how to start a new account in public mobile

[sophia16]

I am brand new to the cellphone world, have the questions:

1. what type of cell phone I need to buy to use public mobile services?

2. where can I buy a SIM card? I am located in Kingston, Ont, do you have a store in the area?

3. if you need to ship the SIM card to me, do you send it by Canada Post mail, or by other means? please provide detailed information.

4. do you accept credit card payment?

5. do you have help desk service? is there the number I could call when I have questions?

[stonechucker]

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@quentin wrote:

As far as I know Walmart does not sell Public Mobile SIM card

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They want to refuse everyone who wants to buy a SIM card.  The OSL (the 3rd party that runs the electronics area) want to force in-store activations on consumers.

Public Mobile says you can buy the sim at WalMart if you wish - do not let them persuade you to do differently if that's what you wish.

Whenever possible, I recommend you avail WalMart - The Mobile Shop in Eastern Canada, and London Drugs in the West seem to be the best of the bunch.

[RossN]

@dna2016 I can't say I disagree with you on that point but like you say thats where it stops lol

[dna2016]

@RossN that's actually great to hear that your getting even better support through this forum than everywhere else.  I'll tell you this though, because I used to work in the communications industry over a decade ago (i know lots changed since then), but when you go to any of these BIG 3 companies (Bell, Telus, Rogers), and you are activating a new plan with them, trust me when I say this, you can take up as much time as you need and ask as many questions as you want during the time they are activating the phone for you, simply because there are new activation surveys that go out and they want to make sure you give the best score/rating for them.  this survey does have an impact on their end of year bonuses etc..  If you go in there and just ask general questions and are not looking to activate, then unfortunately you'll get the "get out of my face treatment".  But if you go in and say "I'm looking to activate a new cell phone line" you'll see their eyes light up and all of a sudden you have their full attention".  Unfortunately you do have to dangle a carrot in their face to get that initial attention/support.

But for sure, if you want to give PM a try, then definitely go for it.  I've been with PM for almost 2 years and I don't see myself going anywhere else. 

[RossN]

@dna2016  do you realy think their help is any better than here ? I have never ever had better or more personal service than I have since I came here in Dec. between the people here in the community and the moderators (who can get a little backed up at times) I have never been more pleased!!

[dna2016]

@sophia16 I am going to be brutally honest with you.  If these are the questions you are asking, and considering you've never had a cell phone service before, I highly recommend you start with Koodoo or Telus first.  Public Mobile (PM) is very much a do-it-yourself company, and if you require this much support then I don't think PM is right for you just yet.  Unless you have someone around that can help you out then sure, but you'll need to know how to do a little bit of troubleshooting yourself.  If you don't know where to input a SIM, how to even use a cellphone and its basic features then I highly recommend you start with a company that offers in person support such as Koodoo, Telus, etc.  PM does not offer over-the-phone support, and their retail locations are primarily for sales, not support.  Only support option is through this community online forum, and for beginners like yourself, it tends to be more of a headache due to long wait times to get responses from PM.

Again, maybe you're willing to give it a try, but I will say, don't get mad and start hating the company when something doesn't go right and you're waiting forever for a reply.  I personally would not recommend a beginner to start with PM unless they have someone who can physically be around to help them.  My parents are not very tech savvy, and the only reason why they are with PM is because I am available to help them out when needed, and I have complete access to their accounts.  I basically take care of their account, and any questions they have they come directly to me and I handle it.  If you don;t have someone like that around you, then PM might not be the best option right now, maybe later once you've gotten the hang of the "cellphone world". 

Not trying to be mean or anything, but just want to make sure you have enough info to make this decision and determine if this is the right move for right now.  Good luck. 

[Maple98]

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@quentin wrote:

As far as I know Walmart does not sell Public Mobile SIM card

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@quentin  I got my PM SIM at Walmart & they took care of porting my number & everything. Just had to come home & set up my PM account online & done 🙂

[geopublic]

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@sophia16 wrote:

I am brand new to the cellphone world, have the questions:

1. what type of cell phone I need to buy to use public mobile services?

@sophia16  Any phone that works with Telus, Koodo, Bell, Virgin will be ideal.

2. where can I buy a SIM card? I am located in Kingston, Ont, do you have a store in the area?

