The Unofficial 7-Eleven Speak Out Wireless Canada Consumer Page 
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11:22 am
Hi,
I recently gave a SpeakOut prepaid phone + $100 credit from the current promotion as a present to my parents-in-law in Vancouver when I visited them. I live on the US side.
I wonder if there is a way I can top up from here by phone using a credit card? I don't think 7-Eleven or Ztar would let me ask the balance for privacy/security reasons. But I don't see any harm for them to let me top up using my credit card for that particular SpeakOut phone number.
My parents-in-law does not know anything technical about mobile phone service. All they know is 'This is our cell phone. We can make and receive calls with this on the move.' And I want to keep them that way.
Any ideas?
12:46 pm
AFAIK the only way to do an airtime top-up is as described in the FAQ:
13. How do I top up?
Buy a voucher from a 7-Eleven store and activate it within 90 days. There will be instructions on the receipt on how to add the money to your account. Usually you just have to call 611 and press option 1. Then, you'll have to punch in the number on your receipt. At this time, you cannot top up online (nor can you really do anything online).
So not only can't you top-up on your parents-in-law behalf, you need to use the actual SpeakOut phone that you want to top-up in order to top it up.
I can understand your desire to simplify things for your parents-in-law but is it really that onerous for them to buy a voucher at 7-11, then call 611 and key in a numeric string?
P.S. Have you called the SpeakOut customer service line and asked them if it's possible for you to do the top-up on your parents-in-law behalf?
2:27 pm
Hi,
Thanks for the reply. I had read the FAQ. But it did not say it was the only way of topping it up, so I decided to ask in this forum.
You're right in that I should go for the authoritative source for the answer to my question --- the customer service. Hope I can reach the Canadian service from here.
My parents-in-law will be able to top it up themselves if I tell them exactly what to do. I want to save them some work, but more importantly, I want to pay for their light cell phone usage. (I don't visit them often. Like once in 2 years?)
4:14 pm
I had read the FAQ. But it did not say it was the only way of topping it up, so I decided to ask in this forum.
The QuickStart booklet that comes with the SpeakOut package shows this as the only way. I suggested calling customer service because I presume they have access to the account and can add airtime manually.
Hope I can reach the Canadian service from here.
Let me know if you can't get through from the US and I'll make the call for you.
(Of course, if they tell me "yes" how are you going to call them with your PiL's info? 😉 )
BTW I think Ztar needs to develop an online account management system so that SpeakOut users can monitor their usage, do top-ups online, send SMS messages, etc.
5:53 pm
March 31, 2007
Offline
Bylo said:
BTW I think Ztar needs to develop an online account management system so that SpeakOut users can monitor their usage, do top-ups online, send SMS messages, etc.
Side note: if I knew who we could lobby I would happily look into a wish list / voting system to pressure them. But of course I don't want to do that all in vain.
It would certainly make good business sense for this type of service and you really wouldn't require much security to do top-ups online because hey, if someone were to top-up on my behalf online, I wouldn't complain.
11:50 pm
Thanks Bylo for your willingness to help.
I was able to access Canadian SpeakOut customer service from here with an 800 number. A US SpeakOut service representative gave me the number right away.
The CSR I spoke with confirmed that buying coupons at 7-Eleven stores and applying them using the SpeakOut phone is *the only* way to top it up. Too bad.
I guess I'll have to walk my parents-in-law through the top-up process over the phone some time in the future.
11:55 am
Peter said:
Bylo said:
BTW I think Ztar needs to develop an online account management system so that SpeakOut users can monitor their usage, do top-ups online, send SMS messages, etc.
Side note: if I knew who we could lobby I would happily look into a wish list / voting system to pressure them. But of course I don't want to do that all in vain.
It would certainly make good business sense for this type of service and you really wouldn't require much security to do top-ups online because hey, if someone were to top-up on my behalf online, I wouldn't complain.
PetroCanada Mobility had a survey up recently asking whether customers wanted an online account management tool. Seems to me that they are already thinking about it.
6:54 pm
The CSR I spoke with confirmed that buying coupons at 7-Eleven stores and applying them using the SpeakOut phone is *the only* way to top it up.
This raises another question or issue. What happens if you move to an area within Canada that has Rogers cell service but where there are no 7-11 stores? SpeakOut will change your phone number to a local area code. But how are you supposed to top-up your airtime if (a) there are no 7-11 stores and (b) you can't call customer service and give them a credit card number?
8:25 pm
With my "devious thoughts" hat on, it's entirely possible that 7-11 wants us to visit their stores and buy stuff that has a higher profit margin than reselling cellphone service from Rogers? So providing a top-up service that would allow us to avoid visiting 7-11 stores would be kinda counter-productive 🙁
3:43 am
March 31, 2007
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Well, there's always the opportunity for us consumers in areas with 7-Elevens to provide a remote airtime purchase service to those living in remote areas (as kind fellow neighbours or for a small fee).
8:41 am
pmj said:
it's entirely possible that 7-11 wants us to visit their stores and buy stuff that has a higher profit margin than reselling cellphone service...
That has occurred to me but the same applies to gas stations that take RFID tags and/or credit cards at the pumps. I can't recall the last time I set foot inside the convenience store at a gas station.
Peter said:
Well, there's always the opportunity for us consumers in areas with 7-Elevens to provide a remote airtime purchase service to those living in remote areas (as kind fellow neighbours or for a small fee).
Sure. I asked philosophically. What does SpeakOut tell someone who bought their phone and airtime and then later moved? Telling them that they can no longer use their phone seems like a rather dumb answer for a company of 7-11's stature.
