Purchasing SIM's at Walmart

[BlackSky]

I am a new customer of Public Mobile (only 2 weeks)... So I thought I would get a friend to switch over - Went to Walmart to purchase a SIM card and was told they can't sell them anymore without activation? I don't want a Walmart employee to create a profile for me - to ask me my address - to ask me my phone number - to ask me my email address. I don't want to stand there at the Walmart computer and scroll through a large list of phone numbers to find one I like. Why the new policy and a third party relaying my personal information?? The other 2 places that your SIMs are available would be at least a 90 minute drive (one way) for me. I changed to Public Mobile - Don't start disappointing me!

[wetcoaster]

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@CalgaryBenwrote:

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@Korthwrote:

This promo is right at the top of the promo page, lol!

A recent addition?  I don't recall seeing it about a week ago.  (Then again, I tend to pay little attention to the promos and head right for "build your own plan".)

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???   That link shows 500 MB of data, not the 1GB that the plan being discussed offers...

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Same with the grandfathered 90/90 plan that @Korth referred to above - unless I'm totally mistaken that one is also for 1.5GB/90days and not 1GB/30days.

[CalgaryBen]

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@Korthwrote:

This promo is right at the top of the promo page, lol!

A recent addition?  I don't recall seeing it about a week ago.  (Then again, I tend to pay little attention to the promos and head right for "build your own plan".)

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???   That link shows 500 MB of data, not the 1GB that the plan being discussed offers...

[Korth]

This promo is right at the top of the promo page, lol!

A recent addition?  I don't recall seeing it about a week ago.  (Then again, I tend to pay little attention to the promos and head right for "build your own plan".)

[NDesai]

At first i thought that the plan seems to be a mystery. But i tried to activate a new sim and the Retail offer is there.  So this is not Walmart Exclusive, it is available to every new customer. cc @Mary_M @Shazia_K

[Korth]

That's actually the same plan I have, although mine is "90 days for 90 dollars", a long-discontinued old promo, now grandfathered.  Maybe it's still on the books because there's still customers (like me) using it?

Interesting that PM appears to offer "unavailable" and unadvertised plan (or plans) through retail channels, especially if they come with vendor-provided customer service!  Though I can't see any way to change your plan online to one not offered online.

[mimmo]

@CalgaryBen nothing to be sorry about, and it's not really a secret. Its good to know and hopefully in the spirit of transparency we will find out more information.  We were "brought up" to believe that things at PM were different ie no loyalty deals, what you saw in the planner was for everyone.  

what is funny is that the online retailer is moving to B&M and the other providers seem to push online retailing.

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@CalgaryBenwrote:

@Ludditewrote:
Two customers have now reported this "special". Very sad development! 

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Certainly didn't mean to stir up or fuel any disappointment for anyone!  Almost felt like grabbing the deal and keeping hush-hush, but in the spirit of a community, figured this would attract others in a similar position, especially if they're on the fence about jumping over to PM.  If I had known about this earlier (granted, who knows when it started?), I would've made the move back to PM sooner!

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[CalgaryBen]

@Ludditewrote:
Two customers have now reported this "special". Very sad development! 

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Certainly didn't mean to stir up or fuel any disappointment for anyone!  Almost felt like grabbing the deal and keeping hush-hush, but in the spirit of a community, figured this would attract others in a similar position, especially if they're on the fence about jumping over to PM.  If I had known about this earlier (granted, who knows when it started?), I would've made the move back to PM sooner!

[CalgaryBen]

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@mimmowrote:

wow nice deal,  just to confirm

@the plan maker shows: provincial calling, international sms and 1 gb @3gdata / 30 days for $37 ($35 if you take into account autopay)  and you said you got the same plan for $32 ($30 if autopay enabled)? 

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Yes, exactly.  Here's what I see when I log into my account now:

I was more than happy/willing to go on the $35/30, so the additional $5 off was a welcomed surprise/bonus.  Back when I foolishly left PM to try Freedom, I was only about a month into a 90-day cycle, so this will quickly make up for that mistake.

[Luddite]

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@mimmowrote:

@CalgaryBen   wow nice deal,  just to confirm

@the plan maker shows: provincial calling, international sms and 1 gb @3gdata / 30 days for $37 ($35 if you take into account autopay)  and you said you got the same plan for $32 ($30 if autopay enabled)? 

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Two customers have now reported this "special". Very sad development!  @Mary_M @Brooke_C

[mimmo]

@CalgaryBen   wow nice deal,  just to confirm

the plan maker shows: provincial calling, international sms and 1 gb @3gdata / 30 days for $37 ($35 if you take into account autopay)  and you said you got the same plan for $32 ($30 if autopay enabled)? 

[CalgaryBen]

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@Mary_Mwrote:

we don't have any "secret" plans - @CalgaryBen are you referring to our ready-made plans? They can be found here 🙂 

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No... the plan I have is $30/30 days, including 1 GB data (not just the 500 MB in the ready-made plan) and province-wide talk and unlimited text.

As @Double_J aluded to, it may very well be for new sign-ups only?

