topic Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US in Roaming

Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

Elina_K — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 15:54:18 GMT

I’m currently roaming in the United States and have the international roaming add-on active on my account. When I first arrived, I was able to make calls to Greece without any issues. However, starting the following day, I’ve been unable to connect calls to any Greek numbers.

I can still make calls to UK numbers without any problems, so the issue seems specific to Greece. I’ve double-checked the dialing format (using +30 followed by the local number without the leading zero), but the calls do not go through.

I tried putting the iPhone 13 on flight mode and turn off turn, problem persists. It's only for calls, data connection works fine.
This is the first time I travel to the US after the renewal of my plan in January...anyone, any ideas how to fix this?

Thank you for your help.

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

bristolian — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 16:22:51 GMT

Try manually cycling through each local network in-turn. Are the symptoms specific to one operator, or are they common?

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

Elina_K — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 16:38:21 GMT

Symptoms persist regardless of the operator. I tried all available networks manually and I keep getting the same reply to my efforts to call greek numbers "we are unable to connect your call try again later"
I am able to call UK and US numbers though, but not greek numbers.

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

Elina_K — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 16:39:01 GMT

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

Plymouthbloke1 — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 17:23:32 GMT

Do you have a spend cap? As calls from the USA to Greece would be charged would they not?

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

ukms — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 17:23:39 GMT

Do you have a spend cap in place ? Wouldn’t calls to Greece be chargeable ?

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

Elina_K — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 18:23:58 GMT

I have Full Roaming Roam in the EU an Roam Further Pass as active add-ons on my plan.
Nevertheless, I just checked on my billing information and there appears a roaming charge for a call to Greece that I tried to make yesterday but it didn't connect. I contacted EE and the person who answered my call said they would refund for this charge. I hope they do. I still can't make calls to greek numbers.

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

ukms — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 19:59:23 GMT

Even though EE have indicated a refund the Greek calls are clearly being charged and perhaps taken you up to your spend cap.

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

Plymouthbloke1 — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 20:33:09 GMT

When you’re roaming in the “Rest of World” countries, I believe you can only call the UK and the country you are in as part of your allowances. If you’re roaming in the EU Zone you can call the UK and any other country in the EU zone as part of your plan. As you’re in the USA, even though you have an EU roaming pass, as you’re not in the EU it doesn’t apply.

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

bristolian — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 20:40:56 GMT

@Plymouthbloke1 wrote:

When you’re roaming in the “Rest of World” countries, I believe you can only call the UK and the country you are in as part of your allowances.

You believe correctly! At least that's also my understanding.

The "use your UK allowances" aspect of inclusive roaming extends to in-country & to-UK calls & texts. Thus the reverse scenario - calling the USA whilst roaming in the EU - would also be chargeable.

What doesn't help is that the roaming costs calculator doesn't differentiate between these, and just states "making a call - included"

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

ukms — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 21:11:38 GMT

This is the text from EE I received a couple of months ago roaming in the US.

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

bristolian — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 21:15:43 GMT

Nice. That "calls to countries outside the Europe zone" tallies with the normal per-minute rate in the US when you don't have a billing add-on covering in-country calls.

I would suspect that if the OP was to enquire of their un-billed charges via texting BALANCE to 150, it should fall within their spend cap.

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

Elina_K — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 23:49:47 GMT

When you are outside the UK roaming add-ons combine and you can use your plan allowances to call from/to any country of the roaming add-ons lists. At least this was the case until last January, every time I was in the US I could call greek numbers free of charge using the roaming add-ons on my plan. I renewed my plan recently and I was reassured that the same would apply for the new plan too, all the add-ons (EU roaming, International roaming and Further roaming) are added and I should not be charged. I contacted EE and they said they would refund the roaming charge as a call to Greece shouldn't be charged.

The problem is that I can NOT make calls to Greece, I keep getting the recorded message "We can't connect your call" everytime I try. Even the wrong charge I had was for an unsuccessful call.
It's really bizarre, as my phone operates well, I have data and I can call UK and US numbers, but it doesn't let me make calls to greek numbers, although I could call greek numbers upon my arrival. It's after one day that the problem occurred.
I tried restarting and flight mode, but no success.

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

Michael_D — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 07:19:52 GMT

Hi @Elina_K

If it is happening on every network, it is looking likely that it is something at account level.

When you spoke to our billing guides about the call charge, did they look into why the call would not connect?

Michael

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

bristolian — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 07:26:02 GMT

@Elina_K wrote:

I tried restarting and flight mode, but no success.

Have you texted BALANCE to 150? And compared your unbilled spend with your spend cap amount?

Regardless of the rights & wrongs of charging, that's an easy way to prove the theory.

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

Elina_K — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:31:59 GMT

BALANCE returns to me this wrong charge for the call that never connected because of the roaming issue. For some reason the system counted one of my attempts to call Greece as a successful 2 minutes call. I talked to a representative and they said that they would fill a refund of this amount for me so that it won't appear on my next bill. I hope they do so. I had no cup initially and now the representative suggested we do it 30 pounds just to see if the roaming problem for Greece persists. Unfortunately, it does, no matter the spending cup change. It's so strange because I can use my roaming calling US numbers. The person I talked to suggested I contact the technical department. I' ll try this, but I have the feeling that something is really messed up in the EE's systems regarding my number and my roaming add-ons.
I thought to write here just in case somebody had experienced the same problem before, not being able to connect calls to a certain country while roaming through a roaming add-on

Re: Issue with Calling Greece While Roaming in the US

Elina_K — Mon, 19 May 2025 01:15:03 GMT

Me too! This is the second time in 3 months. I just arrived and I notices that despite my full roaming add ons my phone can't connect to European numbers. The previous time I took them 2 weeks of useless investigation, I left the US and the problem still remained. Now I came back and I can't use my phone again. And no way to contact them with the difference of time, their service is closed. So disappointing, this company can't deliver the services they charge us for! 😵