Cannot recieve secondary 2FA verification code via SMS

[maximum_gato]

I thought I put all of my 🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆 in a row before attempting my first post-eversafe activation by following the posts/threads of others and seeking advice from members familiar with the pm app and the activation process. 🤔🫢🫣😬😮‍💨😪😭

I downloaded the app onto my tablet, copied and photographed the Sim card # and passed it along thru a friend to the recipient "my referral". Once I recieved confirmation of their plan choice and their name and email address I set about activating their Sim card. Out of an abundance of caution I decided to create a new email address for the account So I would have access to replace my credit card with a $0 credit/gift card. This way I could finish the account set up and change the email to theirs if they preferred.

The activation steps were simple and straightforward except for the easy to miss referral code box. But being forewarned of this I did not accidentally skip over it and successfully entered the referral code. (The promocode box is directly below it as before just a lot smaller.)

You are then prompted to select a phone number or port one in....taxes at activation are now based on your credit cards billing address not your phone number. However it reverts back to your phone number once activated.

 After choosing (or porting in) your phone number you are directed to sign into your account and finish setting up your profile. This is where the trouble starts if you do not have access to the Sim card to recieve the 2FA code sent automatically via SMS text message. I tried reaching out via text message to my referral and then by calling them on the new phone number. After ringing 5 times it went to message saying "UV1 the person you are calling is unavailable....please try your call later."

I waited a couple of hours with no change and no response so I proceeded to try logging into the account and creating the eversafe ID. Once the initial 2FA code was automatically sent via SMS text message to the phone I entered an incorrect code 4 times which triggered the resend code box that once clicked offered the expected 3 options....

• SMS text message
• Voice call
• Email

I chose the email option and was promptly sent the 2FA code. I entered the 6 digit code and checked the trusted device box. Code was accepted and eversafe started to set up my session and landed on the following page......

Assuming this was like the double login to hopefully get trusted device to work I entered an incorrect code 4 times to get the resend text box. But instead eversafe continues to automatically send the 2FA code via SMS text. No other options are offered as I tried every possible way to trigger any option other than via SMS text message. 

Eventually it just locked me out but sent me to the "create a community nickname" page. I closed the window and left any effort to access it until today. The lock cleared but the loop continues.....and was locked out maximum_gato's community account most of the day as the nickname page would not clear no matter what I did....clear the browser, app cache etc.....seems only time will allow the caching issue to clear?

I sent a private message to customer support via darlicious but since she cannot upload photos or copy and paste anything in private messages explaining the exact problem is not being understood as I've only been offered the standard troubleshooting tricks that I have already attempted numerous times. I finally was able to sign in but for some reason maximum_gato can't upload images privately using Chrome and darlicious can't link them so even directing a CSA to read this thread may be difficult.....?

I suspect that that my referral's Sim card has not provisioned correctly upon activation judging by the lack of response and the telus "lady" voice message "UV1". There are many reasons a new customer may not have access to the Sim card. Look at poor "Dave" who lost his Sim card right after I completed the activation and never made it into his phone. Lost or stolen phones, provisioning and porting issues, Sim card duds, accidentally activated Sim cards via imput errors even my rock and roll friend who used my poor flip phone with the smashed screen for 6 months as an emergency phone....he could recieve texts he just couldn't read them!

Public mobile is Grrrreat!!! 🐯🐈‍⬛🤪

[maximum_gato]

@softech @LitlLdy @gpixel 

It's about time I provided an update to this thread thanks to @Typhon for triggering a notification as a reminder.

My referral finally texted me the following day requesting his account info. After recieving the Sim card and a message from our mutual friend that his service was up and running he and another friend decided to also test out the Sim card in his friend's phone to compare data speeds. Once he put the Sim card back in his phone it triggered a Sim card lock and eventually he figured out that he required a PUK code from customer support. Needing to verify his account he reached out to me.

Here's the curious part of this situation....Given the inability to communicate initially I activated the account using a newly created email address so that I would have access to the pm account via the email until I could at least replace the card (mine) that was automatically registered for PAP (autopay) upon activation. However as I noted in my OP I was sadly mistaken that my previous method of ensuring account access was no longer foolproof and could leave me at financial risk!

