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Don't take it with you - internationally

Seveen

Aug 19, 2005, 9:55 PM
There were $37 worth of charges whenever someone called me from the
States and got my voicemail while I was in Jamaica. About 20 calls for $1.99 each.

No calls out of Jamaica - just incoming calls to my voice mail - voicemail that I never accessed while I was in Jamaica.

Of course I called Cingular when I got home. They told me that this is was what happened when traveling international. They told me that even though I didn't actually
receive the call, I was liable for the charges, 'cause at some point I must have turned on my phone and the cell tower "hooked me up" - what if I turned it on to show someone a picture on my picture phone - or to check the battery strength

Asked for a supervisor, he told me he would give me half...
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rockprc

Aug 20, 2005, 9:44 AM
sorry for your experience. However, the cheapest way when using cell phones is to take a "unlocked", tri-band GSM phone overseas and buy a pre-paid SIM card locally. You will end up with different phone number, but a huge break in pricing.
I am not a Cingular customer, but I heard they do not unlock cell phones that they sold to you.
regards.
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Seveen

Aug 20, 2005, 11:22 AM
they charged me for unreceived calls
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zjc2a

Aug 20, 2005, 1:55 PM
I never had any problems with any unrecieved call charges. Did you activate your world roaming before you left. Basically you just call them up and say you need your phone to recognize other towers in other countries. I don't know if that has something to do with it.
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Wireless Consultant

Aug 21, 2005, 6:24 AM
Cingular has a policy not to give credits. Even when they are wrong.

They are allowed to give a one time credit for $50 once a year to customers for errors or misunderstandings.
They will make you feel like you did something wrong. Bad Customer Service if you ask me.

Cingular should not charge you if you did not have international roaming activated and if you never received the calls.

I activated the roaming and my phone did not work in Trinidad. I complained when I got back and they said it was fixed, but when I went to Trinidad again my phone did not work again. The Cingular website had a number which did not work and I had no way of contacting Cingular from abroad.

When I got back they said they do not guarantee roaming brin...
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Seveen

Aug 21, 2005, 10:47 PM
Cingular charges for were unreceived calls - voice mail "deposits" - no calls from Jamaica ever made - $37 plus tax - for voice mail deposits - couldn't even hear the voice mails when i got back 'cause they aged off 🙄

i bought a phone and SIM card since I was away for a month - now - buying prepaid digicel phone credits for cell - is a whole 'nother topic 🤣

got a credit - but alert alert - if you turn your phone on internationally you may be subject to voice mail "deposits" - 😈 - slowly i turn - step by step -

hey - you learn something new every day - whether you want to or not 😎
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dave73

Apr 5, 2006, 9:12 PM
I have never heard of such a thing. While I don't have a GSM phone, I would think that if you accessed voicemail, or if you receive a call while overseas, that you would get charged. But to never be on the phone while overseas, you shouldn't be charged at all. Only if you make or receive a call, or make a call to check voicemail.
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sangyup81

Jul 10, 2006, 6:03 PM
can't you just turn your call forwarding off?
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gresh3

Sep 14, 2005, 7:33 PM
Please contact me about unlocking your existing phones. I can unlock motorola and nokia. If you are traveling overseas, you have to unlock your phone or pay a fortune!!!

Gresh
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ilovesrice

Aug 23, 2005, 8:59 PM
You should buy a pre paid sim card to where ever country you go. That would make it a lot cheaper to make calls locally wherever you are. And most places pre paid sim cards are cheap.
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Seveen

Aug 24, 2005, 8:31 AM
i bought a phone when i reached Jamaica.
my usa phone had charges for unreceived calls just because i turned it on for a minute to get a phone number from my address book.
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Vox Dei

Aug 24, 2005, 2:43 PM
OUCH. take you SIM out before you turn it on (if it's GSM)
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Seveen

Aug 24, 2005, 2:54 PM
if you take your SIM out - no phone numbers, pictures, nothing - everything's on that SIM

my warning is "don't turn your phone on in a foreign country" for anything
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Vox Dei

Aug 24, 2005, 4:10 PM
Only your phone number are on the SIM and only if you have put them only on your SIM. Most people have them on both the phone and the SIM but it does depend on what you do (you have to specifily put them on the SIM most phones default to the phone numbers being stored on the phone because it can hold alot more than the SIM card can). The 64k SIMS can also hold some text messages but pictures and everything else are on the phone.
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Seveen

