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Sadebugo
Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 524
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 Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 3:11 am Post subject: Cellphones |
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Hope someone can help. I recently tried to purchase a pre-paid cellphone here in Nagoya. I'm here on a 'SOFA' visa and therefore, do not have an ARC. The salespeople told me, through my Japanese friend, that I could not buy the phone because my visa did not indicate a departure date. I showed them my travel orders and they still refused to sell me a phone. The problem really seemed to be that I didn't have an ARC. They apologized but told me those were the rules.
I could understand if I were trying to buy a phone under a contractual plan, but why does this rule exist for prepaid plans? I own the phone and pay in advance, right?
Anyway, can anyone tell me a legal way to purchase a phone in Japan under my circumstances?
Appreciate your help. |
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Willy_In_Japan
Joined: 20 Jul 2004
Posts: 329
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| Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 10:01 am Post subject: |
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Got a friend?
Get them to buy the phone for you and then charge it up when you need it. Give the phone back to the person who bought it in their name when you leave. |
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keister
Joined: 18 Jan 2007
Posts: 26
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| Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Im not sure what your SOFA visa is, but when I got my pre-pay phone, all I needed was my passport. Did you try softbank? |
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Gypsy Rose Kim
Joined: 08 Dec 2006
Posts: 151
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| Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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If you're under SOFA, the best people to ask are on base. From my previous experience as both a NAF and GS employee (not in Japan, admittedly), there are people on base to walk newcomers through every single aspect of life overseas. I'm not sure who you'd contact. Start by asking your coworkers, though.
Sounds to me like the people you were dealing with at Softbank didn't know the rules and didn't want to go through the trouble of finding out. This is not that uncommon in any country. Find an agent that usually deals with military. |
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G Cthulhu
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Way, way off course.
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| Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Gypsy Rose Kim wrote: |
Sounds to me like the people you were dealing with at Softbank didn't know the rules and didn't want to go through the trouble of finding out. This is not that uncommon in any country. Find an agent that usually deals with military. |
Nah, I think the problem is that for too many years too many US military in Japan would get phones and end up not paying for them and Japanese companies no longer wanted to deal with them as a result. The OP is just the latest lucky recipient of the result of earlier crappy behaviour. I can remember when DoCoMo first changed their rules and said no more phones for US military in 2000-2001. They simply opted out entirely of that market and couldn't be bothered even dealing with pre-paid phones.
From their persepctive I can almost understand it: would you sell a phone to someone that you have no legal recourse against for anything they might do with the phone afterwards? I sure as hell wouldn't go near such a customer. 
That all said, yup, OP just needs to find someone else (either Japanese national of actual visa-holding resident) to buy the phone for them. Problem solved. |
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Sadebugo
Joined: 10 May 2003
Posts: 524
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| Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2007 9:08 pm Post subject: Thanks! |
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Thanks so much for the replies. I'm a GS employee but not near any US military bases. I've tried several offices including Softbank but with no luck. My Japanese coworkers can't seem to find a solution either. Oh well, I guess it's not a matter of life and death.
Thanks again. |
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JimDunlop2
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 2286
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 2:05 am Post subject: Re: Cellphones |
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| Sadebugo wrote: |
I could understand if I were trying to buy a phone under a contractual plan, but why does this rule exist for prepaid plans? I own the phone and pay in advance, right?
Anyway, can anyone tell me a legal way to purchase a phone in Japan under my circumstances? |
I don't think anyone actually answered your question yet... But you are correct -- you SHOULD be able to buy a pre-paid phone without any sort of visa, ARC, or any other acronym that I don't understand. When my wife and I moved to Japan, we obtained a pre-paid cellphone on our second day in the country.
From my understanding, they changed the regulations on what it takes to get a pre-paid cellphone, but I believe that only means you have to provide a legitimate ADDRESS in Japan.
Also, it USED to be that one of the cellphone companies (whether DoCoMo, SoftBank or AU, I don't remember) that would allow you to get a contractual cellphone using nothing more than your passport (and a monetary deposit) which didn't require having an alien registration card and therefore had no bearing on the visa status.
I might also point out that one of my co-workers managed to get a cellphone without an alien registration card just by being stubborn. She walked into a SoftBank shop and basically refused to leave until they gave her a phone... (Probably not a recommended technique though).
Here's what's required to get a pre-paid. IF you can't provide the proof they need -- just get a friend to get it for you. Once it's bought, it really doesn't matter who you give it to. You do not need to provide ID to recharge the phone with more minutes or anything. In fact, I'll bet that you can probably buy all sorts of pre-paid phones on Yahoo Auction (Japan)....
From SoftBank's Pre-paid information page: (bold=mine)
Q16: Where can I purchase prepaid handsets?
A16: You can purchase prepaid handsets at SoftBank shops or convenience stores.
1. May not be available in some stores.
2. When applying, one of the documents below is required. Always present originals. Pre-copied documents cannot be accepted for the contract application.
[Individuals] Alien registration card, Health insurance card + Proof of your current address, Student ID + Health insurance card, Japanese driver's license, Basic residential registration card, Japanese passport, Identification booklet for the disabled.
http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/en/prepaid/ |
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JimDunlop2
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Posts: 2286
Location: Japan
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