ID's refused

[mandy02]

I renewed my contract over the phone and the next day I went to pick up the phone at a Fido location... to which they needed an ID... I gave my medicare card and SIN card... which are the top government provincial IDs... accepted in any and every office everywhere and anywhere.. yet FIDO denies these IDs... saying they are cards that can be easily frauded... but they will accept any type of credit card as an ID... am I missing something cause on the phone all I ever got asked was name, dob and postal code... thats apparently enough for them to change everything in someone's account and send out a new phone... doesn't make sense... maybe CSRs should know to inform their customers if theyre going to pick up in location to bring their birth certificate... cause people don't usually travel with this on them...

Who do I contact in Fido about this... I would like to make a formal complaint... this is freaking ridiculous.

[joanchen]

i got this problem today in one of fido carrier when activating a new phone, was asked for 2 pieces of id

got refused as my driver license has been expired in may. It was the store manager explained it's their policy to get  a photo id with valid expiration date

With COVID, i never noticed that my driver license got expired. and hence never realize i had to renew it. I only got Permanent resident which the store claim they dont accept either. so i was stuck

[FidoSaira]

Hello @joanchen, 

Welcome to the Community!

I am sorry to learn that you were unable to activate a phone with us. While we do need a valid ID, we do accept a permanent resident card as well.

Just to clarify, did you PR card have your photo?

[FidoSamantha · Accepted solution]

Hi Mandy02!

Welcome to the Community!

Here's how it works: 

The store needs at least 1 piece of photo ID before they can complete any account related activities. The following are acceptable:

• Driver’s License
• Canadian Passport
• Provincial ID or Age of Majority Card
• Citizenship Card
• Native Status Card
• Senior Citizens Card
• Armed Forces ID
• University Student ID

Provincial Health Care cards can't be used as photo ID, because of provincial regulations which limit their use to health care purposes.

If you were planning on processing an upgrade or an activation, you need to show at least 2 pieces of ID with the following information (this is due to the sensitivity of the transaction):

• Photo of the customer
• Date of birth
• Customer’s billing address

Acceptable IDs for upgrades & activations include the photo IDs listed above, as well as:

• Credit Card
• Banking Information (i.e. cheques with name / address)

The store was in fact correct and followed the companies' authentication policies. Keep in mind that the authentication process is different in store and over the phone.

Let me know if you have any questions

[linzerfeet]

Hi there, 

I ran into a similiar problem today. I wanted to upgrade to a new phone by purchasing a new phone outright and putting in my existing Fido SIM card. 

The Fido rep asked for photo ID. I do not have a driver's license and my health care card was denied. Same with SIN and birth certifcate.

I DID have my credit card with my name on it. The same credit card that's attached to my account. That was also rejected. I thought credit cards were accpetable for upgrades? I'm an existing Fido customer and could provide all my detailed information. Why is it such a hassle to simply purchase a phone? 

[FidoMaria]

Hi linzerfeet!

We ask for a photo ID to ensure that the person doing the upgrade is really the account holder. Though your credit card has your name on it, it unfortunately happens that people get their cards stolen.

Here are the picture ID's that we accept should you not have a valid driver's licence:

• Provincial ID or Age of majority card
• Passport
• Citizenship card
• Native status card
• Senior Citizens card
• Armed Forces ID
• University student ID
• Company ID

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Amila]

I didn't have my Passport with me because it was sent to embassy for renewal but I showed a colored photocopy. I also showed the following:

- My University ID with Photo
- My Study permit
- Medicare card
- My driver's license from my home country
- My credit card which I used to pay my Fido bills.

Still they refused to issue the phone. 

They never sent me the "ready for pickup" email but when I went to the store they confirmed that they have the phone. But because they were some lazy buggers who won't do their job properly, they refused to give the phone to cover their mistake. I ended up cancelling the order and reordering it for home delivery.

[FidoAnthony]

Hey @Amila 

That doesn't sound right. Feel free to contact us via our channels here

We'll be happy to help you!

[Sarabhunt]

Fido needs to learn a lot how to service their customers better and the people working at fido are unable to answer questions with a smile on their face. The one I encountered was rude. Just please take any word from dictionary which is as rude as possible that is what fido is to me now

[FidoSarah]

We're truly sorry to see this @Sarabhunt. Please reach out to us by any of our customer service methods found here, we'd be happy to assist you with any unresolved situation.

[linzerfeet]

I can understand that but, why did the other mod say this:

"Acceptable IDs for upgrades & activations include the photo IDs listed above, as well as:

• Credit Card
• Banking Information (i.e. cheques with name / address)"

Maybe that should be edited or removed because it seems misleading?

Also, if I am buying the phone outright and no changes are being made to my account beyond that, then what is the risk to the customer? People can't just outright buy a cell phone? 

It is literally easier to vote in the federal election than purchase a cell phone from your company. 

Very very frustrating. I'm renewing my passport so the issue is moot for me personally now, but it is not a piece of ID I carry around regularly. I tried to make a purchase today and was prevented from doing so. 

[FidoMaria]

I apologize if it was misleading. Those pieces of ID are accepted for a credit evaluation. A valid piece of photo ID is however required along with those ones.

As for buying the phone outright, the charge would be billed to the account, therefore if it wasn't the actual account holder/authorized contact who did the upgrade, they'd end up with an unwanted charge on their account.

[linzerfeet]

Finally that makes sense! Thank you.

[FidoMaria]

My pleasure!

Let me know if you need anything else.