MSE News: Travelling outside Europe? You could incur hefty voicemail charges

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Former_MSE_Paloma
Former_MSE_Paloma Posts: 531 Forumite
I've been Money Tipped! Newshound!
in Overseas holidays & travel planning
"Many mobile customers are being charged for messages they don't even listen to when travelling outside the EEA ..."
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Travelling outside Europe? You could incur hefty voicemail charges

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  • System
    System Posts: 178,094 Community Admin
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    Either:

    Call ##002# - it cancels all voicemail diverts.
    or
    Divert all calls to the voicemail number - via the phone's menu system.

    Either (or both) will almost always work both at home and when roaming.

    They use Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) commands which are standard and don't cost anything to initiate.
  • magpiecottage
    magpiecottage Posts: 9,241 Forumite
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    EE - Expensive Everywhere!
  • pogofish
    pogofish Posts: 10,852 Forumite
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    If I'm heading abroad, my voicemail is the very first thing to get switched-off!
  • redux
    redux Posts: 22,976 Forumite
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    The article makes no attempt to distinguish between diversion of all calls or conditionally, for example on busy or no answer.

    If all calls are diverted to voicemail, this happens on the home location register in the UK and there will be no charge.

    But the simplest is to turn it off.
  • Pincher
    Pincher Posts: 6,552 Forumite
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    "Vodafone will only charge you if you choose to listen to the message by calling your voicemail inbox while abroad"




    For Vodafone customers.


    You need to set up your Voice Mailbox PIN for this.


    From anywhere in the world, using any phone, you can call


    +44 7836 121 121


    Type in your mobile phone number and PIN.
    And then it works like you called 121 from your mobile phone


    Obviously, you should try to call using Skype type calls to minimise the call charges.


    I carry a backup handset that has an international SIM when travelling. The UK access number is only given out to essential people, so if anybody calls, it's an important call. I need to make a call or text every six months, to keep it active, so it costs about £1 a year. Pay As You Go, Naturally. It isn't cheap to make calls. In fact, calling from inside Russia costs £12 a minute! Obviously, I would get a Russian SIM, if the hotel doesn't have Wi-Fi.
  • kanimisso99
    kanimisso99 Posts: 38 Forumite
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    This article is making things just too complicated!!

    Just turn on airplane mode or switch off the handset, so mobile companies will have no idea where you are, thus voicemails are free to receive.

    Only connect to roaming when you need to make a call or listen to voicemails.
  • mick_vandick
    mick_vandick Posts: 522 Forumite
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    Call ##002# - it cancels all voicemail diverts.
    Works for me! Thanks.
    I was stung last time i was away for about £10. Thanks EE.
    :beer:
  • simax
    simax Posts: 1,957 Forumite
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    The article is full of errors:

    Orange customers anywhere in the world do not incur costs for calls being diverted to voicemail. Also, calls to customer services on 150 are also free of charge anywhere in the world.

    EE and T-Mobile customers do have the two-way charge for voicemail diverts outside of the EEA, however if you call 150 for customer services inside the EEA you will be charged the standard roaming call rate back to the UK - it is not a free call.

    Hope that clarifies.
    I spent 25 years in the mobile industry, from 1994 to 2019. Worked for indies as well as the big networks, in their stores also in contact centres. I also hold a degree in telecoms engineering so I like to think I know what I’m talking about 😂
  • lisyloo
    lisyloo Posts: 29,617 Forumite
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    edited 21 January 2015 at 9:47AM
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    Also, calls to customer services on 150 are also free of charge anywhere in the world.
    That's not true for most OVP plans

    http://www1.orange.co.uk/service_plans/downloads/ovp_services_costs.pdf

    EDIT: I have mine sorted now but it cost me about £1.20 to do all the voicemail options.
  • eDicky
    eDicky Posts: 6,574 Forumite
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    simax wrote: »

    Orange customers anywhere in the world do not incur costs for calls being diverted to voicemail. Also, calls to customer services on 150 are also free of charge anywhere in the world.
    From my experience, I can confirm that this is true, at least for Orange Pay-Monthly non-OVP customers. Except that I am notified to use the full number for customer services (+447973100150) when roaming outside EEA, a free call.

    Incidentally, I avoid the high Orange call charge to retrieve voice messages when roaming outside EEA by calling the full voicemail number (+447973100123) by other means, then entering my Orange number, then PIN.
    Evolution, not revolution
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