I always knew that receiving and making calls from a mobile while roaming abroad could be expensive. However I was unpleasantly surprised recently because I had assumed that if I didn't answer a call or had my phone switched off, it couldn't cost me any money.
Unfortunately this is not true if you have voicemail on your phone (and who doesn't?). If someone rings you when you're abroad, it will actually cost you DOUBLE if you don't answer or if your phone is switched off. This is because if the call is diverted (to your voicemail), you get billed for receiving the call (as if you'd actually answered the call for the duration of the message in whatever country you find yourself) and you also get billed as if you'd called back to Ireland (again for the duration for the message).
This is particularly irritating, for example, if someone hangs up immediately when they realise that they're not going to get through without leaving a message. There is often a minimum "set up charge" for the second leg of the double charge. During my last holiday abroad, I ended up paying on average about a euro each for about 8 or 10 such calls where people rang and hung up without leaving a message.
Worse, I even got charged a euro when someone left me a message after I had returned to Ireland because I didn't turn on my phone for about an hour or so after I got off the plane.
Initially I was incredulous as I'd never noticed this before but apparently "that's just the way it is". Even Comreg accepts it.
Apparently the only thing you can do is to disable your voicemail facility before you go or alternatively set up an unconditional divert. If you do the latter, it'll mean that nobody can ring you directly.
Unfortunately this is not true if you have voicemail on your phone (and who doesn't?). If someone rings you when you're abroad, it will actually cost you DOUBLE if you don't answer or if your phone is switched off. This is because if the call is diverted (to your voicemail), you get billed for receiving the call (as if you'd actually answered the call for the duration of the message in whatever country you find yourself) and you also get billed as if you'd called back to Ireland (again for the duration for the message).
This is particularly irritating, for example, if someone hangs up immediately when they realise that they're not going to get through without leaving a message. There is often a minimum "set up charge" for the second leg of the double charge. During my last holiday abroad, I ended up paying on average about a euro each for about 8 or 10 such calls where people rang and hung up without leaving a message.
Worse, I even got charged a euro when someone left me a message after I had returned to Ireland because I didn't turn on my phone for about an hour or so after I got off the plane.
Initially I was incredulous as I'd never noticed this before but apparently "that's just the way it is". Even Comreg accepts it.
Apparently the only thing you can do is to disable your voicemail facility before you go or alternatively set up an unconditional divert. If you do the latter, it'll mean that nobody can ring you directly.