View Full Version : F*ing AT&T
so i recently switched to AT&T, i had no idea they charge so much for international calls. i have to every once in a while make a call to Taiwan to speak to my folks, usually about a min each so that i can tell them to call me back. before with SPrint, they used to charge about 50c~60c per min for those calls, so it usually wouldn't cost me more than a few bucks if i ring it a few times a month.
i just got my last month's bill from AT&T wireless, they charged me $50 total for 11 mins total of International call. that's about $3~$4 per minute!!!.. those pirates!!!... these cell phone companies are running some serious racketeering business!!!
so i recently switched to AT&T, i had no idea they charge so much for international calls. i have to every once in a while make a call to Taiwan to speak to my folks, usually about a min each so that i can tell them to call me back. before with SPrint, they used to charge about 50c~60c per min for those calls, so it usually wouldn't cost me more than a few bucks if i ring it a few times a month.
i just got my last month's bill from AT&T wireless, they charged me $50 total for 11 mins total of International call. that's about $3~$4 per minute!!!.. those pirates!!!... these cell phone companies are running some serious racketeering business!!!
I recently was forced to switch to AT&T DSL. I'm not very pleased.
However so for I've not been pleased with any ISP I've ever used.
do you know of a good phonecard company i could use? or some kind of pre-paid phone card? does anyone here use phone cards? who can recommend me a good phone card company.
Telcos in the US are not companies. They're a cartel. I investigated how much it would cost to ring a UK phone in the US (with roaming) via skypeout. Now, skypeout sends the call over the internet for the longest leg of the journey, and it only uses the GSM phone network when it reaches a given state.
While the skypeout caller would be charged $0.02/minute, the recipient gets raped with a $1.50/minute theft. At those prices, if you wanted to talk for any meaningful time over a 2 week holiday, it'd be cheaper to buy a netbook and hang around whatever free wi-fi you can find. I would have suggested 3G, but you guys are more likely to see the return of Jesus than a 3G signal.
You should use skypeout for international calls, man. Assuming the country doesn't charge both callers, you're gravy. And why do you get that in the US anyway? Who thought it'd be a good idea to get charged money for getting a call? Every time I've been to the US, my phone has never been turned on. The next time I go, with my trusty G1, I'm gonna turn off the GSM / 3G radios and just use it as a wi-fi web browsing doohickey. The US phone network isn't worth the hassle.
On the subject of the G1, a lot of Americans wished it had UMA, saying it was a killer feature. I had never even heard of it before, it's just common sense to me to think that your phone will get at least SOME signal everywhere. This isn't a big anti-American rant, I just don't like the gig your telcos have running.
Telcos in the US are not companies. They're a cartel. I investigated how much it would cost to ring a UK phone in the US (with roaming) via skypeout. Now, skypeout sends the call over the internet for the longest leg of the journey, and it only uses the GSM phone network when it reaches a given state.
While the skypeout caller would be charged $0.02/minute, the recipient gets raped with a $1.50/minute theft. At those prices, if you wanted to talk for any meaningful time over a 2 week holiday, it'd be cheaper to buy a netbook and hang around whatever free wi-fi you can find. I would have suggested 3G, but you guys are more likely to see the return of Jesus than a 3G signal.
You should use skypeout for international calls, man. Assuming the country doesn't charge both callers, you're gravy. And why do you get that in the US anyway? Who thought it'd be a good idea to get charged money for getting a call? Every time I've been to the US, my phone has never been turned on. The next time I go, with my trusty G1, I'm gonna turn off the GSM / 3G radios and just use it as a wi-fi web browsing doohickey. The US phone network isn't worth the hassle.
On the subject of the G1, a lot of Americans wished it had UMA, saying it was a killer feature. I had never even heard of it before, it's just common sense to me to think that your phone will get at least SOME signal everywhere. This isn't a big anti-American rant, I just don't like the gig your telcos have running.
you got anything that'll work on a iphone. as much as i love this new smartphone, i hate their restrictions on what apps you can/cannot download. and jailbreak it only puts me in a greater risk of termination.
'Fraid I know nothing about the iphone. I was talking about skypeout from your computer, anyway.
jdrom17
03-06-09, 03:33 PM
Me thinks my Canadian Cell providers are even worse...
But yeah, don't your folks have a PC and Internet? Could just use your PC to talk to them instead...
BAM!, as Skorp pointed out, its much cheaper to use a nettop to make skype call :p
I only call my family members which stays outstation by conventional means when there's real emergency (death, etc)
And for US$180, you could buy those Belkin Wi-Fi Phone for Skype (http://www.belkin.com/skype/howitworks/). Buy one for your folks, and you'd set ;)
here's tbe thing. I will would have no problem using voip, but since i am always on the road and my folks are also always onthe road too. Thete's just no way i can just drive to and find the nearest wifi spot everytime i need to make a quick emergency call to taiwan.
I asked my sister who is in canada, she recommensed me a few phone cards online, i just gotta do some more price comparison.
here's tbe thing. I will would have no problem using voip, but since i am always on the road and my folks are also always onthe road too. Thete's just no way i can just drive to and find the nearest wifi spot everytime i need to make a quick emergency call to taiwan.
I asked my sister who is in canada, she recommensed me a few phone cards online, i just gotta do some more price comparison.
Since Wi-Fi access are everywhere now (my state had statewide coverage of free wi-fi (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/9/18/nation/20080918201219&sec=nation))
You could sms them to go to the nearest wifi spot, turn on their skype phone, and then you make the call :fighty:
Anyway, phone cards, make sure you add the cost of you calling them (the phone card services). With phone cards the billing state changes, like :
You > Your Carrier > Phone Card Company > Your Parents
Wtf, are you saying now that my cell phone company is gonna charge me for using phone cards!!?
Wtf, are you saying now that my cell phone company is gonna charge me for using phone cards!!?
The way phone card works here, and in UK (i've used that 8 yrs ago in London), is that you would dial the phone card company, and that's where your telco going to charge you.
The problem with some phone card company is their location, from my state i had to called the phone card company number that's located in other states. It's not as cheap as you would think it would be after you calculate all the cost together :fighty:
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