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10:40 pm
July 10, 2010
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Why are incoming calls displayed with the 1- prefix which usually indicates long distance?
Lee:???:
7:37 am
October 14, 2008
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All my incoming calls are like that, if the numbers aren't already in my phone book. That's just the way it is. It doesn't necessarily mean long distance though. For instance, on my vacation, I called back home, and even though I had to dial the 1-prefix, it was still billed as a local call.
12:25 pm
July 10, 2010
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Ahh, Ok, When you called home, where was it from?
12:32 pm
October 14, 2008
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I was just outside Ottawa when I called home.
12:58 pm
July 10, 2010
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So that would normally be a long distance call, that's pretty cool. Whoever set up this forum, I have to say, thanks, what an awesome idea. The company should have done it.
FYI, I reluctantly just got this cell phone because I have sick family member who needs to be able to reach me in an emergency, but friends and other family are NOT going to get the number. I am a geek when it comes to computers but a total Luddite when it comes to mobile phones. When I'm out I want my peace and quiet and privacy!
Lee
1:50 pm
October 14, 2008
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Hi Lee,
Yes, it's kind of weird the way the long distance/local call rate go. For instance, when I was near Ottawa, I called a motel there. Since my phone is based in Niagara Falls, I was charged the long distance rate, but when I called home from the motel room, I was only charged the local rate. Go figure.
11:12 pm
July 10, 2010
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iamdrumming said:
Hi Lee,
Yes, it's kind of weird the way the long distance/local call rate go. For instance, when I was near Ottawa, I called a motel there. Since my phone is based in Niagara Falls, I was charged the long distance rate, but when I called home from the motel room, I was only charged the local rate. Go figure.
Very good to know, I may call home (BC) from Sask next month so I'll see if that holds true.How do they bill you for these extra charges, do they just deduct extra minutes from your bundle, or are they sitting on my credit card number?
6:22 pm
July 12, 2009
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SO just deduct the total cost of your call from your outstanding balance. Your balance is in Dollars not minutes. It can and will be used to pay airtime, text messages, the monthly 9-11 fee and long distance.
SO have absolutely no idea who you or I am let alone access to any of our credit cards. You can't set up billing to a credit card -- you can buy credits at 7-11 using your credit card -- that transaction is between you and 7-11 and SO has no more access to your credit card info than the soft drink maker would if you used that same credit card to buy a bottle of pop.
Your call home from Saskatchewan will be billed as local but any calls to area code 306 will be long distance even if you can see the place or person you are calling. That is the exact opposite of what happens with Rogers, Fido, Bell, and Telus, Sask Tel, etc.
I live in Victoria BC and have a SO phone with a Manitoba (204) area code. I can make calls to Manitoba phones from here for the regular airtime rate -- and that is any location in Manitoba -- not just the city of Winnipeg (or Brandon which is where I make some of my calls).
However if I use the phone here in Victoria to call anyone local, I pay long distance for the call.
Incoming calls don't matter -- people from Manitoba or BC can call me and I just pay airtime whether I'm in Manitoba, BC or even Nova Scotia -- no long distance -- again very different than any other carrier.
What I have done to mitigate my cost for calls to other than Area Code 204 is that I have registered the phone on my YAK account. I can call the Winnipeg Yak number or use the YAK callback service based out of Toronto to call any North American number for the airtime plus 3.5 cents per minute (total 28.5 cents) rather than SO's airtime plus 20 cents (total 45 cents). It seems like a round about way to have to call a Winnipeg number to make a local call here in Victoria -- but it works very well. I have several local Victoria numbers (and others from totally different area codes) programmed into my speed dial using YAK. In my case I dial via the YAK Winnipeg number -- in your case you would have to use the YAK number for which ever of area code 604 or 250 is "local" on your phone.
