Global Roaming (former Celtrek) [Archive]

dg7feq

29-04-2009, 12:12

The offer by Global Roaming with Belgian prefix looks very interesting, even if it has no free incoming calls, but outgoing calls are cheap, they have a huge coverage and data in really many countries.
What I couldn't find on the website is how data is billed: 1/10/100/300KB increments? If it were 1 or 10KB increments it would be very good to use with programs like MobiSMS and also to check some e-mail. Some of you have news about it?
Also the voice billing at 60/10 is not that bad...

We got 2 SIM cards today. They didnt come over from the shipping department yet though. I will post my test report here soon- next week the cards travel to India as well.

Chris

dg7feq

29-04-2009, 14:14

So now i have the two SIM-Cards on my desk.
They come in a small envelope with some photocopied short manual with all important data including GPRS setup.
The Phonenumber is written by hand on a small hand-cut piece of paper.

The SIM registered to Eplus network by default.

Incoming call works well, charged 10 us-ct
SMS incoming and outgoing works well outgoing charged with 32 us-ct
Outbound call to german landline worked via callback and was charged 34 us-ct instead of 24 us-ct as in the rate calculator.

Now i tried GPRS. Eplus is a "Challenger" Network partner of Base and the rate should be 3,98US$/MB as on the rate sheet.
First connect: 4kb, charged 50us-ct. So i thought ok, 128kb billing stepps.
second connect: 400kb, charged 11,5US$ !!! 30$/MB !!! That is definitely NOT like in the rate sheet.

I will contact their customer care later today and find out where is the problem.

... to be continued ...

Chris

DRNewcomb

29-04-2009, 14:16

I have not tried mine yet, except to receive a SMS or two. There are some questions about this service that even GR can not answer yet. They list coverage on cruise ships, Cuba, BVI, Thruaya satellite and other places but can't yet tell you the rates in those places. The old system had a nifty online managment service which listed all calls, where the phone was roaming and even forwarded voicemail to an e-mail address. So far, nothing like that seems to be available with the new system.

dg7feq

29-04-2009, 14:24

by the way, this is the GPRS tariff list for the Base.be prepaid cards:
emagiC CMS.Net - Error message (http://www.base.be/base/en/home/offer/international/roaming_internet/page.aspx/4368)

Challanger networks 2.5€/mb, 1kb rounding.

Grampa

29-04-2009, 15:51

This product looks a lot like the one from MAXRoam. The website says you can choose your own local number, but I can't find where you would do that, what the number would cost, etc. Any info on this?

Bossman

29-04-2009, 16:42

I believe, just like maxroam once said, you get one default local number (USA, France, UK and some other countries). At some point during the purchase or registration process, you will be given an option to do this. At least that is the way it was with maxroam. Of course, no local numbers with maxroam at the moment.

This product looks a lot like the one from MAXRoam. The website says you can choose your own local number, but I can't find where you would do that, what the number would cost, etc. Any info on this?

dg7feq

29-04-2009, 17:17

the paper leaflet on the globalroaming card said that they can not yet assign landline DID numbers of your choice. If you need a US number you should call customer care.
The physical number of the SIM cards are from Base Belgium +32-48...

Chris

Bossman

29-04-2009, 17:54

It sure seems like both Celtrek and Maxroam are having a hard getting the DID's functioninig on their sims. IMHO, without the DID's, their sim cards are not as attaractive. Since your pay for incoming calls everywhere. So, assuming I set up my own forwarding via my DID (voicestick, les.net, etc.), I will pay for the forwarding to the +32 number and also get charged for incoming.

I hope they realize that the global roaming sim maket is a very dynamic market, and only the fittest, and those that can act quickly will survive.

the paper leaflet on the globalroaming card said that they can not yet assign landline DID numbers of your choice. If you need a US number you should call customer care.
The physical number of the SIM cards are from Base Belgium +32-48...

Chris

bbob

29-04-2009, 19:16

@Bossman, I would advice you and eveyone to buy your own did number and forward the call. The forwading does cost you money but typically this is lower in price than having it forwarded my say maxroam or yackie (in the past)

If you have a uk based numer free roaming card you should be able to setup call forwarding for around 10 eurocents. So you pay just 10 eurocents per minute to receive calls.

The advantage of having your own did of great as it seems you can expect to almost change numbers every 1 or 2 years whenever the sims platform goed out of business. See problems in the past iom, yackie on israel platform, tan iceland, same for maxroam.
When you change sims just change the forwarding and your free to choose any sim you want.

rfranzq

29-04-2009, 20:07

I hope they realize that the global roaming sim maket is a very dynamic market, and only the fittest, and those that can act quickly will survive.

They probably realized that the business is difficult. But they probably thought they were smart enough to avoid the pitfalls. Whether hubris or ignorance leads them to try this business, the result will be the same as all the other nonsurvivors if they don't get it to work---and quickly.

Survival is a lot harder than most of these people realize. Otherwise they would not have entered the marketplace.

[Another problem seems that everyone goes to market before they have everything or enough things working.]

VladS

29-04-2009, 20:43

I don't think the problem is with the DIDs, but reliable and inexpensive bulk termination to the Base numbering range.

Termination to the Israel numbers was good and inexpensive... Base is the most expensive route in Belgium.

prion

29-04-2009, 20:52

Bossman

29-04-2009, 21:22

bbob, the only one I had was UM+. I have always used it for my forwarding. By forwarding my AT&T to my DID, then my DID to UM+. Just did not want to dish out more funds for another sim card. In the mean time, I have sent my +423 card for easyroams Travel sim offer. Next trip is not till June (UK, France and Nigeria). So, plenty of time for things to change some more. I'll probably just roam in France for my 2 nights there with my Virgin UK sim. I will be in Nigeria for 10 days and I already have a local sim from my visit there last year.

As vlads mentioned, forwarding to that Base Belgian number is a little high based on the couple of providers I have looked at. For example, voicestick charges $0.33 to forward to it.

@Bossman, I would advice you and eveyone to buy your own did number and forward the call. The forwading does cost you money but typically this is lower in price than having it forwarded my say maxroam or yackie (in the past)

If you have a uk based numer free roaming card you should be able to setup call forwarding for around 10 eurocents. So you pay just 10 eurocents per minute to receive calls.

The advantage of having your own did of great as it seems you can expect to almost change numbers every 1 or 2 years whenever the sims platform goed out of business. See problems in the past iom, yackie on israel platform, tan iceland, same for maxroam.
When you change sims just change the forwarding and your free to choose any sim you want.

VladS

29-04-2009, 21:56

The best retail, non-Betamax, rate I'm aware of for calls to Base numbers is $0.1864 with VoipJet (IAX2, not SIP).

dg7feq

29-04-2009, 22:20

future-nine.com -> $0.179
lets get lower! ;-)

Chris

VladS

30-04-2009, 00:41

F9 uses Betamax

You can always go with SipTraffic (another Betamax brand) and pay $0.1255 with their gold route or $0.1050 with the silver one. But again... It's Betamax.

prion

30-04-2009, 06:55

future-nine.com -> $0.179
lets get lower! ;-)

Chris

I found a cheaper option: 0,1633$ !

http://www.yupeephone.com/rates.php?country=belgium%

dg7feq

30-04-2009, 09:07

F9 uses Betamax

You can always go with SipTraffic (another Betamax brand) and pay $0.1255 with their gold route or $0.1050 with the silver one. But again... It's Betamax.

They will have betamax as one of the suppliers, yes. But i am using this provider for some months now already and got at least 10 different call routes on their asterisk billing system. Besides the SipTraffic provider needs 200 US$ minimum recharge - which is more than i use in 2-3 years... I am using 2 betamax providers on my private VoIP station at home and never had any problems with them though.

Chris

dg7feq

01-05-2009, 09:15

Very disappointing - so to say non existing customer care...

2 days ago i emailed them regarding wrong billing on GPRS, yesterday i tried to send a message over their "24/7 online support center" (which was offline whenever i had a look) and in the evening i tried to call their hotline number. Rings forever, noone picks up, no email replies, not even a ticket commissioning system or whatsoever.

lovely.
Chris

Stu

01-05-2009, 21:53

I never give out the underlying SIM number. I have been burned too much. The way the web site is set up, however, it appears that I am paying US$0.10 to receive a call the Base.BE number or the US number. It is way cheaper to forward to a US landline number.

Voicetrading has a US$0.09 a minute route, but I have tried it out yet. I have a Celtrek SIM here, but am first working on trying to set up a web account. I've also written them and asked for a US number in any area code (I really don't care).

DRNewcomb

02-05-2009, 00:23

dg7feq

03-05-2009, 10:48

I asked them if their lines had a SIP route. I was told they don't. I think that would be a pretty nice feature and since I beleive that they are using VOIP for the connection to BASE, it should not be difficult.

did you get a hold of them on the hotline? At what time did you call? I tried several times but noone ever picked up. Still GPRS is wrong billed and my emails are not answered to.

Chris

DRNewcomb

03-05-2009, 11:37

did you get a hold of them on the hotline? At what time did you call? I tried several times but noone ever picked up. Still GPRS is wrong billed and my emails are not answered to.

I just e-mailed and Aaron Glickman would respond. Maybe not immediately but within a day or two. Last e-mail was on the 28th.

dg7feq

03-05-2009, 16:50

I just e-mailed and Aaron Glickman would respond. Maybe not immediately but within a day or two. Last e-mail was on the 28th.

