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Need to Reactive Phone number for 2 factor authentication

NeedHelpNowToo
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Hi all, 

 

I'm not sure what happened to my phone number. 

 

I started a public mobile account to use as an emergency phone.  I had it set up with a credit card to automatically deduct the amount.  I didn't think about it because it was an automatic deduction.  My credit card number has not changed and has not expired (my other automatic deductions are still working).  It looks like the last deduction was in April. 

 

I recently needed to use the phone and discovered that the number was no longer in service.  The email address I used to set up the public mobile account uses 2 factor authentication and uses the inactive phone number.  So I'm  in a catch 22.  On the login page I tried to reset the password but I can't log into the email account because the email account uses 2 factor authentication and is tied to the inactive phone. 

 

Is there any chance that I can reactivate my phone number or to temporarily reactivate it so that I can at least change the email account's 2 factor authentication to a different phone number. 

 

Please someone help me, Rose

9 REPLIES 9

@NeedHelpNowToo   If you were unable to submit a ticket via chatbot, then send a private message instead to CS_Agent here:  https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

 

You should also mention to customer support this glitch in PM's system that caused you to lose your number/account through no fault of your own and they should really restore, at a minimum, your old rewards even if they cannot give you back the old discontinued plan which has lost it's value since the 30% price increase.

 

Of course, YMMV.

NeedHelpNowToo
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Hello Softech, 

 

There is a store nearby that will sell me a Public Mobile SIM.  Once I obtain the SIM how do I go about getting my old number on the new SIM?

 

Rose

 

NeedHelpNowToo
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Thanks again for the additional information Dust2Dust. 

 

I tried the SIMon chatbot and none of the categories fit my problem. 

 

Is there a trick to contacting support so I can ask someone to hold my old number?  When I tried the button "Contact Support" I simply redirected to the beginning of the SIMon chatbot question. 

 

Rose

1. Stores don't activate accounts anymore.

2. I mean down below via SIMon chatbot.

3. This whole problem was their fault for letting a long standing bug stay alive and forcing a plan change on the $10 plan to the more expensive $13 plan. Your account suspended due to this bug. You would otherwise have naturally assumed it would keep going with autopay. But the bug didn't let it and they forced the plan change. Several regulars foresaw this happening with customers exactly like you where you just have this account as an emergency phone. You use it so seldom that you didn't notice in May sometime that it was no longer working. Or since. Then recently you wanted to do something needing your number and discovered that it was no longer working.

30 days after your April payment this suspension happened. 90 days after that it was all deactivated.

 

So yes since it was a number from here and it's not ringing through anywhere then I suggest contacting support and asking if they can hold it for you while you get a sim and activate it. If they say the number is somehow held by someone else then I'm not sure what they can do. But if they seem resistant to being something resembling decent then remind them that all of this was their fault. The forced plan change with a known bug causing the suspension. I'm guessing you probably don't do any texting on the account/phone as some warnings may have been texted to you. But if you don't do texting then you would not have seen any of it.

 

Check for stores using the Find a store link down below. Only corporate stores now. Or order online from Amazon. Ordering from Public takes too long for too many people.

@NeedHelpNowToo if the number was originally from PM, you have a chance to get it back, as long as it has not been reassigned 

 

But to come back, you will have to get a new sim card and choose a new plan, starts with $15.  The old $10 is no longer available  (it is now $12 but new account can't choose that anyway.)

 

NeedHelpNowToo
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Hi Dust2Dust, 

 

I really appreciate your quick response. 

 

Since you are so well informed, I've answered your questions.  I'll be able to determine my next course of action once I receive your answers .  

 

1) Where did I get my number from?  I got it from Public Mobile.  Does that mean I can go to Telus/Koodoo and see whether they will activate it for me? 

2) When you say contact support in the first paragraph, are you referring to Telus/Koodoo support or Public Mobile?

3) The plan that I signed up with is the $10 one.  What do you mean when you say it is "actually their fault".

 

Dust2Dust, really appreciate your help and responses.  Do I simply press the Bravos key to give you credit for helping me?

 

Rose

I've never heard of them doing that. So did you get the number here or did you bring it from elsewhere?

If from here then if you went to a corporate Telus/Koodo store and bought a sim and then activated it then you might have a remote chance of finding it yourself through activation. Failing that then you could try to ask support to give you the number. They would know if it's attached to an account even though the recording says not in service.

But if it came from elsewhere then you would need to go to that provider and start up an account.

 

Adding - and were you on the $10 plan? If so then this is actually their fault. Maybe it would be better just to ask them if they can see if the number is available and if they could hold it for you until you have a sim and activate. If it's from here.

NeedHelpNowToo
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Thanks Dust2Dust. 

 

At this point, I don't care about the plan or rewards.  I just need to access the number so that I can log into my email account that uses 2 factor authentication and is tied to my old number. 

 

When I called the number it says that it is no longer in service. 

 

Is there any way to get temporary access just so I can get past the 2 factor authentication so I can access the email account?

dust2dust
Mayor / Maire

I'm betting you're on the old $10 that became the $13 plan. It was late April that that happened and along with a common autopay bug you got suspended. The bug occurs when a plan is changed to a more expensive plan. So that renewal after late April failed. Here you are.

I suspect that with the current kindnesses being displayed by this company that you're out of luck. The account has been fully deactivated.

Did you select a number from here or did you bring it over from elsewhere? If from here then there's a chance you might get it back. What happens when you call it? You would need a new sim and you can't get the $13 plan anymore and you would not be on the old rewards system.

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