Mobile Phone Roaming Rip Off

[DaiMai]

I went over to Cambodia few weeks ago for a short break.

I was very careful not to make any phone calls on my Thai mobile phone, as I know

the cost of out going calls to Thailand is exhorbitant, at 120 baht a minute.

I did receive a few calls.

Some of which I did not want, but there was no way of telling.

The screen just said 001 or 007.

I was shocked when my bill arrived from DTAC.

I was billed for the calls diverted to Cambodia, I expected that,

but I was also billed again for receiving the calls. 50 baht a minute.

Remember Cambodia is just next door.

I can call the UK for just 7 baht a minute.

I challenged DTAC and was told this is NORMAL.

Well it is the first time I have come across it, and I have been a mobile user for

several years and I often travel overseas.

The girl told me that the charges for receiving are an International Agreement

and will be charge in ALL countries.

Even tourists coming here!!

I pass this on as warning to all.

It not looks even more as though the only way to go is to buy a local card in each country you visit.

[SK1972]

Daimai..............this is normal in all countries with all providers. International Roaming is never cheap anywhere!!!

DTAC rates are better than AIS. I changed from AIS as they charged me for IR calls which I didnt answer!!! Outrageous.

Sorry to know that you learnt it the hard way. Next time you are overseas, dont bring your phone or switch it off!

[Bluffer]

Yup, its normal in a lot of countries that if someone makes a call to your mobile whilst you are abroad, you pay for the call because the person calling you doesnt know they are making an international call.

In come ways thats pretty fair but if you get a lot of calls or dont know about it, your next bill is a nasty shock.

If you are here on holiday from the UK and use a UK mobile to call a third country ie Cambodia, the call routing is ( or was last time I checked ) Thailand to UK to Cambodia. So its 3 international calls you are charged for, not one.

The EU are currently looking at roaming charges as they think the Telcos are making excessive profits on them.

[Spee]

The EU are currently looking at roaming charges as they think the Telcos are making excessive profits on them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They think right ... all the European telcos have agreements to route calls to each other within the same country.

In the vast majority of cases, it causes them absolutely zero additional effort as all of their call routing tables are basically "set it and forget it" across their international backbones. Once set up properly, the hardware and software handles all the switching at minimal additional effort.

The US has been dealing with these kind of rip-off schemes for decades. It is one of the reasons why people can now call from coast to coast on a cell phone for the same rate as calling across the street.

LoS and other SE Asian countries will hopefully soon be no different.

There should be no problem with a telco or any other company making a profit. But if that telco is a monopoly or near monopoly, then the government regulators have to step in and regulate to limit the telco's ability to rob their customers blind.

I hope that the LoS government would take similar steps to allow the growth that is needed for the country to develop, while allowing the telco's to also prosper.

Time will tell....

[Axel]

I do hope changes will come.

Seems in SIN I can call from my AIS to another AIS - number, also presently in SIN at a reduce or local tariff or so AIS tells me by SMS whenever I arrive there.

I tried to solve the problem by switching the SIM-cards, i.e. each country where I travel to, I use a local SIM. Again, it does not really help, unless I tell really everybody during what time they can reach me under what number. But this is impossible and I just might miss a call.

So, I am back using AIS and paying for it, wherever I am, which is especially nice to receive a wrong-number call 4:00 am while in Europe and somebody tell me in Thai how much she misses me....

[Stocky]

It's a pain, but I have a selection of SIMs, which I change depending on the country I'm in.

Friends have a list of possible mobile numbers and don't mind phoning round until they find me.

[Pink Mist]

That's the best way, get another sim and a cheap unlocked phone.

[udon]

That's the best way, get another sim and a cheap unlocked phone.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Bronco.

Big W have nokia 3315's on sale at A$99 a pair...... Optus pre-paid.

Does this mean they are unlocked and will work straight away with my dtac prepay cards in LoS?

[Pink Mist]

They wont be network unlocked.

We got the guy at the shop where we bought ours to do it (he charged $20.00).

I couldn't tell you exactly where to get it done in Sydney but my best bet would be Haymarket or Chinatown.

I bet there'd be a million phone shops in that area.

Should've moved this before do it now.

[Crushdepth]

But if that telco is a monopoly or near monopoly, then the government regulators have to step in and regulate to limit the telco's ability to rob their customers blind.

What a great idea...but what if your top government regulator owns the monopoly

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The EU are currently looking at roaming charges as they think the Telcos are making excessive profits on them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They think right ... all the European telcos have agreements to route calls to each other within the same country.

In the vast majority of cases, it causes them absolutely zero additional effort as all of their call routing tables are basically "set it and forget it" across their international backbones. Once set up properly, the hardware and software handles all the switching at minimal additional effort.

The US has been dealing with these kind of rip-off schemes for decades. It is one of the reasons why people can now call from coast to coast on a cell phone for the same rate as calling across the street.

LoS and other SE Asian countries will hopefully soon be no different.

There should be no problem with a telco or any other company making a profit. But if that telco is a monopoly or near monopoly, then the government regulators have to step in and regulate to limit the telco's ability to rob their customers blind.

I hope that the LoS government would take similar steps to allow the growth that is needed for the country to develop, while allowing the telco's to also prosper.

Time will tell....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dr Toxin does own a Telco