Click below to
find interesting
information from our
November 2011a
newsletter
relating to:
Roaming
Travel
Mobile phones
Roaming
Roaming
- you'll
pay even
if you
don't
talk
We've now had
it confirmed
that when
roaming you may
be charged from
the moment you
dial a number,
rather than (as
is normal for
non-roaming
calls) from the
moment you are
connected.
That
means you may be
paying for
unanswered
calls,
wrongly-dialled
numbers, and for
the connection
and ringing time
before someone
answers, and the
disconnection
time after
hanging up.
That's as well
as the usual
roaming cost
traps that
include
voice-mail
tromboning,
incoming calls,
flagfalls
and high and
unknown data
costs.
To be fair to
the home
Australian
networks, the
charges may be
caused by the
overseas
networks systems
(and it may be
only some
overseas
countries and
networks), but
in any case the
end result is
the traveller
having to pay.
Avoid paying
roaming costs
even when you're
not talking,
use our vSIM
post-paid
alternative.
Travel
Hotel
fees
Most
of us
are now
aware of
airlines
(particularly
in the
USA)
charging
for many
things
that
used to
be
included
in the
fare
(meals,
entertainment,
even
blankets
and
checking
in
bags).
What you
may not
realise
is that
hotels
have
taken
note and
are fast
getting
in on
the act.
You
might be used to
hotels
overcharging for
mini-bar drinks
and
phone calls,
but some hotels
are starting to
charge for such
services as
housekeeping
($10-$13 per
day), a "tray
charge" for
room-service
orders (around
$2.50 per
order),
"amenities
charges" (also
known as "resort
charges" -
$8-$20 per day),
even a fee for
bellboys to
watch over your
bags while you
check in, or
after you check
out.
We suspect
that hotels are
charging these
fees for almost
any service (and
their profit
margins on them
are around
80%-90%) simply
because they
hope guests
don't notice.
And they are a
way to shift
part of the
price away from
your purchase
decision (when
booking a hotel
by comparing
room-rates).
We suggest
you avoid the
fees by simply
choosing not to
use those
services, or
disputing them
if they are
added onto your
bill. We've seen
many hotels
waive them if
they are
disputed.
Mobile phones
Google network?
Since Google’s
inception in
1996 they’ve
proved they can
do a lot more
than just
search. Google
has Google
Search, Google
Maps, Android,
Youtube, Google
Books, Google
Webmaster
Services, Google
Thinktanks and
much much more.
Pocketnow
postulates that
Google could
“piggyback” or
wholesale
carrier off
carriers'
networks in
Europe.
Google-branded
SIMs have been
reported in
Nexus S phones
in Spain and
display
“Google_Es” as
the carrier.
Who knows,
perhaps Google
may be trialling
becoming a
network (whether
- as in this
case - by
becoming a
Mobile Virtual
Network operator
or MVNO, or
other means).
If this becomes
a business model
that Google
likes, it may
turn the cosy
world of mobile
networks upside
down.
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