more on GOOD ADVICE A warning to Cingular customers using their cell phonesabroad

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

-----Original Message-----
From: "Amyn N. Meruani" <anm () freestate net>
Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 19:00:58 
To:Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Re: [IP] : A warning to Cingular customers using their cell phones
 abroad

Hi Dave,

T-Mobile does this also, but as noted it is part of the plan you sign up
for to use your phone overseas. After learning about the forwarding
charges the hard way I took a couple of simple steps given I still wanted
my text messaging features:

1. Before leaving the States I forward my phone to home or I have all my
calls go directly to voicemail. Both these options are standard features
with GSM phones/service. This prevents me from incurring international
call charges as well as the continued charge back to my voicemail if I
don't answer the phone. A side benefit is that I won't get woken up by
someone just calling to say hi when I'm 5 to 12 timezones away from the
East Coast.

2. I use SMS when I'm on the road. There is no charge for incoming
messages in all the countries I have traveled to and charges are pretty
reasonable to send messages. If a voicemail is left I still get notified
with a text message and can then decide to retrieve it or not.

3. I can make outgoing calls as usual. In many countries the charges for
calls are also based on six second rounding or actual time on the
call. Another nice feature. I always check T-Mobile's updated tariff
before leaving to make sure I use the carrier with the lowest charges in
each country as the difference can be substantial between carriers.

Regards,

a m y n  m e r u a n i  

"Go and wake up your luck"
 
On Sat, 28 Feb 2004, Dave Farber wrote:

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Eric Glover <eric () ericglover com>
> Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 13:31:21 
> To:dave () farber net
> Cc:frisbee2 () yahoogroups com
> Subject: A warning to Cingular customers using their cell phones abroad
>
> I recently traveled to Europe, specifically Hungary. Surprisingly when 
> in Hungary, my cell phone had very good service, I was able to send and 
> receive text messages, however GPRS did not work for me.
>
> While there I figured I would save myself some money by leaving my phone 
> on, and whenever someone called, I would read the caller ID (which only 
> worked sometimes), and or check for a voicemail alert, and then use a 
> calling card from a landline, or local cell phone - this way I could 
> receive calls, but not have to pay $2/minute. I did answer a small 
> number of calls, and even placed a few calls.
>
> When I received my bill I noticed several charges to calls placed TO my 
> voicemail. I immediately determined what had happened was that the call 
> was forwarded to my voicemail when I didn't answer, and for some stupid 
> reason the European carrier actually forwarded the call, as opposed to 
> the call being terminated in the US and sent to voicemail domestically.
>
> When I called Cingular to complain, the customer service person insisted 
> that the call appeared as if *I* had called to my voice mail, which 
> certainly I did not, and that she would not credit my account.
>
> Eventualy I said I had not made the calls, and was not going to pay. She 
> even agreed that IF the calls had been to my phone and I didn't answer 
> (and went to voicemail) I should not get charged, however she still 
> refused to credit me. So I said that it must be fraud, and she 
> transfered me to the fraud department.
 Persian Proverb > What the fraud department said was that they could not
credit me for any 
> calls which came from a foreign carrier, unless my phone was actually 
> stolen or cloned AND that the way the foreign carriers work, I could end 
> up being charged for not answering my phone - even though clearly in the 
> US an unanswered call will not be charged, nor would a call that is sent 
> to voicemail.
>
> WARNING: If you are a Cingular customer and travel outside the US, YOU 
> COULD BE CHARGED $2/MINUTE FOR UNANSWERED CALLS. Even though their 
> customer service reps are not notified of this, and will tell you 
> otherwise. I say per minute, because one of my "unanswered calls" was 2 
> minutes and they are trying to charge me $3.98.
>
> Supposedly if your phone is off, you won't get charged, but what's the 
> point of that?
>
> Later,
> Eric
>
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