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Don't use Travelfone!
I know there is a thread on this already, and I have posted in there also but I just want to draw attention to this company before anyone else gets conned.
I bought a travelfone sim for £29.99 a few months ago becauuse it looked like a good deal at the time, costing 23p to make calls anywhere in Europe (that has since gone up to 29p +VAT) and free to receive. However last week was the first time I tried to use it on a short trip to Belgium, that's when it all fell apart.
I couldn't make ANY outgoing calls. The way it's supposed to work is that you dial your full international number you want to call, you get disconnected and receive a callback which is then charged on a payg basis. I never received a single callback. I was able to receive calls from the UK but only from mobiles, not landlines.
When I try to use the sim in the UK I get told "outgoing calls are barred from this number". The message I hear when abroad is probably the same, just not in English.
Another thing they don't tell you is that when you register your sim so that you can top it up online you HAVE to buy a minimum of £10 credit, even though it comes with £2 on it already.
So I've spent £39.99 for that service and got nothing in return! It's even embarrassing for me because I also bought one of these as a gift for someone!
What also rubbed salt in the wound when I was out there that I received a text from Orange (on my normal mobile) saying for £7 I could receive calls in Europe for free and make calls for 40p min (max 1000min)
I complained by email on my return and their response I received today is below. They won't accept responsibility it seems, who do I complain to to get my money back?
Travelfone (GT-SIM) response
I bought a travelfone sim for £29.99 a few months ago becauuse it looked like a good deal at the time, costing 23p to make calls anywhere in Europe (that has since gone up to 29p +VAT) and free to receive. However last week was the first time I tried to use it on a short trip to Belgium, that's when it all fell apart.
I couldn't make ANY outgoing calls. The way it's supposed to work is that you dial your full international number you want to call, you get disconnected and receive a callback which is then charged on a payg basis. I never received a single callback. I was able to receive calls from the UK but only from mobiles, not landlines.
When I try to use the sim in the UK I get told "outgoing calls are barred from this number". The message I hear when abroad is probably the same, just not in English.
Another thing they don't tell you is that when you register your sim so that you can top it up online you HAVE to buy a minimum of £10 credit, even though it comes with £2 on it already.
So I've spent £39.99 for that service and got nothing in return! It's even embarrassing for me because I also bought one of these as a gift for someone!
What also rubbed salt in the wound when I was out there that I received a text from Orange (on my normal mobile) saying for £7 I could receive calls in Europe for free and make calls for 40p min (max 1000min)
I complained by email on my return and their response I received today is below. They won't accept responsibility it seems, who do I complain to to get my money back?
Travelfone (GT-SIM) response
Dear Sir,
We apologise for the inconvenience.
However, we noticed that the SIM had been used calling in and out in Belgium.
The failure you have met was caused by the head network operator in the UK, which happens sometimes.
Once again, please accept our deep apologies for this inconvenience.
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