Ordering the SIM was a bit silly as they assign a phone number without offering any choices (no biggie), but - what did cause problems for me was having a PO box as my billing address.
That is a total no-go there.
I had to put in the street address of the plaza (which does not match the card & won't reach me...), then after the sale went through, logged into my account to try & change it...which it still doesn't allow thePO box for & neither did their phone rep.
What I -was- able to do was to put in the street address + suite # + box #, which has a much better chance to actually reach my box - but...
That info DOES NOT match the card billing address - so their site should have rejected it as a security measure, but did not.
Their rep also said that it doesn't matter, whilst confirming that my street address for shipping was correct, though their site did not allow me to double-check that info at all.
Very silly.
Now to wait the 3-10 biz days for it to arrive & finally be able to use my preferred Android phone once again !!
PS @Bingyee:
I tired every suggested combination to make the FU service work better & nothing helped, so I gave the SIM away...Taadaa !! No more annoying recording anymore !!!
E_Z----I've had similar problems in the past with billing/street/box addresses, but putting in all three as you did has usually worked since the actual billing address is in there and matches the CC info. Also, I looked at the Truphone buy a sim website and I saw there is the option to choose a USA state and area code for a phone number, which is better than nothing. But since you'll be using GV, not to worry.
I got spoiled by other services that pop up a screen with 10-12 numbers to choose from & always have picked a number with some repeating digits in hopes that I might actually commit it to memory - like my old number that was 399-99xx - see, I can still remember it !!
Every now & then I've needed to call in to check the VM at GV from somebody else's landline, etc. - and dialing in, using the PIN...no problem - but when it asks for a forwarding number ??
Whitespace...blank...oops.
(I took to writing both down, then had the wind take my scribbled note from my pocket more than once...woof.)
But no biggie as nowadays I get so few calls - I only mentioned it here because it seemed like an oddly missing choice to me.
My biggest desire in getting Truphone is to be all done with the silly games I've been through to just have some reliable AT&T based service for those times & places where my Twigby phone has no signal.
It has been too much to do & too little in the way of good results;
Time to change that pattern !!
An interesting minor update regarding my SIM order...
That was 2 days ago & I haven't gotten anything from them since, so I logged into the site only to see that my order is 'awaiting fulfillment'.
Since that seems to mean 'not even shipped yet' - I called to get clarity.
The heavily accented phone answerer took 5 minutes only to tell me some gobbledeegoop about needing to coordinate with their dispatch team & that it might take up to 48 hours before getting back to me...and how (I had to ask 3 times...) email, he said.
Their supposed window for its arrival was said to be 3 days within the 48 states & as much as 10 days if abroad.
It is starting to look to me as if Vermont is actually abroad !!
It's been about 3 1/2 years since I ordered and received my TP Sim, but I vaguely recall that it probably took about 5 business days to arrive. TF does have a USA office----Truphone, Inc. Principal office: 4819 Emperor Boulevard Suite 400, Research Triangle Park, Durham NC 27703, USA--- but the sim may be coming from the UK instead of the NC office. Let's hope you get it by Friday, but if not, be patient, for TP seems to be an above-board company.
Edit: Forgot to mention, if I remember correctly, I don't think I got a shipped notice when I ordered my sim, so maybe yours is actually on the way.
Isamorph you were 100% correct, thanks.
It came today, oddly enough - their site & support are not quite in sync with their ordering, I guess.
Aside of that goofiness, this is all quite funny, as the destructions differ as well !!
The sheet with the SIM pack cited a 'replacement SIM' and says to call - but their web site says to activate it there, and I did...but:
It doesn't work - not for calling or texting either.
The SIM appears to be working fine with full signal though, and that's all.
So I called & gave the rep all the needed info...and she couldn't make it work either.
Took my callback number & I waited 45 minutes for that call...that never came, so I called back.
20 minutes later the rep managed to have their higher level tech folks get it activated somehow, but texting wasn't really working yet - and I forgot to ask about having them shut off the VM or how to adjust the ring count for it to be much longer, so it looks like I'll have to call back again.
E_Z-----It sounds as if calling and data are now working for you and maybe texting will soon follow. I'm not sure how Truphone's system works with it being a global system, etc., but I believe it has partnerships with different telecom entities in the USA and other countries and I suspect TP partners with different services in different areas of the USA, so maybe the texting is taking a while to kick in due to having one of its partners in your area being slow to activate that feature. But who knows? After first activating my sim, I have never had to do anything as far as settings are concerned while using it in a few different GSM phones in the past few years. Since Truphone is aware of your activation issues, maybe you'll awake to find texting working.:unsure:
Isamorph - you are 100% right again - thanks for your shared wisdom !!
Apparently it took some hours for the SMS channel to become functional, and the few test texts did show up much later, a situation which I'd not run into before.
Now all that remains is a concern about whatever Truphone does for VM, as I didn't remember to ask about it, and having this number as a forwarding point from GV I do not wish for it to hijack any possible VMs as the FU trial insisted upon doing while I had that...?
