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Walmart would not sell Sim Card without activation

truonglu461
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

I just bought a Sim card at my local Walmart, and the sales person refused to sell my just the Sim card and needed me to activate with him.  As a result, I was unable to put in a referral number, and missed out on the referral rewards.

 

I wanted to activate myself at home, but he would not sell me just the Sim card.  It was purchased and activated today March 3, 2019 at 5:40 pm.

 

I wanted to activate at home with a referral number to take advantage of the $25 reward for both myself and the referree.  

 

Is it possible to still get the promotion rewards for my account?  

21 REPLIES 21

pckku
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

Unfortunately, it was close to 6pm and I did not go there...


@pckku wrote:

 I drove to the Walmart at 427/Queensway.  Again, they told me they are sold out of PM SIM card too. 


Did you try Sherway Wow across the street?

SD08
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@pckku 

Sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, such stories about Walmart are all too common.  Public Mobile would like to hear reports of any issues with retailers, so they would appreciate if you send them info about this particular retailer location with as much detail as possible, via private message to the moderators.

pckku
Great Citizen / Super Citoyen

I like to share my experience on purchasing a SIM card from Walmart. My friend wants to signup with PM and I have to first get a SIM card. I thought the easiest and quick way is to pick one up from Walmart. Bad experience indeed. I went to Walmart at St. Clair / Runnymede, the salesperson asked if I want a service plan, I say just the card. He asked me to wait and serve another customer signing with Freedom, 10 minutes, I saw another salesperson and asked the same question. He then told me they are totally sold out. I show them the Walmart.ca site indicating the store has the stock but without looking at the inventories, he said their site info was wrong.  Then I drove to the Walmart at 427/Queensway.  Again, they told me they are sold out of PM SIM card too. Again, web info says they have in stock.  It has become such a hassle to buy a SIM card.  Now has to resort to buy online but my friend will miss the flash weekend sale (March 9-10, 2019). 

Rob_K
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

Just bought a SIM and they urged me to activate in store as well, Seemed to take a long time, they compalianed about slow website and tried to convince me to sign up with Koodo and Lucky.  They didn't seem to like selling Public and also never mentioned the weekend promo for a free SIM card and months service.  

Sanityisunrated
Good Citizen / Bon Citoyen

That's actually company policy! While I do not work at Walmart, I do work for a cell phone company that carries 15 major brands, Public MObile being one of them. We are not allowed to sell just the SIM without an activation either.

SD08
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@truonglu461 wrote:

@computergeek541 wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

 

 

 

Edit: @computergeek541: I didn't read where any referral was put in. The OP got no credit for any referral...(yet). Interesting thought about the privacy aspect though.

Edit again: while writing the edit, SD08 wrote the following post.


truonglu461 said

"I created an account at home, and not only discovered that I couldn't add a referral number, but there was a $25 reward.

If I don't get the $25 promo, so be it, but I was never even given an opportunity to put in a referral code"

 

 

Those two sentences contradict each other.  How can there be a $25 "reward" (really a credit) in teh account if he/she didn't get it?


I discovered that there was a $25 reward promo advertised on the site. Not that there was $25 in my account


@truonglu461  Thank you for clarifying. 


@truonglu461 wrote:

Sorry.  No I did not receive any $25 rewards.

 

At this point all I think I can reasonably expect is to give my friend his $1 referral reward.  It's not like I activated myself and forgot to put it in his number.  The salesperson asked me the questions on the form and activated for me.  I was never given an opportunity to screw up and not put in a referral.

 

I'm sure the mods can check where the activation was performed and verify the details.


Got it, thanks.  Sorry for confusing things.

 

The person at the store should not have forced you to activate there, as you were saying in the first post of this thread.

 

truonglu461
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

@computergeek541 wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

 

 

 

Edit: @computergeek541: I didn't read where any referral was put in. The OP got no credit for any referral...(yet). Interesting thought about the privacy aspect though.

Edit again: while writing the edit, SD08 wrote the following post.


truonglu461 said

"I created an account at home, and not only discovered that I couldn't add a referral number, but there was a $25 reward.

