Comments on: The Horror - My Celly Has Me In A Pinch!

By: sesame seed

sesame seed — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 22:41:51 +0000

I hate my cell phone, but I have to carry it. I’ve been looking around for a beeper (bbibbi). I’d rather have that than a cell phone where the caller expects you to pick up. Anyone know where I can pick up one and get service? Most of the cell phone places look at me strangely and say no.

By: whitey

whitey — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 04:06:33 +0000

#8, Yeah, you’re right, that would have been the easy way. But I was a new arrival and didn’t know about it, and no one explained it to me. I was told by hagwon people that it wasn’t possible to get a phone in my name without blah blah and blah blah, and I didn’t have months to wait. And at that time I spoke Korean at only the “맥주 주세요” level and so couldn’t help myself.

By: SomeguyinKorea

SomeguyinKorea — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:38:55 +0000

#11,

Yes, and you can get phones for close to nothing, if not free. I probably paid 300 0000 won for my first phone.

By: The Metropolitician

The Metropolitician — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:28:44 +0000

The lowdown is that it USED to be hard to get a cellphone, and it depended on the carrier. SK was technically possible to get in your own name, but no one knew the procedure, or they were too lazy and just lied and said it wasn’t possible.

KTF required a Korean credit card. Period.

LG was always more foreigner-friendly and I remember people going through them with just a bank book and other reasonable docs.

But now, SK has totally made it fair and easy. And there should be no mystery, since I’ve seen their fee schedule for deposits and have the picture, straight from under the glass with the green felt on an SK rep’s desk.

By: random guy

random guy — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:07:15 +0000

I’ve got two cell phones recently from SK and they didn’t charge a 200,000 Won deposit. Where did you go that required a deposit?

By: littlebrownasian

littlebrownasian — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:54:56 +0000

#7,

Not really useless, since I never use their (exorbitant) roaming services. Whenever I’m outside of Korea, I just buy a SIM card from that place and plug it in the phone. Voila! Instant connectivity!

By: SomeguyinKorea

SomeguyinKorea — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:48:56 +0000

#3,

Isn’t that your fault? You should have instead forked over the 200 000 won deposit. It’s no different than getting a land line, that also requires a 200 000 won deposit (or at least it did when I got mine). If you’re a hagwon teacher, 200 000 won is a small price to pay when the alternative is using the land line in your apartment that is registered in the name of your boss (it’s not for your convenience, it’s monitor the phone numbers you have called and those who have called you).

By: Sperwer

Sperwer — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:36:25 +0000

Got a nifty phone unit that has both GSM and CDMA functions, so I can also use the same when I travel abroad.

Waste of money, since you get slammed w/ ridiculous roaming charges outside Korea. I’ve been in the US for an extended mental health break - not eating salt-saturated kimchi for several weeks works wonders - and picked up a “burner” for USD19 with 1000 minutes @ .07/minute. Miracle of miracles, I also got - unasked - a 212 area code for a mobile, which also has the full panoply of voice mail, internet access, etc., etc.; and I can keep the number in perpetuity for use in the US (and abroad, if I cared to pay equally ridiculuous US-based roaming charges), as long as I re-up for a minimum of as little as 50 additional minutes a year.

By: sanshinseon

sanshinseon — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:20:17 +0000

I’ve been with SK ever since 1997, and have had no problem. Service is cheap and good, no hassles about my status…

By: G.B. Curley

G.B. Curley — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:00:14 +0000

The fact remains that I just find these squeals or vindictive rants rather annoying. LG was just an example and they do have a number where an English speaking representative is available:

(02) 1544-0010