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Invalid SIM card

Rowabelle
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

I am trying to set up my account online and I keep getting an invalid SIM card message. Do I need to go back to the store to fix this? I have already tried several times, logged out, refreshed, etc. 

21 REPLIES 21

@RowabelleNow i am confused, did you ever completed the activation process? Who hung up on you? The retailer? or Public Mobile (who only phones in very rare operational occassions?)

Rowabelle
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Yes, I'm aware of that. The phone was unlocked by the provider. SIM still not working.

@RowabelleIf your phone needed to be unlocked then unless you go back to where you get your originally provider (Bell or Rogers), your phone still need to be unlocked. Only the provider which provided the phone to you in the first place can unlock the phone to you, Public Mobile can't unlock phones from other providers.

Rowabelle
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

It still isn't working, and frankly, I am getting upset and concerned about trying a new company. When I called yesterday and was told the phone needed to be unlocked, I was also hung up on. 

JsGP
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

Hello Rowabelle.

I hope you have your problem solved.  I had the same issue.  It took a while to figure out that the phone was locked to an American provider. I got it from a friend and it's an old iPhone. If it's locked to a Canadian provider - just phone them and ask them to unlock it.  It is free and they can do it right away.  If however it is locked to a non-Canadian provider, I sent an unlock request by email.  It too was free but it can take them up to 48 hours to respond to your request.  

Cheers!


@computergeek541 wrote:

@darlicious wrote:

@stonechucker  Did pm not just fix the lock out session? Or did I misunderstand that fix?


That isn't how I read today's annoucement.  There were issues with the activation site that caused the connection to timeout.  The 50 minute session lock is a consequence of that.  That doesn't mean that there can't be other reasons for the customer to need to wait 50 minutes to try an activation again.


Ok thx. I will continue to give advice to wait it out.


@darlicious wrote:

@stonechucker  Did pm not just fix the lock out session? Or did I misunderstand that fix?


That isn't how I read today's annoucement.  There were issues with the activation site that caused the connection to timeout.  The 50 minute session lock is a consequence of that.  That doesn't mean that there can't be other reasons for the customer to need to wait 50 minutes to try an activation again.


@darlicious wrote:

@Rowabelle  When you first took the plastic credit card( sized )containing the SIM did it slide out easily from the cardboard card/envelope or did you have to tug at it? New unused SIM cards are snugly attached to the protective cardboard cover. Alternatively do you see any damage on the SIM card itself? Was it completely attached the triple SIM to its plastic card? These could call be signs of SIM card that had been returned or previously activated. It would be best to return it and ask for an exchange.

 

@stonechucker  Did pm not just fix the lock out session? Or did I misunderstand that fix?


That's what the announcement says, but I've never seen a fix actually work immediately here, and it's possible this user has done this either before it was fixed, or something else may have happened.

@Rowabelle  When you first took the plastic credit card( sized )containing the SIM did it slide out easily from the cardboard card/envelope or did you have to tug at it? New unused SIM cards are snugly attached to the protective cardboard cover. Alternatively do you see any damage on the SIM card itself? Was it completely attached the triple SIM to its plastic card? These could call be signs of SIM card that had been returned or previously activated. It would be best to return it and ask for an exchange.

 

@stonechucker  Did pm not just fix the lock out session? Or did I misunderstand that fix?

@Rowabelle , there a chance you've been block from activating for 50 minutes.  Please wait about an hour before trying again.


@geopublic wrote:

@Rowabelle wrote:

Thanks, I called the store, and they said that it is likely because my phone is locked. I am trying to get it unlocked now. 


@Rowabelle  That doesn't make sense. If you are trying to activate your PM sim card online and you are getting an Invalid SIM card error as soon as you enter your SIM card number on your first attempt then it means that the SIM card that you were sold has been previously activated. It has nothing to do with your phone being locked.


You're right. The Public Mobile activation site doesn't know if a phone is locked.


@upton87 wrote:

Sometimes the multi SIMs can be a bit tricky ... try being it into the store where you bough the SIM and having them do it, these guys usually know what they are doing


Tricky in what way? The sizing lf the sim card can't make activation server say invalid.


@Rowabelle wrote:

Thanks, I called the store, and they said that it is likely because my phone is locked. I am trying to get it unlocked now. 


@Rowabelle  That doesn't make sense. If you are trying to activate your PM sim card online and you are getting an Invalid SIM card error as soon as you enter your SIM card number on your first attempt then it means that the SIM card that you were sold has been previously activated. It has nothing to do with your phone being locked.

upton87
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

Sometimes the multi SIMs can be a bit tricky ... try being it into the store where you bough the SIM and having them do it, these guys usually know what they are doing

@RowabelleSwap your SIM card into another working phone. If the SIM card doesn't work you know where the problem lies.

Rowabelle
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Thanks, I called the store, and they said that it is likely because my phone is locked. I am trying to get it unlocked now. 

Rowabelle
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Thanks, I called the store, and they said that it is likely because my phone is locked. I am trying to get it unlocked now.


@Rowabelle wrote:

I tried that as well, it didn't work. Yes I got that message right away.


Did the SIM card look like the package was ever opened before?  The only way a SIM card could be invalid is that is has been used previously. 

Rowabelle
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

I tried that as well, it didn't work. Yes I got that message right away.

will13am
Oracle
Oracle

@Rowabelle, check your payment card.  If a payment has been posted, there is a chance that the activation has progressed far enough to render the SIM card invalid for subsequent activation attempts.  Also the SIM card can be session locked for about an hour when there is failure. 

GR
Mayor / Maire

@Rowabelle  you can wait a bit and try to use chrome browser with incognito mode on, if that doesn't work the Sim card might be no good.  Did you get Sim invalid the very first time you tried activating it? 

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