If I don't get the $25 promo, so be it, but I was never even given an opportunity to put in a referral code"

 

 

Those two sentences contradict each other.  How can there be a $25 "reward" (really a credit) in teh account if he/she didn't get it?


I discovered that there was a $25 reward promo advertised on the site. Not that there was $25 in my account

Anonymous
Not applicable

@truonglu461 wrote:

Sorry.  No I did not receive any $25 rewards.

 

At this point all I think I can reasonably expect is to give my friend his $1 referral reward.  It's not like I activated myself and forgot to put it in his number.  The salesperson asked me the questions on the form and activated for me.  I was never given an opportunity to screw up and not put in a referral.

 

I'm sure the mods can check where the activation was performed and verify the details.


Right. I think with past practice here that you could be reasonably entitled to the $10 and your friend already here would get his $1/30 days.


@Anonymous wrote:

 

 

 

Edit: @computergeek541: I didn't read where any referral was put in. The OP got no credit for any referral...(yet). Interesting thought about the privacy aspect though.

Edit again: while writing the edit, SD08 wrote the following post.


truonglu461 said

"I created an account at home, and not only discovered that I couldn't add a referral number, but there was a $25 reward.

If I don't get the $25 promo, so be it, but I was never even given an opportunity to put in a referral code"

 

 

Those two sentences contradict each other.  How can there be a $25 "reward" (really a credit) in teh account if he/she didn't get it?

truonglu461
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

Sorry.  No I did not receive any $25 rewards.

 

At this point all I think I can reasonably expect is to give my friend his $1 referral reward.  It's not like I activated myself and forgot to put it in his number.  The salesperson asked me the questions on the form and activated for me.  I was never given an opportunity to screw up and not put in a referral.

 

I'm sure the mods can check where the activation was performed and verify the details.

Anonymous
Not applicable

@computergeek541 wrote:

@SD08 wrote:


@computergeek541  Actually, I read that post as the OP saying that they discovered afterward that there was a $25 referral promo available, which is why they also said "If I don't get the $25 promo, so be it".


Hey SD08

 

The OP said that he/she wanted to buy sim card and activate at home but that the person at the store refused to do it and said that to get the sim, it had to be activated there.

 

I read this as that the employee then reportedly entered his or her own phone number as the referrer.  That's why $25 showed up in the OP's account.  It's the OP's friend who would have missed out on the $25 credit and $1 reward, although I realize that's not what was said.

 


Whoa. Nor did I read that the OP GOT any $25.

It seems to me the OP kinda changed their story on the referral saying first that they wanted to do at home to get the $25. Then they said that they got home only to discover that there WAS $25 available to be had. But all along they've said they wanted to do a referral...just never got invited to give or type it in.


@SD08 wrote:


@computergeek541  Actually, I read that post as the OP saying that they discovered afterward that there was a $25 referral promo available, which is why they also said "If I don't get the $25 promo, so be it".


Hey SD08

 

The OP said that he/she wanted to buy sim card and activate at home but that the person at the store refused to do it and said that to get the sim, it had to be activated there.

 

I read this as that the employee then reportedly entered his or her own phone number as the referrer.  That's why $25 showed up in the OP's account.  It's the OP's friend who would have missed out on the $25 credit and $1 reward, although I realize that's not what was said.

 

 

 

SD08
Retired Oracle / Oracle Retraité

@computergeek541 wrote:

@truonglu461 wrote:

I had a referral code and wanted to give my friend the reward.  When the salesperson activated in store, he never asked me for a referral number so I didn't think anything of it, and that I would be able to do it at home.

 

I created an account at home, and not only discovered that I couldn't add a referral number, but there was a $25 reward.

 

If I don't get the $25 promo, so be it, but I was never even given an opportunity to put in a referral code 


This is a serious privacy breach. I know that when a customer activates at the store, the employee would be able to see your phone number on the computer screen, but by activating a service and not asking who referred you, this means that the person entered in someone else's phone number as the referrer.    This also means that whoever that person is will permantenly be able to see your phone number recorded in his or her account.

