Calling from overseas

WeeYih SG

I just changed service providers to M1 when I bought a new iphone4. Nobody told me that M1 does not automatically provide common services like pay-as-you-roam.

Imagine my surprise when I had no service on my recent trip to Germany. I was frustrated. This is a common service provided by the other service providers. I actively sought out a pay phone and tried calling M1. But with the hefty IDD charges to be paid as I was put on hold, I decided to have a relative call M1 to sort out the problem instead. I spent more than SGD30 on IDD calls on this. All the while going from pay phone to pay phone.

To their credit M1 managed to activate the roaming service for about 30 mins. Unfortunately, as I was driving down the Autobahn and they could not contact me for verification, they took it upon themselves to deactivate the roaming service again. As though I had no common sense to switch off my phone or NOT bring a phone if I did not intend to be connected all the way in Germany.

After a few tries, I gave up, bought a cheap German phone and sim card (because the iphone4 uses a micro-sim card), sought out numerous internet cafes along the way and tried to stay as connected as I could so that my office, friends and relatives could still find me. The bummer of it all was that I could not access internet banking as these days it is all linked to your mobile phone number. Fortunately my bank absorbed the international call charges when I needed to transfer funds.

It is unfortunate that this has been my first 2 months' worth of experience with M1. To all those who say M1 is good and have excellent customer service, I say that they probably have to since their service provisions are not up to par. It is no wonder that they hold the smallest share of the mobile phone market. I only changed service providers on my friend's recommendation. I am now stuck on a 2 year contact.

No more M1 for me if I can help it.

Airbus330Captain SG

I just changed service providers to M1 when I bought a new iphone4. Nobody told me that M1 does not automatically provide common services like pay-as-you-roam.

I am sorry to say, its not M1's fault but your fault. Why? No one told you blah blah blah? Did you ask? Did you assume? If so, its your problem with all due respect to you. You should have asked beforehand. Period.

hiphop2009 SG

actually if i were you i would have gotten my friends or relatives to call M1 straightaway, instead of calling myself from germany.

And whenever i go overseas, i make a point to buy the prepaid sims in the country because it is so much cheaper than roaming!

ditzy SG

Normally, if I need to use auto roam services overseas, I always make sure its subcribed before I actually leave the country for the other?

hasene SG

Be prepared they may possibly overcharge you when you terminate your contract with them upon contract expiry. That was what happened to me. When terminating my contract,the staff told me since I had paid the full month they shall pay me the balance in the next bill. Instead of paying me the balance they overcharge me.

Anyway, all telcos in Singapore are under the current govt who are money minded and all their service sucks. I have contracts with all the telcos and none of them is honest where billing is concerned, they are experts in overcharging.

So do be careful to check your bills.

likeyou SG

Normally if you subscribe, you should ask them for auto roaming...

And before going overseas, you should check it out and not until you are overseas then kick a fuss. Who's wrong?

BlueBlack Pie SG

ts is being a joke here la... if say like this, sister everyday buy breakfast fer u, put on table for u to wake up eat..den 1 day she decides not to buy, u veri not happi go scold ur sister, who's in the wrong?

dun take everything fer granted can a not? got $ not big f one u noe? u wan it u ask properly and nicely, dun put it within ur expectations...

hasene SG

Normally if you subscribe, you should ask them for auto roaming...

And before going overseas, you should check it out and not until you are overseas then kick a fuss. Who's wrong?

Please don't blame him as not everyone is aware that they can request for it just like not everyone knows that M1 and other telcos overcharge.

likeyou SG

Please don't blame him as not everyone is aware that they can request for it just like not everyone knows that M1 and other telcos overcharge.

No blaming him lah, and not scolding him lah.

Everybody learning from the mistake.

Just like me, terminated the American Home Fire Insurance...and they debited my saving account via giro. Now, very hard to get the money back. Called their customer service officers...until now no news from them. Super best service they got!

WeeYih SG

Sigh. That's the point. When I signed up with M1 I asked all the pertinent questions. The fella at the shop said that I get FREE autoroam for 24months with my new sign up. I asked him if I needed to activate anything and he said it's free so will be activated immediately on signing up on the new plan. That was why I was so pissed in Germany.

When I called M1 after the incident, they told me that because I was on a corporate plan, I do not get free autoroam. When I complained that was not what their over the counter staff said, all they could do was apologise.

Autoroam service aside, I quoted the text on their website that said that ALL lines come with pay-as-you-roam service. I asked them whether this service needed to be activated and they confirmed that so long you are over 18 years of age it is automatically linked up to your line unless you call them to specifically cancel pay-as-you-roam.

Where is the fault if I had asked all the questions before I signed up, and even surfed the web to make sure I was ready before my trip?

WeeYih SG

@hiphop2009: I usually get a prepaid sim card too. But I still need my Singapore number for friends and family to contact me, do internet banking etc. My office also need to contact me on matters even when I am away. It's not about it being cheaper etc. but about the convenience and connectivity that handphones bring. I am so used to surfing on a data plan on my phone even when I am overseas. This relieves me from the hassle of finding a internet cafe etc. I was upset over the inconvenience caused.

ditzy SG

Regardless of what people tell you, always make the concious effort to check. People are too trusting, thats why I make sure my cable ties make them feel permanently secured to the MRT cabin pole when they lean against one.