Bic Camera Shibuya East

I give it a 2-stars cause I had terrible experience with the LINE Mobile consultation but a good experience with the Bic Camera Sim advisor.

I actually visited the store twice: Saturday and Sunday with the purpose to change my service provider because I’m so done with my old carrier. I got some recommendations for Line Mobile but the experience turns out very disappointed. At my first visit on Saturday, the staff required me to show documents to prove my current legal status. I have my residence card but they require an additional document like juminhyo (certificate of residence from the ward office) or paid utilities bills that have the paid stamps. That’s the first red flag cause opening a credit card in japan doesn’t require that. Isn’t all you need is the residence card??? But I was patient enough so I went home, find the paid Gas bills in the recent 2 months and came back the next day which is Sunday. Cause it’s a weekend so the ward office is closed and I wouldn’t go even if they open because it’s just too complicated and time consuming. Okay, the next day I have my residence and my gas bill ready. You know what the staff said to me? They said the gas company, which is Eneos, is a private, not a public company so they can’t accept that bill! Also the paid gas bill is teared into 2 parts when you paid at convenience store so the conbini keep the middle part and give you the 1st and 3rd piece separately. The line mobile staff said they cannot accept it for that reason too! I’m like why do they make a process so strict and complicated like that? While other Japanese nationals can just hand in something like a driving license. And it costs me 2 visits already and I cannot still get to change the carrier meaning I am their potential customer. The staff asked me if I have other identification cards and I show them my insurance card, my credit card, my number card, even my residence tax receipt picture I took sometimes ago in my phone. Still all of that cannot prove that I am currently a legal resident in Japan to them. I feel a bit discriminated here. These processes are so foreigners unfriendly and the staff are not knowledgeable in advising customers at all. I mean in the first visit if they could have told me gas bill is not okay then I wouldn’t even go there the 2nd and wasted my time there, sitting, waiting, arguing, showing all kinds of personal documents just to get a contract with Line Mobile. Foreigners please stay away from this carrier.

I want to give a one star but then another staff who is a Bic camera sim advisor came and explained other sim providers to me. It was very detailed and clear so I ended up signing with another provider by their consultation. That carrirr only requires my residence card and credit card. I got my sim within 5min and it works immediately. So thank you very much.