Question About Tim Sim Registration

[HazelGirl]

Hi. I ordered a TIM sim from intouch for my Sicily trip and they sent me a Wind sim instead.......... so I had to call them and tell them to send me the right one that I ordered. They said that they don't sell TIMs (even though they have it listed on their website under their Italian sim) anymore based on the fact that they have problems with registration..........I'd rather risk it because everyone else i know will have TIM and I'll feel more comfortable coveragewise. Anyway, I don't mind stopping into a store to register it correctly or whatever, but what do I need to do to insure that everything goes smoothly? The guy on the phone offered to send me my correct sim anyway with some paperwork for registration but said I'd be on my own from there and would more than likely have to stop i a store to get it to work.

I have registered for the fiscale thingy and I'll have my passport and whatnot, but what else will I need to do? Would I be able to activate it without problem once I fly into Italy? Can the sim be registered online? Would I be able to fax documentation to TIM to make sure the card will work when I arrive? Thanks.

Edit:fyi, I ended up buying a quadband phone, so I'm otherwise all set.

Thanks.

[Effendi]

But why want you to buy a sim on that site at 50$? Even if they say they have registration problems... It's pure nonsense.

Buy it HERE in Italy at an official TIM shop, give them your passport and fiscal code and they will register it automatically and you'll have your TIM sim-card perfectly working. And all for 20? including 10? of credit. No rip-off and card which works.

Otherwise keep the Wind card which is probably better, but that must be registrated in the same way as TIM (and Vodafone) too.

[HazelGirl]

yeah i didn tknow they were so much cheaper in italy.....I guess i just wanted to have it right away. I'll have my fiscale thingy and my passport when i get there though so hopefully they'll register it for me. Would I just walk into a TIM store and say, "Signore, puo aiutarmi con la registrazione del sim? Ho tutti i miei documenti qui."and then just hand the guy my stuff? Also, will I need to give him an Italian address or will that not be necessary? Thanks. Btw, I'm just a student of Italian so non parlo perfettamente.

That sounds good. Or you can say: "Dovrei acquistare una nuova sim TIM". And he'll ask you for your documents.
As far as I remember he asks you for an address too. But I may be wrong.

[Effendi]

Eheh, no problems with Italian, even if you don't speak it very well, you'll surely find someone who will help you, it's not a problem to find someone who speaks English in bigger towns, and Italians are usually very "open-minded" in helping foreign people, expecially when they are girls!

The best deal is to buy a new TIM card at an official TIM shop ("Il Telefonino", with red/blue TIM logo) with Codice Fiscale and Passport. They should ask you an Italian address too, give them the one of your hotel/apartment and there's no problem. They will activate it for you, no faxes and other stuff.

If you already have a TIM card go to the shop and ask them: "dovrei attivare questa scheda prepagata TIM, potete aiutarmi?" ("I shoud activate this prepaid TIM card, can you help me?") and if you make a big smile they should help you!

[HazelGirl]

Thank you all very much....I feel like an idiot now for spending so much money on that sim card and not just waiting....I actually thought it would be cheaper to get it here than there...... Well, I know better now...hoepfully these people will send me the correct card in time. I did get my unlocked phone in the mail so all it needs is a sim card.....I'll test out th ephone with my sister's sim when she get back into tow.....lol.

Anyway, I'll check out the nearest TIM store when I get to Sicily. I'll have to see if I can find one in Syracuse or on Ortigia. You think there will be a TIM store inside the airport at Catania or Rome? I will first fly into Rome and then transfer to Catania......then from there, I'll be picked up with the other students. Does TIM have stations set up inside those airports at all?

Thanks.

[Effendi]

At Roma Fiumicino Airport there's a TIM official shop "Il telefonino", it's in terminal A, look here.

Anyway surely in Catania and Siracusa there are official shops downtown.

[HazelGirl]

Garzie Effendi! Sei gentilissimo!!!!!!!

I have a layover in Roma for I think 2 hours or something like that.....so hopefully I can find it and take care of it as soon as I get there. Thanks agian!!!

[HazelGirl]

Wel, I just received my replacement (the CORRECT simcard) in the mail today. They sent me the SIm-Plus TIM card.....it's blue. Yeah, I know I got ripped off on the pricing of it, but I didn't know any better I know better now and from now on, I'll just be patient and ge tthe sim in the country I am going.

It is good to know I have the sim now though and all I have to do is stop by a TIM store (hopefully in Roma right before I fly to Catania).

I will put the simcard in my phone and then put the recharge card in my wallet.

Thanks agian y'all and I will be nice and prepared to talk to the TIM guy in the store. It will be good practice anyway . Hopefully, he'll get me all registered and ready to go in a timely manner when I stop in and give him my documents. Do they charge you for registering a simcard that you have or will they do this for free?

[Effendi]

No, of course you don't have to pay a single cent. You can try to put the sim-card on the phone right now in the US to see if the simcard is already active or not.