No, you don't pay for receiving SMS's while overseas except in limited
circumstances, e.g. on ships at sea and even then, I'm not sure if that's
true for all carriers.
An even better strategy than diverting calls to voicemail is to divert them
to a message taking service. They take the message and send it via SMS.
That way you don't have to call voicemail and pay huge calling rates.
Liron
"Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:8c704cFmplU1@mid.individual.net...
> Nom-de-plume wrote:
>
>> Anyone see any problems with this strategy for avoiding
>> international roaming gotchas (including lebara SPAM)?
>
>> 1 unconditionally diversion of all voice calls to voicemail;
>
>> 2 voicemail message to ask callers to send
>> urgent messages only by SMS, or use email.
>
> You wont get the SMSs without getting slugged for them.
>
>> The intentional is to avoid the fees and charges gotchas.
>
> Doesnt work.
>
> No, you don't pay for receiving SMS's while overseas except in limited circumstances, e.g. on ships at sea
Thats just plain wrong.
> and even then, I'm not sure if that's true for all carriers.
> An even better strategy than diverting calls to voicemail is to divert them to a message taking service. They take
> the message and send it via SMS. That way you don't have to call voicemail and pay huge calling rates.
You still have to pay for that service.
> Rod Speed <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> wrote
>> Nom-de-plume wrote
>>> Anyone see any problems with this strategy for avoiding
>>> international roaming gotchas (including lebara SPAM)?
>>> 1 unconditionally diversion of all voice calls to voicemail;
>>> 2 voicemail message to ask callers to send
>>> urgent messages only by SMS, or use email.
>> You wont get the SMSs without getting slugged for them.
>>> The intentional is to avoid the fees and charges gotchas.
On Sun, 08 Aug 2010 16:11:22 +1000, Rod Speed wrote:
> Nom-de-plume wrote:
>
>> Anyone see any problems with this strategy for avoiding international
>> roaming gotchas (including lebara SPAM)?
>
>> 1 unconditional diversion of all voice calls to voicemail;
>
>> 2 voicemail message to ask callers to send urgent messages only by SMS,
>> or use email.
>
> You wont get the SMSs without getting slugged for them.
>
>> The intention is to avoid the fees and charges gotchas.
>
> Doesnt work.
I'm happy to accept the cost of urgent messages. If there is a cheaper
way of getting them, that would be good. Is there a cheaper
way?
On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:55:17 +1000, Nom-de-plume
<you.are.joking@right.net> wrote:
>On Sun, 08 Aug 2010 16:11:22 +1000, Rod Speed wrote:
>
>> Nom-de-plume wrote:
>>
>>> Anyone see any problems with this strategy for avoiding international
>>> roaming gotchas (including lebara SPAM)?
>>
>>> 1 unconditional diversion of all voice calls to voicemail;
>>
>>> 2 voicemail message to ask callers to send urgent messages only by SMS,
>>> or use email.
>>
>> You wont get the SMSs without getting slugged for them.
>>
>>> The intention is to avoid the fees and charges gotchas.
>>
>> Doesnt work.
>
>I'm happy to accept the cost of urgent messages. If there is a cheaper
>way of getting them, that would be good. Is there a cheaper
>way?
On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:45:36 +1000, Gillard = Rudd in a frock wrote:
> On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:55:17 +1000, Nom-de-plume
> <you.are.joking@right.net> wrote:
>
>>On Sun, 08 Aug 2010 16:11:22 +1000, Rod Speed wrote:
>>
>>> Nom-de-plume wrote:
>>>
>>>> Anyone see any problems with this strategy for avoiding international
>>>> roaming gotchas (including lebara SPAM)?
>>>
>>>> 1 unconditional diversion of all voice calls to voicemail;
>>>
>>>> 2 voicemail message to ask callers to send urgent messages only by
>>>> SMS, or use email.
>>>
>>> You wont get the SMSs without getting slugged for them.
>>>
>>>> The intention is to avoid the fees and charges gotchas.
>>>
>>> Doesnt work.
>>
>>I'm happy to accept the cost of urgent messages. If there is a cheaper
>>way of getting them, that would be good. Is there a cheaper way?
>
> Skype?
That's useful, but not always convenient. The keyword is "urgent".
Nom-de-plume wrote
> Rod Speed wrote
>> Nom-de-plume wrote
>>> Anyone see any problems with this strategy for avoiding
>>> international roaming gotchas (including lebara SPAM)?
>>> 1 unconditional diversion of all voice calls to voicemail;
>>> 2 voicemail message to ask callers to send urgent messages only by SMS, or use email.
>> You wont get the SMSs without getting slugged for them.
>>> The intention is to avoid the fees and charges gotchas.
>> Doesnt work.
> I'm happy to accept the cost of urgent messages.
Trouble is that what you consider an urgent message may not
be what the individual who sends it considers to be urgent etc.
