22 thoughts on “Here Comes Summer

  1. Mickey Twopints

    Mobile telcos are pretty slimy. Over the last 2 years or so they’ve been pushing monthly bundles even for pre-pay customers while jacking the per-minute and per-SMS rates up for those without a bundle. The EU caps kick in later this month, but they limit the *surcharge* a telco may place on their standard domestic tariffs.

    3, Voda, and Meteor have become very coy about out-of-bundle the rates they charge – just have a look on their websites for the information and you’ll see what I mean.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_roaming_regulations#Common_limits

  2. Bruncvik

    Well, I ran out of options, at least until the roaming rates are removed completely and I can switch to an operator outside Ireland.

    I started with Meteor, but found that they didn’t have roaming partners in all the EU countries I’ve been traveling to. So I switched, and I’m not willing to switch back and risk that they still didn’t get their act together. I switched to Vodafone. But they were unable to handle my change of bank and account. They list me as delinquent in paying my bills, but despite multiple letters to them they could never produce a bill that shows how much I owe them, so that I can pay directly. So I switched to O2 and got absorbed by 3. Yet, despite being on bill pay, they tried to blackmail me for another 130 Euros to unlock my fully paid-for phone to use a different SIM card. I got it unlocked at a shop for $20, and after I shamed Three on social media, it took them another week to send me the unlock code. So far, the only mobile carrier I haven’t had issues with was O2, so I’m thinking about switching back to them in a different country, if roaming charges are completely removed.

    1. Mickey Twopints

      “…I’m thinking about switching back to them in a different country, if roaming charges are completely removed.”

      The way the Irish telcos manipulate their pre-pay prices, in some cases it’s significantly cheaper to use a SIM from another EEA country here, right now, today – the removal of roaming charges would only serve to increase your savings.

      I notice that Voda recently changed their T&Cs to the effect that they will kill any SIM that spends significant time outside this jurisdiction. A cynic might wonder why?

      1. Kolmo

        +1
        I’ve bought a local sim card while going to and from Germany, one trip paid for itself – I have an unlocked phone, which helps

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