Jul 13, 2022, 8:15 am
Last edit by: moondog
The "FT People on WeChat" group
Our group chat is comprised of FT members and friends of FT members. We talk about pretty much anything except for politics (because Papa Bear has the ability to watch over us). The group has its own QR code, but it has a short shelf life (e.g. about 5 days), so I'm not including it here. The easiest way to join is to add me as a contact (moondogsh) and let me put you in the group.
Contacting Tencent Customer Support
If you want to get in touch with Tencent customer service (e.g. to update your passport number or change your name format so it aligns with your bank accounts), most web resources will advise you to simply message the "WeChat Team" contact. It is extremely difficult to get a human response when using this approach. Calling them also results in a bot experience.
However, the following drill works as of July 2022 (specific menu options can always change, of course; the key is getting yourself to step 5 below):
1. Dial 95716 (or +86 4009100100 from outside of China)
2. Select option 1 for personal accounts
3. Enter your connected phone number followed by #
3. Select option 2 for other questions
4. The bot will ask you to describe your issue using voice; just speak to it in English; it won't understand and will ask you to repeat 3-5 times before giving up
5. Now, the bot will give you ~8 menu options; through trial and error, I can state that option 7 is good for immediate transfer to a human (some of the others might work as well)
6. When the representative picks up, you definitely need to speak Chinese, but your request is presumably fairly easy to convey, and their responses are also pretty simple
7. They might want to move the conversation over to WeChat; this is okay because they will send you an invite to a special customer service queue, which is only ~60% automated
Our group chat is comprised of FT members and friends of FT members. We talk about pretty much anything except for politics (because Papa Bear has the ability to watch over us). The group has its own QR code, but it has a short shelf life (e.g. about 5 days), so I'm not including it here. The easiest way to join is to add me as a contact (moondogsh) and let me put you in the group.
Contacting Tencent Customer Support
If you want to get in touch with Tencent customer service (e.g. to update your passport number or change your name format so it aligns with your bank accounts), most web resources will advise you to simply message the "WeChat Team" contact. It is extremely difficult to get a human response when using this approach. Calling them also results in a bot experience.
However, the following drill works as of July 2022 (specific menu options can always change, of course; the key is getting yourself to step 5 below):
1. Dial 95716 (or +86 4009100100 from outside of China)
2. Select option 1 for personal accounts
3. Enter your connected phone number followed by #
3. Select option 2 for other questions
4. The bot will ask you to describe your issue using voice; just speak to it in English; it won't understand and will ask you to repeat 3-5 times before giving up
5. Now, the bot will give you ~8 menu options; through trial and error, I can state that option 7 is good for immediate transfer to a human (some of the others might work as well)
6. When the representative picks up, you definitely need to speak Chinese, but your request is presumably fairly easy to convey, and their responses are also pretty simple
7. They might want to move the conversation over to WeChat; this is okay because they will send you an invite to a special customer service queue, which is only ~60% automated
wechat（微信）
Aug 21, 2013, 3:33 pm
#47
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Anywhere I need to be.
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Aug 21, 2013, 7:15 pm
#48
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,031
Aug 22, 2013, 2:19 pm
#49
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: PEK and BOS
Programs: BA - Blue
Posts: 4,530
Have to say, I'm new to wechat. Loaded it before coming to UK on a work trip, and also on my wife's phone. Although we Skype everyday, I love that my daughter leaves me a wechat message telling me what she's up to! It somehow is 'more special'...
however, other than a way to send free texts (which are really cheap anyway), I don't really see it as a day to day tool.
tb
however, other than a way to send free texts (which are really cheap anyway), I don't really see it as a day to day tool.
tb
Aug 22, 2013, 8:14 pm
#50
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: BRU, SIN, PEK
Programs: SQ TPP, LH SEN
Posts: 3,235
Have to say, I'm new to wechat. Loaded it before coming to UK on a work trip, and also on my wife's phone. Although we Skype everyday, I love that my daughter leaves me a wechat message telling me what she's up to! It somehow is 'more special'...
however, other than a way to send free texts (which are really cheap anyway), I don't really see it as a day to day tool.
tb
however, other than a way to send free texts (which are really cheap anyway), I don't really see it as a day to day tool.
tb
I have wechat but the BB interface stinks so I stay logged in on the ipad instead. The 'Moments' function is nice to see what colleagues are up to in a non-work setting, also group chat.
Last edited by fimo; Aug 22, 2013 at 8:24 pm
Sep 6, 2013, 4:47 am
#51
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 42,031
Few outside China realize it, but Tencent is in the process of making an end zone run with Wechat on a global scale. It has quietly become the 5th most popular app in the world, and has just recently entered the meta-app game with its latest release. All of the ad houses here are now scrambling to get their clients well positioned on Wechat... and have all but forgotten about Sina Weibo.
Sep 7, 2013, 5:38 am
#52
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Tri-State Area
Posts: 4,728
Few outside China realize it, but Tencent is in the process of making an end zone run with Wechat on a global scale. It has quietly become the 5th most popular app in the world, and has just recently entered the meta-app game with its latest release. All of the ad houses here are now scrambling to get their clients well positioned on Wechat... and have all but forgotten about Sina Weibo.