> If there is a cheaper way of getting them, that would be good. Is there a cheaper way?
One approach is to get a SIM in the country you are visiting and have the voicemail
message give that number they can SMS to. But even that costs something to
receive in some countrys like the US and that SIM is hardly ever free either.
What can work is to have a separate australian SIM with roaming enabled on it
that only those you tell about that number can SMS to because only those know
about that number, and its not on the voicemail message, but even thats not that
cheap because there are few free SIMs around now and even less with roaming.
And that wont work if people normally contact your mobile and you cant predict who
might need to send you an urgent message while you are out of the country. I guess
the SMS route to the normal number is the best approach for them, hopefully there
wont be too many who are silly enough to decide that something is urgent when its
not for you so you wont get slugged very often for what you dont consider urgent.
The short story is that there is no perfect way to avoid fees and charges gotchas with roaming.
On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:55:34 +1000, Nom-de-plume
<you.are.joking@right.net> wrote:
>>>I'm happy to accept the cost of urgent messages. If there is a cheaper
>>>way of getting them, that would be good. Is there a cheaper way?
>>
>> Skype?
>
>That's useful, but not always convenient. The keyword is "urgent".
Why not get a wireless enabled phone, find a free wireless log on, and
use Skype on your phone? Don't know if this is what you are after?
On Sat, 14 Aug 2010 04:44:27 +1000, "Rod Speed"
<rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> wrote:
>Gillard = Rudd in a frock wrote
>> Nom-de-plume <you.are.joking@right.net> wrote
>
>>>>> I'm happy to accept the cost of urgent messages.
>>>>> If there is a cheaper way of getting them, that
>>>>> would be good. Is there a cheaper way?
>
>>>> Skype?
>
>>> That's useful, but not always convenient. The keyword is "urgent".
>
>> Why not get a wireless enabled phone, find a free
>> wireless log on, and use Skype on your phone?
>
>Doesnt help for incoming urgent messages.
>
>> Don't know if this is what you are after?
>
Skype has a text feature as well, the sender of the text might be able
to text the recipient's Skype phone? Would that work?
> Why not get a wireless enabled phone, find a free wireless log on, and
> use Skype on your phone? Don't know if this is what you are after?
When I bought my HTC Desire I thought that it would be great in WiFi hotspots.
However, I soon discovered that they are few and far in between.
While they are to be found in places like McDonalds, they aren't everywhere. And
further, some, especially airports, charge like wounded bulls for access.
Melbourne Airport, for example, wanted to slug my wife $4.50 just to access
emails and Facebook, recently. She used Optus's 3G service instead (Facebook
access is free) and even at PAYG rates was still cheaper than what MEL was
asking.
And overseas it's much the same. The only airport that we found free wifi was at
Changi (SIN) airport, Singapore.
So, for this chap to rely on wifi to make or to receive "urgent calls" he's
gonna have to bite the bullet and either pay the roaming charges or buy a SIM
card in the country where he's staying and to use that. (and to forward calls
from his Oz mobile number to that international number).
Gillard = Rudd in a frock wrote
> Rod Speed <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> wrote
>> Gillard = Rudd in a frock wrote
>>> Nom-de-plume <you.are.joking@right.net> wrote
>>>>>> I'm happy to accept the cost of urgent messages.
>>>>>> If there is a cheaper way of getting them, that
>>>>>> would be good. Is there a cheaper way?
>>>>> Skype?
>>>> That's useful, but not always convenient. The keyword is "urgent".
>>> Why not get a wireless enabled phone, find a free
>>> wireless log on, and use Skype on your phone?
>> Doesnt help for incoming urgent messages.
>>> Don't know if this is what you are after?
> Skype has a text feature as well,
Yes, but its nothing like SMS.
> the sender of the text might be able to text the recipient's Skype phone?
Not all of the callers are likely to use Skype and he wont necessarily be available even if they do.
And free wifi isnt anywhere near as available as GSM.
I agree with Nom-de-plume, no charges for receiving text files while roaming. At least for my case (Tokyo Roaming)
I called up SUN cust.serv.center 3 times to ask and confirm roaming charges. Among the charges mentioned was 32pesos per text message RECEIVED which I thought was very unreasonable. While in Tokyo I received a lot of SPAM text messages and was planning to confront SUN cust.service with this after I get the bill. I noticed that I never even received SPAM SMS while in the Philippines so why do I get a lot of them when roaming in Tokyo??!
However, when the bill came, SUN did not claim any charges for received texts. The only roaming charges I saw were for outgoing voice calls and texts while in Japan. BTW, I have a 300peso/month postpaid subscription.
So I suggest you use freetext online messaging (IM++, CHIKKA) for outgoing and your SUN phone for incoming messages. For dire emergencies when you can't use your iPOD or any computer to go online then use your phone then. Cheers
Avoiding International Roaming Gotchas 
Linear Mode
