Activation charge

[shahriarcmc]

Just bought a sim card and activated it from green mobile, parkway mall. they charged me 15 CAD for the activation of my sim card. i told them that as far as i know there is no activation charge but they denied it. they also told me that I will get 2 GB bonus for the next 6 months. but still, no bonus is added. What to do now??

[computergeek541]

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@Anonymous wrote:

 @computergeek541 : Was there supposed to be a "not" in that first sentence?

Yes, my message was typed incorrectly.

[Anonymous]

@darlicious 

i do agree with you
i understand that and i hope the public mobile Team will be fixed...

[darlicious]

@Anonymous 

This where you are mistaken. Of course we cannot credit the OP but we can help the customer. We can advise, inform and advocate for them. Together our indignation and our voices of protest can help change pm's>>>telus's acceptance of shady business practices by its "licensed" retailers. Without our help contacting customer support will only illicit a reply of "I'm sorry but we have no control over extra fees charged by independent mobile resellers." Which is true there is very little a CSA can actually do in this situation. Sad but true.

[darlicious · Accepted solution]

@z10user4 

What really bothers me about these type of "licensed" vendors whose retail locations are covered in telus and koodo marketing media present themselves to the consumer as the actual provider. Without knowing the actual contractual side of the business a customer assumes they can trust that they will get honest, straightforward, satisfaction guaranteed services from their mobile providers parent company. I think everyone expects that when they walk into a large retail location and sign up for a prepaid or postpaid monthly service be it tv, internet, mobile, landline and/or other similar home utility services such as hydro/electricity, natural gas, heating oil etc...

Consumers as a whole are much more leery if they choose the mom and pop shop, the cell phone repair guy kiosk ,the strip mall store on a busy highway or the guy off craigslist offering a free sim card  when signing up and oh by the way I sell secondhand cell phones. Our spidey sense is tingling in these situations as it was when we first discovered CCS. We immediately suspect something is up.  Why are the sim cards so cheap? A sale on vouchers? First month discounts and free shipping? This is too good to be true?!!

Instead CCS and others like them ( well CCS is unique and truly awesome) turn out to be honest hard working small business owners that often go above and beyond to provide you with excellent customer service and satisfactory services from the provider they resell. They understand that repeat business, reputation and word of mouth drive their businesses vs a quick buck and quantity over quality.

Overwhelming when new customers come to the community and question the jacked up price they paid for a sim card or the activation fee they paid when they signed up for public mobile they say " I went to the koodo or the telus store."(Lol or walmart.) They don't say "I went to a seedy little store on the downtown east side where the drug dealer in the red hoodie hangs outs by..." And telus condones the business practices of these "licensed" retailers who represent telus and it's subsidiaries. Telus/koodo/pm have been swift in the past to pull their retail partnership agreements or punish an independent small business if they blatantly rip off, scam or misrepresent the brand.

But despite @Alan_K  efforts in the past to get "koodo" stores and others to stop charging outrageous fees, lying about customers options or current promotions and their employees using their personal referral codes to "give" a new pm customer a $10 account credit as a gesture of good will or bait and switch the referral code the customer legitimately gives the salesperson......telus continues to allow this to happen. These unsavoury and unethical business practices are allowed to run rampant. In any other business if an employee pulled these kind of manoeuvres for the sake of sale commissioned or otherwise they would be fired and the business would do right by the customer in order to save or maintain their business reputation.

This grey area unfortunately is not covered by the CCTS or the WCC. Maybe it should be....instead the customer can only hope to seek redress thru the BBB or the provider themselves. When telus touts its #1 in the industry customer satisfaction ratings and quotes it's CCTS statistics of the least complaints filed by customers seeking resolution obviously these kind of incidents reported by the OP are not included in those numbers.

For a newcomer to Canada ( 2 days here!) @shahriarcmc  did their research. They came to the pm community website and used the store locator and choose the nearest retailer to them in a large mall and found green mobile....a bright, clean ( and slick) large mobility store covered in telus and koodo marketing materials and advertising with shiny brochures and expensive phones, plans and contracts and offers on display.

They knew what they wanted and were aware of the current promotions (much more so than either myself or @z10user4 were when we signed up.) They asked all the right questions and questioned the responses by the saleslady but like a used car salesman she sold the OP down the river and with her lies and the reputation of Canadians being honest and kind and telus being the best mobile provider in Canada. I'm sure eyeing a cash transaction emboldened the saleslady into the hard sell in order to doubledip the sales commission.

I phoned this retail location and I'm quite sure I spoke to this same saleslady. I asked the right questions and she was very convincing. She even added at the end that to make up for the activation fee green mobile would give me a $10 account credit to help cover part of the activation fee charged by the provider. Once I set up my account the $10 credit would just appear.....thanks to the generosity of green mobile! 

