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Cerriowen
Joined: 03 Jun 2006
Location: Pocheon
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 Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:55 pm Post subject: Someone explain the whole cell phone thing to me please |
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OK I'm from the states...
There we sign up for a program and you get a certain number of minutes you can spend on your phone. You also pay at the end of the month for any text messages etc you send.
I can't find someone who understands what I'm asking here.
Lets say I walk in to a store and buy a phone... then what? |
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djsmnc
Joined: 20 Jan 2003
Location: Dave's ESL Cafe
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| Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:30 pm Post subject: Re: Someone explain the whole cell phone thing to me please |
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| Cerriowen wrote: |
Lets say I walk in to a store and buy a phone... then what? |
You sign up for a program and you get a certain number of minutes you can spend on your phone. You also pay at the end of the month for any text messages etc you send. |
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Junior
Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Location: the eye
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| Posted: Fri Aug 04, 2006 9:40 pm Post subject: |
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Foreigners aren't allowed telephones here, so you have to get a korean to sign for it first. then you pay a monthly bill by using the bank machine after you've got yet another korean to read the thing and call them up for you.
Inevitably you fall out with the Korean who got the phone for you, who was inevitably a woman, who you were inevitably dating. And, inevitably you are faced with the choice of creating more anti-foreigner feeling by throwing it in the Han river when it inevitably malfunctions, or, inevitably calling the woman who inevitably thinks you are showing signs of romantic interest again and inevitably acts like a power tripping b*tch because you need her to sort out you phone for you. |
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ChopChaeJoe
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 7:42 am Post subject: |
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| I just go into the SK shop and plunk down a couple mahn-wons every now and then. Each mahn-won is like 27 minutes. What a rip-off. |
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VanIslander
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Location: Geoje, Hadong, Tongyeong,... now in a small coastal island town outside Gyeongsangnamdo!
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| Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 7:52 am Post subject: |
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| be prepared to pay less than you're used to |
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wormholes101
Joined: 11 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 8:59 am Post subject: |
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| Junior wrote: |
| Foreigners aren't allowed telephones here... |
This simply isn't true. You either go prepaid or leave a security deposit of about 200,000 won.
@OP There are loads of different plans here. Better you get a Korean who speaks English to explain all the different options available. |
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ilovebdt
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Location: Nr Seoul
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| Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 3:13 am Post subject: |
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| wormholes101 wrote: |
| Junior wrote: |
| Foreigners aren't allowed telephones here... |
This simply isn't true. You either go prepaid or leave a security deposit of about 200,000 won.
@OP There are loads of different plans here. Better you get a Korean who speaks English to explain all the different options available. |
There is a third option. I have my phone with LG telecom. It is not a prepaid phone and I did not have to pay a deposit. All you do is go into the shop with your bank book, alien card and maybe passport and your Korean bank card and they will set an account for you.
ilovebdt |
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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| Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 3:23 am Post subject: |
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| ilovebdt wrote: |
| wormholes101 wrote: |
| Junior wrote: |
| Foreigners aren't allowed telephones here... |
This simply isn't true. You either go prepaid or leave a security deposit of about 200,000 won.
@OP There are loads of different plans here. Better you get a Korean who speaks English to explain all the different options available. |
There is a third option. I have my phone with LG telecom. It is not a prepaid phone and I did not have to pay a deposit. All you do is go into the shop with your bank book, alien card and maybe passport and your Korean bank card and they will set an account for you.
ilovebdt |
Yeah that. |
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seoulsista
Joined: 31 Aug 2005
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| Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 3:27 am Post subject: |
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The cell phone place on the 5th or 6th floor of the DOOTA! shopping building will sell you a phone for about 130,000 won and charge your credit card 27,000 won a month for a service fee if you bring your passport and ARC card with you when you sign up. I don't know how many minutes that is but I never go over. IMHO it's not worth it unless you really like to talk on your phone.
Or you can just buy a phone and have them put minutes on it. Then you just go into the shop with the same brand name and charge it up whenever you need to. My boyfriend puts 20,000 won on every 3 months or so. |
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kiwigirl :O)
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
Location: Bundang
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| Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| wormholes101 wrote: |
| Junior wrote: |
| Foreigners aren't allowed telephones here... |
This simply isn't true. You either go prepaid or leave a security deposit of about 200,000 won.
@OP There are loads of different plans here. Better you get a Korean who speaks English to explain all the different options available. |
so is that why i had to fork out 250k for my anycall celly!!!!??? 
so the 200k is the security deposit!! i couldnt figure out why it was sooo expensive and you've just answered that for me...thanks
kg   |
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chronicpride
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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Real Reality
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:09 am Post subject: |
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| Junior wrote: |
| Foreigners aren't allowed telephones here, so you have to get a korean to sign for it first. then you pay a monthly bill by using the bank machine after you've got yet another korean to read the thing and call them up for you. Inevitably you fall out with the Korean who got the phone for you, who was inevitably a woman, who you were inevitably dating. And, inevitably you are faced with the choice of creating more anti-foreigner feeling by throwing it in the Han river when it inevitably malfunctions, or, inevitably calling the woman who inevitably thinks you are showing signs of romantic interest again and inevitably acts like a power tripping b*tch because you need her to sort out you phone for you. |
Foreigners Cry Inconvenience in Mobile Phone Service
By Kim Tae-gyu and Tony MacGregor, Korea Times (January 8, 2006)
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200601/kt2006010817454610220.htm |
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europe2seoul
Joined: 12 Sep 2005
Location: Seoul, Korea
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:29 am Post subject: |
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| kiwigirl :O) wrote: |
| wormholes101 wrote: |
| Junior wrote: |
| Foreigners aren't allowed telephones here... |
This simply isn't true. You either go prepaid or leave a security deposit of about 200,000 won.
@OP There are loads of different plans here. Better you get a Korean who speaks English to explain all the different options available. |
so is that why i had to fork out 250k for my anycall celly!!!!???
so the 200k is the security deposit!! i couldnt figure out why it was sooo expensive and you've just answered that for me...thanks
kg |
Not really. There are many phones out there that cost that much and more. You paid for the phone not security deposit, unless you were specifically told its for security deposit or its some crappy phone.
A cool nice phone with all the great features can easily be $400.
In US a foreign person is required to put a security deposit or have a established credit-history. Sprint required $200 returnable after 1 year and others required more, since a foreign person does not have credit history. Luckily, you can get those Virgin Mobile pre-paid phones or ATT Go, etc, so if you are staying there for some shorter time you do have a cell phone. These days its important - being without a cell phone is like living in the dark ages.....horrible. Same with or without internet and email. Even though Americans still do not like cell phones that much and do not use them very often or only for emergencies. Luckily Asia and Europe are differnet where people are reachable 24/7.
Stay away from pre-paid phones. You will pay much more and probably only use it for text messages to save money. And money always runs out when you need, like at night while being out, etc. One option is to get a cheaper pre-month service fee and a slightly higher rate, or some more expensive service fee with included minutes - say 50-60K per month. |
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JLarter
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:30 am Post subject: |
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| It's no different to when I was living in the US. they don't like foreigners buying phones there. It was so much hassle to get something set up for me just because I was English. |
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