You can register more than one phone to a YAK account (landlines or mobiles). My gf is on my YAK account and she has a SO phone with an area code 250 for local use in Victoria -- she can call my SO Manitoba phone via the YAK Victoria number (or the YAK Kelowna number) for 28.5 cents or I can call her for 28.5 cents via the Winnipeg number. 25 cents goes to SO and 3.5 cents goes to YAK either way. The answering phone pays 25 cents to SO either way.
The biggest hassle I have is that the service charges for paying my YAK bill on line are usually equal to my actual bill (but it is still cheaper than paying SO the 20 cents per minute) because I don't use the phone a lot.
6:28 pm
October 14, 2008
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leechap said:
iamdrumming said:
Hi Lee,
Yes, it's kind of weird the way the long distance/local call rate go. For instance, when I was near Ottawa, I called a motel there. Since my phone is based in Niagara Falls, I was charged the long distance rate, but when I called home from the motel room, I was only charged the local rate. Go figure.
Very good to know, I may call home (BC) from Sask next month so I'll see if that holds true.How do they bill you for these extra charges, do they just deduct extra minutes from your bundle, or are they sitting on my credit card number?
They will just deduct from your balance whatever rate your call falls under (local or long distance). Local calls are deducted $0.25/minute and long distance calls are deducted $0.45/minute.
12:56 am
July 10, 2010
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OK, here's another question, my father-in-law called me tonight from the hospital using his Bell cell phone to ask me to bring him something (my first cell phone call!) He said that his phone told him that it was a long distance call. I forgot to ask him exactly how it told him, but do you know what that might have been about?
5:44 am
June 25, 2010
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More details on his location & cell # would be required for a definitive answer. If his phone is using a tower, not in his local calling area, he would be charged long distance with Bell.
Speakout long distance charges work differently.
12:02 pm
October 14, 2008
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leechap said:
OK, here's another question, my father-in-law called me tonight from the hospital using his Bell cell phone to ask me to bring him something (my first cell phone call!) He said that his phone told him that it was a long distance call. I forgot to ask him exactly how it told him, but do you know what that might have been about?
I'm not familiar with Bell at all. I have had a similar message with SpeakOut though. It didn't tell technically tell me it was a long distance call, all it said was to add the 1 and the area code before making the call.
9:09 pm
July 12, 2009
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One of your earlier posts said you were in BC. Depending on whether your (and your father in law's) phone has a 250, 604 or 778 area code can make a difference to the answer to your question.
If your and his phones are both area code 604, and he was in the lower mainland, there should be no long distance issues -- nor charges. That is the only easy one to answer.
If either of the phones are area code 250, the number attached to them will be location specific to wherever that number is based. The Rogers and by proxy SO phone assignments pretty much follow the old Telus landline assignment areas. If you bought your SO phone in Nanaimo you will get a Nanaimo based number. If you bought it in Victoria or Sidney, you will get a Victoria based number. If you bought it in Prince George, you will have a Prince George number. I bought a SO phone in Victoria for someone living in Nanaimo -- I had to activate it with a Victoria number and then get Customer service to change it to a Nanaimo number or people calling the phone from Nanaimo would have paid long distance to call it.
If your FIL has a Bell phone based in one 250 location and yours is based in another 250 location it was long distance from his Bell phone. If the call crossed the 604/250 divide it was long distance and would have been whether you called him or he called you -- even if you could see each other.
It gets worse
If either phone is area code 778 the answer is definitely "it depends" -- I don't think you can get a SO phone with an area code 778 -- but Rogers, Bell, and Telus for sure will give you 778 area codes on cell phones. (probably others too). 778 numbers are even more location specific -- but they can be from the lower mainland -- or they can be from a number of locations all across BC. It is the second group of numbers that decide whether your phone is from Victoria, Vancouver, Kelowna or wherever. In a number with the sequence 778-XXX-NNNN, the XXX digits are what sets the "home" location. I have no idea how SO deals with that -- nor how Bell deals with it. Telus are the holders of the number assignment lists as the resident Telco so their long distance charges should be fairly accurate.
