The IT Nerd

The Huffington Post is something that I don’t usually read. But one of my clients directed me to this story last night that got my attention. He sent me this story because he’s mad that Telus who are the new owners of Public Mobile are making him do this:

Public Mobile customers are being switched over to Telus’ 4G network, and their existing phones—meant to work on Public Mobile’s outdated CDMA system—won’t work on the Telus network.

On the upside, customers “will immediately benefit from national coverage, faster wireless data speeds, and better phones,” a Public Mobile spokesperson told HuffPost Canada in an email.

The company also said existing customers will get “special pricing” on new phones, but as some online commenters have noticed, some of those special prices on offer at Public Mobile are more expensive than the same models on offer at parent company Telus.

Okay. I can see why some Public Mobile customers (such as my client) might be ticked off.  And Industry Minister James Moore is also questioning this move. Here’s a quote from The Globe And Mail:

Industry Minister James Moore questioned the wisdom of Telus’s move.

“Seems like an odd business decision to alienate thousands of Public Mobile users as you absorb Public Mobile itself,” Mr. Moore told The Globe and Mail, while on a trade mission in Germany. “Ultimately it’s a business decision I’ll leave for Telus to explain.”

Not to mention this:

Some Public Mobile customers are lodging grievances with Canada’s Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services, an Ottawa-based ombuds office that resolves complaints about telecom companies. Due to privacy rules, however, Commissioner Howard Maker cannot discuss specific complaints or providers.

Now I will be the first to admit that this sort of news isn’t something that generates the warm fuzzies. And that those on low and fixed incomes will be hurt to some degree by this. But what exactly is Telus supposed to do here? Are they really supposed to support a technology (CDMA to be precise) that Telus themselves have abandoned? Also, Public Mobile was in trouble and bleeding cash. Had Telus not bought them and they went under, these customers would still be having to buy a new phone on a different carrier.

I should also note that Telus is trying to take the sting out of this by doing the following:

• Giving Public Mobile customers one month of free service
• Giving Public Mobile customers “significant discounts” on new cellphones
• Public Mobile customers can also BYOD, assuming that the phone they bring works with the Telus network

And you can bet that competitors will also be trying to scoop up disgruntled Public Mobile customers. Thus Public Mobile customers will likely have options.

What do you think? Are Public Mobile Customers getting the shaft or is this issue being blown out of proportion? Post a comment and share your thoughts.

This entry was posted on March 28, 2014 at 9:27 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Public Mobile, Telus. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.