|
I received these messages regarding
problems with using a Turkish
pay-as-you-go SIM card in
July, August and September 2008:
Dear Tom,
Turkish SIM cards do not work
in foreign phones. The network outlets don't tell
you this and so will sell you a card
which will only work for a short period
of time (mine worked badly for about
one week - no SMS, another girl only
two days).
You need to either buy a phone in
Turkey or register your own phone,
this costs 60YTL and takes two weeks.
I think it's important to let other
people know so they don't waste their
time and money.
Kind regards,
[An Australian traveler]
P.S Your website was very helpful
and information, both before we left
and whilst travelling. We just returned
from a five weeks trip and absolutely
loved Turkey.
Dear Tom,
My boyfriend and I have returned from
a lovely two week trip to Turkey. The
only problem we had was with using
a Turkish
pay-as-you-go (PAYG) SIM card.
On arrival to Ataturk
Airport, my
boyfriend (who has an unlocked Sony
Erricson P1i) bought a PAYG SIM from
Avea, with 50YTL of additional credit.
He was asked for a photocopy of his
passport and a few other details to
register the phone. Informed by the
sales staff that it would take two
hours for the SIM to register, off
we went - and two hours later, it worked.
Fast forward to a week later, and
he receives a text in Turkish about
not registering his IMEI number, and
then the SIM locks out, with the error
message 'unregistered SIM'. Rather
irritiating as we still are yet to
cash in on 50YTL of PAYG.
At this point we are with the lovely
Faruk in the Kismet
Cave House - and
on asking him, it turns out that many
people have bought mobile phones on
the cheap outside of Turkey, and have
been re-selling them at great profit,
which was why the Turkish government
implemented the foreign mobile phone
rule. A 'grace period' of one week
is given before the SIM locks out and
you have to register it.
Given that most people would holiday
in Turkey for a few days to a week,
this would at least make sense in the
context of why the phone would work
for a short length of time, then suddenly
unregister.
However, it appears to only lock to
the mobile phone mast you are most
local to. In our second week, when
we were in Istanbul, the SIM resurrected
itself, then after about an hour, then
became unregistered. On moving around
Istanbul, it seems to be at least on
our observation - linked to how fast
the mobile phone company can work out
that you have a foreign phone once
you are locked out.
In any case it was bloody irritating.
We ending up having to toast the 50YTL of credit on a superfluous call to
the UK, simply to use it up. In addition,
walking into an Avea store and asking
for a quick solution does not appear
to work either. Staff either are unable
to help, or it will take an additional
two days to a week to register - not
so good when your departure flight
is in two days time...
Despite this small problem, we had
a fantastic time, and would not hesitate
to go again. Without a Turkish
SIM,
of course!
Kind regards,
May Wung
Dear Tom,
My wife and I moved to Turkey in late
March and a few days later went to
a small Turkcell shop, signed up for
Turkcell and got Hazirkarts [pay-as-you-go
SIM cards]. We were told we had to
register our phones within
2 months.
After about 6 weeks they stopped
working.
We went to a Turkcell shop, but they
couldn't help and they sent us to a
big Turkcell Merkez [Turkcell Central]
shop. We were told there that you
have to register your phone within
one month of arrival (or at
the airport when you arrive). [Note
from Tom: I have never found a place
at the airport to register mobile phones.]
After that it's too late to register, the
phone will be locked, and they
can't unlock it. There's absolutely
no remedy, although they said you could
leave the country, come back and register
it then. We argued with them for ages,
but to no avail. There was some kind
of appeal process, but the way it was
described it sounded as though we had
no chance. We had to buy Turkish
mobiles.
But they also told us that even
if you do register your phone, it
will only work for 6 months anyway. After
that you have to buy a Turkish phone
(or, I guess, leave the country and
re-register).
At the Turkcell Merkez they were very
definite about the one month limit,
and said that at smaller shops people
sometimes get told the wrong thing.
We had actually received texts warning
us, but couldn't yet understand them.
In the UK we got free phones every
year, but Turkish phones are
expensive.
It seems to me that it might simply
be a protectionist policy to
prevent mobiles from abroad competing
with mobile sales in Turkey.
|
