Roaming and Deposits

I am on O2 200, via the Carphone Warehouse. Only two months into my
contract. Next week I'm off to Germany for a week and would like to be able
to send and receive texts, at the very least (not bothered about making
calls). So I called up customer service.... you can guess what happened
next. They claim they need a £100 deposit, which they keep for 6 months.
That's pretty ****ing outrageous if you ask me. The customer service drone
also told me if they had received three bills they would have lifted the
roaming bar for free, so it seems I am a bit unlucky to be so close to the
start of my contract.

Anyway, I don't fancy giving these guys an interest-free loan for 6 months
so does anyone have any suggestions? Are there some things I can say or
threaten to do in order to get my roaming activated? Like I said I am only
interested in being able to send and receive texts, although that doesn't
seem to make a difference to these highway robbers.

Thanks in advance,
Mike

On Wed, 05 Apr 2006 03:11:05 GMT, Mike <mdh@deadspam.com> wrote:

>I am on O2 200, via the Carphone Warehouse. Only two months into my
>contract. Next week I'm off to Germany for a week and would like to be able
>to send and receive texts, at the very least (not bothered about making
>calls). So I called up customer service.... you can guess what happened
>next. They claim they need a £100 deposit, which they keep for 6 months.
>That's pretty ****ing outrageous if you ask me. The customer service drone
>also told me if they had received three bills they would have lifted the
>roaming bar for free, so it seems I am a bit unlucky to be so close to the
>start of my contract.
>
>Anyway, I don't fancy giving these guys an interest-free loan for 6 months
>so does anyone have any suggestions? Are there some things I can say or
>threaten to do in order to get my roaming activated? Like I said I am only
>interested in being able to send and receive texts, although that doesn't
>seem to make a difference to these highway robbers.
>
>Thanks in advance,
>Mike

Mike

Surely you're better getting a local operator's sim card - usually
works out a lot cheaper. Okay it means a change of number temporarily
.....

The 3 months invoices is usually true ...

Good Luck

Jim

mdh@deadspam.com declared for all the world to hear...
> Anyway, I don't fancy giving these guys an interest-free loan for 6 months
> so does anyone have any suggestions?

Don't go to Gemrmany? Go but leave your phone at home?

> Are there some things I can say or
> threaten to do in order to get my roaming activated?

You could try "Here's my credit card number" - that would probably work.

> Like I said I am only
> interested in being able to send and receive texts, although that doesn't
> seem to make a difference to these highway robbers.

You've been asked for a deposit because you haven't passed the credit
check with a high enough score for roaming straight away. It's quite
common.
--
Regards
Jon

"Mike" <mdh@deadspam.com> wrote in message
news:zql9ny1slwrv$.dlg@mikity.org...
>I am on O2 200, via the Carphone Warehouse. Only two months into my
> contract. Next week I'm off to Germany for a week and would like to be
> able
> to send and receive texts, at the very least (not bothered about making
> calls). So I called up customer service.... you can guess what happened
> next. They claim they need a £100 deposit, which they keep for 6 months.
> That's pretty ****ing outrageous if you ask me. The customer service drone
> also told me if they had received three bills they would have lifted the
> roaming bar for free, so it seems I am a bit unlucky to be so close to the
> start of my contract.
>
> Anyway, I don't fancy giving these guys an interest-free loan for 6 months
> so does anyone have any suggestions? Are there some things I can say or
> threaten to do in order to get my roaming activated? Like I said I am only
> interested in being able to send and receive texts, although that doesn't
> seem to make a difference to these highway robbers.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Mike


Just get a local pre pay sim card.



--



www.experimentalist.co.uk/shop/index.php
Australian, New Zealand, USA, UK, South African, Thailand Sim Cards.
My help forum
www.experimentalist.co.uk/forum/index.php

www.payasyougo.me.uk wrote:
> "Mike" <mdh@deadspam.com> wrote in message
> news:zql9ny1slwrv$.dlg@mikity.org...
>
>>I am on O2 200, via the Carphone Warehouse. Only two months into my
>>contract. Next week I'm off to Germany for a week and would like to be
>>able
>>to send and receive texts, at the very least (not bothered about making
>>calls). So I called up customer service.... you can guess what happened
>>next. They claim they need a £100 deposit, which they keep for 6 months.
>>That's pretty ****ing outrageous if you ask me. The customer service drone
>>also told me if they had received three bills they would have lifted the
>>roaming bar for free, so it seems I am a bit unlucky to be so close to the
>>start of my contract.
>>
>>Anyway, I don't fancy giving these guys an interest-free loan for 6 months
>>so does anyone have any suggestions? Are there some things I can say or
>>threaten to do in order to get my roaming activated? Like I said I am only
>>interested in being able to send and receive texts, although that doesn't
>>seem to make a difference to these highway robbers.
>>
>>Thanks in advance,
>>Mike
>
>
>
> Just get a local pre pay sim card.

And ensure your phone is network unlocked....

Virgin take £150 and they apply this to all customers, regardless of
credit rating score (at least that's what they told me).

Mike wrote:
> I am on O2 200, via the Carphone Warehouse. Only two months into my
> contract. Next week I'm off to Germany for a week and would like to be able
> to send and receive texts, at the very least (not bothered about making
> calls).

If you'd rather get a German SIM I've a comparison table at
<http://alan.uni-hd.de/Handy/Telecom-Tips.html#Mobile>. A SIM will cost
about 13 GBP with varying amounts of credit depending on the make, with
text messages to the UK at about 14p. Calls to the UK cost from 25p
using a call-by-call prefix.

HTH

Alan

LKL <lkl@myself.com> wrote:

> Virgin take £150 and they apply this to all customers, regardless of
> credit rating score (at least that's what they told me).

They only apply it to pikeys.

They've not asked me or the wife for such a deposit.
--
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On Wed, 05 Apr 2006 15:54:35 +0200, Alan Summerfield wrote:

> If you'd rather get a German SIM I've a comparison table at
> <http://alan.uni-hd.de/Handy/Telecom-Tips.html#Mobile>. A SIM will cost
> about 13 GBP with varying amounts of credit depending on the make, with
> text messages to the UK at about 14p. Calls to the UK cost from 25p
> using a call-by-call prefix.

Thanks Alan (and everyone else who made a helpful reply to this thread) but
a local SIM card is not the problem, I already have one in fact - the real
issue is not being contactable on my regular number for a week, which is
not something I'm too keen on. I am assuming I will not even be able to
receive texts if I don't have roaming enabled. Meaning I will have to pay
the (pretty outrageous) sum of 100 smackers...

Well, thanks anyway,
Mike

SteveH wrote:
> LKL <lkl@myself.com> wrote:
>
> > Virgin take £150 and they apply this to all customers, regardless of
> > credit rating score (at least that's what they told me).
>
> They only apply it to pikeys.
>
> They've not asked me or the wife for such a deposit.

When I registered my SIM they asked if I wanted to use it abroad, I
said "yes", they said "OK"!