OK, thanks..
no reply here so far yet though... My last email was sent on thursday, another before on wednesday...

mingelli

05-05-2009, 09:43

Is it possible now to add a US DID number to the new sim and is it free? Are call received on DID numbers charged same as on BE mobile number ot there is a surcharge.

dg7feq

06-05-2009, 08:06

BTW: still noone picks up the phone at globalroaming, only a stupid voicemail that tells you should send a email for quick reply. I already sent 3 emails, no reply at all.

squawk1200

08-05-2009, 16:40

BTW: still noone picks up the phone at globalroaming, only a stupid voicemail that tells you should send a email for quick reply. I already sent 3 emails, no reply at all.

Same response I'm getting... I put $50 on my account and it has not posted yet... I paid with PayPal, so maybe I need to get them involved as I am not getting the product I purchased and it's been a few weeks... Also, I have not been able to get SMS to work here in the US... Anyone else have that problem?

Bossman

08-05-2009, 17:00

Let me get this straight....You topped up your account over a week ago and it has not credited yet? I would have done a chargeback or whatever it's called via paypal after a couple of days. Check the credit from the handset first though.

I received a sim card from easyroam lastweek, topped it up via google checkout and it showed up almost instantly!

Same response I'm getting... I put $50 on my account and it has not posted yet... I paid with PayPal, so maybe I need to get them involved as I am not getting the product I purchased and it's been a few weeks... Also, I have not been able to get SMS to work here in the US... Anyone else have that problem?

cizake

08-05-2009, 21:50

Dear all,
Although I don't intervene much on the forum I regularly check your feedback and try to improve our customer service.
As you have noticed we recently changed provider. It was not easy as we had to swap all our existing SIM cards.
Our website is under dramatic change and APIs are being developed as we speak.
From Monday May 11th we will have more people answering the phone. More telephone lines. Our toll free number will include more channels.
Local numbers will be available online from May 20th. Existing customers will be able to assign local numbers as well.
Thanks to you we are learning and improving our service daily.
PM me for personal issues as I don't want to turn this forum in a CelTrek chat room.
BTW CelTrek is our brand name operating under Global Roaming Inc since day one. Nothing has changed on the subject. We are still Global Roaming Inc and CelTrek is still our brand name.
I hope this short message clears any doubt you may have.
Again I invite you to PM me for personal issues.
Have a great week-end!

Florian Seroussi

mingelli

09-05-2009, 10:28

Does any one know if on their website is possible after login, to get detailed list of call made and received?

cizake

09-05-2009, 13:43

I replied to all PMs. Thank you.

dg7feq

09-05-2009, 17:22

Does any one know if on their website is possible after login, to get detailed list of call made and received?

no, at the moment these links lead to empty pages.

celtrekuser

11-05-2009, 12:13

Celtrek cannot deliver on its promises! We bought into celtrek last September while we were living abroad. At a certain point the service stopped and we were never notified. when we were finally able to make contact (customer service started out good but has become worse and worse) we were told we needed a new sim card because of some change. Eventually by celtrek)l we received the cards. A few months later we learned (again never were we informed of another change which would require us to pay for new simcard (2 in our case) and delivery to where we were living outside the US (which would cost us about$100) in order to continue a ´new¨ service. Instead, I asked for a refund of about $150 that we had in ¨minutes¨ and was refused! I now have to take the company to small claims court to try to retrieve my money. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT.

DRNewcomb

11-05-2009, 15:56

Instead, I asked for a refund of about $150 that we had in ¨minutes¨ and was refused! I now have to take the company to small claims court to try to retrieve my money. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT. I also thought it was pretty "cheesy" to kill one SIM and make the customers pay for the new one. But they eventually made things right for me. You might be interested in knowing that you can file a complaint online (http://www.800helpfla.com/complnt.html) with the Florida Dept. of Ag. & Consumer Services. It may or may not help.

bones_boy

11-05-2009, 19:14

I also thought it was pretty "cheesy" to kill one SIM and make the customers pay for the new one. But they eventually made things right for me. You might be interested in knowing that you can file a complaint online (http://www.800helpfla.com/complnt.html) with the Florida Dept. of Ag. & Consumer Services. It may or may not help.

I filed with the BBB in Florida. It helped a little - maybe? I got a partial credit of my $170 that disappeared. Florida BBB never got back to me - it's been three weeks.

I will PM the Celtrek dude and see if it helps.

cizake

11-05-2009, 23:00

@celtrekuser please DM me as your handle don't ring a bell.
@bones_boy replied to your DM.

mingelli

12-05-2009, 08:24

cizake

13-05-2009, 11:16

Would like to know the following:
1. are did numbers free or cost $ a year
2. are there additional costs to receive calls on US DID numbers?
3. Is it possible to view online a detailed list of calls now or in future?
4. Is it possible so setup auto recharge from the website

There will be a cost for DIDs including additional cost to receive calls on DIDs.
Both features, view logs and auto-recharge are being implemented as we speak. ETA is 10 days to get it all sorted.

squawk1200

17-05-2009, 22:12

Just to follow up with a status on my earlier post, CelTrek has sorted out the issue with my $50 top up and all is well...

Bossman

18-05-2009, 21:51

I just received this sim card too. In the test I did here from the US, I was charged $0.23 for answering the callback. So, I think the same happened to you, so $0.10 + $0.24.

I will test this when I travel in 3 weeks and report back.

Incoming call works well, charged 10 us-ct
SMS incoming and outgoing works well outgoing charged with 32 us-ct
Outbound call to german landline worked via callback and was charged 34 us-ct instead of 24 us-ct as in the rate calculator.

Chris

mingelli

22-05-2009, 14:02

US DID numbers should have been available since yesterday May 20. Is it correct? What numbers are available? One can choose from web interface?
What are the prices for DID and additional charge to receive calls on DID?
Are the extra web functions mentioned below been implemented?

There will be a cost for DIDs including additional cost to receive calls on DIDs.
Both features, view logs and auto-recharge are being implemented as we speak. ETA is 10 days to get it all sorted.

Bossman

22-05-2009, 14:26

It may be a while before they are fully functional. I received this from Aaron a couple of days ago whe I asked the same questions.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello,

Yes- for right now the website is only capable of taking airtime recharges. Our R&D department is working to have the website become fully functional for additional numbers & call history but this may take some time.

To request call history you can email support@celtrek.com at any time.

US DID numbers should have been available since yesterday May 20. Is it correct? What numbers are available? One can choose from web interface?
What are the prices for DID and additional charge to receive calls on DID?
Are the extra web functions mentioned below been implemented?

monkeyboy

01-06-2009, 20:29

So has everyone else gotten their new Celtrek/GR replacement SIMs? cuz I haven't, though it was promised to be a month ago...

Bossman

03-06-2009, 21:32

You may want to try to contact Chris or so to let them know. I have the sim card, but nothing else is doable besides make and receive calls via the Belgium number. You can't do anything online (besides login) period.

So has everyone else gotten their new Celtrek/GR replacement SIMs? cuz I haven't, though it was promised to be a month ago...

bones_boy

09-06-2009, 21:58

[QUOTE=cizake;26859@bones_boy replied to your DM.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for fixing things ... as noted in a separate post.

moyaroo

15-06-2009, 15:55

I got to Paris on the 9th of June Global Roaming would not register with any of the networks so I had to use my ATT card to call my contact for pickup at the airport. Later in the day the sim seemed to be active for a while and then shut off again. I had nothing for the next 2 days and then I was OK again, but when I tried to use it it would not call back or send SMS. Finally on the 13th it seemed to be fully functional (I could send a SMS) by then of course I was ready to go home again.

This is very spotty- I miss United-Mobile :(

Bossman

15-06-2009, 22:16

I am in Nigeria at the moment. I have a local sim and I also plan on using up my maxroam credit, and then use globalroaming sim. So far, for all my calls to the US, maxroam has worked well. Almost done with the credit and I will use globalroaming if it works ofcourse. I will report back when I use it, since I will be here for another week. I exchanged my UM+ sim for easyroam, so I will use that for outgoing calls to the US after globalroaming and maxroam.

I really do not see all these global sim companies surviving, so using up my credit to close to nothing. Just trying to minimize my loss...sorry.

Bossman

16-06-2009, 13:58

Just to add that I am using Celtrek now. It registered on at least one network. Callback worked well and quality of calls back o the US was quite good. Just as it is with maxroam. For both of them, the call history is NOT online. So, no way to tell how much you are being charged besides approximating it based balance check.

moyaroo

20-06-2009, 14:10

Just to follow my experience with global roaming, my daughter also has a card and she called yesterday from Russia with absolutely great call quality.- must be me :-)

adam917

29-06-2009, 22:55

Just received my Global Roaming SIM (I'm in the US). Why is it prohibited from registering on either of AT&T's networks? I can register on only T-Mobile.

Bossman

29-06-2009, 23:15

That is probably who they have roaming agreement with. When I used it in Nigeria last week, it would only register on 1 of the 5 networks there. It did work ok however.

Just received my Global Roaming SIM (I'm in the US). Why is it prohibited from registering on either of AT&T's networks? I can register on only T-Mobile.

adam917

29-06-2009, 23:51

The coverage list at http://www.globalroaming.mobi/pdf/Global%20roaming%20partners.pdf shows 310-410 (AT&T, formerly Cingular) as valid.

Also, is there a reason for charging by the minute for incoming calls even in Zone 1?

Bossman

30-06-2009, 00:55

snidely

30-06-2009, 20:42

I think that price is based on the fact that they offer a free DID. However, I do not that they offer any kind of DID (free or rental) at the moment. So, that makes them less desirable compared to the other sims out there. For example, why would I use celtrek (or even maxroam) for incoming calls in the EU when travelsim, and similar sims, offer free incoming calls in most of those countries.

