Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Roaming South of the Border

Here we are in Mexico, and on this particular trip, we have been presented with a whole series of wireless disappointments. What we thought was the best feature since voice mail, "Pay-Per-Call", has become a joke. We found it first offered by Mexican cellular carrier, Movistar, and TelCel soon responded with a similar program. However, much has happened since then.

First, Movistar responded by dropping their included Pay-Per-Call minute limit to 20 minutes to match TelCel’s less generous rate. Then, on May 23rd, TelCel made their Pay-per-Call feature only available if you switch to that plan at an authorized “service center.” Guess what, there aren’t many “service centers”...mostly in large cities. That pretty much eliminates the ability of the average gringo to sign up for service unless you happen to be staying in the hotel next door. We are so sad to see this economical program go beyond the average tourist’s reach.

Tomorrow, we’ll share our experience with the number 2 cellular carrier, Movistar, and what happened with them that made us cry even more.

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