Avoid United Mobile!

[MATHA531]

Originally Posted by Przemolog

I'm sorry to say that but IMHO you're boring with your complaints about international SIMs. OK, it's your choice that you want to change CPP solutions into RPP ones. But, if you talk about CBW pricing to "home countries" of international SIMs, the worst case is Liechtestein: 56 cents/min (either forwarding from USA or a callback call to USA). Now, compare that with the cheapest roaming tariffs which you may be offered from any US mobile operator. AFAIK AT&T is 99 cents both incoming and outgoing (anything cheaper?). So, the savings seem to be at least 43 cents/min and you're still complaining

I don't know if boring is the right word...spoiled is perhaps a better word...look

Last summer, I used UM for a trip through Europe...my ld company was only charging a 1¢ termination fee to have calls forwarded from my landline to my UM mobile for a total of 11¢/minute...I could call using cbw back to the USA for 14¢/minute...what could be better?

Then as you know things changed drastically....termination fees to Liechtenstein mobiles shot through the wall..suddenly cbw was charging 59¢/minute for calls that I was used to making for 14¢/minute...termination fees rose to something like 31¢/minute on my ld carrier so the same forwarded call that last year cost me 11¢/minute was now 41¢/minute...ouch so of course I started looking for alternatives. I considered the Estonian mobiles but found termination fees were even higher and cbw didn't work...what should I say...should I be happy paying two or three times as much as I was used to.

Now maybe I am spoiled but as with everybody else, I will always try to find what I consider reasonably priced ways of dealing with my communication problems and although clearly Estonian mobiles are a better deal than international roaming on either AT&T or T Mobile US, they are not a better deal than what I had on UM in the past.

So for me, travelsim is not a great deal; perhaps if I were new to this whole thing I might feel differently.

In all due respect to you whose opinion might differ.

[Przemolog]

Originally Posted by MATHA531

I don't know if boring is the right word...spoiled is perhaps a better word...look

Last summer, I used UM for a trip through Europe...my ld company was only charging a 1¢ termination fee to have calls forwarded from my landline to my UM mobile for a total of 11¢/minute...I could call using cbw back to the USA for 14¢/minute...what could be better?

I used the word "boring" because you keep on repeating how cheap forwarding to +423 mobile used to be and how it's expensive now. OK, "spoiled" is a right word . However, don't you understand that this couldn't last forever because 11 or even 14 cents rate was below the costs. I don't know anything about the level of mobile termination rates in other countries but e.g. in Poland it's about 14 cents and until April 2007 it was about 20-22 cents (depending on the exchange rate). I doubt if termination rates in other European countries are much lower, if not higher. And, out of those 14 cents there should be profit for CBW, UM, FL1 probably some carrier(s) between CBW and UM and finally the termination rate of the roaming partner should be paid. No way - someone must have been a loser in this chain .

Originally Posted by MATHA531

Then as you know things changed drastically....termination fees to Liechtenstein mobiles shot through the wall..suddenly cbw was charging 59¢/minute for calls that I was used to making for 14¢/minute...termination fees rose to something like 31¢/minute on my ld carrier so the same forwarded call that last year cost me 11¢/minute was now 41¢/minute...ouch so of course I started looking for alternatives. I considered the Estonian mobiles but found termination fees were even higher and cbw didn't work...what should I say...should I be happy paying two or three times as much as I was used to.

I know how the rates changed but "there ain't no free lunch" or even "dirty cheap" . You should be happy that you paid so few for so long time .

Originally Posted by MATHA531

Now maybe I am spoiled but as with everybody else, I will always try to find what I consider reasonably priced ways of dealing with my communication problems and although clearly Estonian mobiles are a better deal than international roaming on either AT&T or T Mobile US, they are not a better deal than what I had on UM in the past.
So for me, travelsim is not a great deal; perhaps if I were new to this whole thing I might feel differently.

Yes, you might . The problem is there's one issue you won't skip: termination rates. If you want to use an international SIM, the cost of USA->free incoming countries connections will always be higher than mobile termination rates in those countries. And it doesn't matter if you are going an RPP (forwaring from a US number) or CPP (some calls you on your international number) scheme. If there are cheaper options, they are just loss-generating errors in price lists and will be closed sooner or later...

[borjeg]

Originally Posted by Effendi

But UM always solved their problems and are a bit slow but quite efficient... let's just give them some time for the new offer to be more reliable...

Well... their way of "solving" their problems was, this time, to refund our money
WITHOUT activating the SIM card again!!! I sincerely doubt they'll ever manage to get it right with our card.

No very impressed...

[borjeg]

I had a new letter today, asking what net I was using??? If I could make calls, receive calls, messages...

Is their anyone here who has heard about an inactive card that you could use???!

I sincerely doubt they'll ever manage to get it right with our card.

No very impressed...

I'll post my experiencies here.

[borjeg]

Latest developement.

I had a new mail prompting me to restart the phone and search for a new net. I don't know if I show laugh or cry.

[borjeg]

So far no solution.

We are using TravelSIM, without any problems, instead.

[kupe]

Originally Posted by MATHA531

Last summer, I used UM for a trip through Europe...my ld company was only charging a 1¢ termination fee to have calls forwarded from my landline to my UM mobile for a total of 11¢/minute...I could call using cbw back to the USA for 14¢/minute...what could be better?

Then as you know things changed drastically....termination fees to Liechtenstein mobiles shot through the wall..suddenly cbw was charging 59¢/minute for calls that I was used to making for 14¢/minute...termination fees rose to something like 31¢/minute on my ld carrier so the same forwarded call that last year cost me 11¢/minute was now 41¢/minute...ouch

Well, another deal I knew couldn't last... My home long distance was with Bellsouth, and with the plan I was using, I was paying 8 cents per minute to call my UM Liechtenstein mobile from home. Bellsouth merged this past year with ATT and to my delight, the good deal continued!

Until this month that is. ;( Just got the first ever bill with a mobile termination fee- total per minute is now 38 cents. Not terrible, but slowly and surely the Liechtenstein workarounds are going away.

FWIW, I still use CBW with UM Liechtenstein because of the 6 second billing and no setup charge. I can make a call home to tell them to call me with only 18 seconds or so of billing.

Kupe