My referral created his community account using his "gmail" and contacted customer support. With incomplete account info and the wrong email address and a non functioning Sim card customer support would only help after account verification (full verification since there is no 4 digit account pin created during activation anymore?!!)

So this is what I don't understand.....when contacting customer support for help on behalf of my referral with all of the required account verification info I was told that they could only help the person who's name was on the account. Have the customer create their community account and contact them. With no way to communicate with my referral or him with me I was prepared to reluctantly create his community account for him and contact customer support.

Luckily his friend dropped by and he was able to Hotspot off his friend's data and contact both support and me to get his account info. But if account security is of the upmost of importance to pm why would customer support access his account and provide a PUK code to "someone" who created a community account with a different email address than that of the self serve account after initially only being able to provide the phone # and name on the account? After giving support the same info I gave them but was refused they happily accepted it and provided the PUK code to unlock the Sim card and get his services up and running on his phone.

I don't see how this keeps anyone's account secure? I have just as easily created the community account for a non tech savvy referral to circumvent this steadfast refusal by customer support to provide support to anyone other than the customer who's name appears on the self serve account thru a linked community account? Forcing those of us who manage pm accounts on the behalf of other customers (for a variety of reasons) to pay lip service and exponentially increase the time it takes to manage each account under the guise of protecting our self serve account's security is all show and nothing more....? But hey......

Public Mobile is Grrrreat! 👍🦁🐈‍⬛🤪

Edit:

Still no option to add a 4 digit account pin # in the account or recieve that secondary 2FA verification code without access to the Sim card AFAIK......anyone know anything different on the former? No solution on the latter according to a pm supervisor.

[maximum_gato]

@Typhon 

Great advice but not my style as you will notice when you come upon my posts or my now permanently silenced alter ego @darlicious's posts. But thanks for replying so that the notification reminded me that I am long overdue on an update to this thread. Now I just have to remember exactly what it was....? Lol

[Typhon]

Maybe more to the point so attention spam limited persons or just impatient persons like me ha ha can follow your point. 

[softech]

@maximum_gato   so,  in the end, the "account owner" used his/her own account to open ticket and have it fixed?or you still fighting to get the proxy?

[maximum_gato]

@softech 

I should have an update soon....

@makkahn28 

As you can see by the CSA reply they have not been very helpful so far....

@gpixel 

As a customer who manages many, many accounts of which very few actually have a community account due to the fact they are not "computer users" at all. If I have so much trouble getting proper customer support myself and navigating my way thru so many bugs, glitches and changes that occur around here you cannot expect the customer's with little or no "computer" knowledge to be able to create a community account and get support.

The "threat" to contact the c c t s is simply the easiest way to escalate your issue to a pm employee with the authority to get something done. I don't have the time or patience to argue back and forth with a CSA who may or may not know what they are talking about. Believe me I have spent days in the past trying to get an issue escalated and corrected with a CSA that was completely wrong in their opinion and spouting misinformation. I have learned exactly what to say and when to get the appropriate customer support for the situation at hand.

Additionally the request by agents to have the customer who's name is on the account contact them for security reasons is a big pile of malarkey. Elvis does not have the ability to contact pm customer support....asking for him to do so when I hold all of the account verification info is ridiculous. Public Mobile does not verify account holders identification. Verification is by account information only....if you have that info then they should accept it and provide support. (ie. Parents of minor children, development challenged family members, children of older seniors etc.....) 

With the ever changing and more challenging methods of accessing pm accounts and the ability to manage them requiring a community account for every single one of them and having to use each separate account to access support is putting an onerous task of those who manage more than one account. It also ties up customer support by having separate tickets open for each and every issue for each account. If I have 10 accounts that did not recieve the holiday gifts having to open 10 separate tickets and deal with all of the follow up wastes an enormous amount of time rather than dealing with 10 accounts on one ticket.

