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NOW LIVE: Improvements to the Get Started Page

Brooke_C
Retraité / Retired
Retraité / Retired

Hey Community,

 

We’re happy to share that this week we’ll be making some improvements to our Get Started webpage. These changes continue our journey to make your experience as clear and simple as possible!

 

Here is what’s new :

 

  • Updated Phone Compatibility Checker: Checking your phone’s compatibility with our network is now more accurate than ever

    • We’re updating the database we use to confirm whether your device is compatible with our network, providing you with more reliable results.
    • Like in the past version, it will be a 2-step process where you can check network compatibility, as well as if your phone is marked as lost or stolen. This makes sure you join us without a hitch!
    • We’ve partnered with willmyphonework.net  to make this improvement and, as a result, the new compatibility checker offers tons of phone brands and models that you can choose from. If you by chance can’t find your make and/ or model, provide feedback directly here.
  • New Store Locator Map: Finding the nearest Public Mobile retailer and payment voucher locations by you is easier

    • Now, you can find the store nearest to you under the ‘Buy a Public Mobile SIM card’ step. Simply enter your address, city or postal code, and select ‘Search’.
    • Looking for a store that sells payment vouchers or instant top ups? Scroll down to the bottom of this page, select payment vouchers, click on the company’s logo and it will take you to their store locator to find the one nearest you.
    • We recommend that you call the store in advance of  driving to a payment voucher location. Each store is responsible for their own availability, and it’s better to be safe than sorry!

 

  • Introducing Store Feedback Capability: Providing feedback on your store experience is simpler than ever  
    • We love hearing your feedback and take what you share to heart. As we continued to launch in more retail locations, we saw an increasing amount of feedback on your store experiences.
    • Now, you can leave a review of your store experience by selecting ‘Find a Store’ under step 2 on the Get Started  page or by selecting the option in the footer of our website. You can also access it here.

 

Let us know what you think by commenting below!

 

-Public Mobile Community Team  

 

77 REPLIES 77

Griffyn
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Hi GinYVR...I wasn't sure if I would be able to change the number once I created an account using the number I was given at Walmart...I thought that might be something only a moderator could do so I sent a PM to them and Carlos responded.  He didn't give me the information you gave me, he asked for my Bell account number and the phone number I want to have ported.  Waiting to hear back from him...which is probably a good thing cause I'm very technologically challenged (as you have probably guessed by now 🙂 )...I don't even know what you mean by "word porting".

 

Thanks again for always responding to my questions so fast!

@GriffynI am glad you made progress. You can "Port" / transfer a number any time you want by going to Plans and Add Ons -> Change Phone number.. you will be asked for your old phone number. Do type in your provider and word porting in the search box above to find the details on how long it takes etc.

 

Screen Shot 2019-06-12 at 10.31.24 AM.png

 

Griffyn
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Hi GinYVR....thanks for this.  I'll deal with that later.  My problem now is that I've set up my self-serve account with my new PM SIM card but when the screen asked for my phone number, I assumed it was the temporary one given to me when I bought the SIM card.  I thought at some point, I would be prompted to enter my old phone number which I want to use but that didn't happen.  How do I change the phone number now?  I hope it's not too late!

Thanks again for your help.

Hi @Griffyn You can turn off the gazillion emails from Public Mobile Community (ie this forum), by clicking on this link. Select everything as Never and click Save.. by default, you are being alerted by every change or response to your queries on this forum and it gets overwhelming. Click Save and you should be have a zen moment.

 

Screen Shot 2019-06-08 at 8.44.14 PM.png

 

 

Griffyn
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Hi z10user4...for now, it's fine...I needed answers to questions and you guys were kind enough to help.  Once I've officially signed up, I'll play around on the site to become more familiar with it.

Anonymous
Not applicable

@Griffyn wrote:

Sorry for the late reply to your response, pm-smayer97...I've got a gazillion e-mails in my Inbox from the Public Mobile Community!  I've lost track of all the responses!

 

I think on the 13th (first day of my Bell statement period), I'll try to set up an account here and get my phone number transferred from Bell.  If I encounter problems, I will then try to contact a moderator in the private message area in case I have to provide personal information.

