Old Fashioned Dial-up Internet

[madmitch]

Although I live in Phuket I have recently spent some time in Chachoengsao. I have always used a standard dial-up card (will be going broadband in Phuket soon) and get charged the standard local rate charge of 3 baht per call. It was the same when I was in Bangkok. Both lines TOT.

My girlfriend has recently received a ridiculously high phone bill in Chachoengsao. My GF queried this at the local TT&T office (different supplier of which I wasn't previously aware) only to be told that these 038 numbers (Chachoengsao is in the 038 district) did not constitute local phone calls under the TT&T rules and I was being charged up to 6 baht per minute for calls to Chonburi. With 56 connections during those few weeks, sometimes up to three or four hours, you can imagine the size of the bill.

My question is, has anyone else experienced this? Is it right? If so is there anything I can do about it?

[Thetyim]

If you live in the 038 district then any 038 number should be a local call

I do not understand what TT&T are claiming

[jingjingna]

Chachengsao is not in Chonburi and therefore not an 038 number. I had the same problem once when I was connecting to a Bangkok number whilst living in Chonburi.

If you're on dial up make sure there is a dial up number for your area with the ISP.

[Thetyim]

Eastern Region

Code Province

037 Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri

038 Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Rayong

039 Chanthaburi, Trat

Your calls should charged as local.

Have you seen the bill ?

A 180 minute call charged at 6baht/minute should be listed separately. What was the munber dialled

[monty]

The telephone billing In Thailand is very confusing!!!

A phonecall being charged local or long distance is not decided by the prefix, but mainly by location (province)

Eventhough Chonburi and Rayong are both prefixed with 038, you'll get billed long distance calling between the two, as the call is inter provincial!!!

Same for Chachoeng Sao... 038 prefix, but long distance if you call to Pattaya.

So yes, the ridiculous bill is correct, so you can't do anything about it...

If you check Csloxinfo's website for dial-up numbers, you'll see seperate numbers quoted for Chonburi, ChachoengSao and Rayong.

Eventhough they're all 038, you can't mix them up or you'll be hit with long distance rates...

http://www.csloxinfo.com/access/list_all.asp#36

Also, scroll all the way down, and you'll see they put up a warning that if you call inter provincial, even within the same area code you will get billed long distance, and that Csloxinfo is not responsible!!!

*Calling within the same province is 3 Bath per call. Calling across the province within the same or different area code will be charged as long distance call. CS LoxInfo does not take any responsibility for any telephone charges.

Edited September 9, 2005 by monty

[Thetyim]

"Calling within the same province is 3 Bath per call. Calling across the province within the same or different area code will be charged as long distance call."

Now that has confused me. It contradicts itself.

I live in the 054 code area but my calls to 053 area are charged at 3 baht.

[monty]

Still correct, but you can also add: calling within the same province, but to another prefix will still be billed as a local call...

The prefix actually has nothing to do with the price you pay!!!

Only the physiscal location/distance of the number you are calling will determine price.

In the poor Csloxinfo's English, "calling across province" means calling to a different province.

Calling to another province (across) will get billed long distance, wether the number has the same prefix or another has nothing to do with it...

[madmitch]

[unfortunately I am in Phuket and the itemised bill is in Chachoengsao so I can't check it properly foir a week or so. If Monty is right, and it seems he may be, I am stuffed. I, like other posters, was under the mistaken apprehension that all numbers with the same prefix constituted a local call. Very annoying when you don't always know where you are calling.

What's worse, I have another bill on the way for the last time I was there! I will check the 3 baht per call numbers and make sure I use them next time.

thanks for the replies.