These calls to a Travelsim etc. calls are NOT free. In fact, calling an Estonia cell number from the U.S. is very expensive. Calling Isle of Mann numbers are cheaper - but of course = not free. Many users fail to take into accoiunt the charge that shows up on their phone back home that called the "free" incoming. To compare pricing, you need to add the cost incurred on both ends.
Outgoing calls are cheaper, it appears, than incoming in some cases.

...s

Bossman

30-06-2009, 20:52

adam917

01-07-2009, 01:26

Very True. The calls are not free. The caller pays a premium for calling a mobile. However, in my comparison, my travelSim(Isle of man #) can be forwarded to or reached for around $0.20. The Base belgium number that both maxroam and celtrek use can be reached about $0.20 (higher in most cases). And we then add the cost to receive a call $ 0.20 or more in most countries. It's obvious that it will cost me at least double to use the Belgium based sim vs Isle of man one.

And my analogy above is probably the reason why Adam917 is asking why they are charging for incoming calls in these zones where other sims do not, and the caller still has to pay the premium to reach the number anyway.
Bingo. I certainly was thinking of what you just said when writing the original question, but forgot to mention it. I wonder when we'll start seeing global SIMs with numbers that aren't such a premium for callers to call. Of course IoM is better than Estonia but that's usually still not good enough for most Americans for instance (& I bet plenty of other people), that either want to dial a US number or the American end-user who would like to just forward all their calls to the global SIM & not incur extra charges from those incoming calls when travelling.

The capability should already exist to give the user a number from the country they would like to be reached at (in my case, I'd prefer any US number, I'm sure most Europeans would prefer a land-line number from their own country). From what I understand, getting SMS to work like this is more difficult, as the SIM can have only a very limited amount of numbers assigned to it, hence the former Celtrek SIMs having a separate voice number & SMS number.

Get my drift?

cizake

02-07-2009, 09:52

adam917

04-07-2009, 02:16

FREE incoming is certainly the reason that brought so many players out of business.
I do not see any rationality in FREE.
Funny how some expect us 'alternative operators' to offer FREE service while main carriers are stealing our $$ for last decade over excessive 'roaming' charges between same operator. For example Tmobile Germany/Tmobile USA/Tmobile UK. They do their own clearing. 100% profit on a 3Euro/min call.
I understand customer wants more but seriously you all have a job and certainly do not work for free. A free SIM + free shipping + free incoming + toll free number is what everybody wants but this won't happen. And if some fools wants to to try it, they will join the deadpool of companies that have tried.
My 2cts.
Sorry to jump in like this but sometimes obvious things must be said.

Best to all
Whoa whoa whoa there. I certainly don't mean free everything, but wouldn't it simply be logical to give free incoming at least in popular countries to turn customers away from reverting to buying a local SIM in each country they go? Would you rather have some business than none at all? I personally would be willing to pay a premium for outgoing if I knew my incoming will be covered. Heck, I would be willing to pay a separate perhaps annual fee to ensure it, that way you would be guaranteed a certain amount for each user and the user still gets what they want.

I take this POV for both calls and SMS (which from my understanding usually costs more to send in Europe vs the US, but in the US we pay for incoming SMS which in my eyes is very unfair, as spamming can end up costing users a lot of money). I wonder how the new roaming regulations in the EU will negatively affect both operators and customers.

cizake

04-07-2009, 10:38

hkr

04-07-2009, 15:19

I would be happy to pay cca. 10 erurocents/min for incoming even within the EU if I would get a local (in my case Hungarian) DID number or the possibility to use a SIP URI to reach my phone. That is approximately the cost I am having now when forwarding calls to my "free incoming" +44 numbered card using VoIP.

adam917

04-07-2009, 22:55

You are confusing premium termination and regular EU mobile termination.
Base belgium is no premium number. If you call from EU you will be charged like a 'normal' EU mobile termination. There is no 'premium' to it. 1 min to a Base belgium number is exactly the same cost then 1min to a Vodafone UK or O2 ireland or SFR France.
Most people in EU have plans with Min within Europe. All calls to a Base Belgium number are included in those minutes but not calls to a Lichtenstein or Estonian premium number.
It makes a huge difference.
In Europe calling a Base number is covered by new EU regulation.
Which is not the case for non European premium numbers.
Those premium numbers offer revenue sharing on their termination. EU 'legit' mobile carriers DON'T.
Base does not share any revenue on its termination. ZERO.
Concept of FREE is a concept. Subscriber always pay somehow.

I don't think this can account for why it still costs the GR user anything on their end to receive a call when in Belgium when connected to the BASE network (this SIM does have a BASE number, right?). I understand the difference in termination rates per country means different costs for callers who want to reach various numbers, but what about receiving incoming calls? In other words, there can be negatives for both the GR user & callers who reach GR users (the main purpose of any travel SIM is to stay in touch when abroad, right?) in that people calling a GR user pay a lot extra to call a Belgian mobile number unless they are in Belgium of course & on top of that, the GR user is paying to also receive this same call. I would think this would make perfect sense if the GR user could get a local DID number assigned to the SIM so they can forward calls from their home number to the GR SIM & then it would all make sense as the GR user's contacts don't need to do anything different to reach the traveller & the traveller pays for the convenience of still being able to be reached as if s/he were still home.

Did what I say make sense this time?

cizake

06-07-2009, 22:22

adam917

07-07-2009, 00:54

FYI there is no charge to receive calls in Belgium and no callback while roaming in Belgium.
We are working on a deal with KPN to get access to good termination pricing in order to offer DID forwarding.
It's not done yet. It may take some time.

Has the lack of AT&T registration been solved yet on the company side? I still can't register on any of their networks (2G or 3G). I actually have to manually choose T-Mobile or it won't even lock on to that.

Bossman

07-07-2009, 01:08

My Celtrek sim card is registered on AT&T right now, so it looks like that has been taken care of.

Has the lack of AT&T registration been solved yet on the company side? I still can't register on any of their networks (2G or 3G). I actually have to manually choose T-Mobile or it won't even lock on to that.

adam917

07-07-2009, 04:56

My Celtrek sim card is registered on AT&T right now, so it looks like that has been taken care of.

Well I wonder what could be wrong with my SIM. Both AT&T networks (2G & 3G) still show up as Forbidden in the network list and I can register to any of them.

bones_boy

07-07-2009, 17:21

My Celtrek sim card is registered on AT&T right now, so it looks like that has been taken care of.

Mine shows 2 AT&T networks as forbidden, but it does register on one of them (appears to be a 2G network) and works fine, just did a test call. It tries to register on the one with the "H" (for HSPA) but never does. T-Mobile works fine. In Houston (USA) at the moment.

adam917

07-07-2009, 21:16

Mine shows 2 AT&T networks as forbidden, but it does register on one of them (appears to be a 2G network) and works fine, just did a test call. It tries to register on the one with the "H" (for HSPA) but never does. T-Mobile works fine. In Houston (USA) at the moment.
Unfortunately, I forgot to specify where this is happening: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. If someone can edit my post to put it in, that would be nice. I'm surprised this forum has such a small edit window. Another forum I go to has one of 2 weeks.

monkeyboy

10-07-2009, 09:17

so are people happily using Celtrek again? is it mostly back in biz?

Benx

12-07-2009, 09:03

I purchased their "service" on 2 May, looking forward to get their SIM "within 4-7 business days." My credit card was charged immediately, but it took several increasingly angry e-mails (service or money back) before they finally delivered on 10 July (50 business days). Official reason for the delay: the shipping cost is higher than expected ($67 instead of $35).
So, I have a SIM card from them now - with a minor flaw: the $45 airtime that I paid for was no part of the delivery! The balance is $0.00. Of course, I claimed the airtime, but what they offer instead is "a $45 check to close your account"!:eek:
Now, are they a real provider? Or a bunch of jokers? Con artists?

cizake

12-07-2009, 10:19

@Benx aka [name removed].
Our TOS are clear, we do not reimburse shipping fees. Yes, we did lose >$30 on shipping fees. Our loss.
Yes we will refund your order in full although you did receive the SIM [excluding shipping fees].
It is our right to refuse serving any customer insulting our employees via emails.
If you want to keep this argument in public forum so be it.
Regards,
Florian Seroussi

dg7feq

12-07-2009, 14:43

FBlack_111

12-07-2009, 20:29

cizake

12-07-2009, 22:44

@Florian: Any ideas when the CDR will work? Some collegues already tried out our 2 cards and they were very content with it. But without itemized billing we can not use it for business use. The accountants will kill us if we just write "50$ = phone bill"...

Chris

1st and most important you can get your CDRs anytime by just sending an email to support AT celtrek.
We are finalizing our APIs, they are technically ready we are in testing phase.

cizake

12-07-2009, 23:00

Benx and Florian:

I have said it before, customer service is what really separates all the various SIM sellers. Some, like Ekit, are available 24/7 and stand by their product. Ekit has been very good to me in solving problems, even though the problems seem to have been with my own phone.

As for cutting off and canceling service because of some "insulting" e-mails, that's Florian's decision. And while I have not seen the e-mails, having a customer wait over 50 business days to receive a SIM, (due to your failure to properly calculate shipping), says a lot about your company. And naturally his credit card was charged when the SIM was ordered.

Who wants to deal with a SIM company that doesn't deliver on their product, and then sticks the client because he sends some angry follow up e-mails when the SIM doesn't show up. For me, I would never give Florian or Celltrek any business. For Benx, maybe your credit card company can help.

