I wanted to set up a hotspot at a remote location over the weekend so picked up a 2degrees SIM on the way, thinking their $5 pack would be good for low use data.  Put it in an old phone I've previously used for this purpose and... unable to connect to network.  That's odd, so I checked the 2d network had good coverage in that location, then tried again, and with another phone.  Still no luck, so I'm unable to achieve what I was hoping to do.

Today I phoned the 2degrees customer "care" number to find that, in short, they don't care.  Apparently, this number has been "pre-registered" and I therefore have to either take it into a store to get it fixed, or buy another SIM.  I suggested perhaps they could send me another SIM, given they had sold me a faulty one, but that's not going to happen.

Only $5 and/or half an hour of my time to sort this out, I know, but still quite annoying.  And I'm curious to know:

 - how does a SIM get "pre-registered" when it is sealed in packaging in a rack in a service station

 - what magical powers does the 2degrees store have that the customer line don't have?  What difference does my physical presence at a shop make?