 

Hope it works!  I'm anxious to become a member of the PM team!  In truth...it's more a matter of getting away from the stress that results with having to deal with Bell :).

 

Thanks again to all those who have given me information on how to get started.


You can turn off all those notification emails in your profile. I only have one for pm's.

Griffyn
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Sorry for the late reply to your response, pm-smayer97...I've got a gazillion e-mails in my Inbox from the Public Mobile Community!  I've lost track of all the responses!

 

I think on the 13th (first day of my Bell statement period), I'll try to set up an account here and get my phone number transferred from Bell.  If I encounter problems, I will then try to contact a moderator in the private message area in case I have to provide personal information.

 

Hope it works!  I'm anxious to become a member of the PM team!  In truth...it's more a matter of getting away from the stress that results with having to deal with Bell :).

 

Thanks again to all those who have given me information on how to get started.

Griffyn
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Oh, okay...it's just me so I can use my one and only e-mail address...so as not to confuse the issue even further.  Thanks LovesToPM.


@LovesToPM wrote:

@Griffyn wrote:

LovesToPM...what do you mean when you say a 'unique' email address?  I only have one email address.


If you or family member will sign-up with PM for another line, you will need to use a different (distinct) email address.


Actually, you only need a unique e-mail address for the self-serve account. You can get away with only one account in the community IF you are the one managing all the accounts (since all community rewards will get assigned to self-serve account matching the e-mail registered in the forum). 

 

You only need a unique e-mail address in the community (that matches the e-mail address used for self-serve IF each account holder wants to be able to earn community rewards independently).

 

All that said, some e-mail services allow you to create temp or sub- e-mail accounts that feed into your main e-mail inbox. For example, with gmail, there are several techniques, such as, adding a "." in the middle of your e-mail address or adding a "+text" in your e-mail sign-up and any e-mail directed to those will still get to your original e-mail.

 

For example, johnsmith@gmail.com can be john.smith@gmail.com or johnsmith+pm@gmail.com and the last two will still go to johnsmith@gmail.com.

 

You can also use @googlemail.com as a substitute for @gmail.com.

 

These are give you "new" unique e-mails that still go to your main inbox. Then you can also use filters or labels to group them.


@LovesToPM wrote:

@Griffyn wrote:

Okay, now I'm confused...I have separate accounts depending on what I'm doing??


I will attempt an explanation.

 

For each PM account, you will be assigned these at time of activation:
- a static account number
- 1 phone number (can be changed later / ported from another provider)
- 1 SIM Card (which can be replaced as needed)

 

The Self Serve account is one way (the main one) to view and make changes to your account. Just like dialing 611 is another way to access it. When creating your Self Serve account, you will be asked for an unique email address.


The Community forum account is a separate section of PM. It is used to ask questions and answer posts here. Linked via your email address, you can earn community participation rewards towards your PM account.


Actually to be more precise, if you want to earn community rewards, the e-mail you use to sign up for the community needs to be the same as the e-mail you use to sign into your sel-serve account. That is how PM knows which account to assign earned rewards each month. Otherwise, you lose any earned community rewards (since they cannot associate your 2 accounts, community and self-serve).


@Griffyn wrote:

Thanks trishe and GinYVR!!  You guys are so helpful!  GinYVR, you said you had to send your message twice...I actually got it 19 times!  Not sure what happened there.  

...


same here 😕


@GinYVR wrote:

@trishePublic Mobile moderators will not be able to unlock phones from other carriers. In your situation, the walmart representative is wrong. You didn't have to buy another phone. I am sure you can return your just purchased phone after unlocking your locked phone, you have up to 15 days according to the Consumer Rights for Mobile Phone.

 

Depending on what model of phone that is locked, you can easily go back to your previous carrier (assuming you still have an active account) ...

 


Actually, you do not need an active account with the previous carrier. You simply have to first ID which carrier it was then contact the technical support of that carrier and they do it. With Bell, they have been know to sometimes delay the process by several hours. 

 

For example, we were given an old iPhone from a friend. Called the carier and it was done within minutes.

Then bought another old iPhone from a second hand store. They told me which carrier it was previously locked to, called that carrier and again within minutes it was unlocked. 