You are right and we invest a lot in customer service. It might not be enough but we are a low cost provider. We cannot have more people picking up the phone without an impact on our prices.
As for shipping fees - yes there is a problem on some destination. We rely on 3rd parties to guarantee their prices and guess what? they don't.
Bottom line and for whatever reason you cannot/should not call people names. That's a basic rule in our society.
We work hard, very hard to provide our services. We operate under the same company since 2006. Never operated from overseas and we report to FCC.
So far in 4 years we can count on one hand unhappy customers with over >130.000 SIM delivered.
We will continue our best to provide excellent customer service.

Thanks for reading.

FBlack_111

13-07-2009, 05:21

Cizake:

I know how hard customer service can be. I owned a company that had to handle customer service calls too. I told my staff that they did not have to take any foul language.

But that said, you acknowledged that the extra shipping charge was caused by your vendor. Maybe for a company that has shipped 130,000 SIM's you would have been better off shipping the SIM right away, even if you had to pay an extra $30, then gotten the money back from your vendor. $30 can buy an awful lot of good will. And we would not be having this conversation.

dg7feq

13-07-2009, 12:01

1st and most important you can get your CDRs anytime by just sending an email to support AT celtrek.
We are finalizing our APIs, they are technically ready we are in testing phase.

oh, very well! I'll try that. Thanks :-)

Chris

bones_boy

16-07-2009, 02:22

Celtrek has documented a list on their website that lists their roaming partners in 213 countries and 494 network operators. Rather impressive. I can vouch for Qatar and Libya - callbacks weren't consistent in Libya but they worked from time to time.

http://www.globalroaming.mobi/pdf/Global%20roaming%20partners.pdf

monkeyboy

17-07-2009, 20:05

Is anyone who was a previous customer of Celtrek really happy with how they've handled this transition? 2+ months later, they finally ship me a new SIM and took $20 out of my account... I find that unreasonable...

Benx

18-07-2009, 20:56

To Cizake:
I am glad you publicly repeated your money back promise, made originally on 10 July 2009, because of your failure to provide the claimed service. As of today, 18 July 2009, the money still has not reached its rightful owner.
My e-mails that you find so offending also included several promises and sharing my experience was only one of them.
I was a bit amused about your mentioning your right to refuse service. Let's be frank: You never did. On the contrary, it was me, wasn't it, who offered you two or three times to cancel my order and return my money if you can't deliver.

To everybody else:
I apologize to people on this forum for conducting this sort of conversation here because normally such things should be sorted out with the claims department. On the other hand, this is authentic real-life experience that has its value for purchase decisions.
I will be away from this forum until the end of August for holiday travel (using a global SIM from somebody else), so I will not be able to respond to Cizake's input even if he decides to publish my name, address or credit card number. But I will come back after that and hopefully report that all's well that ends well.

f300

19-07-2009, 11:10

So let me get the facts straight and somehow impersonal:

- company (from US) charges customer (from CZ/EU) $35 for shipping a SIM card (probably a small envelope)
- company states that the SIM "will arrive within 4-7 business days"
- company delivers the SIM after more than two months because it costs them $67 to ship
- due to some altercations between customer and company within those two months company decides to reimburse the customer the money for service, deny him any service but will not reinburse the money for shipping

Now here is my take:

- first of all $67 or even $35 is absolutely ridiculous, especially if we're talking cheap SIM cards. The idea here is to SAVE money. It costs $1.18 to ship such envelope to CZ and probably less if you do it in bulk (maybe $1 more if you get enthusiastic with the printed material included) !!! There isn't any advantage in using a more expensive shipping method especially if we're talking about delivery times of over two months! As for safety it is standard nowadays to send mostly everything like SIM cards, credit cards, credit card
statements via normal uninsured snail mail. And SIM cards are particularly cheap as physical objects and very easy to protect if you want to bother with that (don't send the PIN/PUK with the card, don't send activated cards already, etc); but in the end they're prepaid so even without any precaution there isn't much to lose
- company wrongfully charged the customer the money for shipping. Now if there's an agreement and everybody is happy all right, but if the company says "we charge you 35$ to deliver in 7 days" and they deliver in 2 months for whatever reason they should refund the money, it's as simple as that. Any court would agree to that but of course enforcing this would cost much more than letting it go
- you can refuse to do business with a customer that's crossing lines but you can't charge him for services you did not provide. If he's doing anything illegal call the cops, you don't get to write him a fine just because you have his credit card number
- there is a lesson to be learned from here: when a company doesn't deliver let's say in two weeks what they said they'll deliver in one just go to your credit card company and dispute the charge. If you wait too much you can only complain on various forums (and yes, that might help other people to make decisions).

monkeyboy

02-11-2009, 09:10

just wondering if anyone is using Global Roaming, particularly after the Celtrek fiasco... have they settled in to be a credible provider?

adam917

02-11-2009, 20:02

I am unable to register on AT&T's networks once again with my GR SIM, this time since September.

squawk1200

03-11-2009, 01:19

just wondering if anyone is using Global Roaming, particularly after the Celtrek fiasco... have they settled in to be a credible provider?

Yep, works fine here! :) In my part of the US they roam on T-Mobile... Really does not matter to me as I don't use it much at home...

christophe

03-11-2009, 05:30

I use previously celtrek with the israeli number and now Globalroaming with the belgian number.
Its the most reliable provider i found epsecially with voice quality and prices.
incoming calls at 0.10 usd in Europe and most calls in Eu at 0.24usdare very cheap.

the only negative point is their online management card and calls history billings, i think

Bossman

03-11-2009, 10:11

I dug out my Global roaming sim and it registered here in the US without any problems. I used it quite a bit when I traveled in June. No problems at all.

I agree with christophe, there is no online account managemant. You have to actually contact their customer service to check your history, charges, etc. The only thing available to do online is topup. However, their website looks so incomplete after login in that I do not think even topping up will work.

christophe

03-11-2009, 20:00

support inform me this day that online management will be available soonly. I also attach an us number to the belgian, works well..but you always have to ask support to have histoy of calls and then check if asvertised prices are the same that billed

frenchfry

04-11-2009, 20:26

It seems that they have a limited list USA numbers. They will link them on a case by case of account. I think that my once a year trips will not give me enough volume to get a number. We will see.

christophe

04-11-2009, 22:16

I'm an old customer (one of the first of Celtrek) so i was qualified for the us DID number

cizake

26-11-2009, 16:20

dg7feq

27-11-2009, 08:39

We just relaunched our website with full online management, live call records, OTA top ups and we also added conference call feature.

The One SIM for Global Roaming (http://www.celtrek.com)

Happy Thanksgiving

Hi, good to hear that. Do the old passwords work?

But: now the tariffs seem to be much higher than before for many countries. And there is no complete rate list to download anymore which is not very helpful for business use.

EDIT: I found the rate sheet for download now - but the rates there do not correspond with the ones on the tariff calculator... Which ones are correct now?

Chris

Bossman

01-12-2009, 19:39

My old UserName/Pasword works.

Hi, good to hear that. Do the old passwords work?

Chris

Bossman

12-12-2009, 11:31

My Celtrek sim is no longer registering on any US networks. Anyone else?

Also, one day last week my credit just disappeared to zero. They did fix the issue after I contacted them and the phone started working.

frenchfry

23-12-2009, 17:23

Mine registers fine here in the USA. It also worked great all around the French Polynesia islands(Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, Raiatea) last week.

cizake

28-12-2009, 17:22

Happy Holidays to all members of PrepaidGSM

We finally were able to negotiate better shipping prices. We have lowered our shipping rates by 50% in continental US.
Also to celebrate the holidays we offer 20% on any order. New orders or refill of airtime for existing customers.

Use coupon code: 20OFF on checkout at Home - Global Roaming - The One SIM For Global Roaming (http://www.celtrek.com)
Promotion to last 7 days until January 5th 2010.

Global Roaming wishes everyone a happy new year for 2010.

Thanks.

frenchfry

13-01-2010, 04:16

I'm an old customer (one of the first of Celtrek) so i was qualified for the us DID number

Are you getting charged $3 a month for the US DID. There seems to be $3 disappearing from my account and that is all I can think of as to why. They should have told me there was a charge when they set it up. I liked it when they did not charge extra for a US DID.

cizake

13-01-2010, 10:48

We start 2010 with an exclusive offer on Nexus One.
Nexus One is Google's new phone, only available on limited markets.
Global Roaming makes the Nexus One SIM free, unlocked available worldwide for $589.
We throw in a free SIM with $10 credit of airtime.
Nexus One - Global Roaming - The One SIM For Global Roaming (http://www.celtrek.com/nexus-one-phone.html)

Thanks for looking.

Bossman

14-01-2010, 18:50

Yes. I have noticed my balance go down by about that the last 2 months, without using it at all, till it hit negative the last deduction. I agree, they should have mentioned that they have started charging $3 for the DID. No need to hold on to the DID anyway. I will cancel it and just add it when I am about to travel, if needed.

Are you getting charged $3 a month for the US DID. There seems to be $3 disappearing from my account and that is all I can think of as to why. They should have told me there was a charge when they set it up. I liked it when they did not charge extra for a US DID.

adam917

14-01-2010, 21:49

Do Global Roaming Smart Sims also have DID capability?

frenchfry

14-01-2010, 22:44

Do Global Roaming Smart Sims also have DID capability?

Yes, any Global Roaming/Celtrek sim can get a USA DID for $3 a month. It may be hard to add since they have a limited number of USA DID's. They look at usage and how long you have been with them.

Sophia

20-01-2010, 03:33

I ordered the Nexus One today :D Can't wait till it gets here!

