How Do You Make A Collect Call From Public Phone?

[meowchawpnom]

A few years ago when I was here, I noticed that some of the newer style public phones had a sticker on the telephone booth that said you could use them to make international collect calls. The sticker also gave the access codes for the US, Japan and a few other countries. I used these phones back then to successfully place collect calls to the US.

I went looking for one of these phones tonight. I found a few of the phones with the newer style that used to have these stickers, but now the stickers are gone, and I've forgotten the access codes.

Does anyone know if you can still make collect calls from these phones, and what the access code is to use them to call US?

Thanks.

[p1p]

In recent years I have tried making collect calls too, and been unable to. When enquiring with the relevant authorities, I was told that collect calls are now no longer possible from Thailand, because there have been too many financial problems.

[meowchawpnom]

Well, I can say for sure that I succeeded in making collect calls from a public phone last year in Bangkok. So if it's no longer possible, that would be a very recent thing.

I asked a hotel receptionist about it yesterday, and she called a Thai telephone operator and she told me that you just needed to dial MCI or ATT access codes. But she said you can do this from your hotel, wasn't sure about doing it from a public phone.

I tried doing it from public phone, it wouldn't accept the access codes. But then, I didn't put in 1 baht. Maybe if I had it would have accepted the access number.

But I'm reluctant to make these calls from my apartment phone here, because I don't trust the management. I think they will say that such a call would be free but then at the end of the month I will see huge charges on my bill. So I'd rather use a public phone if it's possible.

Anybody else know differently?

[meowchawpnom]

Okay, I found out that those yellow phones marked "international" accept collect call dialing with ATT or MCI access codes.

[meowchawpnom]

Okay, I found out that those yellow phones marked "international" accept collect call dialing with ATT or MCI access codes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have to update this info. As recently as two weeks ago, I was able to make a collect call from these yellow "Lenso" international phones. It was easy, you just had to press the button marked "AT&T" and you got into ATT's system, from which you could make a collect call.

Today I tried two of these Lenso phones, and in both cases, the AT&T button is deactivated and pressing it does nothing. When I tried instead to dial the access number for ATT, I got a message that this was a barred call.

So it looks like these Lenso guys have decided to make everybody pay Lenso for their international calls.

Now it looks like there is no way to make a collect call from a pay phone in Thailand. This really has me angry, as that's how I keep in touch with my credit card and bank accounts.

Am I wrong? Does anyone know how to make a collect call?

Edited January 7, 2005 by meowchawpnom

[astral]

I think you can dial

100 for the international operator

101 for the domestic operator

without putting in coins.

[Ajarn]

I think you can dial

100 for the international operator

101 for the domestic operator

without putting in coins.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

"Mai mee maay lek".... No such number

is what I got trying it just now.... I remember these frommany years ago. A 104 for something, too.

Anyway, blame CAT for everything. Really. They run the WHOLE show regarding international calls...

[mikederson]

WOOHOO!!

I finally found it

To make a collect call from Thailand:

from a CAT phone: dial 001-999-1-2001

from a TOT phone: dial 1-800-0-001-20

works beautifully. You are connected to a operator in the US. TOT pay phones are all over the place

[PeaceBlondie]

Pardon me if this is off topic, but who even uses pay phones nowadays? Do you need to read and speak Thai? Do the phones work at all? Don't most Thais and resident foreigners have mobiles?

Are there any TOT employees with an IQ above that of an amoeba?

[sierra01]

Pardon me if this is off topic, but who even uses pay phones nowadays? Do you need to read and speak Thai? Do the phones work at all? Don't most Thais and resident foreigners have mobiles?

Are there any TOT employees with an IQ above that of an amoeba?

A few people use them...sometimes.

No

Yes

Yes

And finally, one or two, probably.

Why do people want to make collect calls anyway, short of a bob or two perhaps?

[the_heart_thief]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm........... I remember............ I used to make a lot of collect calls for home when I was still in HS and COLLEGE. (I was in the Philippines at that time though.)

I haven't called "collect" since I got here in BKK. (And I've been here for four years. ######!) Now that I think about it, maybe I should try it. Call my old folks back home! Hmmmmmmmmm...........just like my HS and COLLEGE days.