Any experiences with CelloMobile?
Feb 26, 2014, 1:55 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 446
Any experiences with CelloMobile?
Planning a trip to a few countries in Europe this summer and would like to stay connected. My cell phone provider charges out the wazoo for data roaming ($225 for 400MB!).
Didn't even think about a rental mifi type device until I was looking at Avis car rentals and they offer one from TEP.
So I've been looking into TEP, Xcom Global, and CelloMobile.
I'm leaning more towards Cello. The price is decent compared to Xcom, and TEP seems to be a nightmare to deal with.
Has anyone had any actual experience with Cello? I plan on using it in England, France, Switzerland, and Italy.
Thanks!
Didn't even think about a rental mifi type device until I was looking at Avis car rentals and they offer one from TEP.
So I've been looking into TEP, Xcom Global, and CelloMobile.
I'm leaning more towards Cello. The price is decent compared to Xcom, and TEP seems to be a nightmare to deal with.
Has anyone had any actual experience with Cello? I plan on using it in England, France, Switzerland, and Italy.
Thanks!
Jun 17, 2015, 2:16 pm
#2
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Newport, NJ, USA
Posts: 2,114
xero9:
I am where you were February 2014. Did you use CelloMobile and if you did, what was your experience. Their rates for Norway look really good.
Lawrence
I recently returned from Norway and purchased a CelloMobile Sim card for use in Norway. The price for the card was $49 plus $10 shipping. I purchased an airtime card for $119. The rates for calling the US from Norway were $.06 per minute and for calling within Norway were $.18 which compared to a local prepaid card were excellent. Incoming calls were no charge.
I used the Sim card in an LG G2 from Verizon with no problems. The representative from CelloMobile asked the phone type and carrier, determined my phone could be used, and sent the correct Sim card. The service in town and along E18 was fine. I ended up purchasing a phone for 800 Kroner - $99 USD and a prepaid card. The reason is there are two cell carriers in Norway and in the somewhat remote area where we stayed for three weeks the cell tower was owned by Tele-Nor and the Sim card was for the other carrier. I assume this would be true in other countries.
I am where you were February 2014. Did you use CelloMobile and if you did, what was your experience. Their rates for Norway look really good.
Lawrence
I recently returned from Norway and purchased a CelloMobile Sim card for use in Norway. The price for the card was $49 plus $10 shipping. I purchased an airtime card for $119. The rates for calling the US from Norway were $.06 per minute and for calling within Norway were $.18 which compared to a local prepaid card were excellent. Incoming calls were no charge.
I used the Sim card in an LG G2 from Verizon with no problems. The representative from CelloMobile asked the phone type and carrier, determined my phone could be used, and sent the correct Sim card. The service in town and along E18 was fine. I ended up purchasing a phone for 800 Kroner - $99 USD and a prepaid card. The reason is there are two cell carriers in Norway and in the somewhat remote area where we stayed for three weeks the cell tower was owned by Tele-Nor and the Sim card was for the other carrier. I assume this would be true in other countries.
Last edited by gfunkdave; Jan 24, 2016 at 4:32 pm Reason: Merged
Aug 28, 2015, 12:30 pm
#3
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: LAX/SNA
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 112
I just signed up for a mifi device from Cellomobile to use in the Netherlands. $100 for a week of unlimited data (up to 1Gb) then $10 a day afterwards. Going to be using it for 8 days. I will report back my experiences in a couple of weeks...
Aug 29, 2015, 9:31 am
#4
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Baltimore MD
Posts: 3,457
Fdw
Sep 1, 2015, 10:38 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: DFW
Programs: AA 1M
Posts: 31,468
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...paid-sims.html
Can you direct dial or was it call back?
I recently returned from Norway and purchased a CelloMobile Sim card for use in Norway. The price for the card was $49 plus $10 shipping. I purchased an airtime card for $119. The rates for calling the US from Norway were $.06 per minute and for calling within Norway were $.18 which compared to a local prepaid card were excellent. Incoming calls were no charge.
I used the Sim card in an LG G2 from Verizon with no problems. The representative from CelloMobile asked the phone type and carrier, determined my phone could be used, and sent the correct Sim card. The service in town and along E18 was fine. I ended up purchasing a phone for 800 Kroner - $99 USD and a prepaid card. The reason is there are two cell carriers in Norway and in the somewhat remote area where we stayed for three weeks the cell tower was owned by Tele-Nor and the Sim card was for the other carrier. I assume this would be true in other countries.
I used the Sim card in an LG G2 from Verizon with no problems. The representative from CelloMobile asked the phone type and carrier, determined my phone could be used, and sent the correct Sim card. The service in town and along E18 was fine. I ended up purchasing a phone for 800 Kroner - $99 USD and a prepaid card. The reason is there are two cell carriers in Norway and in the somewhat remote area where we stayed for three weeks the cell tower was owned by Tele-Nor and the Sim card was for the other carrier. I assume this would be true in other countries.