I haven't had a problem with my Truphone sim while forwarding from my GV# and that has been the case with a few phones I have used the sim in. That said, I've been lucky, evidently, using my GV# with my devices, including my Obi connected to my home phone and answering machine, which always picks up calls and messages when none of my other devices are answered, and what's more, none of my devices carrier VM systems pick off the message before my GV# does. But YMMV, as is the case with other GV users. Anyway, nice that the Truphone sim is working for you in your neck of the woods.
Thanks Again !!
For my very minimal usage it will be a very good fit, especially via the GV Callback app.
I'll be sure to use some paid Truphone stuff as well so as not to be too frugal with it.
No matter what though - as long as it works it is a far better low-usage option than either Redpocket or tracfone.
(I was also really missing my very nice REAL Android LG phone whilst using that horrid tf brain-dead thing !!)
A follow up after having Truphone activated for most of a week...
Since I am mostly at home & have 100% free GV via Obi, my cellular stays off like 90% of the time.
But=>
Ooops. I forgot to check on their VM settings so calls forwarded from GV were going after 1/2 a ring to their VM.
The fix ??
A very easy, cordial call with their support - which is truly very good - and the VM was shut off in a minute.
(Now it is still stealing the calls & telling the caller that I have no VM...so I have to call them again !!)
For anyone who has gotten the (usually...) very poor quality non-support from other providers - I tell you that the Truphone support is like a nice, cool breeze - easy AND pleasant.
What is quite funny about it is that their recorded stuff is all very audibly British, and then the agent comes online and is clearly NOT British or even a native english speaker - but very, very polite & helpful.
Regardless of these small problems, I am glad to have gotten it instead of the higher priced Redpocket.
Here is how it finally all shook out in covering my need for some AT&T based service every now & then=>
Redpocket was a great fit until my year ran out & the only choice was to pay them $100 more, which is just too much $$$ to justify spending for that, based upon my needs...
2.
Took over my partner's little tracfone 'dumb phone' which was pure hell for me since I despise TF and had an awful time with my clumsiness & it's tiny screen - so that has now been given away, thankfully.
3.
Tried Freeup only to find that no combination of things could make it get along with GV forwarding & a mostly powered down phone, so the free plan SIM was also given away to someone who needed it.
4.
Finally landed at Truphone, which I intend to stick with - but it does have its failings for my usages=>
I depend upon GV VM so didn't want the Truphone VM & had them shut it off;
With that phone powered down, Truphone still 'stole' incoming calls after 1/2 ring & played a recording that I have no VM - no even remotely helpful !!
Contacted them once again & they confirmed that there was no other things they can do - no way to adjust ring count or answering delay, no way to shut off that recording, and so on - all in the most helpful & polite way, of course, so, finally=>
I used the GV settings to allow SMS forwarding only but not calls & will use the email notifications from there to know if anyone actually left me a VM - given that arrival times for SMS with Truphone seem very, very delayed.
Putting all of that together it makes for the best of a rather poor situation which makes me very glad that my Twigby services seem now to cover over 90% of my needs & with Truphone ending up with such a low total cost due to the GV Callback app - it is good enough to be a keeper.
When I got my TruPhone SIM card last year, I didn’t have to call/contact CS to disable VM. There’s a “Change Settings” in my online account page where I was able to disable VM.
I have two FreeUP SIM cards I ordered directly from the FU website - 1 for me and 1 for my MIL. I like the service very much. Calls are very clear. I’ve never heard a Pay reminder during any of my calls. I do have a virtual CC # linked to my account. There was no VM setting within the account page so I had to email CS to disable VM. My experience with their CS has been really good - I’ve always received an email response promptly (less than an h to a few h after I sent my email).
T'was the FU 'support' that messed me up I think.
I told them the problem with it grabbing calls away from my GV number - and it all got worse from then on.
Bottom line with FU is that I am delighted to have given that SIM to someone who needed it & I don't miss it at all.
Given that this thread's topic is TruPhone though - I must reaffirm that so far I am delighted with it & their support has been quite good.
Slight bit of info to add about GV Callback with Truphone in case anyone may need it=>
Since it all tested out fine at home with wifi on - I took the phone with me when I had to go out for testing via cellular only.
Went to make a call via the dialer - the GV Callback app came up to do its thing - and gave the nebulous message of 'login expired'.
Poked at things for a few minutes without success & let it wait until I was home again to muck about with it.
At home, did a test call with wifi on - all was OK; shut wifi off - got that message again.
No info about it at their site, so just for yuks I checked what was happening data-wise & figured out that was the weak spot.
Bottom line:
Truphone needs this either set manually to truphone.com in one spot - or, you can get their app via GP to set & check it instantly.
Now that it has been set as needed, it makes calls with callback with the wifi off just fine.
Useful info. I don't have Truephone, or experience with GV Callback. Is the app you used to correct the settings (I assume an APN issue?) TruePhone Data Settings app, or the Google Voice Callback app? (Oops, but be the Truephone app, based on the info below....)
I looked at both, and noticed the unusual info in the GV Callback app description that the Google Play version of the app isn't functional, while the Amazon App Store version is. I read through the programmer's explanation at a link provided in the G Play store listing, and it has to do with Google not being willing to accept and verify the needed permissions to make GV Callback functional. (I believe that Et_Z or others had described the lack of availability on the Play Store-- but I found it interesting that the Amazon app store was a valid alternative for the developer to distribute from.)