Voicemail Charges Whilst Abroad

[jodonoghue]

Morning all,
I am travelling to Turkey very soon and have added a Travel Data Pass.
I'm still concerned over voicemails though. It is very likely that I will continue to receive calls whilst I'm away, although I don't intend on listening to the voicemails.
If I turn my voicemails off, will I get charged when people attempt to call me?
Can I still have a greeting stating that I am away and can not take voicemails, if I turn my voicemails off? If so, how do I set that up?

All help appreciated as the guidance on the website gives mixed messages.

[Alex_M]

Hi @jodonoghue,

You will never be charged for receiving calls, so it is fine to leave VM on - there are not any additional charges for receiving calls or voicemails while abroad.

You can listen to your voicemails while abroad by calling +44 7953 222 222, however these calls are chargeable and will come out of wither your allowance or as an additional charge on your bill.

Thanks,
Alex

[jodonoghue]

Service CostData/internetMaking a callReceiving a callSending a textSending a picture messageVoicemail

Buy data add-on

£2.34 per minute

£2.34 per minute

76p per text

83p per picture message

To receive a voicemail you'll be charged at the receive a call per-minute rate above To save a voicemail you'll be charged at the making a call per-minute rate above

Thanks for your response Alex. This is the information I'm getting from EE.
Other posts on this site have referred to paying the £2.34 per minute whenever someone has left a voicemail. Is this not accurate then?

[Alex_M]

Could you link me to where this is posted? It's inaccurate as there are no costs for receiving calls or voicemails with any network provider that I am aware of, unless you are in a non-4G country (Turkey has 4G).

Thanks,
Alex

[jodonoghue]

https://ee.co.uk/plans-subscriptions/mobile/roaming/countries/turkeyandnortherncyprus

[Alex_M]

@James_Bis this correct? I thought VM receiving is free in Turkey?

[James_B]

Hi @Alex_M,

That's right, you're charged as listed in our roaming calculator when receiving voicemails outside of the UK.

To avoid any charges, you can turn your voicemail off by texting VM OFF to 150.

James

[jodonoghue]

Thanks for clarifying James.

If I turn my voicemails off, will I get charged when people attempt to call me?
Can I still have a greeting stating that I am away and can not take voicemails, if I turn my voicemails off? If so, how do I set that up?

[James_B]

No problem @jodonoghue

No you wouldn't be charged for unanswered calls when your voicemail is turned off.

To setup up a temporary greeting, select option two from the voicemail menu. 

I believe you'll still be charged when a caller connects the call to listen to the greeting but I've reached out to our voicemail team to double check.

I'll get back to you soon.

James

[Theo77]

I recommend you don’t chance it with the greeting as its likely you will be charged. I think the best thing to do is text VM OFF to 150 as has already been advised and then send anyone who tries to call you an iMessage/WhatsApp explaining why you didn't answer, as this would just use up a small amount of your travel data which you already have.