As previously mentioned, I bought my SIM card from WoW, went home, and was ready to sign up at https://activate.publicmobile.ca/, fully prepared to go onto the ready-made $35/30 days plan, or else build the 90-day version of this plan for $105 minus $6 for auto-pay, effectively making it $33/30-day.  I was surprised to see something along the lines of "Retail $30/30 day" in the options on Step 3 of the sign-up process, so that's the one I snagged!  Definitely didn't need to activate at a store -- heck, the rep at the Walmart I was at didn't even acknowledge that Walmart carries PM SIMs, and was pushing me to go with a $45 Koodo plan...

[Double_J]

@stonechucker It is a special promo plan.  Dont be fooled that only what you see on the internet website is all what they have.  Take the time to shop around and you will be surprised whats available. All carriers also have corporate plans that are not advertised online.  Sitting on the computer at home will not help you out.

[Double_J]

This 1GB plan for $30 is only available at Walmart.  Just go down to your local Walmart store and you will see a promotion sign in the wireless section.  Its the same plan for $35 on the website.  

I believe this is only for new activations.  If you change your plan I dont think you will be able to get it back again.  The guy warned me about that, so he said best to stay on it unless you really need to change.

Its not a secret plan just a retail promotion at Walmart for a limited time.

I was surprised about Walmart.  They also had promos with other carriers which were not listed on their official websites.  For example, if you sign up with Lucky Mobile you get a $25 Walmart gift card.  Dont forget Walmart gets kickbacks for activiations so they have incentive to give out a discount for signing up with them.

Before activating any plan always shop around and doesnt hurt to check Walmart when you are grocery shopping to see what new offers they have.

[Mary_M]

Hey @mimmo,

we don't have any "secret" plans - @CalgaryBen are you referring to our ready-made plans? They can be found here 🙂

Regards,

Mary

[mimmo]

@CS_Agent are you able to shed some light on this secret retail plan?

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@CalgaryBenwrote:

Upon activating online (on March 4), I was pleasantly surprised to see the $30 "Retail" plan during activation, which I was unaware of before (not listed under any of the public-facing Plan pages).  In retrospect I should've taken a screen capture.  Exact same features as the $35/30 days plan, but $5 cheaper (accounting for $2 auto-pay reward).  Meets my needs perfectly, and at a price I'm very happy with.  I'm not sure if this is a "secret" plan or one that was supposed to only be available through retail channels, but I think this is the one @Double_J was referencing...

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[CalgaryBen]

I echo the difficulty in getting a PM SIM card at Walmart, at least at the Sage Hill Walmart in Calgary.  Without going into depth, the rep in the Electronics department clearly didn't know what he was talking about, claimed that they didn't sell PM SIM cards, and tried to sell me a plan I didn't want.  Just talked and talked and spewed garbage and misinformation... felt like the teacher in Peanuts...

On to a WoW kiosk at the CrossIron Mills mall.  I got a SIM card, no questions asked, no friction in completing the transaction.

Upon activating online (on March 4), I was pleasantly surprised to see the $30 "Retail" plan during activation, which I was unaware of before (not listed under any of the public-facing Plan pages).  In retrospect I should've taken a screen capture.  Exact same features as the $35/30 days plan, but $5 cheaper (accounting for $2 auto-pay reward).  Meets my needs perfectly, and at a price I'm very happy with.  I'm not sure if this is a "secret" plan or one that was supposed to only be available through retail channels, but I think this is the one @Double_J was referencing...

[s2scotty]

On 2018-MARCH-02, I went to the Dufferin Mall, in Toronto, because there's a WOW kiosk that sells PM SIMs. While walking through the mall to WOW, I passed WalMart and there was a guy in a sponge-Bob square pants like PM costume. They were promoting PM's new[er] association with WalMart. So into the WalMart I went and bought a new SIM to get a friend up and going.

Inside WalMart, the cellphone specialist staffer got me a PM SIM. He had to "register" the fact of its sale. This has NOTHING to do with activation nor phone numbers. I don't know if "registering its sale" is even required by the PM network or if it is --more simply-- a Walmart's cash register customer/returns receipt thing. Anyway, and consequently, the cash register receipt --which is my warranty/return instrument-- has the SIM number incorporated (sale "registered") and I was off home ward.

That evening, the WalMart-sourced SIM activated on line via the self serve portal as expected without issue.

Thank you WalMart and sorry WOW.

[mimmo]

@stonechucker @Unless they have a special portal for activating. But i tend to concur with you

[stonechucker]

How can Wal-Mart have a special deal, that isn’t even available in the plan selection?  It’s either a regular plan, or there is no plan.

[Korth]

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@will13amwrote:

It's too bad that Walmart reps continue to push other products that the customer doesn't want.  I guess they really want the commission badly.

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To be fair, the Koodo reps do the same thing, all contained within a single brand but still pushing products or services the customer doesn't really want/need.  In fact, PM has done this as well, although obviously not in a face-to-face context.  I doubt any wireless vendor anywhere is above this practice, I wouldn't single Walmart out on this basis alone.

