Telus just confused the heck out of me...

[MaDMaN_26]

So I broke down and bought myself a new HTC desire with a new data plan... whilst asking Telus about the details of my plan the girl I was talking to told me that my unlimited free calling for the first month did not include LD (Long Distance), unless the number was one of my ten designated unlimited nationwide numbers. I understood that but then she went on to say LD outside of that was $0.40 per minute for outgoing AND INCOMING... that what made me say huh? so I asked to clarify

Me: "If someone calls me long distance I have to pay $0.40 per minute?"
Her: "yes"
Me: "How do I know they are calling Long Distance?"
Her: "You have caller ID and can see the number."

Now in my mind I'm thinking ok I'm paying $8/month so you can bill me for incoming LD calls... So I ask.

Me: "If I didn't have Caller ID and someone called me LD, I would have no way to know how can you charge me."
Her: "That's just how it is, you'd Find out on your Bill."

Is she on crack... I think she has to be...

Maybe I don't understand caller ID, perhaps it provides name display and without it you would still see the incoming number?

Can anyone out there clarify how this works? It blows my mind I could be charged for incoming LD calls. I get that it uses my minutes up, but if I didn't have caller ID or decided to cancel it I would have no idea if a call was LD....

[DownhillGoat]

Pretty sure incoming LD calls have always been charged as LD...

[Icon]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

Pretty sure incoming LD calls have always been charged as LD...

Yup

[WilsonFourTwo]

Story is fake. No way you got a real person on the phone.

[wooohooo]

Since when did incoming long distance be charged as LD? Not once have I ever been charged that and I talk a lot of LD with my family and GF. Unless I am in a place other than my place of residence then that counts as LD.

For example I live in Edmonton, if I go to calgary and take a call there, that's Long D. But if I make a call in Calgary it is not LD because it's roaming.

[MaDMaN_26]

this didn't unconfuse me...

[sa226]

I have never been charged LD for incoming calls.

As a side I realized they bumped my outgoing LD charges to 20c\min from 10c\min without me knowing....I remember reading that could be grounds to void the contract, so I can get out of this Telus prison.

[Madman]

You aren't charged for incoming LD - the person is an idiot.

[silentsim]

The only time you are charged for incoming long distance is if you are outside your local calling area. As long as you stay in Calgary (or wherever you are from) incoming LD is not charged, however it still counts as *minutes*. (Unlimited Incoming makes this a null issue)

[ken0042]

Speaking of confused- took me a sec to notice we have two "Madmen" in this thread.

Anyway- I wonder if she was talking about roaming for the incoming LD? For example if I'm in Winnipeg and a friend dials my local Calgary number; I pay the long distance from Calgary to Winnipeg.

[oilyfan]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Speaking of confused- took me a sec to notice we have two "Madmen" in this thread.

Anyway- I wonder if she was talking about roaming for the incoming LD? For example if I'm in Winnipeg and a friend dials my local Calgary number; I pay the long distance from Calgary to Winnipeg.

Yes I believe you will be charged long distance in this case, under the heading Canadian Long distance, both if you receive a call or make a call.

I don't even think it matters who is calling you, i.e. if receiving a call from a Winnipeg you will still be charged long distance.

Finally though if you call a Winnipeg number you would only be charged local minutes.

In your local calling area you would only be charged long distance is if you physically call a long distance number.

[BlackEleven]

I've travelled a lot with my cell phone (Roger's, but I suspect most carriers are the same) and this is how mine works:

-Incoming calls when I'm in my area code: no charge (aside from regular minute usage)
-Incoming calls when I'm not in my area code: LD charge
-Outgoing to same area code that I'm in: no charge (aside from regular minute usage)
-Outgoing to different area code that I'm in: LD charges

So say you have a 403 area code and you're in Montreal (514):
-calling Montreal, no LD charge
-calling Calgary, LD charge
-any incoming call, LD charge

And 403 within Calgary:
-calling Montreal, LD charge (obviously)
-calling Calgary, no LD charge (obviously)
-any incoming call, no LD charge

[MaDMaN_26]

Originally Posted by BlackEleven

I've travelled a lot with my cell phone (Roger's, but I suspect most carriers are the same) and this is how mine works:

-Incoming calls when I'm in my area code: no charge (aside from regular minute usage)
-Incoming calls when I'm not in my area code: LD charge
-Outgoing to same area code that I'm in: no charge (aside from regular minute usage)
-Outgoing to different area code that I'm in: LD charges

So say you have a 403 area code and you're in Montreal (514):
-calling Montreal, no LD charge
-calling Calgary, LD charge
-any incoming call, LD charge

And 403 within Calgary:
-calling Montreal, LD charge (obviously)
-calling Calgary, no LD charge (obviously)
-any incoming call, no LD charge

This is exactly how I understand it. Also if they still have roaming numbers if you are in Montreal and I am in Calgary I can call the Montreal Roaming number, then when I get dial tone again call you and you will not pay LD but I would as initiator of the call. Handy for family that knows you are out of town and has a better LD rates on the landline or perhaps can use skype (not sure if roaming numbers still exists as I have not thought about them or used them in years)

your description is how I've always thought it works and it sounds like most agree with you... That was NOT what the girl on the phone said... perhaps she was a TELUS phone troll... she argued with me, and insisted she was correct when I said "Are you sure? 100% positive?"

[ken0042]

They got rid of a lot of the roaming numbers.

[HeartsOfFire]

If you are in your phone's home area, all incoming calls are airtime chargeable only. The rep you were speaking with was both wrong and stupid.