Sophia

21-01-2010, 17:38

Ok, I don't want to sound impatient... I know it's only been 2 days... but I have not heard back from Celtrek even though I asked them via e-mail to verify my order. Twice $650 (I ordered two Nexus One + sim) is a lot of money and I am anxious to hear from them. They ARE reliable, are they not? Before I ordered, I did read this whole thread and front page of this site... :confused:

Sophia

21-01-2010, 19:24

My apologies for the tripple post... I can't edit the previous one. I just spoke to them (chat) and shipping is confirmed for early next week :beer: :thumbup:

flipper9

23-01-2010, 18:19

Does the celtrek sim work with unlocked/jailbroken iPhones such as the 3GS? I don't need the data capability, just the regular voice and text sms funcitons to work. Thanks! :)

frenchfry

05-02-2010, 14:11

adam917

05-02-2010, 21:42

Looks like Celtrek is not working. My USA number is not working and the website login does not work. I wonder what is the problem.

Website login note:
"Celtrek.com - Service Temporarily Unavailable
Something unexpected has happened. Our support team has been notified. Please try again shortly, or call customer service."
Mine is connected to a network just fine and has been all day. I have the Global Roaming SmartSim (same thing, isn't it?). I do not have a US DID on that SIM though.

Moshe

05-02-2010, 22:29

My second try at posting here .....

I have $400+ credit on my Celtrek SIM and the entire thing has been down for several days. ZERO response from Global Roaming AND I even tried e-mailing the CEO!

What's strange is that my MAXroam SIM has been fine, not a moment's interruption in service. I thought they were partners?

I can afford to lose the $$$ on my Celtrek SIM but I'm disgusted with the lack of response by this company. It's not the first time, either.

frenchfry

05-02-2010, 22:31

Mine is connected to a network just fine and has been all day. I have the Global Roaming SmartSim (same thing, isn't it?). I do not have a US DID on that SIM though.

Mine can connect to any career in my area in the USA. It is connecting to T-Mobile, Unicel(Verizon) and AT&T. But you can not call it use the US number or the Belgium number. With also the note from the website I would say they are down.

Moshe

05-02-2010, 22:54

I would love to know how you got your Celtrek SIM to do anything. I am beyond frustrated!! If I didn't have my Maxroam SIM I would be screwed. Celtrek is FUBAR on my end and the lack of response from the "support" team makes it even worse. :chair:

Again, I can afford to lose the $$$, but it's the principle of the matter. I'm ready to go fully legal on these guys but I bet I'd have to get in a long line, based on the research I did today.

Bossman

05-02-2010, 23:00

Wow! That's a lot of money to load onto a prepaid sim. Especially the way a lot of them have proved to be unreliable. You said you can afford to lose it anyway. That's the bottom line...only load the sim card with the money you do not mind losing.

I do not have my sim with me, however, when I call the number it just gives a busy tone. And the website is down of course. They are having some issues. Hopefully they can get it resolved.

Moshe

05-02-2010, 23:05

How can the "bottom line" be that I'm at fault for loading money onto my SIM? What the &"*£?

I load a lot of money onto my SIMs because I do a lot of work in remote, third-world areas with not much access to a computer. If that makes me culpable for getting screwed by Celtrek and Global Roaming, then I may as well forget about ever being accessible to my family and colleagues while I am doing dangerous work in farflung areas. "Sorry, I can't load money onto a roaming SIM because if I lose it then I'm at fault." :eek: Really?

Luckily I am working in New York this week and had my Maxroam with me. I gave Celtrek many chances to give me a response -- ANY response -- to my queries. Not so much as a form email was received. Are you kidding me??

I had to laugh when I checked the "knowledge base" on their site and it was empty. Says it all about the people running Global Roaming, I think.

Bossman

05-02-2010, 23:28

I apologize if it sounded that way. I am in no way blaming you at all. It's just that I have been burnt by a few of them, that I now load it up when I am about to use it.

Hopefully, it's just a temporary glitch and they resolve it soon.

QUOTE=Moshe;30970]How can the "bottom line" be that I'm at fault for loading money onto my SIM?[/QUOTE]

Moshe

05-02-2010, 23:48

Thanks, Bossman, I appreciate it. Sorry if I seemed to get irate with you -- it's not you, it's Global Roaming/Celtrek.

Even worse? I got the CEO's personal email address via a friend on Facebook. My friend tells me that the CEO is posting about going to the Super Bowl on Sunday. I wonder whose money paid for those tickets, and why he hasn't responded to any of my emails??

It just stinks. I expect more from my people.

frenchfry

06-02-2010, 02:46

The Owner made a ton of money when they did the stock IPO. He sold a lot of his stock before it tanked. That is what is paying for his Super Bowl tickets.

After there fall last year when they had to restart it reassured me to not keep a lot of money in my account. I want to add a second world chip to my lineup, But I have not found one I like. I may do Maxroam, But with then using the same source for service Cubic Telecom is holding me back.

I tolerate there down time because I only go out of the USA once or twice a year and lone the phone to my aunt and friend another two times. Lucky for me the service has been up for those four times a year.

I hope that they have not tanked again like last year.

Moshe

06-02-2010, 03:27

frenchfry, thanks for the insight. This whole operation sounds shadier and shadier the more I learn. I wonder if "cizake" will show his face here to explain why his service is down with no notification to customers, no response to support queries, and no sign of life whatsoever for DAYS on end. Probably doesn't have the guts.

frenchfry

06-02-2010, 03:49

I think that the owner thought his company was going to be big. So his selling of of his stock may not be considered a scam.

I do hope they make it. They have the best rates to the USA of all of the world chips.

MaxRoam and Cubic Telecom are one of the same which tells me that this is a Celtrek issue. Not like last year when both Celtrek and Maxroam went down.

Moshe

06-02-2010, 04:06

frenchfry, that's what I don't get -- Maxroam has been good as gold, no downtime. If Maxroam runs on Celtrek's network ... doesn't make sense to me.

Still waiting for "cizake" to show his face here and explain why he's ignoring his customers who have had no service for days on end.

frenchfry

06-02-2010, 04:32

It is the other way around.

Cubic Telecom and Max Roam are the main company and one of the same.

Celtrek/Global Roaming is a Cubic Telecom partner using there setup.

Moshe

06-02-2010, 04:46

frenchfry, I'm confused ... according to a Global Roaming press release I found from a cursory Google search, "Cubic Telecom's renowned MAXroam service uses GRDB's CelTrek technology allowing roaming in over 170 countries at up to 90% cost savings."

Yet Maxroam works perfectly and CelTrek is totally hosed, FUBAR, kaput. Hence my puzzlement. Just glad I had my Maxroam with me!!

Stu

06-02-2010, 14:28

Everyone on this forum has been bitten by a failure, or two, or three of a roaming SIM. We have all learned the hard way to keep our balances low. We are not blaming you, but even companies that seem well capitalized (e.g. United Mobile) have failed.

Moshe

06-02-2010, 21:28

Thanks, Stu -- lesson learned. Celtrek STILL DOWN, Maxroam still running perfectly. Wondering when "cizake" is going to show up with an apology, excuse ... ANYTHING other than silence and bragging on his FB about going to the Super Bowl while customers have lost all their credit and service. Disgusting.

pbcups

07-02-2010, 15:58

Global Roaming sim not working for almost a week now. No response from cizake/Florian Seroussi or his customer service (lol) team after days of attempts. But he's tweeting idle chit chat on his Twitter page so looks like customers without service doesn't stress him too much. Nice.

After reading about how cizake/Florian handled things with Yackie, I wish I had found this place before putting money on Celtrek, Global Roaming, whatever. My sim orginally came loaded with $50 from my employer so I'm trying to find the positive, I only topped up a few times after that.

Florian/cizake, please drop by after the big game to talk to your customers. If your tweeting schedule allows. Maybe log into the Celtrek Twitter account for a few seconds and update your customers!! This is a joke!!

P.S. I liked your tweet about cowards and silence, very appropriate. :o

mingelli

07-02-2010, 17:41

is this problem affecting all sims in every country or only US.
I was going to buy one for a trip to Mexico.

pbcups

07-02-2010, 18:04

Mingelli: Global Roaming is not allowing sales of new sims OR top-ups of existing sims. Says to me that they're completely out of service and don't see a time when
they will be operational again. (But they'll still take your money for a Nexus One if you're gullible enough to trust them after this! lol)

We're all waiting for cizake/Florian Seroussi to show up and give customers some explanation. Not holding my breath on this one. If GR was alive & well or had plans to cone back up, he'd have been here as eagerly as he was to sell Nexus Ones. When the going gets tough, the failures run away fast. Yes I am PO'd.

Moshe

07-02-2010, 20:09

PBCUPS: My Maxroam SIM saved my biz trip this week. You can order from maxroam.com or one of their resellers.

It won't cheer you up to hear that "Cizake" is still bragging on his FB wall about going to "ze Game" (his words) today. Either he doesn't even bother to read this forum anymore or he thinks it's funny that his customers are up sh*t creek without paddles or the money they paid him. Neither possibility makes me think I'm going to get my money back anytime soon. :(

pbcups

08-02-2010, 04:27

Thanks, Moshe. I saw the guy's incessant tweets today. Seems pretty shameless to me. Not going to stop me from pressuring GR to contact me and other customers. Time to call the Florida Better Business Bureau tomorrow morning methinks. Never had to report a company before! Little choice as I have to expense my roaming charges and I need all the documentary proof I can get that Global Roaming/Celtrek/cizake/Florian Seroussi left me high and dry with no refund of my money. Sucks. :(

andy

08-02-2010, 10:38

Can we please keep this discussion sensible.

