On the phone throwing a fit with Verizon!

[judydivescoz]

On my iPhone, I turn off data by going into settings, then cellular, hit the roaming button and switch off data. I am sure your phone has a way to do it. Using the phone is not horribly expensive to call home. To avoid cell cost I use Face time to call my husband and kids while in Cozumel using wifi. I use my local phone to make calls on the island.

 

[DjDiverDan]

I have found Verizon to be hit and miss in Mexico. I have Verizon, and in December 2012 and December 2013, I set up the Mexico Roaming Plan with Verizon before heading off to Cozumel, and the phone (an iPhone, 4 years old now) worked just great. Then I did the same thing in preparation for my December 2014 trip to Cozumel, and I couldn't get my phone to work for 3 days - I got in touch with Verizon through the Website, Live Chat, and we went back and forth trying to fix it, finally got the phone to work on the 4th day. Verizon tried to blame the local cell carrier for not recognizing my phone, but couldn't explain why it worked without a hitch the previous 2 years.

---------- Post added June 6th, 2015 at 07:52 PM ----------

Yes, DEFINITELY turn off data on the phone. Verizon will RAPE you with data charges if you don't. You can do it on the iPhone through Cellular - Settings. If you don't turn it off, and your iPhone is set to check for and download email, you will be very unpleasantly surprised when the bill comes. It will be even worse if you use the GPS function to find locations, or, heaven forbid, surf the web on your iPhone while in Cozumel.

 

[DandyDon]

The number they gave me on my arrival text for roaming support is 001-908-559-4899 (a New Jersey number I think), and they have since told me that is a free call - but I'd want to see that in print. One agent will say one thing (like I need a sim card), then the next totally different - and in the end they decide what I owe. In my case, their site would not let me log into my account for Chat, I only got one Chat while not logged in, and of course they wouldn't accept Skype calls - but my needs were small and I just used Skype mostly.

I will encourage the kids to turn their data roaming off now, then double check that before boarding their cruise. I think it'd be wise of them to add the Global plan that covers Mexico, Caymans, and Jamaica - the few ports where they are allowed off of the barge for a few hours. I'll suggest adding it to one phone and leaving the other two off and locked up, but they'll want to use them for cameras. :silly: Then they'll want to read their texts, check their voice mails, and on down the slippery slope.

 

[Tjack]

I finally got a Verizon rep on the phone and they tell me I can not get the roaming package on my pre-paid 'burner' cell.

I heard somewhere you can just buy a cell phone in Coz for $20 which will work to call stateside? Has anyone gone this route?

 

[KathyV]

We are Verizon customers and I was able to use my iPhone in the Caymans and South Korea last year.

It is important to turn off the cellular data feed BEFORE you leave the US - or at least that's what the Verizon tech told me. I do it at the airport just before boarding.

Last summer we went to Vancouver and I purchased a 15$ Verizon plan that covered Canada and Mexico, just for one month. We didn't have any problems.

DandyDon, I'm sorry that you had problems with communications, that is so frustrating.

 

[DandyDon]

It is important to turn off the cellular data feed BEFORE you leave the US - or at least that's what the Verizon tech told me. I do it at the airport just before boarding.

Last summer we went to Vancouver and I purchased a 15$ Verizon plan that covered Canada and Mexico, just for one month. We didn't have any problems.

So you left Roaming data off while in Mexico, did not use Verizon data or Wifi, and did not send any pics...?

 

[KathyV]

So you left Roaming data off while in Mexico, did not use Verizon data or Wifi, and did not send any pics...?

We were in Canada not Mexico but it was the same $15 plan that covers both. We left Verizon cellular data off and used WiFi. I can't remember if we left roaming on or off; we did whatever the Verizon rep said to do before we left, sorry.

Mostly we used our phones for email but my husband made some calls. I am sure that he made calls because he had brought too many contact lenses for one eye and not enough for the other (!) so he had to call the optometrist and get a copy of his prescription. I think he sent a few pics to his sister too.

---------- Post added June 7th, 2015 at 01:44 PM ----------

I found on the Verizon website regarding international travel.

Use Wi-Fi where available. When using Wi-Fi, data usage won't count toward your allowance or be billed at the Standard Pricing. Wi-Fi can be found in many airports, hotels and restaurants...if you know you don’t want to incur any International Travel Data charges, you can turn data off completely. If you do this, you can still access the web through a Wi-Fi connection.

 

[diverokc]

I know my phone I turn off roaming data on my phone and only use WiFi in Cozumel for everything. If that's what you mean by turning off data .

 

[DandyDon]

I have been waiting eagerly to see if they screwed up my bill, but it looks okay. Surprise surprise surprise...

Funny how I started this account with me paying for both my daughter and myself so we could both have one, the new thing at the time - even tho we didn't have caller-ID and texting was Science Fiction stuff. So many changes since then. We changed the ownership to her name a few years ago so she can have the state employee discount, so I don't remember how long we've been there now.

Now the rest of them have smart phones, with the grandkids on data limits, and she just added her mom a phone on the account. Evolution....

 

[gopbroek]

On the flip side I went down to the Tel Cel below Mega this afternoon and bought a basic 'peanut' phone and loaded it with 133 minutes for 500 Pesos, I can add minutes at any OXXO. This is to bridge the in country dialing option, throughout Mexico.
To communicate outside of Mexico, I use Wi-Fi VOIP, or at every Expat business or home there is a Magic jack.