Praise for UK2Abroad

MothballsWallet

Just wanted to relay my experience so far with UK2Abroad (who Martin recommends in one of his articles about using your mobile abroad).

I was trying to buy a Global SIM and credit through their website, but it didn't go through, so I contacted them and had a call back from Alistair.

He took me through the payment over the phone, and it went through (it seems the only thing I did wrong was to omit the valid from date for my card).

I've got the SIM card and intro letter, and everything seems to be all activated. I'll be able to tell more when I get back from my trip and can post how I got on with the Global SIM.

So, for UK2Abroad, I give them a :T

Blondiemitch

I am amazed that anyone would be able to give this company any kind of praise. My recommendation to anyone wishing to do business with this company is DONT!!!

I bought and paid for two SIMS for my friend and I a month before we were going to America. After chasing them continually the week before... we basically ended up going on holiday with NO SIMS. They arrived AFTER I went to America. How can that happen after a whole months notice.

They ask you for your flight details, not informing you that they have no intention of sending you the SIMS before that date and therefore not allowing for the fact that you may actually be doing something else with the lead up. I had to change my plans to ensure I as home to receive the cards in the hope that I got the SIMS but they still didn't arrive on time. Their answer was... nothing we can do. This company actually have an address about 20 minutes from my home... and I explained that I could have walked and collected them more efficiently.

I contacted them on my return and requested a repayment..... that was in February.... and although they emailed me to agree that they would refund... two months on... i AM STILL WAITING. They are not answering my emails and they do not give a telephone number for you to contact them... for obvious reasons.... they wouldn't get ANY play time on their computers for having to answer the complaint calls as they obviously do no work!

There was a thread on here stating how bad they were... unfortunately it was taken off!!!

Please, if you want a restful holiday..Don't use this company. The stress isn't worth it.

MothballsWallet

Blondiemitch, I'm sorry you had problems with them - all I can do is speak from my own experiences, and I didn't have any problems at all.

Well, the dialing the number first to make a "request" then being called back to connect takes time to get used to, but it's not too bad.

kiwibrit

My card came through promptly. I wasn't given the area code I wanted - and was told I could contact T Mobile in the States. In practice, this turned out to be difficult, and i put up with the number I had been given. You have to dial a long number, then respond to a request for a password, then enter the full international number of the person you wish to phone. They claim that you can speed the process up by entering into Contacts the UK2abroad number, then entering a pause, then entering the password number followed by a hash, then entering the full international code for your contact. Not only is this a pain, but although my ZTEblade/Orange San Fransisco can be coded for pauses, the UK2aborad system then fails. The best I have been able to do is to enter the UK2abroad number into contacts. That gets me to being asked to enter the password. The rest I then have to do manually. It's grim.

That said, I have found I can ignore all that, and just use my contacts normally - certainly as far as US numbers are involved. Which begs the question of why have all the UK2abroad rigmarole. There must be a reason, but I haven't figured it yet.

JSBTraveller

I'm travelling to the US first thing this monday (19 March) and it's two days before and whilst I have received the SIM card I ordered I haven't received either the PIN number for the SIM; the phone number; or instructions that were all promised to arrive by email a few days before my flight. What does this mean? That I have a tiny piece of plastic that has cost me £50 which is of no use whatsoever. I have been emailing every address on the website and have had nothing but an automated response.

What I'm struggling with is that this information is supposed to be provided by email, so the blame isn't with the postal system but with UK2Abroad - surely the PIN and phone number should be automatically generated when the SIM is produced?!

I supplied my flight details at the time of purchase so if they could not fulfil the agreement in time they should have refused the transaction. Tellingly there is no phone number on the website (I should have known that this was a huge warning sign) and I am left without options other than spending £1.20/min using my UK mobile or trying to find a local SIM when I get to the US.

This is a shockingly poor level of service - I have two young children at home who are going to miss their dad and their dad is going to miss them terribly. I have to travel for work and I was hoping that I would at least be able to talk to them freely to help them not feel my absence so hard. It looks like that plan is out of the window as I simply can't afford the very high charges of using my UK mobile for any length of time while I'm away. So thanks for that UK2Abroad - I hope you enjoy my money while you have it because you're going to have a very upset father on your hands if you don't deliver what you promised.

I'm checking my emails regularly and if I don't get a useable service from them then not only will I get my credit card company onto the case to get my £50 back but I will also claim back the difference between what I end up paying in calls on my trip and what I should have paid if UK2Abroad had honoured its agreement.

Is it so very hard to be remotely professional about supplying some very simple information to complete your service or even replying to my very reasonable request for a PIN etc so that I could actually use the SIM to make calls rather than as a very very small bookmark!

Please use these people with great care and know that unless you love a risk (!) or aren't really bothered about getting a service you pay for (!) or love being given the runaround (!) then perhaps you should look elsewhere.

JSB