Charged for using prepaid international phone card

gaoife

:mad::mad::mad::mad:
I've just received my mobile phone bill and have been charged €60.00 for using my phone to make calls with a PREPAID international calling card while in the US.
When i phoned my company i was told that there charges were for being connected to the card's 1800 number even though some calls were 15 mins in length and i was charged €27.00 for it!!!
The company said that this was the EXACT amount that the american companny were charging them and they had to pass the charge on to me.
How is this possible? there is no was that the us company has already passsed on charges for their free 1800 number to an irish mobile phone company when the calls were only made last week!
Does anyone think thast this is right?
Pls help im soooo angry, if id known that i would be charged i would have used a payphone!

Thanks

eth0_

Are you serious? You were using your IRISH mobile in the USA to dial a 1800 number and you expect it to be free?? You were roaming, freephone numbers are generally only free to call from a landline and i'm sure it said this in the T&C/instructions for the pre-paid card.

Pay the bill and next time read the instructions more carefully.

gaoife

I have actually done this with previous providers and not been charged. And no it did not list this in the terms and conditions on the card or i would have used a landline.

dudara

I have to agree with eth0_ here. You were roaming in the USA, so although you were not paying the call charges, you did have to pay a roaming fee. That's pretty standard.

Cabaal

Your roaming in the USA....which imho is insane, your being charged for roaming the calling card makes no difference.

Next time get a phone with wifi and use skype or buy a PAYG phone in the states or something

keithclancy

Everyone knows that...

Freephone on your roaming mobile is never free, counts as an international call to that freephone number.

Should have used a payphone or a prepaid sim

Head The Wall

keithclancy wrote: »

Everyone knows that...

Freephone on your roaming mobile is never free, counts as an international call to that freephone number.

Should have used a payphone or a prepaid sim

In the states you also pay to receive calls, it comes out of your minutes.

ardmacha

Everyone knows that...

Freephone on your roaming mobile is never free, counts as an international call to that freephone number.

Not true. Sometimes it is free and sometimes it isn't. It certainly is not always charged as an international call to that free phone number.

If we had a useful regulator, then phone companies should be obliged to state clearly on their website what each category of call will cost. They should also have a textback system where you can text them a number and they will text you back with the cost to call that number from your current location. It is not enough to say that you should ring them and queue up for 10 minutes to ask them the cost of call, especially as they will charge you an arm and a leg to call them if you are roaming.

Cabaal

ardmacha wrote: »

Not true. Sometimes it is free and sometimes it isn't.It certainly is not always charged as an international call to that free phone number.

Your calling Ireland, its International
If its free sometimes then show me an example please...remember the OP is roaming in the USA not Europe which has very good roaming agreements under EU law when compared to the states.

If we had a useful regulator, then phone companies should be obliged to state clearly on their website what each category of call will cost.

I disagree with this OFCOM in the UK has a good lot of power and the setup is no different, in addition the European roaming agreements have little do to with COMREG.

International roaming agreements are up for graps in respect of what it may cost

They should also have a textback system where you can text them a number and they will text you back with the cost to call that number from your current location. It is not enough to say that you should ring them and queue up for 10 minutes to ask them the cost of call, especially as they will charge you an arm and a leg to call them if you are roaming.

Call them before you go, e-mail their, use their online support forum...or just check their website see below!
A txt service would cost money to implement and operate, they already have a number of avenues available

Roaming rates
O2 - http://www.o2online.ie/wps/wcm/connect/O2/Home/Explore+Services/Services/Travelling+Abroad/O2+Travel/
Vodafone - http://www.vodafone.ie/helpsupport/#how-can-i-use-my-phone-abroad
Meteor - http://meteor.ie/do_more/roaming/international_roaming/

tallaghtoutlaws

I have been with Vodafone the last 13 years. I travel quite a lot especially to the US and I have never gotten free calls within the US for internal and external calls. I have called many a US freephone number in my time also and always been charged. Freephone numbers while roaming mean diddly squat 100% of the time. The only way you would avoid the charge is if the Calling card company had an agreement with Vodafone for roaming customers. And the majority of them don't as they are not going to pick up the tab on your behalf.

Roaming is expensive outside the EU simple as. The best thing you can do in future in the US is buy one of their prepaid phones for $30 and use those Phone cards with them.

ardmacha

Your calling Ireland, its International

The OP was not calling Ireland, he was calling a US freephone number (as I understand it).

Call them before you go, e-mail their, use their online support forum...or just check their website see below!

Knowing the price of a service is a fundamental part of doing business. You should not have to do this weeks in advance or go through complicated and timewasting procedures.

Freephone numbers create an expectation that they are free (funny enough) and if this is not the case it should be crystal clear, not relying on obscure information which is made difficult to access.

Even in Ireland it is almost impossible to establish the price of a call as they don't tell you what network a given number is on.
Mobile telephony is a monumental failure of consumer protection.

Cabaal

ardmacha wrote: »

The OP was not calling Ireland, he was calling a US freephone number (as I understand it).

Ok so then its certainly not free in any capacity from a Irish roaming mobile,

Freephone numbers create an expectation that they are free (funny enough) and if this is not the case it should be crystal clear, not relying on obscure information which is made difficult to access.

I'd agree, they create the expectation that they are free WHEN calling from a phone that isn't roaming in that country.

A US freephone number is not more free then a Australian freephone number if called from a Irish mobile when roaming, if your unsure you shouldn't call it...its foolish to call it and assume its free and then blame someone else.