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Walmart on Topsail Road, St. John's NL won't sell SIM card

GreatCanadian
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

This is just another report of another Walmart that refuses to sell a SIM card to a customer. The last 2 friends that I have referred have not been able to purchase a SIM card at this Walmart. No reason given other than "We're not allowed".

 

GC

20 REPLIES 20

Honestly, I have no idea @GreatCanadian.  I do know the Wow Mobile didn’t want to sell me a phone outright, they said I had to activate a new plan to buy the phone.  Liars!

 

i went to Telus and got the phone there instead, without activation.

GreatCanadian
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

@stonechucker does the Walmart sell sim cards willingly or do you have to fight for them!!

 

@Tav you are correct, I have not met anyone here who has heard of public mobile. I stumbled upon it while searching for US vacation plan last year. That being said, since then I have converted at least 20 Bell/Telus users. I think PM is great, and although you read a lot of complaints online, none of my group has experienced any issues.

 

GC 

Tav
Model Citizen / Citoyen Modèle

@GreatCanadian wrote:

Nope, just Walmart. But that's not the point. I shouldn't have to send my friends on a wild goose chase to find a SIM card! They're not going to do that and I don't expect them to. Walmart has them, and they're supposed to sell them. That's it.

 

GC

 

I'll edit this to say that I've heard that Dominion sells them as well, but I haven't confirmed this.


Got mine at The Mobile Shop in Dominion on Blackmarsh. Dude even sold it to me while he was waiting for another customers activation or something to go through to save me from having to wait around. I'm surprised someone else in NL has heard of Public Mobile.

@GreatCanadian, hey, it's better here in Brantford, ON.  There's a  Mobile Shop int he grocery store IN THE SAME parking lot as the Wal-Mart.

GreatCanadian
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

Just a little update here. After the fiasco with Walmart discussed above, moderator Mary reached out to me to let me know that there is a Mobile Shop very near me. I did not know that!! I have taken advantage of that and have since referred 3 more customers who have picked up their SIM cards at the Mobile Shop, no questions asked. So, for anyone in St. John's that didn't know it (perhaps it's only me!!), there is a Mobile Shop on Blackmarsh Road who will gladly sell you a Public Mobile SIM card!!

 

GC

GreatCanadian
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

@mimmo wrote:

@GreatCanadian if there is nothing private in the message from the mod can you post it in the thread?  Or edit/delete anything personal and post?  


 

Moderator basically said that this is NOT the experience they want Public Mobile customers to have, and that they will be contacting them.

 

GC

mimmo
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@GreatCanadian if there is nothing private in the message from the mod can you post it in the thread?  Or edit/delete anything personal and post?  

Anonymous
Not applicable

@GreatCanadian wrote:

I intend to visit Walmart (hopefully on the way home this evening after work). I will be coming out with a SIM. But for this one time I am not going to use your method (though I may try to save some hassle and use it in the future). I'm going in with guns a'blazin' and tell them that I've contacted Public Mobile. I will be showing them this thread. I will be showing them any response from the private message to the moderator. They will know when I leave that when a customer asks for a sim, da customer gets a sim!

 

GC


"guns a'blazin'" Love it.

But. They. Don't. Have. To. They're the mighty giant corporation that calls their own shots. (even though the cell kiosk is a store within a store)

Public Mobile would likely be perfectly fine with them only doing activations even though they might say otherwise...just quietly letting the issue be.

GreatCanadian
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

I intend to visit Walmart (hopefully on the way home this evening after work). I will be coming out with a SIM. But for this one time I am not going to use your method (though I may try to save some hassle and use it in the future). I'm going in with guns a'blazin' and tell them that I've contacted Public Mobile. I will be showing them this thread. I will be showing them any response from the private message to the moderator. They will know when I leave that when a customer asks for a sim, da customer gets a sim!