Aug 24, 2005, 4:22 PM
after i removed my SIM card - the phone didn't work - nothing on the display - switched from Cingular Ericson to Cingular Nokia
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Vox Dei

Aug 24, 2005, 4:35 PM
That's really creepy. Should say something along the lines of SIM not in or SIM not active or something like that. But you should still be able to turn it on...Unfortunatly companys are very limited do what they can do with international calls. Because the international company says Cingular (or who ever) owes them money and they give the SIM number (can't remember what it's called off hand) and the phone number and if they match then Cingular bills you. That's why international roaming is almost non negotiable because cingular has already paid it and now they are just billing you.
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ralph_on_me

Aug 25, 2005, 4:17 PM
I'm surprised you got any credit at all. I've had these brochures in store for several months that say, "When outside the U.S., you will be charged for both an incoming and outgoing call when incoming calls are routed to voicemail even if no message is left."

However, if this happened to you several months ago then maybe you're why we have this POP in stores now.
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Seveen

Aug 25, 2005, 6:10 PM
This happened in July 2005.
All voice mail "deposits" - $37 worth.

While international -

Can't turn your phone on to check for a phone number 😲

Can't turn your phone on to take a video or picture 😳

Can't use the alarm clock function 😡

'cause soon as you turn that phone on - ching ching 👿 and
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mikethaler

Aug 27, 2005, 1:26 AM
Finally - After reading all the replies, saw the message yesterday that explained tha situation. You basically pay for a round trip call - one to locate you at the last place your phone registered (Jamaica) and one to send it back to your VM.
This has been a well known problem with roaming intl. on GSM. As someone else mentioned, Cingular does now alert some people of this problem. They should put messages on the bills for those that have intl. roaming added that they will be subject to charges for unanswered calls.

There IS a way around this. Enter the GSM code *#61#. Hit send. You will then get the number your phone is calling when placing a call to VM. It usually is NOT the xxx-xxx-1234 number you call when pressing the...
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mikethaler

Aug 27, 2005, 1:29 AM
Forgot to add that the above method works with T-Mobile as well.
Simply forward ALL calls to 18056377243. That's T-Mobiles "universal" message center number. When you activate CF, all calls will instantly get your VM message and they can leave you a message.

...mike
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Seveen

Aug 27, 2005, 12:30 PM
that sounds like a plan Mike!

my unanswered calls were going directly to VM but they were coming through my main number not my voice mail number.

i will do this the next time i travel internationally and i hope it helps 'cause it sure was a surprise to see those charges on my bill.

i got a credit and i think cingular knows this policy of roaming stinks and they don't have a solution for it yet.

I have written to the marketing VP there and also the international VP because I can't imagine that this is how it is supposed to work.

And in my communications with other carriers it doesn't seem to work this way but they are not using GSM technology.

personally - i think it's another way to rip off the consumer. i don't get ch...
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ralph_on_me

Aug 27, 2005, 2:24 PM
Ah, the "forward all calls" instead of "forward if not available" actually does sound like a viable option. Then when someone calls your phone, it doesn't try to locate you internationally it just goes straight to voicemail.
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Seveen

Apr 1, 2006, 10:33 AM
hey mike - i'm headed down again - thanks for the info - gonna try it this time 😁
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tucson_tmo

Jun 29, 2006, 9:05 PM
Just a little heads up on this policy with the voice mail deposits.... T-Mobile's policy is the same- someone makes a call and the system will automatically try to locate your phnoe. if your phone is on and able to RECIEVE calls, but you decline the call, the phone is auto-programmed to CALL BACK to your voicemail. The call back is an AUTOMATIC 2 min. charge. if they leave a longer voicemail after declining the call it will charge you each subsequent minute. the forward all calls sounds like it should woirk, i didnt think about that. it would allow you to make calls but not recieve any and there by not getting charged for deposits. hope this helps and enjoy your trip!
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zhallart

Jul 14, 2006, 7:50 PM
Hi


I travel out of the country several times a year to several countries. As someone suggested - use your GSM technology and get local SIM cards. Instead of paying international rates to Cing. you pay local rates for pennies and not dollars. I have never been charged for any calls when out of country. My US SIM card is usually not in the phone. One time in China I turned on my phone with my US card and got a list of missed calls. Cost me two bucks for that. Most of the time the US SIM card will not connect to a signal out of country. When I get bck to the states all my missed calls/voicemails are waiting for me.
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