Public Mobile Retail Launch: SIM cards now at Walmart!

[Jeremy_M]

Hey Community,

We have some exciting news for you!  

We’re pleased to announce that our SIM cards will now be available to purchase at over 350 Walmart locations across Canada.

Our retail launch aligns with the feedback and ideas that were shared through our Public Lab and Community. We would like to thank the following community members for their contribution.

Community Username:	Idea title and URL:
@Luddite	SIMS in Retail Stores
@pckku	SIM card pickup depots New SIM card delivery options
@infielder6	Vending machine for SIM cards
@prasprime	SIM distribution/pick up center in big cities

With this announcement, SIM pricing has also changed -  all SIM’s bought online or in Walmart stores will now cost $10 plus applicable provincial taxes.

Soon, we will also have a dedicated category in the Community where you can ask and discuss all things retail. If you visit a Walmart store, share your experience with us.

FAQ:

Will I still be able to purchase a SIM online?	Yes, and you can do so by clicking here
In which location or aisle in Walmart can I find Public Mobile SIM cards?	Visit the Electronics department, typically located in the back of the store.
Will you also be selling top-up vouchers at Walmart stores?	We are working to launch this as soon as possible.
Will there be other retail stores selling SIM cards in the near future?	Stay tuned - you’ll be the first to know if there are.
Is there a Walmart store locator on the Public Mobile website?	No, but you can find the nearest location by visiting Walmart’s website.
Will I be able to get account support at Walmart stores?	No, all account support is online via our awesome Community.

[More_Chaos]

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@pwrdesign wrote:

Reality is..  the support on here is horrendous...

PM needs a phone app which will handle Self-Serve Capabilities as well as Community forum access all in one.  Including a Support section to help newbies contact moderators easier and check FAQs quicker...

Also would have a dashboard when opened that shows you your current usage for data, addons and more...

Why this hasnt been done already shows a lack of consideration to the average customer.

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@pwrdesign

I know the mobile app is already in the Idea section of the forum, but have you checked to see if these other suggestions are? If not, maybe start a new idea thread.

[More_Chaos]

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@xCameron94x wrote:

Its a bit better. You dont have to 'buy out" of your contract if you owe a balance on your phone, ect. Even if you pay off your tab before leaving, you're still spending more money just to get out of that contract. You can argue that most people are still using locked phones and dont know the benefits really of an unlocked phone. I havent been on a contract for years, but isn't there also an early cancellation fee, on top of paying off the tab?

And you can technically leave PM whenever. you're not really locked in for x amount of days, you just wont get your money back so you can take a loss there as well

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@xCameron94x

It's been a while since I've been on contract, but I believe the early cancellation fee depends on how early in your contract you're cancelling, but doesn't apply after you've passed X amount of months, after that is usually $x/month remaining on your contract. I paid out of a Rogers contract many many years ago.

[jshmeek]

If my billing date on a 90 day plan is tomorrow, and I pay it, I have service for 90 days. If a week or two into that period a limited time offer comes up on another carrier and I port my number, I obviously lose the remainder of my service, unlike postpaid it isn't prorated.

[More_Chaos]

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@jshmeek wrote:

That's just the thing, though. You have to wait 30 or 90 days without losing your balance. If you wait, chances are the good promo deal will be history.

I see that as a negative, not a positive.

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@jshmeek

What do you mean?

[More_Chaos]

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@Raven_Jet wrote:
SIM cards are getting more expensive. I remember the last one I bought before switching to PM was $20 before tax!!!

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@Raven_Jet

Oh my! Where did you get it? Most stores go for $10 + tax...

[SD08]

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@canucks4life wrote:

Has there been any word if these Walmart locations are selling payment vouchers as well?

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From the OP:

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/Public-Mobile-Retail-Launch/m-p/170588/...

Question: Will you also be selling top-up vouchers at Walmart stores?
Answer: We are working to launch this as soon as possible.

[canucks4life]

Has there been any word if these Walmart locations are selling payment vouchers as well?

[Rockdaddy22]

Just saying lol

I was going to say it lol

[torontokris]

I guess that should say 65% of the sims were not being used. 100-35% = 65% not 75%

Not a big deal just saying.

[Raven_Jet]

That's a good reason to price it.

[PhoneSeeker]

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@Luddite wrote:

Sorry, I completely DISAGREE with the pricing! 

$10 is not no frills. The best that can be said is that PM is not leading prices higher just following. SIM cards in the England are still FREE mailed to your door at some carriers.

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PM used to send SIM cards completely free, I got mine for free but didn't activate it until the 12 GB promo a few months later. They stopped because 65% of the SIM cards were not being activated.

See link: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/Seeing-our-SIM-cards-waste-away-made-us...

"We felt that we needed to make the change! We were sending out 1000's of SIMs and only 35% of those SIM cards were activated. That’s a lot of waste. There is something to be said about having a bit of skin in the game, so we’ve chosen to charge a small $5 fee per SIM card with no rebate to encourage you to only order SIM cards that you need. We appreciate your support in helping us reduce SIM card waste. We don’t like seeing little SIMon and SIMone tossed aside in your living room, or your car or closet, and especially not outside. It’s just so sad."

[smp99]

I don't mind the price of the SIM. 

But they could have introduced a $10 credit for new account signups thereby offsettng the cost of the account. Koodo does this for its Prepaid service. Small price to pay for garanteed revenue return.

And we would have eliminated 8 pages of complaining. 

[pwrdesign]

Exactly...  double the price in store and online to protect the store purchases...  should at least offer a credit of some form towards service when doing something like this.

