Hey folks, I have activated two separate lines from two different carriers without issue. (well, sort of, anyways more on that).
Here are the main points that will make your experience pleasant, and make you feel proud for making the right choice to join. Keep in mind that I did work in AT&T escalations (both from field techs and customers) for a couple of years and dealt with a LOT of failed port-in requests... for 40 hours a week. Here is a handy guide with more in-depth explanation for those who have the time (you're waiting to hear from PM anyway so why not educate yourself?) For even more explanation please scroll to the "definitions" portion of this post.
1) BE PATIENT. Activations are "instant". Port-ins take a "MINIMUM" of two hours. This is a best-case scenario. Right now with a backlog of thousands of activation and port-in requests, do you think this is a best-case scenario? Give it at least 24 hours AFTER submitting your activation port-in request before you start to panic. Think spamming a mod is gonna make it quicker? No. You've been told in the main sticky that it's a bad idea. So don't. Slap yourself on the wrist before you send another PM.
2) DO NOT create a port-in request during your activation process. MAKE A NEW NUMBER. Activations alone are causing issues. WAIT UNTIL YOUR ACTIVATION IS COMPLETE BEFORE YOU PORT A TELEPHONE NUMBER. You can blame the usual suspects (reffered to as TUS in the remainder of this post).. number one being server load, the other reasons likely due to an understaffed moderator team being spammed by users like you and me. (TGIF right modteam!? Next round of pints are on me!) You can thank the million people who waited until the last week of the promo to jump aboard. (My own wife.. tried to convince her earlier.. sorry PM team! :D)
3) DO port your number from your self-serve portal once you've verified that your (temporary) PM-assigned phone number works, you have service, etc. Make/receive calls... send/receive texts... disable WiFi and try to stream some Youtube. If you're running into other issues, such as your phone not seeing the SIM or getting no service, this post is not for you. Using a temporary number also alleviates a lot of stress/pressure on PM. People left with no service on two sims really make the wrong choice when opting to port a number during activation. DO ONE THING AT A TIME.
4) BE PATIENT. And hope you don't reach step 5.
5) Recognize when the need to ask for help arises.
Did you submit a single-action request (activation ONLY or port ONLY) in the last 24 hours and you haven't received your welcome to PM text (activation) or haven't been able to receive calls(port)? You likely just need to sit back and let time run it's course.
Did you do something you shouldn't have? Did you port your number during activation and now it's been days, or weeks, and absolutely nothing has worked in spite of exhausting all troubleshooting methods? It's probably time to check-in with a mod and provide as much information as you can to ease the process.
Accept the reality that xxxxxxxxx truly happens. I stumbled across issues at AT&T that customers had been calling in for months regarding and no one ever figured out until I touched the account. There ARE weird things that happen with telecom. Keep in mind these issues are rare, but possible. Examples are digits missing when dialed, for some reason one number cannot call a specific carrier, numbers cannot call certain area codes/parts of the country, numbers are blacklisted due to credit, no dial tone, port-in requests that are literally not honoured by the carrier (holding your number because you owe money, or because that carrier is just a pain in the butt to deal with). These issues need to be escalated to the proper teams to rectify. A public forum is not the place to get this sort of issue resolved.
DEFINITIONS:
Failed activation: Your SIM activation didn't process properly. Likely a false error that will take time to process. It is likely your credit card was charged anyway. Do not call your company and claim fraud just yet folks.
Common symptoms include: SIM card activated with service, but calling/texting anyone throws a Public Mobile-branded message back at you saying you have no services.
Common fixes/troubleshooting steps: Verify your CC was charged. Write down your PM number that was assigned upon signup. Use this to register a self-serve account after waiting 24 hours. After that you should receive the verification text and your PM number should be in service.
Failed port-in: PM was unable to pull your number from your current provider over.
Common symptoms include: Error message thrown when trying to complete port-in process. Able to place calls but not receive calls.
Common fixes/troubleshooting steps: Verify your previous account information. Did you get married or change your name? Did you type your old account number wrong? Everything you enter into the change number screen on self-serve must match 100% with the records that your old provider has on record. Can't receive calls? Wait another 24 hours before starting to panic.
If anyone would like to add something to this, feel free. I followed these steps and I was able to get PM service within 48 hours in both instances. 🙂