 

Monetarily, this actually works to your advantage because when you activated at the store, you weren't even supposed to get the $25 credit.  You should have got a $10 credit.  Also, your friend would have not have received the $25 either.   Your friend would have got no credit at all, other than the $1 recurring referral reward. 

 

The $25 referral credit is only avaliable for online activations.  What the employee would have had to do was use his/her own internet connection and device to do the activation. That is also a serious security concern because if the person did that, you have no way of knowing if the person saved either your personal information or payment information into the autofill settings of the web browser.

 

In addition, referrals do not get done afterwards.  They are done at the exact same time during the actual activation.


@computergeek541  Actually, I read that post as the OP saying that they discovered afterward that there was a $25 referral promo available, which is why they also said "If I don't get the $25 promo, so be it".

Anonymous
Not applicable

 

 @truonglu461 

It sucks I know. When I started I was excited about the rates here and so ran out and got a SIM and activated at home. The same thing...after the fact, I got to here and saw promos come and go and I'm thinking "come on! I just got here!". I think there should be like a price protection for the first 30 day term.

Anyway...for you now after the fact, we've heard about people asking to have a referral added. I wonder if that's fair to those that followed the process but I guess it would fall under customer retention. If allowed then perhaps if it was activated in-store then they could get the $10. If allowed then perhaps if it was activated online then they could get the $25. But I wouldn't agree with the $25 just because you missed it and didn't follow the process.

 

But hey...send the moderators here a pm and maybe they'll do something for you. I did, back then. They did a little something for me. Not full everything...but something more than nothing.

 

Edit: @computergeek541: I didn't read where any referral was put in. The OP got no credit for any referral...(yet). Interesting thought about the privacy aspect though.

Edit again: while writing the edit, SD08 wrote the following post.


This is a privacy breach. I know that when a customer activates at the store, the employee would be able to see your phone number on the computer screen, but by activating a service and not asking who referred you, this means that the person entered in someone else's phone number as the referrer.    This also means that whoever that person is will permantenly be able to see your phone number recorded in his or her account.

 

Monetarily, this actually works to your advantage because when you activated at the store, you weren't even supposed to get the $25 credit.  You should have got a $10 credit.  Also, your friend would have not have received the $25 either.   Your friend would have got no credit at all, other than the $1 recurring referral reward. 

 

The $25 referral credit is only avaliable for online activations.  What the employee would have had to do was use his/her own internet connection and device to do the activation. That can also a serious security concern because if the person did that, you have no way of knowing if the person saved either your personal information or payment information into the autofill settings of the web browser.

 

In addition, referrals do not get done afterwards.  They are done at the exact same time during the actual activation.

 

 

 

Edit: misinterpreted that there was $25 in account.  In a future post, OP says no $25 credit

truonglu461
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

I had a referral code and wanted to give my friend the reward.  When the salesperson activated in store, he never asked me for a referral number so I didn't think anything of it, and that I would be able to do it at home.

 

I created an account at home, and not only discovered that I couldn't add a referral number, but there was a $25 reward.

 

If I don't get the $25 promo, so be it, but I was never even given an opportunity to put in a referral code 

Anonymous
Not applicable

 @truonglu461

I would have gone elsewhere. There are other options.

I might say that it's too late now. You could probably get the after-the-fact $10 and $1/30 day reward thing but as for the $25 one I kinda think it's not right to get it. How would anybody know whether you couldn't be bothered to take the time to figure out doing it yourself?

 

You apparently knew about it...but you didn't do more about it. It would of course suck if you have no other option to get a SIM but there it is.

NDesai
Oracle
Oracle

@truonglu461 Walmart is known to do that the most out of other stores such as The Mobile shop, wow mobile or London drugs. Please report the location to @Mary_M so they can follow up. 

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Alex888
Mayor / Maire
Walmart is often bad for refusing to just sell a SIM. You can contact a moderator and try to get the referral reward, you can send them a private message here: https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437
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