Still worse
Then just to add to the fray Rogers pop a voice message into calls on either SO or Rogers that cross "home areas" saying "this may be a long distance call. we will connect you at the appropriate rates". If I called the Nanaimo SO phone I mentioned earlier with a Rogers phone based in Victoria, I would hear the message and pay long distance. If I called that same Nanaimo SO phone from a Victoria based SO phone, (each with a 250 area code) I would hear the message and would be charged at 25 cents a minute for regular airtime with no long distance charges despite the recorded message (which comes from the Rogers system).
Confused yet? I was -- those various permutations were figured out by spending a couple of dollars worth of airtime and some test calls.
Still even worse to figure out
There is another "wild card" to throw into the mix for the assignment of home areas. Rogers and by proxy SO measure home areas differently whether you are making the call or someone is calling you. A Rogers phone with a 250 area code and a Victoria number making an otbound call from Victoria can call Duncan or the lower Gulf Islands as a local call. A SO phone with a Victoria 250 number will call those places as "local" (as well as most of the rest of BC). A Telus or Rogers phone with a Duncan (or Saltspring etc.) number will pay long distance to call that same Victoria number -- be it Rogers or SO. The same applies for the 604 area code -- a 604 Rogers phone from Vancouver can call Chilliwack based numbers as "local". Chilliwack based phones will pay long distance to call to the 604 number that can call them without long distance. Check the Rogers Site for maps -- it gets really weird.
Bell likely mimic Telus in calling areas and the decision of what is and what isn't long distance in BC but they may have their own rules too. I have no experience with Bell or Bell based services.
So two things to answer your question: 1 "it depends" and 2 you will never get an answer from any customer service rep for any of the systems that will figure those scenarios out. The CS reps will start out by saying "where was that again?" and you know you will likely be teaching a geography lesson.
There are only 3 area codes in BC -- think what all of those permutations must be like in Ontario with a lot more than 3 area codes.
11:30 pm
July 10, 2010
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Wow, what a complete answer, THANKS. I'm confused but educated now.
10:29 pm
March 2, 2011
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Yak in BC does NOT work with Speak Out or any other prepaid cell phone.
Verify for yourself by calling: 1 877 Yak.4Yak ( 1 877 9254 925)
After being assigned an account # & registering my email for invoicing. Yak CS asked me if this was a pay as you go or prepaid mobile. Yes . To which the reply was Sorry, I should have asked you this first. It won't work.
She confirmed by checking with her Supervisor and even mentioned this is a SO phone, No. Sorry - will not work.
Disappointing to say the least.
1:39 am
July 12, 2009
Offline
I signed up with Yak Mobile Long Distance on line in December 2009 and it works just fine for me in Victoria BC.
Was the CSR at Yak specifically talking about their Mobile Long Distance service or their regular home phone service? That 1 877 Yak.4Yak number is not associated with the Mobile Long Distance service anywhere that I can see on their web site.
I have 3 BC phones including 1 SO phone and one Manitoba SO phone registered to my account and they all work by calling the Yak local access numbers.
Victoria, BC 250-483-3260
Winnipeg, MB 204-480-4990
The Victoria number will be local for anyone with a Speakout phone with a 250 area code anywhere in BC.
The Vancouver Yak Local Access number is:
Vancouver, BC 604-484-4186
I signed up on line, so I didn't talk to a live person at YAK. So there was no one to tell me what would and wouldn't work. I signed up, did whatever it took to register the phones and did a couple of test calls to verify the cost. I can't remember exactly what I had to do to verify — it was over a year ago.
The Yak Callback that says:
"# Dial 1-416-204-0004 and press send.
# Hang up when you heard the busy signal and Yak will call you back!
# Answer, listen for the prompts, dial your long distance number, don't press SEND – just start yakking"
works just fine for me on a Speakout phone.