The $30 PM plan described above is interesting, though, better than any plan or promo options currently offered by PM (online).

[will13am]

It's too bad that Walmart reps continue to push other products that the customer doesn't want.  I guess they really want the commission badly.  

The chatr service is not comparable to this service.  Having artificial zones is a real deal breaker.  

[youbme]

I referred a friend to PM a couple of weeks ago and they purchased a SIM from Walmart. The Walmart rep tried to convince them to go with Chatr instead - which has little to no service in our area among other issues - but when they insisted on PM, he gave in and got them a SIM card without any issue - they brought it over and I helped them activate it, smooth as butter!

[Korth]

@Double_J

PM has no call center - "the phone company without a phone number" - the only public point of contact is to contact the mods in this PM Community forum (and in PM social media sites, although they've announced plans to phase those vectors out).

Their policy is all prepaid, no refunds ever issued.  Although I suspect they have issued refunds or reversed credit card charges in the past on a very limited case-by-case basis to avoid escalations.  The mods have definitely intervened often in the past to adjust account balances when necessary.

[Double_J]

It is with Public Mobile.  I usually call into a call centre and complain and they reverse the $25 activation charge which includes the SIM.  If they dont refund the activation fee, I threaten to cancel as I havent used the phone yet and can just walk away.  They usually have the charge reversed within 3 minutes after that.

[Korth]

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@Double_Jwrote:

Walmart also has a special package with 1GB of internet, province wide calling, international text, call display and voicemail for $30.

Still upset I had to pay $10 for a SIM card, when we are becoming customers.

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That's a good plan for $30, assuming you need talk and text but not much data.  Is the plan with PM or with some other Walmart-branded carrier?

PM used to refund the SIM card cost after prepaid activation, although the account credit couldn't actually be used until the next prepaid billing cycle.  I haven't had to do this for a while so I'm not sure if this is still their policy of if they've abandoned it.  To be fair, though, I think all of the carriers charge ($10-$25) for their SIM cards, it's a money-grab but there's just no way around it unless you can cash in a promo code or something.

[Double_J]

The Walmart guy told me Public Mobile was the best bang for my buck considering what I needed.

Walmart also has a special package with 1GB of internet, province wide calling, international text, call display and voicemail for $30.

Signed up on Prepaid in store and had to scroll through numbers which I was not happy with.

Still upset I had to pay $10 for a SIM card, when we are becoming customers.

[Civic_E]

Just curios...anyone successfully bought SIM card from wal-mart without a single question asked?

Three locations in Mississauga area:

1. We are out of PM SIM cards. Two weeks later just asked again...and they said don't have them yet.

2. Employee had no idea about Public Mobile. Offered me help if i wanted to activate a monthly plan with Koodo.

3. Their wireless department closed after 6pm and asked me to come check next day.

[Mary_M]

Hey @BlackSky, @mimmo and all other community members.

We're truly sorry to hear that Wal-Mart reps are insisting that they need to activate the SIM card on your behalf. I can all assure you that this is not true - you can purchase a SIM without activating it in store and we did not change our policies. As most of you community members are aware, I am an official Public Mobile employee (community moderator) and I can confirm my statement: You Can Purchase a SIM at Wal-Mart Without Activating It.

Now, we will have to gather some feedback regarding these specific locations in order to get the situation rectified. Can you please send me a private message including the details of these Wal-Mart locations?

Kind regards,

Mary

[mimmo]

@CS_Agent, @Brooke_C can you please look into this? And report back.

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@BlackSkywrote:

To the Management / Moderators of PM

I believe what you are telling us is incorrect.  There are reports listed in this thread from Walmarts in BC and throughout Ontario that the policy is - "If you want a SIM we will activate it for you - or you can't have one".  I was in Walmart on February 27th again, trying to purchase a SIM card without activation.  I then spoke to the store manager - and we went back to the wireless department for resolution.  I asked if someone would supply me with a copy of the email that notified staff of the change in policy where SIM cards from PM must be sold activated.  I was told they would not make that available.

I then told them it is strange that the manufacturer is telling Walmart how their product is to be sold - and Walmart isn't listening.

PM - Please either fix the problem OR post a notice of change to your policy regarding Walmart.  Please stop misleading your customers that they can purchase a SIM card at Walmart without activation.

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[BlackSky]

To the Management / Moderators of PM

I believe what you are telling us is incorrect.  There are reports listed in this thread from Walmarts in BC and throughout Ontario that the policy is - "If you want a SIM we will activate it for you - or you can't have one".  I was in Walmart on February 27th again, trying to purchase a SIM card without activation.  I then spoke to the store manager - and we went back to the wireless department for resolution.  I asked if someone would supply me with a copy of the email that notified staff of the change in policy where SIM cards from PM must be sold activated.  I was told they would not make that available.

I then told them it is strange that the manufacturer is telling Walmart how their product is to be sold - and Walmart isn't listening.

PM - Please either fix the problem OR post a notice of change to your policy regarding Walmart.  Please stop misleading your customers that they can purchase a SIM card at Walmart without activation.