Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wanderingsalsero]

I've been here for slightly over two year now and I still have very little friggin' idea how Korean cell phone plans work. It's my understanding that there's three companies (SK, LG and ?) but only LG makes it somewhat easy for E2 visa holders to work with.

Even then, i.e. w/LG, it still seems to be a totally messed up situation. I bought a used phone and I've been buying prepaid cards of time to charge time to the phone. Actually, I buy the card and the person at the shop (I usually go to that shop near Coffee Bean in Itaewon) actually adds the time then gives me my phone back.

Problem(s) are twofold:

First of all, it seems likve every 3 months and at other unexpected timesy my damn phone does dead...i.e. I get a recorded message in Korean and English that says the the 'service' to 'this phone' has been 'temporarily suspecded'.

At first I thought it was just that perhaps my time had run out but I'm getting the impression that it might be for some other reason too. Somebody was telling me that it had something to do with my E2 visa and the fact that LG only gives us three month packets. I'm mystified as to what's going on there.

The second thing that really bums me out is the exhorbitant cost of time. I'll give the vendor 10,000 KW and it seems I get about 30 minutes of time. What the hell kind of screwing is that?

It's my understanding that I could sign up for some kind of contract similar to the kind of contract (i.e. a year) long that I had at home in the US with ATT or Verizon or somebody. But my contract ends in December and I might not stay so I don't think I want to get into an extended committment that I can't actually use past December.

What is everybody else using for cell phones? Am I missing something.

I remember that back at my first school, they gave me a cell phone and actually paid the bill. So I never had that problem there.

I sure would like to know what kind of phone deal some other people have.


Best regards,
Art

[alphakennyone]

How often do you put money on the phone? I think you have to put more money on every 90 days or else the service gets suspended.

[i_teach_esl]

http://global.seoul.go.kr/global/view/sitemap/sitemap.jsp

i got a cell phone/plan at global village in seoul, off the blue line 4 City hall Station ext 10 i think? they have plans specifically for foreigners. You'll need your arc card, passport, bank book (your bank must have your arc card info on file, not just your passport), and you have to buy one of their phones. the one i bought was 90,000 won. the company is LG. Plans can be as long as three months to X years, and different plans available depending on where youre calling (if you call abroad a lot, or just locally, etc). my bill is usually around 25,000 won. the bill is in english, and they have english customer service.

[Cheonmunka]

KT has come on line with LG and so if you have three months left on your ARC for your work visa then deposit free get the billed to your home account. No prepay. The prepay (all shops can do it) is no profit for the shop at all. Well, except cudos. They have to send a fax to the LG office, and reimburse the money to LG. It's a bit of a pain for storekeepers.

[wanderingsalsero]

I usually only put money on it when it runs out. You think that could be the reason it got cut off?

I'm still gonna check out that place the guy recommended.

Art
010 5822 2277

[PeteJB]

Problem is you cannot do what the above poster suggested. Prepay phone numbers are tied into prepay, and cannot be changed to contract. You'd have to to change your phone number if you wanted to change to contract. That is the reason why I have kept my prepay phone - because I do not want to change my phone number after so long... And seeing as I barely make any calls, it suits me.

[Cheonmunka]

You can apply for call re-direct. Automatically re-directing your call to the new phone.

[I-am-me]

My pre-paid phone just died so started looking at packages. I found one in Songtan near the american military base. Sign up for 2 year contract at $25 a month and you get Motorola phone free. 100 free texts plus 100 free minutes. YOu pay extra beyone that like 10 won per minute. Phone is 3g with video conferencing. I might get that. Not sure if anybody knows of a better deal. I know koreans get free phones so I dont want to pay for one either. Prepaid was ok, but spent about $20 a month on it and hated running out of texting or calling minutes.

[wanderingsalsero]

What actually constitutes a 'contract' if we're already on a pre-paid phone? If we're going 'card' to 'card'....i.e. paying for a time, that's not a 'contract' is it? And regardless of what it is called, is that number portable under some conditions but not others?

When I think of a contract, I think of a situation like back in the US where they're usually 1 year, you get a free phone, you can upgrade if you want to pay a little more, you get a plan with a certain number of minutes local/regional/interstate/long distrance, and you get a bill every month. And I believe the numbers back there are portable from one carrier to another. Obviosly the options aren't so clear over here.

Also, it's my understanding that when us teachers buy a phone that there's some of the Korean systems that we simply can't get a number through, period, no way, no how (like SK)......is that right?

I heard that LG was the easiest for teachers, on E2 visas, to get cell phone service through. Correct?

Cheonmuka said we could apply to have our number transferred. Ok....where? It's automatic if we 'apply'?

But PeteJB said we can't transfer a number. So........is the jury still out on that question?

I-am-me posted a great deal, it sounds like, but I doubt that most teachers, early on, would want to commit to a two year contract.

I'm not really overly concerned with the per minute charges, it's just the pain the the ass of having the phone conk out on me when I least expect it. And it never dies at a convenient time......even though I know there's supposed to be ways to check your balance.

The greatest wierdness is buying used phones that rarely, if ever, come with instruction manuals in English. If you're not a techie who likes screwing around for hours with stuff like that....it's very irritating.

So far, the deal that sounds the most interesting to me is the shop near Exit 10 of City Hall that the one poster mentioned. The poster said they spoke English. I get the impression that it's not to be assumed there'll be someone in the shop who speaks good English (another product of the Korean school system?)

Regards,
Art
010 5822 2277

[I-am-me]

Wanderingsalsero wrote:

[giraffe]

Never was able to wrap my head around korean cellphone plans. Ive seen my wife apply for one and it got confusing when she had to bring in her fathers , mothers and brothers cellphone info. Apparently you get discounts if you have family in certain phone plans. Then theres alll kinds of point cards you can apply for.

[alphakennyone]

[Cheonmunka]

[Beeyee]

My plan is with LG. I pay 15,500 a month for 18 hours of calls to other LG numbers.


Seeing as my girlfriend and most of my friends are also using LG, it's a no-brainer.

[Proustian]

The real problem for foreigners is that we have the indignation to think we should be afforded the same rights as locals in getting a modern phone at a decent rate.
All the latest phones come with 2-year contracts - all e-2 visa's come with 1-year contracts, this is the rub. Conspiracy? Maybe. Unfair? Certainly.
The only way around it is to put the account in a Korean friends name or buy a used phone and avoid the contract situation.