The phones were not active with those carriers and I did not have plans with them either. 

It was really easy AND free.

 

iPhones are usually the most expensive to unlock via third party solutions but as you can see, you do not need to use them.


@Griffyn wrote:

LovesToPM...what do you mean when you say a 'unique' email address?  I only have one email address.


If you or family member will sign-up with PM for another line, you will need to use a different (distinct) email address.

Griffyn
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

LovesToPM...what do you mean when you say a 'unique' email address?  I only have one email address.

Griffyn
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Hi z10user4...okay, that makes more sense.  The 14-digit number does have a lot of zeros in it.  So no wonder I can't remember my password...I haven't set up my account yet!  And what GinYVR said makes sense too...I need option2...set up account.

 

Thanks guys!


@Griffyn wrote:

Okay, now I'm confused...I have separate accounts depending on what I'm doing??


I will attempt an explanation.

 

For each PM account, you will be assigned these at time of activation:
- a static account number
- 1 phone number (can be changed later / ported from another provider)
- 1 SIM Card (which can be replaced as needed)

 

The Self Serve account is one way (the main one) to view and make changes to your account. Just like dialing 611 is another way to access it. When creating your Self Serve account, you will be asked for an unique email address.


The Community forum account is a separate section of PM. It is used to ask questions and answer posts here. Linked via your email address, you can earn community participation rewards towards your PM account.

Griffyn
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Hi trishe....thought I'd come on and reply to your message.  Bell unlocked my phone with no problems.  I didn't buy a phone from Walmart, sorry if that's what I had implied.

Anonymous
Not applicable

@Griffyn wrote:

Okay, now I'm confused...I have separate accounts depending on what I'm doing??


That account number with all the zero's isn't used anywhere. I haven't ever ported out but maybe it's needed then.

Griffyn
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Okay, now I'm confused...I have separate accounts depending on what I'm doing??

@GriffynThe account number is their identification which ties you to your phone number, account information etc. The account you are creating is create login credentials so you can get into My Account / self serve and change plans / payment inforation and see usage information.

Griffyn
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

So which account does the number on my Walmart sheet refer to??  And if I type in my email address, will they ask me for my password or will I be creating one at that point?  I don't remember already setting up a password.  

@GriffynYou need to select option 2. The account they are referring to is the selfserve account.. which is your email / password login. You will need your public mobile sim card in your phone because they will send you a confirmation text.

Griffyn
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Thanks trishe and GinYVR!!  You guys are so helpful!  GinYVR, you said you had to send your message twice...I actually got it 19 times!  Not sure what happened there.  

Anyway, to clear up some of the confusion...I've been with Bell for 5 of the 24 months of my contract.  I realize I will have to pay the rest of the cost of the phone up front if I break the contract (they take off $9.60 every month I'm with them).  I crunched some numbers and, if I stay until June 13th, I will owe them $209.30 (tax incl) just for the phone which according to the contract was $239.99.  Add to that the monthly cost and the bill should be around $240...which I fully intend to pay since I always pay my bills.  I calculated how much I would have spent with Bell if I stayed with them for the remainder of the contract (another 19 months) and how much I would spend with PM for the same time period.  I included the cost of the phone in this calculation.  I will be out about 20 bucks...well worth it.  I then called Bell Support and spoke with 'Iggy" to confirm that me calculations to get out of the contract were correct and that there were no hidden fees of which I was unaware.  He said I was correct.  So my question was: will Public Mobile be able to pull my number if I still owe money to Bell?  I usually don't get a notification that the bill is ready for about 7 days after the statement period (May 13- June 12).  So if, on June 13th,  I go through the process of trying to change the temporary number given to me by the Walmart rep to the cell phone number  I have now, will I have problems?

Confusion #2:  With regards to my e-mail address not working.  The Walmart rep gave me a printout with information on it.  It has my activation number, my account number, my e-mail address and my payment information (my credit card has been charged for the first month...next payment due on July 6th).  It also says " Don't forget to set up Self Serve once your number is working."  So my quesiton wrt that is: where on the site do I go to do this?  Also, when I click on My Account, I get two options 1. Account Login, which doesn't work cause I don't have a password (not that I can remember, anyway) or 2. Need To Create An Account? which I don't think I do cause I already have an account number.  Is there anywhere on the site where I can type in the account number since trying to get in with my e-mail address doesn't seem to work?  