I will say this again to @Alan_K  and @Jade_S as management at public mobile this is also your reputations on the line as you represent telus as well as this "licensed" retailer does and you both should consider whether you find this acceptable business practise. I certainly don't but I refer customers to public mobile so in effect it's my reputation on the line so I'm willing to advocate for the OP to right this wrong and challenge you to get telus crack down on these shady business practices. In effect I'm risking my free services and all of my referrals cheap phone bills. Your insistence may put your jobs on the line or that inevitable promotion to the big leagues....telus.

It's important to remember that without satisfied customers you don't have a viable business and without that you don't have a job. And really do you want public mobile to be put in the same category as Rogers and fido? You can't get any lower than the gutter and I have never considered telus to ever be anywhere near robbers and their bad dogs but rather like myself steer well clear of them and stay on the right side of tracks at all times....reputation intact and uncompromising in service.

[Anonymous]

@shahriarcmc 

as i told you on my original post, no one can help you in here you have to Contact Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent , 

[Anonymous]

 @Yummy : The in-store promo is/was 6 months. The "forever" one is/was online activations.

Yes the OP paid too much for the SIM and paid an activation fee and then lied to about their questions. A thoroughly bad vendor.

[Yummy]

Retail can charge whatever they are pleased. 'Activation' charge of $15 is plain ripoff f!!!

If you activated when PM had promo of 2GB data, this is NOT for 6 months only but recurring.

When you create your PM account, sign up for autopay - you will get $2 off of every bill.

I guess you come across really shady business model.

[Anonymous]

 @computergeek541 : Was there supposed to be a "not" in that first sentence?

The OP is a newcomer/visitor/tourist/student that didn't know all these ins and outs. Their primary question was when to get the 2gb bonus.

The rest turned out to be a shamozzle of a rip off by the vendor.

[computergeek541]

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@shahriarcmc wrote:

Just bought a sim card and activated it from green mobile, parkway mall. they charged me 15 CAD for the activation of my sim card. i told them that as far as i know there is no activation charge but they denied it. they also told me that I will get 2 GB bonus for the next 6 months. but still, no bonus is added. What to do now??

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Public Mobile has stated before that they do not set pricing of retail locations when it comes to SIM cards or other service fees.  Unfortuantely, your only real option was to reject the charge while you were at the store and walk away. 

As to being told that cutomers who activate at the store get the same promotion compared to online activations, that's incorrect information given by the retailer.

[pkaraa]

contact CSA here 

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/22437

to create a ticket.

[hTideGnow]

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@shahriarcmc wrote:

according to the pm website, this is the nearest shop to me. I told them about self-activation, but they replied that I will get the same offers from them.

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@shahriarcmc 

if this is true, you have a strong case that this agent is being dishonest and you are misinformed.

[darlicious]

@shahriarcmc 

Let's see what @J_PM  has to say about it tomorrow and if she reaches out to you by private message ( I sent you one.)  I will have a good think about what your course of action should be vs the effort pm puts into rectifying the very obvious wrongs that have taken place. This is very unCanadian behavior and an embarrassment to not just pm but our nation. Simply unacceptable.

[shahriarcmc]

according to the pm website, this is the nearest shop to me. I told them about self-activation, but they replied that I will get the same offers from them.

[shahriarcmc]

cash

[Anonymous]

 @shahriarcmc : There was an online promo as well but you needed to activate it yourself. They lied about other stores charging an activation fee. Some do. Some don't. The SIM should have been $10. You kinda got hosed. But I'm not sure what you can do about it.

[darlicious]

@shahriarcmc 

Did you pay cash or credit?

[shahriarcmc]

they just lied to me. i told them that the sim cost should be 10 cad and there is no activation fee as far as I know. the salesperson informed me that it's not possible anywhere. i asked her about 2 gb offer for an indefinite time, she told me that it's for 6 months only and this offer is the same as the online offer. I landed in Canada 2 days back, so I don't have enogh info about these issues.

[darlicious]

@shahriarcmc 

What a rip! From an authorized koodo dealer. Why am I not surprised? Unfortunately these issues have come up in the past and whereas pm used to help defer these greedy charges with a credit they no longer do so since telus doesn't mind having unscrupulous shady koodo partners.

Were you informed of the extra charges ahead of time like I was on the phone with that location a few minutes ago? If so then you agreed to them there is very little you can do or pm will do for you. The retail promotion is an extra 2gb of bonus monthly plan data for 6 months only. 

Did you give them a referral code? For the $10 bonus referral credit? Or did they offer you a $10 account credit to defer part of the cost of the activation fee?

@J_PM 

I am fully aware of my crusade with @Alan_K over this type business practice by some koodo dealerships that is fully sanctioned by telus as acceptable salesmanship to rip off pm customers despite advertising that pm has no activation fees, overages or extra billing. Perhaps as a gesture of goodwill towards the OP pm will apply the indefinite 2gb bonus reoccurring plan data to at least make up for the shoddy customer service they received by these so called representatives of the telus/koodo/pm brand.