Last edited by gfunkdave; Jan 24, 2016 at 4:32 pm Reason: Merged
Sep 1, 2015, 12:14 pm
#6
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: LAX/SNA
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 112
It is actually 1GB per day... should be more than enough to get normal things done....
Sep 1, 2015, 2:18 pm
#7
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2012
Programs: A3, AA. Plasticy things! That give me, y'know, Stuff!
Posts: 6,293
I've used Cello, TEP, and Xcom. 
Cello is reliable for the most part, but almost never the cheapest. Support in country is almost nil if you have problems, and once you return the phone they don't give a damn if you mention/complain about failures or not. Based on customer service experience I wouldn't use them again.
TEP (MiFi) worked well for me in the UK and western Europe. Hardest part was finding the pick up location in LHR - it wasn't entirely clear from their description. Usually had signal, although it did have a habit of going from 3 to 4G constantly in the UK which ran down the battery quickly.
Xcom was the most interesting. Cheapest price for a MiFi, but it never actually worked for me (Mexico & Chile, in theory). At all. Great customer service however and they were very prompt (often within minutes) in getting back to me with suggestions and advice. When I got back and returned it I included a note saying that I'd never actually had it work. They refunded the entire amount and gave me a $45 gift voucher for next use/order. I'd be happy to try them again (I assume it was just a dud unit that I got) if I ever need a MiFi again - which is unlikely given I now just use TMobile.
Cello is reliable for the most part, but almost never the cheapest. Support in country is almost nil if you have problems, and once you return the phone they don't give a damn if you mention/complain about failures or not. Based on customer service experience I wouldn't use them again.
TEP (MiFi) worked well for me in the UK and western Europe. Hardest part was finding the pick up location in LHR - it wasn't entirely clear from their description.
Usually had signal, although it did have a habit of going from 3 to 4G constantly in the UK which ran down the battery quickly.Xcom was the most interesting. Cheapest price for a MiFi, but it never actually worked for me (Mexico & Chile, in theory). At all. Great customer service however and they were very prompt (often within minutes) in getting back to me with suggestions and advice. When I got back and returned it I included a note saying that I'd never actually had it work. They refunded the entire amount and gave me a $45 gift voucher for next use/order. I'd be happy to try them again (I assume it was just a dud unit that I got) if I ever need a MiFi again - which is unlikely given I now just use TMobile.
Dec 3, 2015, 3:45 pm
#8
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 251
I used Cello for all my travels this year and it was great. I was in India, Japan, South Korea, Argentina and Mexico (different trips), and I always had speeds of at least 10mb down.
My only concern was that they offer support around the clock only through email, but I never had any issue. You just power it ON and it works.
I will now use my Verizon travelpass in countries that offer it, but will continue using Cello in other places.
My only concern was that they offer support around the clock only through email, but I never had any issue. You just power it ON and it works.
I will now use my Verizon travelpass in countries that offer it, but will continue using Cello in other places.
Dec 3, 2015, 4:47 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: DFW
Programs: AA 1M
Posts: 31,468
I used Cello for all my travels this year and it was great. I was in India, Japan, South Korea, Argentina and Mexico (different trips), and I always had speeds of at least 10mb down.
My only concern was that they offer support around the clock only through email, but I never had any issue. You just power it ON and it works.
My only concern was that they offer support around the clock only through email, but I never had any issue. You just power it ON and it works.
Jun 2, 2016, 12:48 pm
#14
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 1
my experience with CelloMobile: BAD
Nice to hear that some have done fine using CelloMobile -- but my experience was out-and-out AWFUL
Let me say from the start that in the end CelloMobile did refund all of the money I paid -- but that's very little comfort when you are overseas; need to use a phone; have paid a bunch of money for a phone; and that phone "works" but does not allow access!
In short: The CelloMobile phone I rented did NOT work as promised, and their Customer Service was abysmal.
Here's my story:
It was unfortunate, but I needed to take care of some work while I was on vacation in Costa Rica. To deal with this circumstance I decided to rent an international calling phone from CelloMobile, and paid what I considered to be quite a bit of money --$25/day-- for a smartphone, with a spare battery pack, which would also serve as a WiFi hot-spot. I needed to be in touch for business via phone and email, so the phone was to provide access to the internet, apps, and phone service. This is what I needed, it's what the CelloMobile website promised, and what I expected.
My problems began immediately upon arrival. The phone was supposed to be able to access any of the cell networks in Costa Rica, and be able to function on these networks as an internet hot-spot. The phone provided to me by CelloMobile regularly showed 4 bars of coverage (4G), and it detected 3 networks (CLARO, MovieStar, I.C.E.) but it refused to connect to any of them -- either giving an error message that the SIM card does not allow connections to the network (Moviestar, ICE), or that service is not available (CLARO)..... On some occasions, after repeated manual restarts/resets it would sometimes connect to CLARO, but never once did it connect to any other network -- nor did it ever provide access as a WiFi hot spot.