I have other questions but I think this message is long enough...sorry about the length!

 

Thanks again to everyone for trying to help!

 

 

 

 

 


@GinYVR wrote:

Hi @Griffyn Your message is a bit confusing but Public Mobile Community (this forum) is a seperate system from the My Account / selfserve . So each login should be different. If you have signed up for the Community, it doesn't mean you have signed up for Selfserve. AFAIK the Community only ask for password once during signup, but not the selfserve. Getting password reset on the community board does not reset the password on selfserve, vice versa.

 

At Walmart, you probably have been trying to sign up for My account / selfserve. Try doing it again, by clicking the link. Assuming you are reading this on a computer not the phone. Put in your Public Mobile SIM card in your phone. Enter the 10 digit Public phone number the representative had created for you when the link tells you to, then click Submit. A 6 digit number will be texted to you.

 

Another thing that would be especially useful to us fellow users of Public Mobile is can you post a screenshot of the titles of the email you received from Public Mobile like you had mentioned? It will help us understand what's going on and hopefully able to point you to the right direction

 

Do you have any documentation from the representative from Walmart? I suspect the representative has activated the Public mobile account for you today (not that you had hoped on the 13th) , since Public doesn't have a system to do a dated activation. You also need to have both accounts to be active in order to transfer your phone number from Bell to Public Mobile.

 

Since you mentioned your phone is a Samsung J3 in a previous message and the phone retails for $190.. You mentioned your contract is not up and need to pay a balance, pay close attention to the line items when you settle your final bill.. Since phone plans are a form of equipment leasing, there might be additional penalty and costs since you are breaking a contract. If the final settlement bill is larger than the inital cost of the phone, you might want to consider returning the phone back to Bell and start anew.

 

I typed this message once but it seemed to have disappeared into the ether.. just in case both appear in the system eventually.. it is because I had to do it twice!

 


 


@trishe wrote:

@pm-smayer97 wrote:

@trishe wrote:

tag@Moderator_Team


Moderators no longer respond to this tag. You need to write to them using a private message. 


Thanks. Another member suggested using the address without the tag... @CS_Agent 


Yes but it has to be sent via a private message, not in the public forum. In case you do not know, click the little envelope icon (above right) to go to the private messaging area.

@trishePublic Mobile moderators will not be able to unlock phones from other carriers. In your situation, the walmart representative is wrong. You didn't have to buy another phone. I am sure you can return your just purchased phone after unlocking your locked phone, you have up to 15 days according to the Consumer Rights for Mobile Phone.

 

Depending on what model of phone that is locked, you can easily go back to your previous carrier (assuming you still have an active account) or places on eBay to purchase an unlock code. Usually non iPhone unlock codes are under $5, older phones are $1. Do note if the phone was previously free under a plan that means you were leasing it from a carrier, make sure the phone is paid off. Even if you get an unlock code via a 3rd party and moved to another carrier, but lapsed on your lease payments, the carrier in question can still add the phone to the Canadian IMEI blacklist. Think of it as a modern day lien, except this one once it is on, it doesn't come off.

 

 


@trishe wrote:

@Griffyn wrote:

Thanks trishe....I'm trying to sign up with PM and the first step is to check for compatibility. So the first time I tried to check, my phone was still locked (I know nothing about cell phones).  I had Bell unlock it and tried again...same answer.  Then I came here to the forums to find out why the check couldn't be done.  That's when I started to get frustrated.  It seems a lot of people had the same problem but no where could I find an answer to the question...how do we now verify that our phone will work with the network?  So I joined PM in order to ask.  I was told to take the phone to Walmart to get them to do the check...which I can do, but not today cause there isn't one around the corner.  That's why I then asked if there was another site where I could check it on-line.

Thanks for your response, trishe!