[pwrdesign]

Long enough to know I had to wait days before getting responses...

[Raven_Jet]

I've never had any trouble with customer service. Every time I had issues it was solved very quickly.

Thank you PM!

[Rockdaddy22]

Obviously you haven't been here long. Customer service is usually handled within minutes to hours. Yes during super hot promos, it's been terrible.

[pwrdesign]

Reality is..  the support on here is horrendous...

PM needs a phone app which will handle Self-Serve Capabilities as well as Community forum access all in one.  Including a Support section to help newbies contact moderators easier and check FAQs quicker...

Also would have a dashboard when opened that shows you your current usage for data, addons and more...

Why this hasnt been done already shows a lack of consideration to the average customer.

[Rockdaddy22]

Ok, I think if you showed her how to PM a mod once she could handle it. As a good boyfriend I truly feel you should try and talk her out of it. Like I said before, it's self serve, so once activated you should rarely need support. I hate all these changes as much as the next person, but if you're already here, I don't understand leaving. I must reiterate that it's self serve, she could even change her own number and many other thing, as you obviously know. I can't believe she only stayed because of Facebook and Twitter support. Maybe it's just my distain for Facebook lol I guess twitters cool, never used it.

[TheOldVR]

@Rockdaddy22 lol... it wasn't all for dramatic effect.

I am actually serious about moving her away. Decision is easy... 

1. She went through a bad, extended transition over to PM
2. She doesn't want to exclusively rely on me for support all the time (Insert Destiny's Child, Independant Woman song here)
3. She found a plan that doesn't cost too much more that offers what she wants including additional support channels

So all that in - it looks like I'm losing my referral credit .

Either way, her leaving is just one client so not a big deal in the grand scheme of things....

Anyhow - Have a good day mate, looks like it's gonna be hot with some heavy rain here in Toronto today.

[Rockdaddy22]

You must be kidding about your girlfriend, or being dramatic. The referrals I get, I lost a couple potential ones. How often do you really need to contact support on a self serve network? Couldn't you do it for her, or show her how to send a private message to a mod, doesn't make sense, sorry.

[TheOldVR]

@imm1304 appreciate the note. I wish PM would have had the Oracles up to speed as the recent announcements came out to help with messaging... even if everyone didn't agree with the changes. Oracles deserve a more considering the time you all contribute towards the success of PM.

@Rockdaddy22 - agreed regarding the SIM pricing. For me the conversation is not just about the SIM pricing, it's about the combination of all recent announcements including:

1. Reduced access points for service
2. New plan/pricing structures
3. New distribution and pricing model for SIM cards

I know each of the above items can be debated for positive or negative effect, but the changes have had an immediate result for me. I had three referrals that were coming over next week for non-promo plans.... now, all three are no longer coming to PM. Also, I'll be moving my GF away from PM as she won't be able to deal with only being able to access support through a web forum.

@Jeremy_M - I'm going to stop talking about the whole #LessForMore thing now and go back to trying to help others where I can. Hope the feedback of the Oracles and Community (positive and negative) are well received.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

[Rockdaddy22]

I guess I should be clear. I don't mind $10 sims at Walmart, but if it has anything at all to do with raising plan prices, then I'm totally against it, same goes for the marketing campaign. For online sim orders, I'd like to see them stay at $5 but it wouldn't include tracking, it would be shipped with a stamp.

[shartomjam]

A step forward making Sims available in Walmart, followed by at least a step (maybe two) backwards by doubling the price.  This, in combination with the new plans, is certainly not going to have new customers rushing to Walmart to buy a Sim.  Let's see how long Walmart will stock these if sales don't happen.

[imm1304]

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@TheOldVR wrote:

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@Rockdaddy22 wrote:
I'm ok with this I guess 😐

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Agreed!

Unfortunately that's a weak support statement from an Oracle... which by my count totals two Oracles who are not overly excited over these changes.

All good, and I agree completely (just with a stronger negative position).... I just would have thought that the Oracles would have been in the know on something like this.

Guess I was wrong!

VR

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News to all of us @TheOldVR.  2 managed to voice their opinion earlier.  I love the idea of sim cards being more conveniently available at retail stores but it would be safe to say that no one is excited about the price increase.  However, we understand that Walmart wouldn't carry the sim cards for free knowing that there isn't any more money to be made besides just selling the sim card.    

PM is also following the rest of the carriers and charging more for the sim cards because everyone else does  ...

[pakmode]

Good news indeed. 

[kav2001c]

@mimmo you mean the promo plan that expires as of July 31st? Public runs promos every year too.

I used to have a plan with 400 minutes back in 2012

Every carrier is unlimited minutes today

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@mimmo wrote:

@kav2001c  don't forget zoomer 

current promos: 

• 1gb , 400min canadawide $36
•  2gb, 500min canadawide $40.5
• =2.5gb , 600min canadawide$45

2 year term + device

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[Acekiller]

Good to see that it is more accessible to get a sim card.

Bad to see the high price of it.

[Noosiekins]

proves my point that I posted over on the other "announcement"... Plan price hiked to pay for the retail display.

[TheOldVR]

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@Rockdaddy22 wrote:
I'm ok with this I guess 😐

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Agreed!

Unfortunately that's a weak support statement from an Oracle... which by my count totals two Oracles who are not overly excited over these changes.

All good, and I agree completely (just with a stronger negative position).... I just would have thought that the Oracles would have been in the know on something like this.

Guess I was wrong!

VR

[Rockdaddy22]

Then you're not locked in anywhere if you're willing to take a loss. I don't believe there's any fee for paying off a tab early.