How to get your PUK Code

[Mongo]

When you have purchased and placed your new Public Mobile SIM card into your device, it may ask you to enter a PUK code to unlock your device. The PUK Code is provided to you by your previous cell phone provider. They must give this to you by law. I had trouble with my previous provider, Bell, who insisted that it was Public Mobile who needed to provide the code and unlock my phone. Wrong! Here is the transcript from Bell:
BELL: you need to contact the Public Mobile for the code for your PUK code .
ME: I was at London Drugs and the sales person said I need to contact Bell to have my phone unlocked.
BELL : Yes you are correct but that's only code can I provide to unlock your device but for the SIM PUK you need to contact your new service provider.
ME : If I go back to the salesperson at London Drugs and tell her what you have said, it will work? I'm confused because I am getting conflicting info. She said I need to contact Bell. Bell says I need to contact Public Mobile
BELL : Yes and by that after your network unlocked you can use the code to unlock your device… once your SIM card was unlocked you can use the code to unlock you device . You just need to contact your Original Provide for the PUK Code”

After talking to our IT guy, a former Telus Support person, and after spending an hour with Bell and two hours with the London Drugs salesperson, going back and forth, the result was that it was Bell – they were responsible and legally obligated to provide me with the correct PUK code. Note her words “contact your original provider”, who was BELL. I did not ever get the PUK Code from Bell. I got my phone unlocked by calling Samsung (I have a Samsung phone).

[computergeek541]

@Mongo, generally, PUK refers to the PUK of the sim card. When Bell tells you to get that from Public Mobile, they are not actually wrong, but perhaps Bell should have been more specific.

The PUK of a sim card is a security code.  The PUK of a Public Mobile sim card can absolutely only be given to you by Public Mobile.

However, in this case, that isn't what you needed.

Since you were able to get the code that you needed from Samsing, your phone was locked to another carrier.  The code that are were given is something referred to as a master unlock code.   

The master unlock code and the sim card's PUK are two very different things.  When people speak of the PUK, this almost universally, at least in my opinion, is speaking about the sim card's security.

I believe much of the confusion lies with the fact that the phone's master unlock code is sometimes referred to as "sim network unlock PUK".

[Someone_here]

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@Mongo wrote:

When I tried to set up my PM account, it also said my SIM was invalid. I contacted Public Mobile, and they said the SIM was valid on their end, so it was not a PM issue.  

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Hmmm, you can't set up your PM account because the SIM is not valid, but PM moderators tell you it is valid? Have you been able to creat your selfserve account? If not, that would be the first thing to do I guess...

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@Mongo wrote:

The message I was getting on my phone was to enter the PUK code. My phone was giving me a message that my PM SIM card was invalid.

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How many times have you tried entering a code? If more than 6-10 times, you might need a new SIM anyways from what I understand.

[Mongo]

The message I was getting on my phone was to enter the PUK code. My phone was giving me a message that my PM SIM card was invalid. When I tried to set up my PM account, it also said my SIM was invalid. I contacted Public Mobile, and they said the SIM was valid on their end, so it was not a PM issue. The unlock code provided to me my Bell did not work. So, three separate codes: SIM, device unlock, and PUK code.  

[Someone_here]

Here is some information about devices/SIM being locked.

"If the wrong PIN is entered more than three times, either the SIM card, the device, or both become locked."

Furthermore: "If the wrong PUC is entered eight times in a row, the device will become permanently blocked and unrecoverable, requiring a new SIM card."

From what I know, most often "PUK code" is related to the SIM.

A locked phone will often ask for a "network unlock code".

If your phone is locked, then you do need to contact Bell.

If your SIM is locked, then you need to contact PM.

Follow this link for many approved solutions regarding PUK code and explaining what it is.

To contact PM's employees (moderators), write them a private message by clicking this link.