SEDWARDS

08-02-2010, 17:09

Mine is not working either :(

pbcups

08-02-2010, 22:13

Well that's it. I was just informed that Global Roaming/Celtrek is finished. My heart goes out to all those who lost their jobs. Puts the loss of my money in perspective.

DLCPhoto

08-02-2010, 22:46

Well that's it. I was just informed that Global Roaming/Celtrek is finished. My heart goes out to all those who lost their jobs. Puts the loss of my money in perspective.

Not surprising, but who were you told by, and how reliable is that source?

I'm challening my recent purchase on my Credit Card since they never provided the Service I purchased.

Moshe

08-02-2010, 23:24

I'm not surprised either and yes I do feel for those who have lost their livelihoods. That said, Global Roaming needs to pony up the cash they took from customers like me. cizake can you please respond to e-mails and phone calls or at least post a generic response here??

pbcups

09-02-2010, 01:02

I cannot reveal my source but he/she is impeccable, on the inside. I was advised to join a long list of people who will never see their money again. Note that GR has yet to communicate this to customers and is still taking money for Nexus Ones (but not for sims), despite the company failure.

Moshe

09-02-2010, 01:13

PBCUPS it looks like they've stopped selling Nexus Ones, too. RIP Global Roaming. Now give me back my %$&#@£ money.

pbcups

09-02-2010, 02:06

Well that was fast. Good luck getting refunds, all. Thanks for the PMs, guys, very interesting.

Moshe

09-02-2010, 02:37

Update ... emails to Global Roaming are now bouncing altogether. Yikes.

f300

09-02-2010, 07:15

Sorry for sounding smug but is anyone surprised that a company charging $35 to send the SIM cards to EU and paying a staggering $67 for shipping (their statement) is not doing so well?

andy

09-02-2010, 07:49

Can we please keep this discussion sensible.

Public warning: can we restrict this discussion to objective comment, and leave out the prattle and the blatant intent to deceive other forum members.

Moshe

09-02-2010, 13:21

Public warning: can we restrict this discussion to objective comment, and leave out the prattle and the blatant intent to deceive other forum members.

I know for a fact that PBCUPS is not making this up. andy, sending you a PM with link to verify.

123456

09-02-2010, 16:59

Could Cubic (Maxroam) get into trouble as well? Because there is a connection between Global Roaming and Cubic:
Global Roaming distributes SIM technology, via the Internet, equipped with an application designed to initiate services by sending specific service action requisites. The company also owns and operates the CelTrek website, and retains a 50-percent stake in Cubic Telecom.

From: http://www.qualitystocks.net/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=4744

SEDWARDS

09-02-2010, 17:03

I don't understand how and why this should affect service provision? Please explain?

andy

09-02-2010, 19:35

Could Cubic (Maxroam) get into trouble as well? Because there is a connection between Global Roaming and Cubic:

The information you found is out of date. The share exchange deal was rescissed about a year ago.

andy

09-02-2010, 19:46

I know for a fact that PBCUPS is not making this up. andy, sending you a PM with link to verify.

How do you know something for a fact, yet tell me you don't know what pbcups knows?

SEDWARDS

09-02-2010, 20:10

Ladies & Gentlemen we can not jump to conclusions or make decsions until we have facts and hard evidence all we currently know is that celtrek stopped working, after 5 days of no service or response from their representatives then we can start looking into these allegations. I mean even if they have made a runner on us they were running a business that seems setup in good will...............maybe i'm just trying to console myself...anybody out there?

Moshe

09-02-2010, 21:06

SEDWARDS: The service has been down since last Tuesday.

andy: I told you I don't know where pbcups got info, but the link I sent you corroborates the info.

Good luck getting refunds, everyone, and good luck to GR ex-staff in finding new work. You're in my thoughts.

SEDWARDS

09-02-2010, 21:20

I didnt know it had been that long Moshe :-(

frenchfry

09-02-2010, 21:42

I think some like me are upset because the same thing happened last year. It was the same with no response for a week or more before they restarted with a new sim. But last year Maxroam was down for the same problem. This year it looks worse with only Celtrek/Global Roaming down.

If it is true they are tight partners with Maxroam then they should take over our sims.

Can somebody PM me the link to solid info of the possible down fall of Celtrek/Global Roaming.

SEDWARDS

09-02-2010, 22:22

Yeah I am upset and maxroam should take us all.......

andy

10-02-2010, 02:08

Can somebody PM me the link to solid info of the possible down fall of Celtrek/Global Roaming.

It is not solid info published anywhere, what these two usernames are saying is based on third-rate hearsay extracted from non-phones sources, and the private matters of a number of people, some of whom have no connection to the company at all, and have made no comment on it either.

I say for the third time, can we please keep this discussion sensible and based on actual facts, not inane prattle and deceit of other forum members.

Moshe and pbcups, I suggest you take your dispute with the company elsewhere. I'm not going to let this charade continue on your terms, especially not after one particular remark made to me which you've repeated in public.

andy

10-02-2010, 02:35

It is not officially announced.

I tell you what is ridiculous - your fake dialogue the other day.

andy

10-02-2010, 02:41

... and your near-immediate deletion of your post

kindly do not post innnuendoes based on so-called impeccable inside knowledge, then denounce me with moral lectures about revealing sources

Effendi

10-02-2010, 07:46

I just remember to everyone that it's FORBIDDEN to use 2 accounts on this forum and totaly useless to start a fake dialogue between the two. We see all ip numbers of the users and we are not stupid. So let's all behave in a more clever way...

DLCPhoto

10-02-2010, 17:43

For what it's worth, I just received an email from an "Aaron" at Celtrek/Global Roaming:

Thank you for calling on CelTrek.

We are experiencing technical issues from our service provider.

Global Roaming is actively working to regain stability and become fully operational, as soon as possible.

Please direct all inquires to "email address" we will get back to you shortly.

We understand this causes great inconveniences,

Ironically, about an hour prior, I ordered a SIM from Ekit's Ebay site....

frenchfry

10-02-2010, 19:06

I got the same email this morning. I too ordered a SIM from Ekit's Ebay site on Monday. I decided even if Celtrek comes back up i would keep both.

It would be nice if they would give more information.

GadgetKen

11-02-2010, 03:17

When I saw the rumored link between GR/Celtrek and Maxroam/Cubic posted(certainly logical because both use BE), I decided to try my Maxroam card that only had a very small balance on it (guessing 6 or 7 euro left). While it registered on AT&T USA, the balance check just came back with a zero euro balance. Was going to use up the rest of my balance on an upcoming trip but I guess that decision is made for me. Have plenty of other communication options.

Getting real tired of dead callback sim cards though. I've gone through travelfone, yackie, maxroam, um/riiing and um+. Really hoping the ekit simple calling card I got over ebay lasts longer....sixth time is a charm? :)

frenchfry

11-02-2010, 05:47

It has been stated that Maxroam is not affected. I bet there is something else going on with your Maxroam sim.

123456

11-02-2010, 09:01

The information you found is out of date. The share exchange deal was rescissed about a year ago.You're right. I also found it: Telecom firm Cubic shelves share listing plan in US (http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/telecom-firm-cubic-shelves-share-listing-plan-in-us-1620316.html)

Bossman

11-02-2010, 10:01

GadgetKen is correct. I had a couple of euros or so left on mine. I just checked my balance and it came back as zero. May be they did some kind of update that wiped out the balances on some sim cards. I will not waste my time contacting them. My plan was to just use up whatever little I had left on it anyway.

It has been stated that Maxroam is not affected. I bet there is something else going on with your Maxroam sim.

GadgetKen

11-02-2010, 14:33

I'm guessing MaxRoam wiped out balances on sim cards that were inactive for a while and/or had low balances. Agree not worth pursuing for a few Euro on a card that I was going to get rid of anyway...while customer service was good, the alternate dialing procedure was cumbersome, online account access was difficult, and the MaxRoam rate calculator was frequently down. The ekit Simple Calling card seems a more polished solution for my needs; I'll see how it works out.

NiamhMAXroam

11-02-2010, 15:55

@bossman @gadgetken
Hi There
I am Niamh (head of customer service at MAXroam)
you should have no issue with your sim card and I apologise for any problems.
Could you drop me an email Niamh at maxroam dot com and I will immeaditly fix for you

Sophia

11-02-2010, 20:22

I don't want to fuel the fire, but I do like to share my story too :( We ordered two Nexus One phones from Celtrek, one for myself, one for my Dad. Mine arrived about a week later, but my Dad's is still not sent. I contacted them a few times using their online support chat, and last week Wednesday the person informed me it would be shipped on Friday.

Friday came and went, today is Thursday almost a week further, and they have been offline since. I for one am worried, and just opened a dispute with Paypal.

I really hope things will turn out well......... we're talking about $650 investment here :confused:

GadgetKen

11-02-2010, 23:33

Sophia, sorry to hear of your difficulties with Celtrek. At least you got one of the two phones you ordered and you can probably use it with a prepaid data capable sim from another provider. Looks like a nice phone! If PayPal decides the dispute in your favor, you should be able to recover what you paid for the second phone and associated prepaid airtime.
My experience with PayPal in disputes has been a good one: my money was refunded by PayPal when a Hong Kong dealer failed to send a phone I once ordered, and was subsequently delisted from ebay (although I should say that the vast majority of ebay deals I've done have been quite satisfactory and there are many fine reputable dealers based in Hong Kong).

NiamhMAXroam, I appreciate your offer to rectify the issues associated with my Maxroam card, but while you have offered exemplary customer service with prior Maxroam issues I've had, the Maxroam card regrettably does not fit my current prepaid sim card needs. It is not worth restoring what little remaining credit was still on my card.