[Anonymous]

 @shahriarcmc : That place is bad. The SIM's are usually $10. Some places will even give it to you if you activate with them. The activation charge isn't entirely unheard of but still a bit of a rip.

If they properly put in the promo code that they talked about then you should be eligible...so that should turn out alright.

So lesson learned on the extras. Give things a couple few days to get the data. At that time then you could get it added.

[shahriarcmc]

Green Mobile - Park Way Mall

[hairbag1]

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@shahriarcmc wrote:

Total 73.45 cad. 15 cad for sim + 15 cad for activation + 35 cad + HST 8.45 cad.

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Once you've created your PM account, send a message to Customer Support Agent and plead your case. They might give you the data...I dunno but worth asking. Don't be surprised if your request is rejected though. Give it a try.

Welcome to Public Mobile.

edit...BTW, where did you go that it cost so much. Please let us know so we can warn others.

[shahriarcmc]

Total 73.45 cad. 15 cad for sim + 15 cad for activation + 35 cad + HST 8.45 cad.

[hairbag1]

@shahriarcmc...here's the details of the bonus data. You need to read it carefully to make sure you've complied with all requirements in order to be eligable for the 2GB of data...

How to Get this Offer: 

1. Submit your email address here
2. Receive the promo code via email 
3. Activate on any plan $35 or higher online by September 22 using the promo code to redeem this offer.

Offer Details:

• Activate on any plan $35 or more using the promo code by September 22 and get a free 2GB recurring data bonus 
• Offer available to new customers who activate online.
• 2GB recurring data bonus will be applied to activations on $35, $40,  $50 and $70 rate plans with the use of the promo code. Offer excludes $15 and $25 rate plans. Bonus data will expire if the account becomes inactive or the rate plan is changed. 
• Please note it may take up to 2 business days for bonus data to be applied. 
• This promotion is not stackable with other in-market offers.

[Anonymous]

 @shahriarcmc : A store can charge whatever they like for a service. But what all did you pay to get out the door?

[Anonymous]

@shahriarcmc 

Free activation, go back and talk to manager store,

Explain your issue to Contact Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent ,
they can solve your issue, they are nice Service Team they will help you 100%.

Here’s How To Contact Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent,

• you can send a private message to Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent, by Click Here link,
• You’ll need to be logged in to your Community account for the link to work.

• please include in your message,
  
• your account number, 
  
• your phone number,
• your account 4 digit pin,
• your Email address,

• Customer Support Agent by CS_Agent, will Response to your inbox by private message 
• During business hours, we strive to answer customer messages swiftly. You will often get an answer within an hour. During peak periods, you may need to wait up to 48 hours.Customer Support Agents are available:
  • Monday to Sunday: 6 AM to 10 PM EST
  
  Check your private message inbox (click on the envelope top right of your screen)

         Good Luck...

[hTideGnow]

@shahriarcmc   I will try to make a complain with PM. 

Open a ticket with PM about your "good" experience you had with this retailer.    Also ask them if any chance they can help to change the promo to reoccurring.  Keep in mind that it is not suppose to happen and you are just asking for a favour.  Maybe PM will understand your situation (paid $30  for activation and getting a lot less than what you should)

To open a ticket with Customer Support Agent, click on the Bubble or directly at : https://publicmobile.ca/chatbot
Enter your question in SIMon. Follow the prompts until you reach the Contact Us button,

If you have problems submitting a ticket, you can also send a private message to CS_Agents (but this can take longer):
https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

Keep checking your Community inbox after the ticket is opened as PM will reply and exchange messages with you there.

Good Luck and tell us how it goes

[shahriarcmc]

they charged me 15 cad for the sim and 15 cad for activation. do i need to activate again to get 2 gb bonus data?? i dont know whether they have added that promo code during activation or not. Thanks.

[t_p]

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@shahriarcmc wrote:

Just bought a sim card and activated it from green mobile, parkway mall. they charged me 15 CAD for the activation of my sim card. i told them that as far as i know there is no activation charge but they denied it. they also told me that I will get 2 GB bonus for the next 6 months. but still, no bonus is added. What to do now??

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PM doesn't have any control over what retailers want to charge extra.

[hTideGnow]

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@shahriarcmc wrote:

Just bought a sim card and activated it from green mobile, parkway mall. they charged me 15 CAD for the activation of my sim card. i told them that as far as i know there is no activation charge but they denied it. they also told me that I will get 2 GB bonus for the next 6 months. but still, no bonus is added. What to do now??

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Retails can charge anything for the SIM itself and the "activation fee".  but many places will give it out for free as they got money from PM for activation.  As far as I know, even they charge for the SIM , many places will only charge $10. 

So, this Parkway store earned both $15 from you and the activation charge from PM.

In terms of the 2GBBonus, you should see it within 2 business days.  But did you get $35 plan and above?  If so, you should have activated yourself.   Online activation will get you reoccurring 2GBBONUS, not just 6 months.  

[Anonymous]

 @shahriarcmc : The bonus should show up in a couple days.