Purchasing SIM's at Walmart

[nicolepavicia]

The Walmart at Scarborough Town Centre is refusing to sell SIM Cards without activating a plan at the time. The employee here explained to me, in detail, that the policy changed and IF he were to sell me a SIM Card without a plan activation - he’d actually get into TROUBLE! Now that im learning this im EXTREMELY upset and angry because he made me go to another mobile stand in the middle of the PACKED mall, with a SCREAMING 6 month old baby to buy one there instead! I also had to wait 15+ mins for some person ahead of me to ask simple questions like “how do I make a phone call?” ..... smh. Needless to say I was angry, but now I’m furious. 

[mimmo]

@Zimbu I feel your duration. Please send @Mary_M the details of the Walmart store. She has been looking into it.

She might also be able to offer some goodwill for the simcard as you will miss the may 10 deadline.

[Marchibald]

You should of. I think their( walmart staff) must be getting some sort on incentive to push for in house activation, but they know nothing about the service. They just do what you would do at home on their computer. They persuaded me to activate at the store too, but you're in no way obligated to.

[Zimbu]

I didn't care about the $10. I just wanted a SIM. They just refused, saying they had to activate it in store. I ordered one online instead.

It's just frustrating that the experience in the store doesn't align with what the Public Mobile website says. The web site makes it sound like I should be able to walk into Walmart, pay $10, and walk out with an unactivated SIM, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

[Marchibald]

I ran into a similar issue. Basically if you let them  activate your sim card .  You save $10. They said they had to charge me the $10 if I took the card home to do the activation. If you are satisfied with any of the results on this forum you should indicate so. That way you won't continue to get notifications about this forum

[Zimbu]

I just ran into this today at the Fairview Park Mall location in Kitchener, Ontario. They refused to sell me a SIM card without activating, and even told me that they would just punch the info into the same site that I would use at home anyway. Total waste of time, and nothing on Public Mobile's site indicated that activation in store was necessary.

Came to the forum in frustration, only to find its been a problem for months. 😞

[Korth]

WOW Westminster

160-196 Front St, New Westminster, BC V3L 1A2, (604) 521-3711

WOW! mobile boutique

Metropolis at Metrotown, 4700 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC V5H 4N2, (604) 559-3900

Coquitlam Centre, 2929 Barnet Highway, Coquitlam, BC V3B 5R5, (604) 474-2584

Central City Shopping Centre, 10153 King George Blvd, Surrey, BC V3T 2W1, (778) 394-7755

Guildford Town Centre, 10355 152nd Street, Surrey, BC V3R 7C1, (778) 394-3300

[Luddite]

@kscruff4 Look for WOW Mobile.

[kscruff4]

Looks like this thread kinda went silent.  Any updates? I was just refused a sin card at a Walmart today in New Westminster, BC.  I ordered one online but it really sucks to now be without a phone for days as I wait for it to come in the mail.  As far as I know, in the Vancouver region, Walmart is the only retailer that carries it, so I have no other choices.  Please help fix this!!

[Korth]

---

@stonechucker except people in wireless section are not actual employees of Walmart

(and seriously what kind of union does a min wage labour job like Walmart need anyways???)  

The staff of "Walmart Department 87/58 (Walmart Wireless)" apparently work for a company called OSL Retail Services (which is owned and operated by a complex chain of marketing companies).  OSL Retail Service employees commonly complain (at online review sites) about their "insultingly low" base wages, about the company's aggressive performance-based commission-based sales model, and about how customers automatically assume they are (and treat them as badly as) Walmart employees.

[kav2001c]

@Mary_M interesting I will give it a go to see

@stonechucker except people in wireless section are not actual employees of Walmart

(and seriously what kind of union does a min wage labour job like Walmart need anyways???)

[demon1102]

I didn't realize that PM was no longer free until I read this post. 😓

Although Walmart is an international company, many rules are made by each store manager. Poblic Mobile really needs to communicate with each store not just focus on numbers  

[BlackSky]

@Mary_M @CS_Agent

I am starting to get REAL disappointed with this company.

I started this original post and gave location details.

I was told by a moderator - That can't be because that is not our policy.

Many other users also commented that this is exactly what they experienced.

Users from BC, QC and across Ontario have confirmed this.

I have mentioned - the least you can do is post something that says "Walmart Sim cards require activation upon purchase"...   but that hasn't happened so more users (or potential users) keep going out of their way to be disappointed.

I spent over an hour in my local Walmart - where the store manager became involved.

I sent in phone numbers for management and was told "We can't phone".  I have also noticed that @ShawnC13 is gathering you information.  Was the phone number I gave and the numbers from other stores that others gave not enough.. 

But I don't think it really matters...   You don't believe what is going on at your "Retail Partners" but you told me that you can't phone to confirm??  Then why bother?

I was also told that the process to fix this would be communicated to me as I lodged the complaint...   You know what I have heard...   <crickets>

Sorry you went through this @nicolepavicia...  (and others)

Public Mobile - Are you going to help us - help you?

[caller_07]

I went to Walmart in Bayshore Mall, Ottawa today.

They refused to sell me a SIM without signing up and activating a phone plan at the same time. Needless to say I'm pissed and have to wait 3-5 business days if I chose to order one online.

This is ridiculous. Can a rep from PM contact  Walmart in Bayshore Mall, Ottawa and tell them to stop preventing people from buying a SIM without forcing them to chose a plan in the store 

[stonechucker]

I said it when PM started using Walmart, and I'll say it again.