Sophia

11-02-2010, 23:48

Thanks for the kind words :) Yes, it is a lovely phone, very happy with it. My Dad lives in another country, so he is jealous as can be that I get to play and he doesn't :p
Anyway, if we have not heard from them by Tuesday (I sent MANY messages over the past few weeks, non got answered), we shall ask Paypal to proceed with getting the money back, and order it from International Orders instead. Shame!

GadgetKen

12-02-2010, 00:33

If nothing heard by next Tuesday, it would be a good idea to file the PayPal dispute. You can use your unanswered messages as documentation that you tried to resolve the transaction in good faith with no results. This needs to be done within 45 days of the original transaction. Good luck!

f300

12-02-2010, 08:19

Paypal terms of service might differ from country to country but from experience I can tell you they don't cover "prepaid credit", only physical goods. Now I don't know exactly how they handle these corner cases where a physical SIM is delivered with some attached prepaid value.
However you should be able to get the money for the phone which is what matters. I strongly recommend you escalate to a claim (or however is called the next step) now because at this point only an automated message will be sent to the shop and either they'll get a nudge and send your phone faster (if they can/want to do it) or you'll get your money back faster. It's win-win and you waited enough anyway.

OneSimCard

12-02-2010, 18:09

Hi PrepaidGSM forum. This is James, VP Marketing at OneSimCard. I'm here to answer any questions that might come up about our service and to help compare with other options out there.

I also want to let everyone here know that just our offer for former United Mobile customers, now Celtrek / Global Roaming customers can mail us their SIM card and we will replace it for free including airtime

I look forward to fielding questions and providing support to our current customers through this forum.

Sophia

12-02-2010, 19:19

Thanks, I have just done so. Now, they have 10 days to respond, if not, we shall get the money back. Thanks for the advice, and I shall keep everybody posted.

Stu

12-02-2010, 23:17

Come on give them another chance and send them a little money, the owner needs a little more free money for his trip to Vancouver.

bones_boy

17-02-2010, 02:19

Can always count on the good people of this forum to inform us when another prepaid card has bitten the dust (allegedly).

Guess it would be asking too much for Florian or Aaron or Ryan or *someone* to make an appearance or send an email.

Well now, thinking about it, did any of the others? (no)

Let's dig through the old unused billfold of PP SIM card companies that have failed to deliver goods and services as advertised...

Swisscom
Hop
United Mobile/Riiing
09
Yackie
Globe Prepaid (Philippines)
Celtrek (allegedly)

All that leaves (as useful for me) is Mobal - and that's hardly a PP SIM - Isn't even a cost-effective SIM.

Sophia

17-02-2010, 16:57

Well, today is Wednesday, and not a peep from our Paypal claim on Celtrek. I think it is safe to assume they have passed on... sad. Paypal said if we have not heard from them within 10 days, they will decide the claim in our favor and give back the money. What a relief!

Celtrek - NEVER AGAIN! Nor anybody else who have taken them over, I just noticed that in my previous reply (saying thanks, I have just done so), I actually replied to f300... it looks as if I am replying to this one post individual who says they have taken over Celtrek. Thanks, but no thanks, I'm done with you lot... I can live with the $10 loss on the simcard as at least my own Nexus One phone works perfectly.

As for my Dad, he will order from International Orders as soon as the money is refunded.

flipper9

17-02-2010, 20:02

Dang; anyone having any luck with Global Roaming? They have the best rates for where I'm travelling to (Dominican Republic, US$0.10/min incoming, US$0.24/min outgoing to USA), and I wouldn't want to purchase their card and then have all this trouble. Is this an isolated incident or widespread?

OneSimCard

17-02-2010, 20:23

Sophia, we did receive your registration to replace your unusable Celtrek / Global Roaming SIM card. As soon as we receive your SIM in the mail, we will ship you your free OneSimCard SIM with $10 balance.

Anyone else can do this as well by using the link posted above. FYI, we have nothing to do with Celtrek / Global Roaming; we're a private U.S. company based in Boston, MA.

James

Sophia

17-02-2010, 21:06

Ok, won't hurt to try. Will be traveling to Holland in April and could sure use an international sim card by then.

andy

17-02-2010, 22:43

... it looks as if I am replying to this one post individual who says they have taken over Celtrek.

I don't believe this firm have taken over Celtrek, or that there is any connection at all

It's just a parasitic hijack of this subject to post spam promoting an entirely different product.

Send your old SIM at your own risk, but it seems highly unlikely that any credit will be carried over.

Onesimcard, from now on kindly post in reply to queries only about your own product, not others

OneSimCard

17-02-2010, 22:52

Andy, no intent to spam the forum, just trying to help people who have been left stranded by Celtrek. Obviously we will not be able to carry over any balances people had on their Celtrek accounts, but a free SIM with airtime should help. In any event, my apologies if I violated any forum rules by posting in this thread, however I thought it was relevant.

andy

18-02-2010, 00:07

The tradition is that the forum is mainly for the interest of users but suppliers are allowed for mainly customer support type reasons and aren't meant to post material that is merely advertsing.

My comments about invading a thread about one product to post about another are my personal opinion; some people would view it as poor etiquette, some take no notice.

As you have no information whatsoever about Celtrek, and it is not yet known by other people what the position is, your opinion that your contribution is relevant might be viewed as somewhat tenuous

bones_boy

18-02-2010, 05:17

your opinion that your contribution is relevant might be viewed as somewhat tenuous

That's putting it mildly.

flipper9

18-02-2010, 21:11

Back to the topic of Global Roaming, is this an isolated incident or are they really having issues everywhere (i.e. nobody can buy airtime, people can't use their cards, etc).

Bossman

18-02-2010, 21:53

I am not sure if anyone knows for sure that they are gone for good. However, they have been down for at least 2 weeks. And, there has not been any communication to the customers. Also, you can't do much on their website. Somewhere in this thread a couple of folks reported they got an email from their CSR, however most of us have not heard anything.

Back to the topic of Global Roaming, is this an isolated incident or are they really having issues everywhere (i.e. nobody can buy airtime, people can't use their cards, etc).

flipper9

18-02-2010, 22:07

Okay, thanks! :)

Guess I'll wait and see what happens. I'm not travelling for a bit and can hold off buying a sim card from anyone until then. They have the best rates for me, but if it doesn't work...that's the worst rate of all. LOL

Sophia

18-02-2010, 23:13

Right now you can't order from them anyway, all their products say "out of stock".

Sophia

23-02-2010, 17:58

Here a short update, more later. Celtrek responded to the claim by providing MY tracking number to Paypal, pretending it was sent and over with. Since they have flatly refused to communicate directly with either my Dad or myself, not responding to tickets, emails, and being offline on their live help chat, I must conclude they are a bunch of crooks.

It is easy enough to prove that I paid for MY phone and my Dad for his, only he never received his. We sent a detailed statement to Paypal explaining what was sent to who and when, and that the tracking number provided had nothing to do with my Dad's order. Heck, he doesn't even live in the same country as me.

Anyway, I will keep everybody posted, in the meantime, I URGE everybody NOT to do business with Celtrek... I do NOT have a good feeling about them at all. But, as I said, I will keep you posted. If Celtrek comes back with big apologies, I will amend my statements here.

Bossman

24-02-2010, 18:53

It looks like they are not totally dead yet. They may be coming back down the road. At least they should have told their customers something. See the last posting on their twitter page - CelTrek (celtrek) on Twitter (http://twitter.com/celtrek)

Sophia

24-02-2010, 21:23

Pfft. They are trying to con my Dad out of $650 without ever sending him the goods... now trying to con Paypal providing MY tracking number as "proof" of it being sent (which, as I said before, is ever so easy to prove WRONG)... not responding to ANY of our numerous tickets... would you do business with a company that shady? I wouldn't, even if they came back with the biggest bang on earth!

CellularPolice

25-02-2010, 19:53

Here is the info we have gathered over the past few weeks:

Supposedly, their website and database was hacked by an outside party which is what brought all this on and they are working hard on getting everything back online. Why this takes over a month, I have no idea.....

The reason that no one answers the phones is because the owner has decided not to divulge any of the above info and has no ETA on getting back up & running. He may also not have any clue as to how to run a business, especially a SERVICE where the customer should ALWAYS be informed!

I also have reason to believe that the owner doesn’t really give a crap about his customers - since he seems to have plenty of time to give Twitter & Facebook updates daily but can't even find any time to keep customers abreast of the situation, apologize, etc.

We have spoken with the Federal authorities and criminal actions will be taken very soon due to the lack of communication from Global Roaming/Celtrek.

Stay Tuned!

andy

25-02-2010, 23:46

I don't suppose you're related to those other two chancers obsessed with whining about Twitter and Facebook and equally irrelevant details, by any chance?

Come back when you can produce something with rather less obviously invented hearsay, or not at all

SEDWARDS

26-02-2010, 22:45

Only time will tell they probably will return as their twitter suggests & their voicemail has changed

frenchfry

27-02-2010, 15:56

My credit card gave me my last $20 refill from Celtrek back that I had not used.

I do hope they do make it back. There rates are much better than the other world sims cards.

Stu

27-02-2010, 18:34

The story posted above doesn't make a great deal of sense. If they were hacked, you easily move your accounts to a different computer and start profiling the accounts for evidence of fraudulent entries. Look for new deposits, high balances, high calling immediately after the hack. Compare your data with third party data looking for discrepencies.

If you need to temporarily block balances over $X in the interim, you'll have a hand full of angry customers. Right now, they've destroyed their base.

smalltalk

28-02-2010, 17:46

On Feb 3 I have received the following email from celltrek:

"We experienced an attacked on our database - which is causing the backend to be down for now.

