on Public Mobile it is $30/GB and this extra data never expires.
With Koodo, you have max 4GB per month and $70 per extra GB of overage with no ability to purchase non-expiring extra data.
PM is still a no brainer even if the increase results in a couple of extra dollars each month (I have over $7 month in rewards bringing my cost to $33 month) — With a increase to $43, I will gladly pay $3 extra over Koodo for flexibility and not being screwed by overage fees.
But….
I can’t help but wonder if Public Mobile knows that this rate increase will never get by CRTC or CCTS given their clearly documented advertised promise of a unchanging rate plan with no surprises (regardless of the “terms”), but are still doing with the hope/expectations that a lot of people will switch to Koodo in the process.
And in the end, if CCTS/CRTC quashes this rate increase, PM will still decrease the number of people on this plan which is not nearly as profitable for them –and by doing so, decreasing the number of valid referrals for people that do remain — another $ win for them.
It is very clearly a jerkaround from Public Mobile (aka Telus) to try to (deceptively) force people to a less flexible, less desirable arrangement.
In any case, I am sticking around with PM until something that is actually better comes up.
You must work for Public Mobile or have a distorted perception of reality. Keep throwing your money away.
Not surprised. It was posted before Christmas in their forums that some nasty stuff is coming to prepaid customers.
Don’t forget, should you bail you won’t get your prepaid partially refunded. That’s why Telus is offering a one the $100 credit.
What a scam… I switched from Fido to PM thinking the good deal would last as mentioned in their terms, but they just lied to get more cash.
I can’t believe they can just dismiss their terms and conditions that easily with no consequences.
I’m going to leave but will wait until other carriers come up with a plan to compete with Koodo. Im sure someone will. TELUS screwed up here, I’ll never do business with them again. You have to wonder how decisions this bad get approved.
Fight back
Fighti what? You have no leg to stand on.
Not true at all
This is illegal. File complaints with the CRTC as well and sue them. This is especially true in Quebec!
Nothing illegal. No contract was signed. Terms and conditions can change any time.
Telus wants to get rid of Public Mobile. Accept it and move to Koodo.
It is false advertising. That is illegal. If you’re going to argue you better be ready with a profound understanding of advertising law and telecommunications policy from the CRTC as well as the Quebec consumer protection laws.
Screw you.
Accept that.
Shady yes…illegal no. CRTC is not on the consumers side. Remember this.
Hundreds of clients are filling complaints with the CCTS now (see PM forum and RFD). Sometimes it works and I feel like we gotta at least try something to make it clear we disagree with this.
Completely illegal in Quebec.
CCTS complaints won’t do anything.
Best thing is to take this public & shame them on Social Media.
I just sent an email to CBC’s Go Public hopefully they can write about it on CBC & expose them
Come on people, expose them on Social Media & you can try emailing Go Public, the more people who email, the bigger the chance they write about it.
Email is
go******@*bc.ca
UPDATE: PUBLIC MOBILE REVERSES DECISION
https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/carriers/telus/public-mobile-reverses-decision-40-4gb/
Dear cry babies,
I will remain with PM and pay $2/month more (after Feb. 15, 2018) for doing so. Same plan, same service. I like my PM plan, and Telus has been good to me. No tears here.