Cannot Activate New Sim Card

[gumiibear711]

Hi everyone,

I tried to activate my new SIM card tonight 4 times, but everytime I entered my credit card information, the next page just brought me to a "Generic Error" page.  

I just tried to activate a new account again, and this time, when I type in my SIM card number, it says "Invalid SIM". I've tried signing up on Internet Explorer, Chrome, Chrome incognito, Firefox and nothing works. I also want to port my number. Please help! 

[gumiibear711]

@mimmo It does! I'm able to log in and see my account information. 

[mimmo]

@gumiibear711 does your selfserve account work? Are you able to login?

Also make sure you double check that  your cc was not charged multiple times.

[gumiibear711]

@mimmo Ok got it! I'll try to be more patient! Excited to be joining the Public Mobile family. Thank you for your help 🙂

[mimmo]

@Dunkman is right I might have jumped the gun about contacting mods. It can take a couple hours.  I suggested it in part because I think the error might not have allowed the selfserve account to be created. (Happened to me a while back)

[gumiibear711]

Thanks @Dunkman, really appreciate your help. 

I'll wait a couple hours and see if the port was successful 🙂

Yes, I'll definitely be calling American Express this weekend to see if I was overcharged! 

[Dunkman]

@gumiibear711

That is good to hear.  Not sure when you tried to "activate" your account.  Porting may take 3-4 hours to complete, so hopefully, your port will complete in the next few hours.  IF not, at least you will be on the waitlist for moderator help (as suggested by mimmo_L). 

You could continue to use your old original SIM card and if it stops working, then check the Public mobile sim to see whether port completed.  

Maybe also check your credit card online statement to make sure that you were charged properly.....

[gumiibear711]

Thank you @mimmo I'll do that! 🙂

[mimmo · Accepted solution]

Ok so you have a stuck port and likely an issue with your self serve account.

Use your old sim that should still work.

Contact mods with as much details as possible including sim number. Lint to this thread as well.

How can you get help with your account, activation, or service?

• Please contact the Community Moderator Team to get gelp with you account.
• They are Public Mobile support employees who can help with your issue
• Click here to send them a private message.

In your message please include:

• PM Phone Number, 4 digit PIN, Account email address, Detailed explanation of your issue

If you have a Porting issue, please also include:

• The number you want to port, PM sim number, old account number, old account name exacly as on bill

Don't know your pin?--provide any 3 of the following:

• Complete mailing address, Email address, Alternate phone number, Date of birth, Last top up date & amount

How long until they reply?:

• Office Hours: Mon-Fri 9am to 9pm, and Sat-Sun 9am to 7:30pm [Totonto Time] from 9am to 7:30pm [Totonto Time].
• Messages are replied to during business hours and in the order they are received
• Typical response time is between 1-3 hours, depending on message queue, but can be up to 48 hours.
• There is no need to send multiple messages.

Additional Useful Information:

• Search PM-GUIDE (remove "-" during the search) to find some informative posts and answers to many common questions about Public Mobile

[gumiibear711]

Thanks @mimmo! I put it into my phone and it seems to be activated! I can text/call other people, but I cannot receive texts/calls... very strange! 

[mimmo]

@gumiibear711  you could buy a voucher from recharge.com for your activation, that avoids teh cc issues during activation

i would also check that your sim was not actually activated by popping it into a phone. (stranger things have happened)

[gumiibear711]

Thanks @Dunkman. Really strange but I just put the SIM card into my phone and it seems to be activated! Public Mobile is showing up on the top left corner of my screen and I'm able to send out texts and call people, but I cannot receive texts/calls. Is this because I requested to have my phone number ported? 

[Dunkman]

@gumiibear711

It is a glitch in the system, where if you put something in the apartment section, your credit card is declined.  Doesn't make any sense, but that's the way it is....  

[gumiibear711]

Thanks @Dunkman! I'll give it another try in a few hours. I just hope my credit card wasn't charged 5 times... that'd be such a nightmare! 

Why do we have to leave the apartment number blank? 

[Dunkman]

@gumiibear711

Might need to re-try in one or two hours again.  The website becomes finicky after a few tries of activation.  

With your credit card information, make sure that the address and name exactly matches the credit billing information.  Leave the apartment number section blank.