Multiple auto pay CC payments on first month on 2 separate accounts

[Sealevel]

In brief, sign up for new accounts for both my wife and self in January.  Credit card statement yesterday shows 2 x billing for me PLUS charge from Koodo, and single charge for my wife PLUS charge from Koodo.  Have never had an account on Koodo (or Public for that matter) before signing up last month.  Public statement shows only one month payment for last month.  How do I fix this?

Cheers! 🙂

[kaoru]

glad it worked out !! i had the same problem and was able to get refunded. just have to keep pushing ;-)..

[Sealevel]

UPDATE: I was able to contact (at this point in time) 4 different CS_Agents and have received 3 refunds to my Credit Card account.  They are also working to "fix" my Community "name/ID".  Many thanks to all for your guidance in solving these problems for me.  Otherwise, I might have been in an endless circle of searches on the Community forum.  Now to determine if the "ghost accouunt" have been removed!  Cheers!  👍

[darlicious · Accepted solution]

@Sealevel 

Nah....its not Firefox its pm's activation process....it has higher than normal issue with provisioning sim cards to accounts. Since the vast majority of activations at pm are done online by the customer and the rest in store unlike other providers that more often have an employee of the provider doing the activation when a sim card doesn't provision to the account the customer has to reach out to customer support to fix the issue. When it happens elsewhere the employee just contacts tech support to fix the issue within a few minutes while you wait at the counter, on the phone or during your chat session never really noticing the provisioning issue and/or starting the activation over again. At least here if it interests you....you will become an expert at mobility service and account management. The only thing you cannot learn to do is the back end support like issuing your own refunds or provisioning your own sim card.

To contact customer support click below:

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

To pre-verify your account include your full name, address, email, phone # and 4 digit acct pin #.

[Sealevel]

Sounds like it might be a "ghost account" issue.  I am also getting some (not all) duplicate replies via email from this community forum.  UPDATE:  I received 2 replies from the CS_Agents ('cause I sent in 2 tickets!) and gave them the info ..... again, with copy of transactions on my Credit Card.... and they said they would do a payment investigation.   I will report back when there is some progress.  Thanks for your (collective) interest.  I would recommend that a new online registration NOT be made using Firefox as this is where he problem began.

[darlicious]

@Community_QA 

That was a smart sales guy who recognized the likely issue and called pm most likely. Some retailers have access to a pm " help line" or know to call the telus porting department for porting issues.

To contact customer support click below:

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

To pre-verify your account include your full name, address, email, phone # and 4 digit acct pin #

[Community_QA]

@darlicious  I was good.  I think the guy called someone to fix something. But I was there an almost 2 hours, almost gave up. And if I did, I would never  be in this Community .  I have no billing issue so  I guess no "ghost account"

You, and couple others mayors , always explain things well and put in the heart to help.  Great Work! Great Community!👏

[darlicious]

@Community_QA 

 A ghost account basically only happens during an in store activation. The sales associate does your activation but when you put the sim card in the phone you have no service. So the sales associate if they are not that aware that sim cards cannot provision upon activation sometimes figures the sim card is defective or a dud. So they take a new sim card and redo the activation using all of the same info as before and the second time the sim card provisions to the account and once its put in your phone you have all your services and walk away a happy customer.

A month later....unless you check your online card accounts current charges you get your statement and notice two charges for your plan amount. Your autopay will also charge you twice. But you only have one account. What has happened is a "ghost account" has been created by the fact your exact info was used twice hiding the original account that was created with the original sim card that did not provision to the account. Once contacted customer support can find the extra account and has to cancel it to prevent double charges from occurring thus it's a "ghost account" because it can only be accessed from the back end since it has the same login credentials you can't see it or access it from the "front end".

To contact customer support click below:

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

To pre-verify your account include your full name, address, email, phone # and 4 digit acct pin #

[Community_QA]

@darlicious   what is ghost acount?  second account?

I was good.  the guy in the shop did it for me.  my service is good. my bill is good. but i remember he has to use another SIM and told me something like what you said about the lock

[darlicious]

@Community_QA 

Did that create a ghost account?

There used to be a fail safe built in to the system with a one hour lock out on using the sim card to try again if you got an error or clicked back or just abandoned your activation in the middle because pizza arrived and the hockey game started. Anyone who made it to the payment page and recieved an error message and could not start the activation process over would usually ask the community what they should do preventing multiple attempts at activation with a sim card that didn't provision to the newly created account.

To contact customer support click below:

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

To pre-verify your account include your full name, address, email, phone # and 4 digit acct pin #

[Community_QA]

So, they can activate multiple times with the same SIM card?  Last time I activated in Bestbuy, they failed first time and they have to give me another SIM ..

[Sealevel]

As mentioned below, I sent the CS_Agent a private message with details of transaction.  I hope to solve both account issues at the same time.  I will post my results.  Thanks for the suggestions!

[Sealevel]

Don't have a 4 digit pin but did send a private message with data from credit card and phone numbers.  Have tried to solve both accounts on one message.  Will see how that goes.  Thanks for the link!

[darlicious]

@Sealevel 

Stupid Simple--Simon he does that. You can send a private message to customer support as well. "Put Triple charged at activation" in the subject line and leave a detailed message. Include the copy of both of your credit card statements with the extra charges from pm and koodo. Include the verification details for both your account and your wife's so the CSA can easily access and view both of the account details to issue the refunds. In these cases pm aims to issue the refunds within 3 to 5 business days back to the respective credit cards.

