Public mobile stole my money!!! , sim card shows not registered !!

[tifsha1]

 All of a sudden cellphone says unregistered sim card, can't make or receive calls? I have checked every setting on the phone and also tried it in other unlocked phones...NOTHING....Payment is not due yet, (it's $40 dollar plan) unlimited talk and text plan, plus data. This happened 2 days ago. Can't use selfserve as it says that my password is incorrect. (Never changed it...wait...what??? why is this not working also?). Tried to reset it and it says that it will send me a re-set code in my email, (I have not received any emails from public mobile to reset...so this dos'nt work either????...) Tried this multiply times. NOW I noticed that 2 days ago they also took from my bank (as I have auotpay setup), in the amount of $197.75. I think I've been hacked, is there such a thing? Called my bank and they say call Public mobile. AS IF!!!!!!! Nobody gets back to you. Sent message to the MODS with no response. I WANT MY MONEY BACK!! This is crazy. 

[Mugsy]

Current moderator response time is more like a week. I'm in month 2 of trying to get a "no data" problem resolved. I'd hate to have to try to resolve a hacking issue

[ShawnC13]

@tifsha1, if you got service from 611 consider that very lucky. As well your reference to PM entering the Wong info for a port, it is the customer who does that not PM

[fonzy35]

I don't have any problem with PM, it's take sometime before the mod answered, but the price is still cheap ..

 Master card, visa is the best for payment..

Except fido MasterCard, man what a joke, specially with their sister company TSC, they will defend TSC before their client.. Bad experience with them lately..

Anyway PM rock imo

[tifsha1]

Sorry if this is long.....So I called 611 from another phone with PM that I have, and waited on hold for a least an hour, but I was thrilled when some answered 🙂 Mine was a situation that needed a conversation, not back and forth emails. It turned real complicated somehow and my problem was not getting solved by the mods...but having said that, here is what happened to my service 1. My Phone number was switched to another phone number (to another province,huh? don't know how that happened)  2. My sim number was then changed to another sim number (still dont know how this happened) 3. My account was topped up with the 90 day plan (never had this plan, I had the 30 plan).  So they had to deactivate the whole thing and started a new account with MY sim number, which they registered with my orginal phone number. They set me up with a new plan, but I lost all my rewards, so now I pay more per month. But get this....At first they where actually saying that I had to use the new number for 30 days if I wanted to keep all my rewards. This was a number from a different province so that clearly would not work. I was not offerred any explaination as to how this happened. Also, they used the 197.75 that I was charged to use towards the new plan, so now I have credit on my account for 140 to which they never offered to refund me. I then had to register everything new again for selfsevice. My theory on this is that somehow PM may have been trying to port somebody elses number and they key'd in the wrong number. Because I sure didnt change any of this. It's not a simple process to do. It looks like it can be done from selfserve, but WHY would I do this? When changing sim cards, you have to register your sim number to a phone number, then change your phone number, then change your monthly plan. I'm happy that this got resolved, but not happy that I can't get my money back and I have to pay more every month.  It took over 1 1/2 hours on the phone to get this fixed 😞  

[Wonder_why]

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@tifsha1 wrote:

I've also never had a problem till now. I can see maybe the sim card going defective or something, but to have the phone number deactivated, can't get into my self serve account, AND they took a large sum off my Visa Debit. I'm not letting this go thats for sure.The MODS get back to you in their own sweet time. Getting a new phone or plan is not the problem, it's the lack of response time, unauthorized Debit Charge, and locked out of my self serve. It's how they get you with all thier "Deals" and they don't deliver. Just look at all the compaints back in February at the CCTC, they had over 1600 complaints in a few short days!! It's only been since Telus took over, so ........

