How STUPID is this when you lose or have phone stolen

[braeluke1]

Public Mobile CHATBOT tells you to LOGIN to your account to deactivate or make any changes to your phone while its lost/stolen..

THE PROBLEM...... You need your phone to receive the text code to login to your account......

Seriously, when it comes to stupid being ultimate stupid, this wins 1st place......

[daddydee]

I have the option to get the verification via email. That should circumvent a lost/stolen phone scenario

[Pvkom26]

Had the same problem when transferring my phone number. The transfer didn’t go through but the site, knowing that I paid for new eSIM ten minutes ago, was already demanding the code from text message (which I was unable to receive). 

Help from community is cool but I feel bad for less experienced folks who spent probably hours trying to find hotline phone number or convince a rather useless chatbot to help them. Also the fact that you can log in to the community without being able to log in to the main site is something that isn’t particularly obvious. 

[maximum_gato]

@dust2dust 

Does it need the account or just the phone? Swap your Sim cards and test?

[dust2dust]

@maximum_gato- But the scenario here is no phone/sim and no way to access the email which could also be guarded by a 2fa. So this situation needs the phone/account to have been enabled for volte to work. It's a good last ditch attempt at gaining access but it has that proviso now.

[maximum_gato]

@dust2dust 

Well would you look at that we learned something new today.....and likely retain it for future reference. 😃🥂😀👍🐈‍⬛😉

[maximum_gato]

@dust2dust 

So if needed a customer could borrow a phone enabled for VoLTE and put their sim card in it to recieve a voicemail message verification code. An unlikely scenario but stranger workarounds exist.....so you never know when it may help someone?

[dust2dust]

@maximum_gato- Yup, that's what it is. Another victim of the severely restrictive volte deal here. A phone that can perfectly well do volte but they don't want to enable it. Yet another feature that they don't let me use but I'm paying for, the same as call forwarding, which seems related to this code to voicemail problem.
My other phone that has volte worked exactly as you say. So that's a pretty darn fine option for people needing to get in to another account without the phone or email access. Then you only need the voicemail pin. Which could be argued is its own security risk. I used airplane mode for the test.
All IF the phone/account itself is enabled for volte.

[maximum_gato]

@dust2dust 

Hmmm.....VoLTE related? I did use the VoLTE enabled moto phone. I'll test again the next time I need to log into my A3 account and see if I get the same result?

[dust2dust]

@maximum_gato- No. No volte so no call forwarding. All defaults appear in the settings. The call forward no answer and the call forward unavailable will have been triggered in the testing. The voicemail otherwise works as normal. But if it works for you then it obviously seems my account or phone are somehow different. And to be clear, I do get the voice message with the code if I answer the phone. Just doesn't land in the voicemail.

[maximum_gato]

@dust2dust 

Killed 2 birds with one stone.....

I chose "didn't get code" and send voice message. Message was recieved but the message had the first utterance of the verification code cut off but the repeat of the Code was sufficient. Do you have any of your default call forwarding programmed to go elsewhere?

[maximum_gato]

@dust2dust 

OK I will report back after my bike ride as I'm sure I will be prompted to enter the 2FA code to sign back into the community.

[dust2dust]

@maximum_gato- No. Tried the fake codes and got the 3 choices (I had the 3 anyway), chose voice message, no saved voicemail. Tried airplane mode, same. My voicemail works normally otherwise.

[maximum_gato]

@dust2dust 

See my edit above.

Edit:

Oops ...lol...my edit in the other thread.

[dust2dust]

@maximum_gato- For some unknown to me reason, that didn't work. It didn't leave its message. I tried logging in, I clicked didn't get code, I clicked voice message or whatever, it called my number, I let it ring, it stopped, I waited, no voicemail indicator, dialed in with the 4001 number, no voicemail with a code.

[maximum_gato]

@braeluke1 

For future reference.....

If you chose the voice option the 2FA code is left on the voicemail. Of course you need to call your number immediately and enter "*" followed by the voicemail pin code. You can then retrieve the 2FA code left as a voice message. The 6 digit code is repeated as often the first digit is cut off at the beginning of the message. Then immediately delete the message.**

To recieve the 2FA code via email you need to first reset the password using the email option to recieve the code.* You then login using the new password which will initially send the 2FA code via text message. You can then either try the resend option ( which I just learned recently will work but I haven't tried it yet) or enter 4×incorrect 6 digit codes in quick succession which will trigger the email option to appear.

*The password only needs to be reset one time for this option to be used for future logins using this troubleshooting method.

**This option will not work if the account is suspended for nonpayment however I have not tested since the eversafe introduction if voicemail still works when lost/stolen is used during an active 30 day cycle (voicemail used to still work.)

[braeluke1]

My complaint was a fair one.
Apparently not all accounts got properly updated during an update awhile back.

My stepdad lost his phone and I had no way of retrieving his account.

The only option I had was to receive a text message or voice message to get into the account which is obviously completely useless when you don’t have the phone.

There was no option to receive a link via email to get into the account.

No “Did not receive code” option to be able to select by “email”.

