O2 voicemail aboard WARNING

elliottja

Word of warning:

I went to Canada last week and beforehand I checked on the O2 website on the international section I can't link to because I'm new around here.

However, this didn't make it clear enough, especially in the "BEFORE YOU GO" section, that if people rang through to my voicemail that I would be charged an extortionate amount of money even if no message was left. If it had then I would have turned it off.

I got called a number of times and people hung up BEFORE the voicemail message kicked in. However, due to the latency of the network this meant that each time this happened it rang through to voicemail for appoximately 0.07 seconds, charging me over 90p for the privilage.

To make it clear, I got charged over £10 for primarily my girlfriend calling me then hanging up just BEFORE the voicemail kicked in: no voicemail, no text message telling me I'd missed a call and had a voicemail, absolutely no value in it whatsoever.

Just came off the phone to an O2 service robot. Very, very annoyed!!!


EDIT: To turn off voicemail dial 1760, to turn it on again dial 1750

sporedude

If it wasnt clear enough you should have phoned O2 for further information. Thats the same with any UK provider, Your charged for people getting to your voicemail if the phone isnt answered.

elliottja

sporedude wrote: »

If it wasnt clear enough you should have phoned O2 for further information. Thats the same with any UK provider, Your charged for people getting to your voicemail if the phone isnt answered.

Firstly, your isn't the same as you're...imagine the ' is where the a should go.

No - I read the international information site and it didn't state ANYWHERE I READ (and I read the important information section) that I would be charged an international call rate for receiving voicemails. In the voicemail section it just made out how amazing and grateful I should be to be able to receive voicemails abroad.

And yes, I totally forgot that I should phone my mobile provider before I go on holiday about what happens when I don't answer my phone. Silly me!

elliottja

elliottja wrote: »

Firstly, your isn't the same as you're...imagine the ' is where the a should go.

Secondly - I know that I missed the 'r' in abroad on my subject title so shouldn't be throwing sarcastic comments like that about.

DOH!!!

scottishlass

elliottja wrote: »

No - I read the international information site and it didn't state ANYWHERE I READ (and I read the important information section) that I would be charged an international call rate for receiving voicemails. In the voicemail section it just made out how amazing and grateful I should be to be able to receive voicemails abroad.

But it does say on the first page that you may be charged for receiving calls - voice mail is still you receiving a call http://www.o2international.co.uk/BeforeYouGo.aspx

And whilst it might not be fair unfortunately its the way o2 work along with other companies. I always switch my voice mail off so that I don't get charged for the calls I recieve

elliottja

That's the site I read (thanks for linking)

So it says one may be charged for receiving calls - hmmm, that's not very clear, is it? What calls aren't charged and how hard is it to include something about voicemail? Especially since it charges double (one charge as if I'd answered the phone, and another for the call back to the UK voicemail).

Also, it helpfully includes how you can divert ALL calls to voicemail but not how to turn it off. Hmmm - a nice money earner for O2!!

It isn't clear in a help page about international roaming what the voicemail charges are. I've demonstrated that there is a need for this and by writing on here hopefully other people won't make the same mistake.

parallax_20

I got raped by O2 too whilst abroad...£5 for receiving a 15min incoming call. That was the last phone call I answered from then on. What a scam, but I already knew it was going to be costly. Oh well.