Our technicians are working to resolve the matter shortly.

Apologies for any inconvenience,

Let us know how we can better serve you, as always we welcome your questions and feedback."

I have several SIM cards with them. All of them have stopped working since.

Bossman

28-02-2010, 20:30

For someone to attack you backend/database and take you offline for this long indicates you did not know what you were doing in the first case. And your systems were very likely totally unsecure. Again, that's assuming that is what actually happened.

SEDWARDS

28-02-2010, 20:53

I'm not sure how much I trust them anymore I just want my money back and I'm sure again they will have the lowest rates so use with caution i guess who knows?

Sophia

28-02-2010, 23:19

Bossman and Sedwards, far be it from me to put thoughts in your minds, but how can you ever trust a company that willfully tries to swindle a 74 year old out of $650? I say willfully, because they PROMISED to send him that Nexus One phone, they acknowledged there were two orders, received several tickets on the matter without one reply in return, and then were not too lazy to suddenly wake up to provide the wrong tracking number to Paypal as "proof" it was sent. Case closed and over with, right? Not so... they sent ONE and we paid for TWO.

My Dad has enough proof to provide to Paypal. He sent screenshots from both orders, both paypal payments, and the one shipment, as well as screenshots of the emails begging them to replay, and the automated ticket system message that my account was created. Since they refuse to let me log in, I cannot send further proof such as the actual tickets I sent, most of them with a "critical" status, and Celtrek playing dead throughout it all, but I'd say this is proof enough. Paypal is more than welcome to try and log in on our behalf, so they can see we spoke the truth there too.

Yesterday he got a message from Paypal that the matter is currently being investigated. If Celtrek had not provided a bogus tracking number, my Dad would have gotten his money back last Wednesday. Because they did try this swindle, it's still under investigation. Honest, huh? Real nice people.

However, I don't have a single doubt in my mind that the matter will be decided favorably in our case, since we have ample proof of the two orders, two payments, and single shipment of one phone.

Stu

01-03-2010, 01:50

Sophia,

I've only used PayPal casually so I don't know the answer to the question, but what happens if there isn't $650 in the account that is attached to their PayPal account?

Bossman

01-03-2010, 09:13

Usually there is also a credit card associated with the paypal account. So, if there is not enough funds in the account, they will try to charge the rest to the credit card on file.

Sophia,

I've only used PayPal casually so I don't know the answer to the question, but what happens if there isn't $650 in the account that is attached to their PayPal account?

SEDWARDS

01-03-2010, 10:51

i understand sophia:( they shd refund us @ the minimum

Sophia

01-03-2010, 16:35

Sophia,

I've only used PayPal casually so I don't know the answer to the question, but what happens if there isn't $650 in the account that is attached to their PayPal account?

I don't know :confused: and don't think we are not worried :down:

SEDWARDS

01-03-2010, 17:45

i think you are covered by paypal, its paypal's duty to verify sellers, i do know that if you wait for paypal to escalate it they wont and after 20 days or something if you haven't made alot of noise paypal is no longer liable to help you, i mean they know how to track down celtrek if they want to, my advice is keep badgering paypal

Bossman

01-03-2010, 23:42

No life in their so-called support forum. However, it looks like a celtrek employee named Ryan gave some hint as to what the issue may be.

why isn't my account working? (http://getsatisfaction.com/celtrek/topics/why_isnt_my_account_working)

Sophia

01-03-2010, 23:57

Heh... good Celtrek is a big SCAM! (http://getsatisfaction.com/celtrek/topics/celtrek_is_a_big_scam)

Edit: it got deleted. However, I will not rest until we DO GET OUR MONEY BACK, or until the phone is shipped to my Dad (whichever comes first).

Until then, Celtrek has STOLEN our money.

This is what it said:

---
Ryan
Removed this topic
Reason: We took the appropriate measures with Paypal and this case should be resolved shortly. No need for names or insults.
---

However I did not call names, nor put any insults there (apart from calling Celtrek a scam, which until proven otherwise, they are. They HAVE not given back my Dad his money, they took it for something that was never sent, no matter of deleting can change that FACT).

Sophia

02-03-2010, 03:33

Ok, I am not trying to change this into a personal soap box, but I promised to keep everybody up-to-date. Today, for the FIRST TIME, Celtrek did respond in a personal email to me. Since I have been open and honest about this whole affair with all of you here, I will copy everything except my full name and numbers.

---

From Jack Mitchel @ Celtrek:

Dear Ms B...,

I'm following up on your Get Satisfaction post.
Can you briefly describe your problem so I can respond accordingly?

Thank you,

Jack | Customer Support | Global Roaming Inc.
20900 NE 30th Ave Suite 603, Miami, USA | T: +1 (305) 249-3121 | Toll Free: +1 (888) 5CELTREK

---

My response:

Yes Jack!

I will give you all the details, gladly.

On January 19th, I ordered a Nexus One phone from Celtrek, and paid $650 using Paypal (id s...m). Order number 102....
The next day, my Dad decided to order one for himself, and also paid that amount using Paypal as well (id j...m). Order number 102...., ordered January 20th.

We got confirmation for both orders, and I talked to Celtrek a few times on their live chat on which shipping of my phone was confirmed January 25th.
On 22nd of January I received a shipping confirmation that shipment 502.... for order 102.... was shipped to my address in Canada, and on the 5th of February I received this phone in perfect order.

After a few more chats inquiring about our OTHER order, my Dad's phone was confirmed to ship on Friday the 5th of February.
However, my Dad's phone was never shipped, and there is no tracking number of a shipment to the Netherlands.

Of course we did not consider my Dad's would not be shipped at all, but when time passed, we got concerned. We sent many, MANY emails, chats, tickets etc to ask when my Dad's phone would be shipped, and when we received NO information, we FINALLY filed a claim with paypal, or rather, my Dad did.

Lo and behold, Celtrek came back and gave MY shipment tracking number to Paypal, as if it was sent and over with. Needless to say that is hardly correct, since it was shipped to ME in Canada.

In short, we ordered two phones, paid for two, and received only one. Meaning between my Dad and myself, we are $650 out of pocket as of now.

Thank you for listening. We are getting desperate by now and don't know where to turn anymore. I shall add this email to the claim however, as yet another proof of our willingness to explain the situation.

Yours, Sophia B...

PS You can follow our horror story at http://www.prepaidgsm.net/forum/international-gsm-prepaid-cards/4934-global-roaming-former-celtrek-16.html

---

Is it me or is it time to start to see a glimmer of light... :surrender:

cizake

02-03-2010, 14:23

I apologize for the lack of communication.
As of February 1st 2010 Celtrek/Global Roaming as removed option to purchase SIM cards or Air time on our website.
We are in the process of ceasing all operations due to financial constraints.
In last weeks we have conducted a series of meetings with other providers to find an a solution for existing customers.
We are close to finalizing a deal with a current supplier of roaming cards that will offer a replacement solution at no loss for existing customers.
I can't say more at this time. We did our very best to offer a competitive product at attractive pricing. We failed.
We want to believe most of our customers have saved hundreds of dollars while roaming with us.
Personally I'm stepping down with a sad face.

Regards,
Florian Seroussi

Bossman

02-03-2010, 14:38

Cizake,

I want to commend you for having the courage to come out and address some of the questions that folks have been having. You are correct, your prices were one of the lowest compared to other roaming sim cards. The roaming sim market is certainly not what it used to be. Hence, it will not be easy to survive in this very dynamic market. Especially with so many players and dwindling potential customers. Hope you guys make it back sometime down the road.

cizake

02-03-2010, 14:48

Thanks Bossman.

I appreciate the support.
We won't make it back. We will find a solution with another provider to take over existing customers.
It has been 5 years of fighting against the odds.
Ultimately we lost the battle.

cizake

02-03-2010, 14:51

To Sophia:
FYI: The paypal transaction has been successfully refunded to your father.
I hope you enjoy your Nexus.

Sophia

02-03-2010, 16:13

Sorry to see you go. The money has been refunded, thank you, case finally closed.

I wish all you personally a good new career and all the best for the future.

PS The N1 is the best phone I have ever seen!

Kenji

02-03-2010, 16:50

Cizake,
I had experienced almost same with Sophia.
When I made a complaint to Paypal, GR told me a fake tracking number.
I'm lucky because my Paypal account wasn't hacked by GR, using different password for Paypal with GR.
And I have to say, shame on you.

cizake

02-03-2010, 17:39

Sorry Kenji. We never hacked any Paypal account?!
I can say for a fact that your amount has been refunded in FULL some time ago.
I apologize for the inconvenience and lack of communication.

Sophia

03-03-2010, 04:05

The (almost) last word in this matter, and I know it is rather off topic but hopefully rounds up this mess: my Dad ordered the phone from International Orders. It was shipped the very same day, and according to the tracking information, it went from California to Texas within hours, to be continued. He is very excited after all the nice stories I told him about this cute phone, and he wants to forget all his misery as soon as he can.

As a sidenote but more within this topic, Celtrek sent me an email asking me to change my previous posts to keep their reputation in tact. However, I am not able to change any of my posts older than a day or so, so I think this will have to stay as a little history lesson to us all, as well as Celtrek (and, if they ever make it back, to help them stay on their toes) :)

Whatever the mods decide to alter or not, I will gladly live with. I think I might have called Celtrek crooks, a scam and frauds at times, out of sheer frustration, which I know now they are not (completely). However, I also think that if we all had not smoked them out publicly, they might not have confessed their current status, and might not have refunded the money out of their own initiative either.

I suggest we let this be a lesson to all, and close this subject once and for all :D