And NSA-proof - for the time being...LOL
Sep 14, 2013, 1:11 am
#53
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Chicago
Programs: World of Hyatt Explorist; Bonvoy Platinum
Posts: 280
Ok, I downloaded WeChat here in the U.S. figuring I might want to use it to communicate while in China later this month. A few of my friends there use it so I figured I would see what the fuss is about. However, it's requiring my phone number to sign up. Will this work for me in China if I provide a U.S. phone number? Why does it even need my phone number? I was only planning on using the app while on wifi.
Any advice is appreciated. I've never used an app like Whatsapp or Viber while traveling internationally so I'm not sure if I really understand all these apps. But I don't plan on using my iphone other than on wifi to avoid international data rates.
Any advice is appreciated. I've never used an app like Whatsapp or Viber while traveling internationally so I'm not sure if I really understand all these apps. But I don't plan on using my iphone other than on wifi to avoid international data rates.
Sep 14, 2013, 3:35 am
#54
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SIN (with a bit of ZRH sprinkled in)
Posts: 9,454
Ok, I downloaded WeChat here in the U.S. figuring I might want to use it to communicate while in China later this month. A few of my friends there use it so I figured I would see what the fuss is about. However, it's requiring my phone number to sign up. Will this work for me in China if I provide a U.S. phone number? Why does it even need my phone number? I was only planning on using the app while on wifi.
Any advice is appreciated. I've never used an app like Whatsapp or Viber while traveling internationally so I'm not sure if I really understand all these apps. But I don't plan on using my iphone other than on wifi to avoid international data rates.
Any advice is appreciated. I've never used an app like Whatsapp or Viber while traveling internationally so I'm not sure if I really understand all these apps. But I don't plan on using my iphone other than on wifi to avoid international data rates.
WeChat will send you a confirmation code to your phone (doesn't cost anything)
Yes, it will work in China, as long as you've data connection (be it roaming, a local sim card (yes, the phone number doesn't matter latter, you just register/get the code with your current phone number now) or Wifi.
Sep 14, 2013, 8:14 am
#55
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: BRU, SIN, PEK
Programs: SQ TPP, LH SEN
Posts: 3,235
wechat and whatsapp both use phone numbers as account ID and the purpose is it allows connections via your phone address book. That way you could communicate with you contacts right away via wechat/whatsapp instead of via text messaging, no need to ask if someone has an acct and what their ID might me.
Sep 14, 2013, 3:17 pm
#56
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Tri-State Area
Posts: 4,728
Whatsapp requires phone number to sign up. If and when you swap to another number, which occurs often when I travel, they give you option [not sure if option or requirement, can't remember???] to switch to new number. If that occurs, then folks that ping your original number have to wait for you to swap back to original sim card AND update back to original number.
Wechat requires phone number to sign up but also gives you option to choose a unique ID. Once you're logged on, you can remain signed-in with just the unique ID. It also gives you option to assign/associate an email address. You can give the ID out and if you swap sim cards, folks can still get you with the correct ID. I have weChat set up on two different iPhones, each with unique mobile numbers but both using the same weChat ID.
Whatsapp does search your address book but weChat does not.
At least that's how it works for me. Also, with whatsapp, the other side always knows the mobile number they're pinging. Whereas with weChat, your mobile number can be hidden.
Touringguy: you can also consider another app -- line.
Last edited by dtsm; Sep 14, 2013 at 3:23 pm
Sep 14, 2013, 5:45 pm
#57
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: HKG
Posts: 1,314
WeChat definitely does search the address book on mine. Although it might be disabled through settings so check that if you want to play with it.
On Android WeChat even integrates with the phone address book which is very neat.
On Android WeChat even integrates with the phone address book which is very neat.
Sep 15, 2013, 2:44 am
#58
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SIN (with a bit of ZRH sprinkled in)
Posts: 9,454
Indeed. I prefer WeChat's synchronisation over several devices way more than Whatsapp. There are some things which I still prefer on Whatsapp over WeChat (i hate it that you can't prepare messages while offline, that will be sent automatically later, something Whatsapp can do for years..), but I've noticed that I've started to use WeChat more frequently recently..
Sep 15, 2013, 5:32 am
#59
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: BRU, SIN, PEK
Programs: SQ TPP, LH SEN
Posts: 3,235
Not exactly.....
Whatsapp requires phone number to sign up. If and when you swap to another number, which occurs often when I travel, they give you option [not sure if option or requirement, can't remember???] to switch to new number. If that occurs, then folks that ping your original number have to wait for you to swap back to original sim card AND update back to original number.
Whatsapp requires phone number to sign up. If and when you swap to another number, which occurs often when I travel, they give you option [not sure if option or requirement, can't remember???] to switch to new number. If that occurs, then folks that ping your original number have to wait for you to swap back to original sim card AND update back to original number.
Sep 15, 2013, 7:50 am
#60
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Tri-State Area
Posts: 4,728
Thanks for heads ups, was not aware of that. Not sure why it asked me to switch, will take a look next trip out.
I'm using iPhone so maybe I either inadvertently disabled or not enabled it?
I'm using iPhone so maybe I either inadvertently disabled or not enabled it?