Usually double or triple charges like these are from activation issues at the payment stage and the customer surmising that the activation failed repeats the process until they get a successful activation. Unfortunately what happens when the activation seems to fail at the payment stage is if the payment card gets charged the activation was successful but the sim card does not get provisioned to the account. Unless the customer seeks guidance from the community who will tell you to contact customer support to properly provision your sim card to your account most customers just start over and the sim card not being provisioned allows another activation to occur because it still acts like a new sim card. The account only registers the original payment. Any subsequent payments just dont register for some reason to the original account created.

To contact customer support click below:

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

To pre-verify your account include your full name, address, email, phone # and 4 digit acct pin #

[esjliv]

There used to be a time when a SIM card was already activated, then going through the activation process again would NOT Allow you to proceed any further, and I am guessing therefore no additional charges.

Why, did this process seem to change....it was better the other way - gesh.

Methods to submit tickets found here:

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/get-help/articles/contact-an-agent

[softech]

@Luddite   that is a better way without 2 Community accounts  🙂

[Luddite]

@Sealevel  Use the private message method to contact the CSAs and deal with both accounts at the same time. Just give them both account numbers. 

[Sealevel]

Apologies for my tight writing style.... I tend to use precise wording and caps for emphasis, not for shouting!  🙂

[softech]

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@Sealevel wrote:

ALL of the extra charges are on my credit card NOT on my Public Mobile account.  The PM account only shows one month auto pay for each of my wife and I. 

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@Sealevel   It sounds like you might have seen some error during activation and hence you re-attempt a second time and created 2 (possibly 3 ) accounts for yourself, similar things happened when you setup your wife's.  It's not your fault, so , open a ticket with PM (I have the ways to open ticket on my earlier post) and they will refund it no problem.  

[Sealevel]

Also, I bought SIM cards in store, activated online.  Took two different browsers... Firefox setup crashed so went to Edge where I was successful for both of us.  But why a charge from both Public Mobile and Koodo?

[Sealevel]

ALL of the extra charges are on my credit card NOT on my Public Mobile account.  The PM account only shows one month auto pay for each of my wife and I.  The triple bill for me and double bill for my wife are on the credit card statement to be paid in 5 days.  Nothing pending on either credit card or Public Mobile account.  If I leave them on the credit card beyond payment, cannot get them to cancel so dependent on Public Mobile after payment.

Frustrating that I cannot get anyone from Public Mobile to explain...they got me to file a "ticket" and sent me to the Community.

[softech]

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@Sealevel wrote:

Billed twice by Public Mobile PLUS a single charge from Koodo Top Up Reapprov = 3 x the monthly amount on my credit card.  For my wife, one charge from Public Mobile PLUS one charge from Koodo Top Up Reapprov = 2 x the month amount for her phone on the credit card.

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@Sealevel 

You will need to open tickets with PM Support.  Send them all the CC transaction details. 

But you need to open 2 tickets, one for yourself, one for your wife.

I assume this Community account (Sealvel) is for your own PM line, Create another Community account for your wife

Then from each  Community account, open a ticket with PM Support using one of the 2 ways below:

1. For faster response (2-48 hours), Click on the bubble in the lower right to request CS Agent assistance, or use this direct link: https://publicmobile.ca/chatbot.

Start with typing "Submit a ticket", click "Contact Us", click "Other" from the choices, click "Click here to submit a ticket". Then follow to complete the ticket submission.

2. Or you can Send a private message to the CS Agent here: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

**Monitor your Community inbox, envelope on the top right, after ticket is opened.  CS Agent will reply and work with you  via messaging there

[Sealevel]

Joined January 21st.  Credit card cutoff was January 27th.

[HALIMACS]

Did you activate in-store, or yourself online?

Also, are you CERTAIN the initial charges aren't just 'pending' charges which may not settle to actual charges?

And do the 'extra' payments show under the respective account's Available Balance which will display in self-serve?   If they do, leave them there for use against future renewal charges - much easier than going through rigmarole of requesting refund through public mobile.

[Sealevel]

Billed twice by Public Mobile PLUS a single charge from Koodo Top Up Reapprov = 3 x the monthly amount on my credit card.  For my wife, one charge from Public Mobile PLUS one charge from Koodo Top Up Reapprov = 2 x the month amount for her phone on the credit card.

[Sealevel]

Incorrect.  First TWO charges say Public Mobile , third charge says Koodo Top Up Reapprove.  So I was charged 3 x for my account on the Credit Card.  How do I fix?

[ShawnC13]

What day of the month did you join?  If it was Jan 1 you could have 2 charges in January as they are 30 day plans

[softech]

@Sealevel   DO NOT reverse  the Koodo charge.. Telus owns both PM and Koodo and for some reason, Koodo has to come and help PM to collect $$  🙂

So,  you got overcharged?  you said 2x billing for you with PM and Koodo.. can you confirm the date on those charges?   All 3 charges on the same day?

When you activate your account, I meant YOURS..not your wife..did you recall some errors and you need to re-activate a second time?  Some people saw an error, re-activate and turns out activated 2 accounts

Similarly, when you activate you wife account, did you see error and need to re-activate a 2nd time?

[HALIMACS]

@Sealevel 

The first charge upon activation will show KOODO REAPPROV, all remaining charges will show Public Mobile.

Strange affiliation through their parent company, TELUS.