Originally Posted by
Dubai Stu
I was hit with this fee in 2004 when I was in Tanzania. I turned my phone off most of the time, but turned it on once a day simply to see if there were voicemails. Every deposited voicemail was build at e.g. an international call to Tanzania and a conditional call forward back home. Even when the phone was off.
Call Cingular before you leave and have them turn your voicemail off.
Stu
And here's a clear case of where Cingular is wrong and is ripping people off. The *only* time you should be charged this way is if your phone is on and rings, and the call is then redirected back to your VM.
When your phone is off, the call is never sent abroad. Once it stops updating the Visitor Location Register, after 5-30 minutes, calls go straight to voicemail and never go international.
I certainly don't pay such bills on T-mo. Also, you needn't keep the phone off to avoid the voicemail charges. Simply set the phone up to unconditionally divert all calls to voicemail and you won't be charged. If people need you, have them text you.
Again, the ONLY time you should receive such bills is if your phone rings and the call is subsequently diverted to voicemail. It's not necessary to answer in this case. But if the phone is truly off, you shouldn't be charged. Nor do you need to go without voicemail!