I just tried it and Speakout charged 25 cents for each of two test calls. I'll see the 7 cents on my Yak account at the end of the month. I was sitting in Victoria BC using a Speakout phone with a Manitoba Area code (204). I checked my balance before and after the calls.
I called the Yak callback number and used it to call my home phone in Victoria with a 250 area code and was charged the 25 cents by SO. I then called the Yak Winnipeg number using the SO Manitoba phone directly — then called my home phone that way — again 25 cents.
11:48 pm
March 2, 2011
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Hi RonM
The number to call is displayed right on the bottom of each page:
Toll Free 1.877.YAK.4YAK.
Also through the contact us link
http://yak.ca/customer-service
1.877.YAK.4YAK. is the only number provided to sign up with whichever service you are requesting.
All other numbers are local access numbers , but have nothing to do with signing up with Yak.
They are only applicable once you have opened an account with Yak
Unfortunately, you cannot sign up online for any service offered through Yak.
You must phone them & request the service you are interested in.
http://yak.ca/yak-mobile-long-distance
It has a sign up now button which when you click on navigates you to fill out a short form.
After that you receive the following message:
Please contact Yak Customer Service for Sign Up at 1.877.YAK.4YAK.
You may also complete the form below if you wish Yak Customer Service to contact you directly.
Thank-you.
http://yak.ca/yak-mobile-long-distance
1.877.YAK.4YAK.
http://yak.ca/yak-home-phone
http://yak.ca/long-distance-plans
http://yak.ca/high-speed-internet
http://yak.ca/mobile-services
http://yak.ca/yak-paks
1.877.YAK.4YAK. is the only number provided to call for the service of your choice.
I just want mobile long distance, so that is what i asked for & was told by Yak CS No for pay as you
go / prepaid mobiles!
To bad as they have the great rate of 3.5 cents per minute to make a call to anywhere in Canada/USA!
Was informed: Long distance service is only available if you are on a monthly plan with a mobile service provider no matter where you are located in Canada. So it looks like Yak has changed their terms & conditions since you signed up & you are grandfathered in.
No longer applicable to new customers.
8:33 pm
July 12, 2009
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Well that is a mixed message.
Good news for me and not such good news for anyone else.
Since I have an account, I can log in and navigate around pages that aren't available any more from the landing pages. The bookmark I use to go to Yak is the account login page.
My sign up was before they were offering Wind Mobile, so that may have been the turning point where they started requiring you to talk to someone to sign up. And of course the Local numbers work fine for me since I have an account. I just checked my account information, and I see that there is no option to add or delete phones from the web page like there used to be, so it looks like I am grandfathered as you suggest.
10:18 pm
March 2, 2011
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Hi Ron,
I Pm'd you. I am glad you got in with Yak when you did.
I would think they should accept prepaid with pre authorized bank withdrawal of invoice balances once each month.
I emailed them asking if they will accept a valid Credit Card registered with them.
I cannot see why they wouldn't & under FAQ # 2 they state Yak works with all Mobiles, nothing stating only with those on a monthly plan. So that's a little misleading.
I will post the results of my query. Hopefully they will accept a CC at least!
12:10 pm
April 23, 2011
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We have a Yak calling card which seems to have the same rates as the Yak-mobile stuff. If you have a local access number in your area then that might be a good option.
We also have a tel3advantage.com prepaid "calling card" account that can work either with an access code and access number (thus usable from any phone) or certain numbers can be "registered" so that calling from them doesn't require an access code. They have a lot of access numbers across Canada. Tel3 prices are in the under 2cents per minute range.
Unfortunately, neither the Yak card nor tel3advantabe have access numbers in the 705 area code where I am. The Yak-mobile stuff seems to have a 705 number, so maybe I should try to trick them into signing up my phone - if they bill my credit card like they do for my Yak Calling card - what would they care which phone I use?