 As I titled it one of the stupidest things I have ever seen and as frustrating as hell when there is zero direct customer service help. 
One of the people on the forum gave me the customer service link and a representative has already got back to me looking after my problems by locking the account and removing automatic billing.

All is good now because I only had the small data and 100 minutes per month plan so I was concerned with someone abusing it….. 

was a number of people helping so thanks to everyone… definitely a head scratcher for a few of us when we did not have the same menus to choose from as a few could not figure out why I didn’t just pick retrieval by email —— lolol,, i did not have that as an option….

[dust2dust]

Wait...how fair is it that we all don't get to see the original message that was responded to by the "complainant"? But we see the response to that. This is not fair. Remove all of the interaction or leave it all. That's fair.

[softech]

@Chalupa_Batman 

first, there is really no need to call out others even you don't agree their answers.  i see that what we doing now, support others with their service issue, is like how doctors help patients.  Different doctors could have different views or different approaches, no need to challenge others

As to why Send email option is not there, it indicates that the account was not fully setup and validated with EverSafe

So, in this case, the OP does not see the Send Email option and @mojorising did provide OP the proper way to resolve the issue directly

[Korth_]

---

@braeluke1 wrote:

Public Mobile CHATBOT tells you to LOGIN to your account to deactivate or make any changes to your phone while its lost/stolen..

THE PROBLEM...... You need your phone to receive the text code to login to your account......

Seriously, when it comes to stupid being ultimate stupid, this wins 1st place.....

---

I got to experience this the day after Public Mobile revealed their grand EverSafe Self-Serve "upgrade".

Lost or stolen phone = no way to receive SMS 2FA code = no way to login Self-Serve to report phone is lost/stolen

They changed it a few weeks later ... now you have to do the same thing as before. But then you get a new option: "Didn't get the SMS text?" which offers to re-send SMS or to send email instead.

I did learn something useful from this experience. Now I make sure my SIM card is soft-locked - there's no way to use it in another device without entering the code. And I make sure that there's no mention of certain things on my phone's lock screen - my phone number, my name as it appears in my account, my email address for that account, etc. I am also certain to never, ever login to Self-Serve or the Community on my phone, I leave no crumbs and no traces on the phone to hack into the account. I even installed an app to customize the banner - my phone doesn't say "Public Mobile" or "Telus" anymore, it says "Please return for reward". (The lock screen allows a line of text which I filled with a different phone number and a different email address to contact me.)

My great worry was that the new "owner" of my lost phone could just stick my SIM card into another unlocked device and start depleting my account. I was much relieved when I was finally able to login to Self-Serve and immediately activate a new SIM card number (which also immediately deactivates the old SIM card number). This was easy because I happen to always have at least one spare PM SIM card around ... but it wouldn't be an option for anyone who lacks such a spare PM SIM card ...

On the whole, Public Mobile's (Telus's) "upgrade" was a frustrating experience. Doubly so since nobody bothered to respond or reach out or follow up when I posted the complaints, always the same advice to beg for a support ticket from stupidbot.

The only thing which kept me around is my account with all the Rewards and Add-ons and Promos accumulated on it ... but the day that Public Mobile (Telus) decides to replace those goodies with their worthless Points or some other bad bribe is the very same day that I port my "loyalty" out to another provider.

[braeluke1]

I do NOT get this option..... "Didn't get the code?"

I ONLY get "RESEND CODE."

[braeluke1]

I get the same display as you but NOT with the Send email option...   Someone else mentioned that this is not the 1st time they heard of someone not getting that most important 3rd option of send to email...

[HALIMACS]

No @braeluke1 , NOT resend code

Tap , "Didn't get the code?"

Refer to my original reply, please.

This is what I get when I tap it:

[braeluke1]

You win this showdown thank you......... lol....    I guess one way to keep PM cheap is to have NOBODY help you out other then other members... lol...

[Chalupa_Batman]

I feel that must be a glitch in the system.

I wonder if an Oracle could explain why some people don't get that "email" option. This isn't the first time we've heard from customers that the option wasn't available. 

[braeluke1]

I do not get the send email option as I only get the resend text and or voice message... was worth the try thank you..

Send another security code

Choose how you’d like to receive a new code.

Send text

Send voice message

[braeluke1]

I only get the SEND TEXT and the SEND VOICE MESSAGE option..... I do NOT get the SEND TO EMAIL option...

[mojorising]

@Chalupa_Batman  Do me a favor....Don't call me out on how I try to help people.

Please and thank you.

[braeluke1]

That hopefully helps thank you........... i have my cell but my stepdad just lost his and trying to contact anyone at PM is a nightmare....

[braeluke1]

Thanks for reply but that does not work either.

Once you click RESEND CODE this is what comes up.

Send another security code

Choose how you’d like to receive a new code.

Send text

Send voice message

[HALIMACS]

Yes, sometimes it does get 1st place for being stupid, @braeluke1 

Just tap "Didn't get the code?" and you should receive the option to get the code via e-mail as well as other usual options.

Give it a shot.

Then, you can place your account in "lost/stolen' mode and proceed however it is you're going to.