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Don't ever used VISA DEBIT you can not do charge back

Credit Card is okay, I have never lost any coins using Pre Authorized Credit Cards Payments

[tifsha1]

I've also never had a problem till now. I can see maybe the sim card going defective or something, but to have the phone number deactivated, can't get into my self serve account, AND they took a large sum off my Visa Debit. I'm not letting this go thats for sure.The MODS get back to you in their own sweet time. Getting a new phone or plan is not the problem, it's the lack of response time, unauthorized Debit Charge, and locked out of my self serve. It's how they get you with all thier "Deals" and they don't deliver. Just look at all the compaints back in February at the CCTC, they had over 1600 complaints in a few short days!! It's only been since Telus took over, so ........

[Wonder_why]

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@tifsha1 wrote:

Why do they want me to go to Koodo though?  They have the same crappy customer service too. Something fishy going on. Are you with Koodo? 

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PM and Koodo are Self Serve, I never have problems dealing with PM and Koodo

Networks are second to none, I am with Koodo and PM, waiting for next Promo from Koodo, then I will able to switch all my lines to Koodo, may be Black Friday deals, I hope 

If you not moving to Koodo, can I borrow your PM # I can used it to take the offer smiles ?  to switch to Koodo with $180 bill credit

[tifsha1]

Why do they want me to go to Koodo though?  They have the same crappy customer service too. Something fishy going on. Are you with Koodo? 

[Wonder_why]

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@tifsha1 wrote:

well then....they borrowed my money!??? I still haven't got this resolved by the Mod's. Phone still does not work and no refund yet. Worst service ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Even tried to go the  "NEW" Mobile shop for Public mobile , and nobody was even there. sad ....I guess the universe is trying to tell me it's time to break up with Public Mobile. Ever since they got bought out by Telus, they are the worse!!! I been with public mobile since 2010!! I mean no disrespect to you, I'm just frustrated, as it was alot of money and I have no phone for my job which is very important. It seems they are trying everthing in their power to try and get everybody to switch to Kodoo or Telus by sending me text all the time to make the switch, Then they raise my monthly bill becuase I dont switch, but yet they are having promtions all the time? Do thye want customers or not? I don't get it. 

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You have 1 more day left to moved to Koodo, what stopping you the deals with Koodo ?

$180 bill credit, still snoozing ? 

[tifsha1]

well then....they borrowed my money!??? I still haven't got this resolved by the Mod's. Phone still does not work and no refund yet. Worst service ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Even tried to go the  "NEW" Mobile shop for Public mobile , and nobody was even there. sad ....I guess the universe is trying to tell me it's time to break up with Public Mobile. Ever since they got bought out by Telus, they are the worse!!! I been with public mobile since 2010!! I mean no disrespect to you, I'm just frustrated, as it was alot of money and I have no phone for my job which is very important. It seems they are trying everthing in their power to try and get everybody to switch to Kodoo or Telus by sending me text all the time to make the switch, Then they raise my monthly bill becuase I dont switch, but yet they are having promtions all the time? Do thye want customers or not? I don't get it. 

[Wonder_why]

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@tifsha1 wrote:

I'm working with a Moderator and they are looking into it.  Hopefully they can figure it all out. 

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Glad to hear, see PM are not like that as you post stole your coins 

[tifsha1]

I'm working with a Moderator and they are looking into it.  Hopefully they can figure it all out. 

[Wonder_why]

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@tifsha1 wrote:

So for sure its the sim card, not the phone, tried other sims in the phone and the cell phone works fine.  But that does not explain why I can't get into self serve to see why they took out 197.75 from my visa debit, nor can the moderator find my account associated with my email, my phone number , my addrees, my name....Nothing. It's like the whole thing is deactivated!! 

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Can you do charge back from your Visa Debit ? Just curious, I have not use one 

Never mind found out

Are debit cards safe to use online?

As much as you might resist it, debit cards should not be used to pay for onlinetransactions; a credit card is always safer for e-commerce. You're not as protected against fraud when you use a debit card, and disputes with those cards can be difficult to resolve.

[stonechucker]

@will13am, that statement about the initial email account vs. the current email account could be what it is.

@will13am, I have never actually received a 'password reset' email from PM.  I've not needed it, and any testing I've done for the system, have not been successful for the email to get to me.