 

GC

dna2016
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

@GreatCanadian, yes unfortunately Walmart is just ridiculous when it comes to selling SIM cards.  What I've noticed is they tend to do this when there are active PM promos and they know there will be some traffic coming in because of it.  I was turned down at one location, and i knew it was because of the promotions that were on at the time.  So I knew when I went in to the other Walmart I had to be creative.  So every time I go to Walmart now to get a SIM I tell the rep "I need a replacement SIM as the other one I have (or my dad has), is no longer working, and the MODs advised me to come to this Walmart to pick up the replacement SIM".  Then the Walmart rep will say (with a raised eyebrow) "ok, but you'll need to pay for the SIM Card", and then I would say "ya they told me to pay for the SIM and PM will reimburse me, I think they said it was $10 plus tax right?".  You have to say "replacement SIM", that is kind of the communications jargon.  Also, it's better to say dad's (or whichever relative you want to use) phone, because that phone you won't have on hand.  If you say your phone, they may want to look at it, or try to do the SIM replacement/activation in store with you.

 

So far I'm 4 for 4 using the above tactic.  I almost feel like giving them the finger as I walk away, but I'd rather karma stay on my side.  Maybe you try it, and if it works, give them a nice wink on the way out, lol.  I'm sure at some point if enough people use this tactic Walmart will catch on.  but I suggest you go in and get the SIM cards for your friends using this tactic, or something similar.  I'm sure your friends would be appreciative of you getting it for them (saving them time), and I'm sure they'll pay you back for the SIMs.

 

But overall I also agree with everyone else in terms of boycotting Walmart, or maybe PM should just drop Walmart and use another retailer, maybe Shoppers or something.  But then again if there's a good amount of activations happening in the Walmart stores I don't see PM pulling out.

GreatCanadian
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

Nope, just Walmart. But that's not the point. I shouldn't have to send my friends on a wild goose chase to find a SIM card! They're not going to do that and I don't expect them to. Walmart has them, and they're supposed to sell them. That's it.

 

GC

 

I'll edit this to say that I've heard that Dominion sells them as well, but I haven't confirmed this.

Anonymous
Not applicable

@GreatCanadian wrote:

Wow. Just wow!! My friend just texted me. She went to another Walmart (in Mount Pearl). And they would not sell the SIM either. I'm floored. I'll message Mary with details.

 

GC


Do you not have *any* of the other retailers there?

GreatCanadian
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

Wow. Just wow!! My friend just texted me. She went to another Walmart (in Mount Pearl). And they would not sell the SIM either. I'm floored. I'll message Mary with details.

 

GC

Wonder_why
Town Hero / Héro de la Ville

Try to locate WOW Store ,there will sell you

GreatCanadian
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

@mimmo I was just about to follow your suggestion when the Mod team responded. But thank you anyway, as I was wondering who I should contact.

 

GC

mimmo
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@GreatCanadian, send a message to @Mary_M  with the walmart details,  and times etc...  she is trying to track these.  

 

now that the postal strike is over maybe you could just get a couple sims online or from the mobileshop (superstore) if there is one close by.

CS_Agent
Customer Support Agent

Hello there,

 

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. The information will be transferred to our team.

 

Have a great day!

GreatCanadian
Deputy Mayor / Adjoint au Maire

The 2 friends I mentioned both work. They have limited time, and went on their lunchbreak to buy the sims (each went on a separate day), and came back empty-handed. Then they said well, it's not worth the hassle. I don't care about my 1 dollar referral slipping out the window, but I am certainly frustrated with Walmart not providing a service that they're required. And I feel bad that my friends wasted their time. They're both sticking with Bell. I had told them they should give PM a shot. And they did. I can't blame them for not trying a second time.

 

Oh, and I bought a Chromebook there for my daughter as a gift from Santa last week. It will be returned tonight.

 

GC

Anonymous
Not applicable

@GreatCanadian wrote:

This is just another report of another Walmart that refuses to sell a SIM card to a customer. The last 2 friends that I have referred have not been able to purchase a SIM card at this Walmart. No reason given other than "We're not allowed".

 

GC


I think it's time to say screw you Walmart and give our money to the little retailers. And when we're suggesting the retailers to always put in that caveat. Bl@@dy corporations.

will13am
Oracle
Oracle

In one word, boycott.  There are other retail partner options.  This gets brought up in the forums a lot.  There seems to be little appetite to enforce rules with the retail partner.  I sort of appreciate that it is not an easy topic to bring up with a retail partner that no doubt brings huge visibillity to the brand and probably lots of activations.  As customers, we need to take matters into our own hands and do what we gotta do.  Personally, I avoid shopping at Walmart by rule.  I only go there to get water softener salt twice a year. 

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