You can purchase a sim card online via the main Public Mobile by clicking here.  Or you can find a store closest to your location by clicking here.

3. if you need to ship the SIM card to me, do you send it by Canada Post mail, or by other means? please provide detailed information.

SIM card ordered online get sent via Canada Post.

4. do you accept credit card payment?

Yes, In fact if you signup for AutoPay you will get a $2.00 off  reward during every renewal period.

5. do you have help desk service? is there the number I could call when I have questions?

Unfortunately no number. Most issues can be resolved by posting here and getting help from other customers. For account or technical issues you need to message the Public mobile Moderator Team for support.To contact Public Mobile click here. The link  sends you to the private message function and adds the moderator team as recipient for a private message. You just have to enter a title and text in the body of the message describing the problem and post. The message will be received by the moderator team and they will respond to it. You will receive the response in your private message inbox.

Moderators are available: M-F from 8 AM to midnight Eastern time and S-S from 8 AM to 10 PM Eastern time.

Note: Moderator Hours are subject to change, but you can always find the current times here

Please note that account verification may be required when contacting the Moderator Team 

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[RossN]

@quentin they certainly do

[quentin]

As far as I know Walmart does not sell Public Mobile SIM card

[quentin]

If you set up AutoPay with credit card, you will receive a $2 credit every 30 days

[surreyboz]

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@sophia16 wrote:

I am brand new to the cellphone world, have the questions:

1. what type of cell phone I need to buy to use public mobile services?

2. where can I buy a SIM card? I am located in Kingston, Ont, do you have a store in the area?

3. if you need to ship the SIM card to me, do you send it by Canada Post mail, or by other means? please provide detailed information.

4. do you accept credit card payment?

5. do you have help desk service? is there the number I could call when I have questions?

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1) Almost every Canadian unlock Phone will work with Public Mobile & not all but most international unlocked phones will also work 

2) Walmart is Probably a best Place to get your sim card, they may not even charge you the $10+ Tax for the sim

3) Canada Post

4) Yes any Canadian or American Credit will work for your 30 Days/Monthly Phone Service and you get a $2 discount if you setup your Credit Card for Auto 30 Day Payments of your Plan.

5) There is no Help Desk to Call. All the support is done through here & if it's an Account Related issue/Problem then you send a Private message to Public Mobile employees through here. Public Mobile Employees are known as Moderator Team

[Anonymous]

Hey @sophia16  - Great questions;

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@sophia16 wrote:

I am brand new to the cellphone world, have the questions:

1. what type of cell phone I need to buy to use public mobile services?  ==> There is a compatibility checker on the main sign up page.   https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/get-started

2. where can I buy a SIM card? I am located in Kingston, Ont, do you have a store in the area?  ==>  you can order the SIM from Public Mobile, or buy locally.  Stores like WOW mobile, london Drugs, Walmart, carry them.  Publick Mobile has oppened up a few kiosks, but not sure if any in your area.  The link above also has information about getting the SIM.

3. if you need to ship the SIM card to me, do you send it by Canada Post mail, or by other means? please provide detailed information.  ==> Yes, I beleive they are sent by Canada post.

4. do you accept credit card payment?  ==> Yes, CC payment is accepted

5. do you have help desk service? is there the number I could call when I have questions?  ==>  Most help is done here in the community, by other PM customers.  Account level stuff is handled by moderators (PM staff).  You communicate with them via private message.  There is no telephone support.

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Hope that helps.

[Triguy]

Check the following link to get a new account setup.

  https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/bc/get-started

There is no phone support.  You can post to the forum for help or message a moderator to resolve issues.

Moderator can be reached at 

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

[Alex888]

@sophia16

1. Most current cell phones will work, before you get one check http://willmyphonework.net/ to make sure it's compatible. Be careful about buying used phones, especially online, as many are scams and the phones have been blacklisted.
2. You can buy a SIM at London Drugs, The Mobile Shop, Wow! Mobile, K Mobile, WalMart, or order one from this site
3. SIM's are shipped using Canada Post
4. Canadian credit cards are accepted, international cards are not
5. There is no call center, if you have a problem you can search the forum or post a question explaining your problem and someone will try to help you. If you do need help from Public Mobile you need to send a private message to the moderators, it can take anywhere from a few minutes or a couple of days for them to respond depending on how busy they are.