Originally, I signed up in Dec 2015 for a 10-day plan, to test it out.  It expired, as I wasn't ready to switch.

When I came back, had to use a different email address to setup - then as soon as the account was fully functional, changed back to my 'primary' email account.  I did request that moderators at the time fix this (and I assume it has been) as it was followed up on.  Having said this, looking through my email inbox, the Aug 2016 'Welcome to Public Mobile' email is addressed to my current address.  This is the email I believe I received immediately following SIM activation, as it's telling me to set up my data, how to get rewards, and how to manage my account.

@Alan_K, as this is a potential problem of why I'm not receiving any of the emails - can you have the tech team also look at which specific email address my 'password recovery' emails might be directed to, vs. what I supplied in my PM to you for further testing?

[will13am]

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@stonechucker wrote:

@will13am, sorry, I didn't read the knowledge base, but I recall (someone can verify as I haven't received one in a LONG time) that the time for expiry was 6 hours.

So, either way, it's still a long time to wait for the email, and it's expired if you receive it after 6 hours.

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It was only a few days ago that they declared victory with fixing the password reset email again.  I immediately went to check the knowledge base to see if they have updated it.  When I saw 6 hours to receive the email, I fell out of my chair!  Six minutes is already way too long.  Who is going to watch their email inbox for half a day?  Usually the expiry time on these are short for security reasons.  If you let it slip and then come back to it later, the email will expire. 

In your particular case where you are unable to receive the reset email after many days, is it possible that you may have done an "email change" in the lifetime of the account?  You do know that during initial activation, the email address and the login are synced.  Afterwards, you can change your login but the account email address doesn't change.  If you have revised your login and are using that for password reset, you might getting emails going to an old account.  Not saying this is what is happening to you here.  Just trying to turn over every stone twice.  Alan is so confident that things are fixed now.  But why is your account so different in behavior?

[stonechucker]

@will13am, sorry, I didn't read the knowledge base, but I recall (someone can verify as I haven't received one in a LONG time) that the time for expiry was 6 hours.

So, either way, it's still a long time to wait for the email, and it's expired if you receive it after 6 hours.

[tifsha1]

So for sure its the sim card, not the phone, tried other sims in the phone and the cell phone works fine.  But that does not explain why I can't get into self serve to see why they took out 197.75 from my visa debit, nor can the moderator find my account associated with my email, my phone number , my addrees, my name....Nothing. It's like the whole thing is deactivated!! 

[tifsha1]

NO, the phone was purchased new. the sim card does not work anymore. Account is no longer valid and they took more money from me. Using the same phone and sim card for years, Ugg

[will13am]

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@stonechucker wrote:

@will13am, the 6 hours is the expiry time on the link that the email is sending you.  Not how long you might have to wait.

You're correct, it does appear that they've decided the email sending is working, however, I still am not getting a reset notice in my testing, and I've been waiting now over 4 days for it, and I've checked my spam and delete boxes - No email to reset has been received.

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I distinctly thought I read differently on the knowledge base.  This is what bullet 3 says.  They are suggesting that we should allow up to 6 hours for receipt of password reset email.  Actually expiry time is not mentioned in the knowledge base. 

You will receive an email outlining how to change your password. If you don’t get this email within 6 hours, contact our Moderator Team here. You’ll need to be signed in to your Community account for the link to work.

[srlawren]

@tifsha1 just curious:  are you using a second-hand phone purchased on craigslist/ebay/etc?  

[stonechucker]

The only way it's coming out of a bank account directly, is if it's a VisaDebit card.  I'm not sure about the rules on VisaDebit as I don't use them, but they operate 'similar' to Visas, but it is against your chequing or savings account.

Direct Debit from a bank account for Public Mobile is otherwise not an option.  Credit cards, VisaDebit cards, and voucher payments only.