I WILL NOT USE WALMART, because of the anti-labour practices they employee, and the general attitude of the associates that work there.

It is a bad employer, thus creating a poor workforce.

THey actively engage in anti-union activities, threatning employment security for anyone who works there, and wants to form a union.

Get out of Walmart.

[Luddite]

@Mary_M wrote:

fair enough Luddite, we're just trying to gather as much detail as we can and find a solution 😃

Cheers,

Mary

---

Happy to have you enforcing Walmart's obligations. Will even lend you Ralph. 

My solution: go somewhere else (WOW Mobile, K MObile) or order SIM online.

BTW: it's amazing to look at the lack of customer service issues. Great work PM team. 👍 👍

[Mary_M]

fair enough @Luddite, we're just trying to gather as much detail as we can and find a solution 😃

Cheers,

Mary

[Luddite]

Sorry I completely disagree. My personal view is "ignore Walmart". I do not see PM having the clout to insist on anything. It's even more of waste of psychic energy and time than trying to influence the strategic direction of Public Mobile. 

Truly it is a "I'd rather switch than fight" issue for me. Happy to cheer on the rest of you though! 

[Mary_M]

thanks for confirming @Stormy, I've taken note of this and will forward the info!!

[Mary_M]

thank you so much, I appreciate it !!! @ShawnC13 🙂

[Stormy]

In my case it was the Walmart in Pickering, Ontario.

The sales drone was adamant that he couldn't sell without activation. Even went so far as to get his manager on the phone and said the same thing. This was despite the drone reading him what you had posted.

[ShawnC13]

---

@Mary_Mwrote:

@ShawnC13Get as much info as you can, such as the address of the Wal-Mart and if they do refuse, the employee's name ? I look forward to hearing from you!!

Mary

---

I will do that and grab as much info as I can.

[Mary_M]

@ShawnC13 Get as much info as you can, such as the address of the Wal-Mart and if they do refuse, the employee's name ? I look forward to hearing from you!!

Mary

[Lg85]

I bought two Public Mobile Sim cards a couple months ago at a local Wal-mart in Calgary and had no issues. A couple of employees initially did not know that they sell Public Mobile Sim cards. They asked their manager and finally she found the Sim cards in a drawer by the cash register area.

[Mary_M]

Hello @nicolepavicia, @mimmo, @ShawnC13, @Stormy and other community members.

Thank you once again for sharing your experience purchasing a sim at Wal-Mart and for your feedback. This issue is currently being investigated, but I need all of your help as well. I know that I have already asked this, and I did receive a few answers, but I need to know exactly which locations are doing this. If you have this specific information, please send it to me asap and I will track all of the locations. I will then forward the information to management and they will be able to find a solution. 

In the meantime, I suggest that you insist the fact that we can purchase a SIM without activating it in store- as confirmed by me, an official Public Mobile employee. 

I really look forward to hearing from you all and for the information!

Kind regards,

Mary

[Stormy]

Also need someone to volunteer (or that has gone thr0ough the process) of exactly how Walmart is doing these activations.

Seeing as we all had to go through the main website to create and account in order to activate, what the hell is Walmart doing? The same thing you would do at home and then giving you all the login info (email and password), which you would then need to change once you got home?

Or are they going through the motions where you give the the password and email you want to use?

And yes that was me that mentioned the $5 commission from WOW.

[ShawnC13]

---

@mimmowrote:

@ShawnC13 I did call both victoira walmarts when this thread started and i was told the same thing, sims sold on activation.

from what another poster said retailers (wow was mentioned) get $5 per activation. 

---

I am going to go in and show them the post from Shazia and Mary that say we can purchase a sim without activation.  If they still refuse I will ask for a manager.  I don't need a sim but I want to find out what is going on locally anyway and report it to the mods with store numbers and any information I can get.

[mimmo]

@ShawnC13 I did call both victoira walmarts when this thread started and i was told the same thing, sims sold on activation.

from what another poster said retailers (wow was mentioned) get $5 per activation. 

[ShawnC13]

@nicolepavicia, sorry to hear about your experience.  My only thought on the employee saying they will get in trouble is that they probably get commission for each activation.  I plan to stop in at a Walmart here and see what happens.  As @mimmo, has already tagged a moderator to look into this we will see what else we can find out.

[mimmo]

Hi @Mary_M I know you were investigating this. As mentioned in a previous thread you probably don't have much pull with Walmart. I font want totsound like a broken record, But have you or anyone else heard anything back from anyone at PM about this issue of why Walmarts are doing this? 

It seems so strange that there is such a big disconnect between pm and its official representives.

Thanks.

[nicolepavicia]

Has anyone at Public Mobile actually looked into this?!... this thread has been going for quite awhile now and I was told the same thing by a Walmart employee yesterday. He said he’ll actually “get into trouble” if he sold me a PM SIM card without an activation. I even tried to persuade him and say “well if you sold it to me without the activation WHO would reallllly know?” Lol and he wouldn’t budge. So these employees are CLEARLY actually legitimately under the impression that they’re not allowed to do this. It’s multiple Walmart locations, so OBVIOUSLY there’s a mistake on Public Mobiles end here. None of this makes any sense!

I also want to add thatthe Walmart employee did NOT try to sell me anything from an other phone company, so I’m not sure what an ulterior motive would be. There isn’t one. 

Public Mobile I feel like this should have been dealt with already, SMH. Very frustrating for people that NEED their phone for work or emergencies & CANNOT wait the 2-3 business days for one to come in the mail.