Don't you think if one wanted to game the system having the access to 10 or 20 community accounts linked to legitimate pm accounts would be a free for all? Gamers game, spammers spam.....ultimately they are almost impossible to stop and pm has to be ultra-motivated to do so....otherwise they can't be bothered. Heck even compulsive harassers are allowed to prevail as all it takes is a VPN.

@LitlLdy 

Ultimately my goal is to push pm to have measures in place for customers when the system fails them or sometimes just bad luck (lost or stolen Sim card or phone) befalls them. You cannot leave customers or their account security blowing in the wind because you haven't come up with a contingency plan. Especially for a system held together with duct tape, safety pins and paper clips. If we are the beta testers of telus's "innovations" that they plan on marketing and selling to the rest of the world then when they are presented with situations like this they need to collaboratively figure out a successful resolution to the problem.

Edit:

Oh I almost forgot? Public Mobile is Grrrreat!!! 🦁🐈‍⬛😀

[LitlLdy]

@maximum_gato , I’m always surprised that they’re allowed to take people’s money before the process is successfully completed but I’m a little slow so maybe I’m the only one with this opinion!

 I wish I an answer to help you! Sorry 😞

I don’t see how accounts can be managed anymore for those that can not do it themselves including Parents that don’t want their children in charge of their own accounts!

[gpixel]

I could see that as a security issue when using community accounts not linked to the actual self serve account especially with this new system. I would say threats of CCTS is a little overboard... there could be a new security protocol with the customer using their own community account that is tied to eversafe. I am onboard with this change. this also avoids customers creating fake community accounts and gaming the system with self solutions... this person averaged 2000 solutions per year.. if that ain't suspicious I don't know what is.

[makkahn28]

maximum_gato, If you try contacting a PM CSA, they would be able to assist you in rectifying this

[XionBunny]

The magical roundabout of bugs, best of luck on this adventure.

[softech]

@maximum_gato let us know how it goes.  I always find that part of the activation is confusing.  Saw so many post like your case

[maximum_gato]

@softech 

Nope I skipped that step thus maximum_gato being locked out most of the day because the nickname page wouldn't clear to allow login.

[softech]

@maximum_gato   but with this new EverSafe, single login for Community id/My Account, you have no choice not to activate community account

Since you are activating this new account for your friend, so already have access to your friend's Community account, don't you?

[maximum_gato]

@softech 

I generally do not activate community accounts for my referrals. I let them do that if they are tech savvy enough.....that way their privacy is kept intact. But that is my point and I have had to do it in order to get a non tech savvy referral customer support. Claiming it's for security reasons that the "account holder" contacts them is ridiculous as anyone can do that with the account info......everything on the account except the name is my info until the profile can be set up after accessing the account via the 2FA code.

We all know the Ozzy Osbourne's, Oprah Winfrey's and I.M. Pei's at public mobile don't actually reach out to customer support?

[softech]

@maximum_gato   why don't you use the same community account (the one activating the new line) to open ticket?

[maximum_gato]

@softech 

Other customers have certainly been able to open a community account to get support just not connected to their self serve account. It makes this response I recieved by a new CSA who replied to my explanation of the issue non-sensicle......

[softech]

---

@maximum_gato wrote:

But a community account can be opened but not verified via the first 2FA text but assuming you can via troubleshooting your way to an email 2FA code?

---

@maximum_gato  but that community account already verfied via email when first opened?  If so, even it cannot verified via sms (hence not fully linked to the new activation yet), it can still open ticket with support, right?

[maximum_gato]

@softech 

No porting at the moment just a new number. But a community account can be opened but not verified via the first 2FA text but assuming you can via troubleshooting your way to an email 2FA code?

[softech]

@maximum_gato   we saw problem a lot

honest, I think we really should start asking people to pick a new number first and port after so the issue would be less an issue

So, the porting seems completed?  the old carrier line no longer works? (if it still works, I wonder if the 2FA code will send over there.. or the 2FA code just send internally within PM network)

I  think at the moment, it is just sim card provisioning problem.   Once the sim is provisioned properly, you can get via this step

But without passing via this, you cannot access Community and open ticket?