[Wonder_why]

@tifsha1 never pre-authorized payments throught bank account, credit card is okay, anything not right can do charge back within 3 months period

[krazykiwi]

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@tifsha1 wrote:

Good headlines, get noticed 🙂 . Tried with bank, and they say call public mobile. lol. Its a bank withdraw not a credit card. I know they are owned by telus, but whats in a name right? Public Mobile withdraw shows as Public mobile withdraw, not Telus, so I dont care who owns the company. The bank can't even contact them lol, no number to call. Just going to get flagged as fraud investigation. In the meantime, I've cancelled ALL my pre-authorized payments with PM as I have 4 family members with phones too. Probably going to go to another carrier that you can acutaly call and drop PM Fast!!! And not go to Telus lol 😉 I just want my money back. 

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So you are not looking for any kind of assistance other than to get your money back so you can switch carriers?

[tifsha1]

Good headlines, get noticed 🙂 . Tried with bank, and they say call public mobile. lol. Its a bank withdraw not a credit card. I know they are owned by telus, but whats in a name right? Public Mobile withdraw shows as Public mobile withdraw, not Telus, so I dont care who owns the company. The bank can't even contact them lol, no number to call. Just going to get flagged as fraud investigation. In the meantime, I've cancelled ALL my pre-authorized payments with PM as I have 4 family members with phones too. Probably going to go to another carrier that you can acutaly call and drop PM Fast!!! And not go to Telus lol 😉 I just want my money back. 

[Wonder_why]

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@tifsha1 wrote:

 All of a sudden cellphone says unregistered sim card, can't make or receive calls? I have checked every setting on the phone and also tried it in other unlocked phones...NOTHING....Payment is not due yet, (it's $40 dollar plan) unlimited talk and text plan, plus data. This happened 2 days ago. Can't use selfserve as it says that my password is incorrect. (Never changed it...wait...what??? why is this not working also?). Tried to reset it and it says that it will send me a re-set code in my email, (I have not received any emails from public mobile to reset...so this dos'nt work either????...) Tried this multiply times. NOW I noticed that 2 days ago they also took from my bank (as I have auotpay setup), in the amount of $197.75. I think I've been hacked, is there such a thing? Called my bank and they say call Public mobile. AS IF!!!!!!! Nobody gets back to you. Sent message to the MODS with no response. I WANT MY MONEY BACK!! This is crazy. 

You make me laugh PM stole your money 

PM is a sister of Telus, if this actually hapen, you can always do a charge back from your credit card firm

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[stonechucker]

@will13am, the 6 hours is the expiry time on the link that the email is sending you.  Not how long you might have to wait.

You're correct, it does appear that they've decided the email sending is working, however, I still am not getting a reset notice in my testing, and I've been waiting now over 4 days for it, and I've checked my spam and delete boxes - No email to reset has been received.

[will13am]

@tifsha1, the password reset feature has been reported as functional at this time.  According to the knowledge base, it can take up to 6 hours to receive the reset email.  I am not sure while it takes up to this long, but that is what is mentioned in the knowledge base.  I suggest checking the spam folder to make sure the email hasn't been put there.  Start with restoring account access.  Then you will be able to review the payment history and go from there.  The moderator interaction time is around 48 hours.  Personally, it would not be an avenue that I would start with given the long lead time.  I would do all the investigation possible to understand as much of what has happened before going to them. 

[krazykiwi]

@tifsha1

When you tried the password reset did you look in the junk folder of your email account?

I see you tried your sim in another phone, did you try another sim in your phone? This will rule out your phone for the most part.

That was a large some of money, I agree, and the possibility of being hacked is real, unfortunately without access to your account there is not much we can suggest other than to wait for the MODs, the downside of a low cost carrier!

[Zhuoyu]

@tbark

It seems @tifsha1 have tried all these already. And if there is such a large amount of payment done two days ago, there must be something wrong on PM side. 

@tifsha1 Please get us updated. Thank you.

[tbark]

It is possible you have been hacked as well though. The Mods can take up to 48 hours to respond. I was double charged because of a failed activation, but they got back to me in 48 hours and made sure everything got corrected, so they will get in touch with you I am sure.