I would understand that coverage might be a bit sketchy when we were travelling through more out of the way places in Costa Rica -- but the phone didn't even work when I was obviously in covered areas. Example: I was in a restaurant in Jaco, one of the busiest tourism spots on the pacific coast. Everywhere around me everyone else is using their cell phones -- for calls AND data. The CelloMobile phone showed coverage, but refused to connect.
From the very first day when I discovered problems, I contacted CelloMobile (which was difficult since MY PHONE DIDN'T WORK). I repeatedly called and emailed --I spent HOURS dealing with these phone problems-- and as the week wore on not only has CelloMobile NOT fixed the problems, my service has got even worse. These issues kept me from completing the work I needed to accomplish, and it put somewhat of a damper on my vacation.
The fact that the phone & data service that CelloMobile sold me was non-existent is appalling. But even worse is that CelloMobile Support represents what is perhaps the worst customer service I think I have ever experienced anywhere. Their supposed 24 hour support does not exist. They regularly close early, and take days off... When I could get them on the phone all they ever said was that they 'started a ticket' and sent an inquiry to the Costa Rice network carriers; but there was never a reply to my repeated emails to the CelloMobile support & tech staffs. A gal from their billing department did email back with profuse apologies and promises to refund my money, but that really wasn't much help when I'm sitting in Costa Rica and need to communicate for a job.
All in All, a terrible experience.
Final Note:
When I first researched what rental cell phone & WiFi services were available in Costa Rica I found several comments online suggesting it's better to use a local company there in the country. I only found one outfit which had smartphone / hot-spots available -- "Cellular Connections". I emailed and called them to try and set up a rental, but unfortunately they didn't get back to me for five days, and by that time I had given up hope and rented from CelloMobile. There's no way to know how that would have worked out, but it certainly couldn't have been worse....
Let me say from the start that in the end CelloMobile did refund all of the money I paid -- but that's very little comfort when you are overseas; need to use a phone; have paid a bunch of money for a phone; and that phone "works" but does not allow access!
In short: The CelloMobile phone I rented did NOT work as promised, and their Customer Service was abysmal.
Here's my story:
It was unfortunate, but I needed to take care of some work while I was on vacation in Costa Rica. To deal with this circumstance I decided to rent an international calling phone from CelloMobile, and paid what I considered to be quite a bit of money --$25/day-- for a smartphone, with a spare battery pack, which would also serve as a WiFi hot-spot. I needed to be in touch for business via phone and email, so the phone was to provide access to the internet, apps, and phone service. This is what I needed, it's what the CelloMobile website promised, and what I expected.
My problems began immediately upon arrival. The phone was supposed to be able to access any of the cell networks in Costa Rica, and be able to function on these networks as an internet hot-spot. The phone provided to me by CelloMobile regularly showed 4 bars of coverage (4G), and it detected 3 networks (CLARO, MovieStar, I.C.E.) but it refused to connect to any of them -- either giving an error message that the SIM card does not allow connections to the network (Moviestar, ICE), or that service is not available (CLARO)..... On some occasions, after repeated manual restarts/resets it would sometimes connect to CLARO, but never once did it connect to any other network -- nor did it ever provide access as a WiFi hot spot.
I would understand that coverage might be a bit sketchy when we were travelling through more out of the way places in Costa Rica -- but the phone didn't even work when I was obviously in covered areas. Example: I was in a restaurant in Jaco, one of the busiest tourism spots on the pacific coast. Everywhere around me everyone else is using their cell phones -- for calls AND data. The CelloMobile phone showed coverage, but refused to connect.
From the very first day when I discovered problems, I contacted CelloMobile (which was difficult since MY PHONE DIDN'T WORK). I repeatedly called and emailed --I spent HOURS dealing with these phone problems-- and as the week wore on not only has CelloMobile NOT fixed the problems, my service has got even worse. These issues kept me from completing the work I needed to accomplish, and it put somewhat of a damper on my vacation.
The fact that the phone & data service that CelloMobile sold me was non-existent is appalling. But even worse is that CelloMobile Support represents what is perhaps the worst customer service I think I have ever experienced anywhere. Their supposed 24 hour support does not exist. They regularly close early, and take days off... When I could get them on the phone all they ever said was that they 'started a ticket' and sent an inquiry to the Costa Rice network carriers; but there was never a reply to my repeated emails to the CelloMobile support & tech staffs. A gal from their billing department did email back with profuse apologies and promises to refund my money, but that really wasn't much help when I'm sitting in Costa Rica and need to communicate for a job.
All in All, a terrible experience.
Final Note:
When I first researched what rental cell phone & WiFi services were available in Costa Rica I found several comments online suggesting it's better to use a local company there in the country. I only found one outfit which had smartphone / hot-spots available -- "Cellular Connections". I emailed and called them to try and set up a rental, but unfortunately they didn't get back to me for five days, and by that time I had given up hope and rented from CelloMobile. There's no way to know how that would have worked out, but it certainly couldn't have been worse....