Hi again Griffyn. The staff at Walmart might not be the only ones available to check.  There are announcements of new kiosks & London Drugs also has knowledgeable staff.  I had problems today helping a friend get into public mobile.  His phone would not unlock & the SIM Cards are no longer free.  I will try to link you to a moderator or somebody from public mobile who can answer your question. Unfortunately we spent almost a whole day7 hours, in Walmart today with only one busy phonevtech there.  After buying the SIM & minutes they are non refundable.  When his phone would not unlock the salesperson told him he would have to buy another phone.  He instead bought a chatter that is compatible with Rogers & Fido phones.  Bell uses Telus towers like public mobile does.  There should therefore not be a comparability issue. Did you say the unlock code from Bell did work on your phone?




Hi @Griffyn Your message is a bit confusing but Public Mobile Community (this forum) is a seperate system from the My Account / selfserve . So each login should be different. If you have signed up for the Community, it doesn't mean you have signed up for Selfserve. AFAIK the Community only ask for password once during signup, but not the selfserve. Getting password reset on the community board does not reset the password on selfserve, vice versa.

 

At Walmart, you probably have been trying to sign up for My account / selfserve. Try doing it again, by clicking the link. Assuming you are reading this on a computer not the phone. Put in your Public Mobile SIM card in your phone. Enter the 10 digit Public phone number the representative had created for you when the link tells you to, then click Submit. A 6 digit number will be texted to you.

 

Another thing that would be especially useful to us fellow users of Public Mobile is can you post a screenshot of the titles of the email you received from Public Mobile like you had mentioned? It will help us understand what's going on and hopefully able to point you to the right direction

 

Do you have any documentation from the representative from Walmart? I suspect the representative has activated the Public mobile account for you today (not that you had hoped on the 13th) , since Public doesn't have a system to do a dated activation. You also need to have both accounts to be active in order to transfer your phone number from Bell to Public Mobile.

 

Since you mentioned your phone is a Samsung J3 in a previous message and the phone retails for $190.. You mentioned your contract is not up and need to pay a balance, pay close attention to the line items when you settle your final bill.. Since phone plans are a form of equipment leasing, there might be additional penalty and costs since you are breaking a contract. If the final settlement bill is larger than the inital cost of the phone, you might want to consider returning the phone back to Bell and start anew.

 

I typed this message once but it seemed to have disappeared into the ether.. just in case both appear in the system eventually.. it is because I had to do it twice!

 

trishe
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

@pm-smayer97 wrote:

@trishe wrote:

tag@Moderator_Team


Moderators no longer respond to this tag. You need to write to them using a private message. 


Thanks. Another member suggested using the address without the tag... @CS_Agent 


@trishe wrote:

tag@Moderator_Team


Moderators no longer respond to this tag. You need to write to them using a private message. 

trishe
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

tag@Moderator_Team

trishe
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

@Griffyn wrote:

Thanks trishe....I'm trying to sign up with PM and the first step is to check for compatibility. So the first time I tried to check, my phone was still locked (I know nothing about cell phones).  I had Bell unlock it and tried again...same answer.  Then I came here to the forums to find out why the check couldn't be done.  That's when I started to get frustrated.  It seems a lot of people had the same problem but no where could I find an answer to the question...how do we now verify that our phone will work with the network?  So I joined PM in order to ask.  I was told to take the phone to Walmart to get them to do the check...which I can do, but not today cause there isn't one around the corner.  That's why I then asked if there was another site where I could check it on-line.

Thanks for your response, trishe!


Hi again Griffyn. The staff at Walmart might not be the only ones available to check.  There are announcements of new kiosks & London Drugs also has knowledgeable staff.  I had problems today helping a friend get into public mobile.  His phone would not unlock & the SIM Cards are no longer free.  I will try to link you to a moderator or somebody from public mobile who can answer your question. Unfortunately we spent almost a whole day7 hours, in Walmart today with only one busy phonevtech there.  After buying the SIM & minutes they are non refundable.  When his phone would not unlock the salesperson told him he would have to buy another phone.  He instead bought a chatter that is compatible with Rogers & Fido phones.  Bell uses Telus towers like public mobile does.  There should therefore not be a comparability issue. Did you say the unlock code from Bell did work on your phone?

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