Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 01:56:53 EST
Reply-To: Oxroad <Oxroad@AOL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Oxroad <Oxroad@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: using defunct cell phones (No VW content anymore)
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
In a message dated 98-03-23 15:31:54 EST, you write:
> What service does this?? I tried calling around here and no one will allow
> access without a contract. Here is Boulder CO, by the way...
SORRY this has no VW content. Oh wait. Now it does...
I figured I started this mess here, and maybe could clean it up.
Cory--
Assuming you have the defunct cell phone already. I just turned mine on,
dialed 0 plus the area code and number (sometimes 1-0-ATT-0 then the number)
and pushed send. This method worked for me in your town of Boulder. I don't
know the science of it.
I charged the calls to my phone credit card which shows the charges on my
NYNEX (now Bell Atlantic) home phone bill. I'll Quote what the charges say on
my bill in hopes it may help:
"This portion of your bill is provided as a contracted service to OAN
services. OAN Services provides billing services for themselves or for
carriers who offer toll calling or operator assited telephone service which
may originate from residential telephones or from general business telephones
including hotels, hospitals, and pay telephones. Charges for these calls are
determined by the carrier whose network is used at the time you place your
call and are not set by NYNEX or OAN."
Then it goes to the regular billing breakdown and says OAN Services
1-800-944-0171: Billed on belhalf of CELLULAR EXPRESS. (which I assume is
another company?)
And now, for better or worse, you know as much as I do. I do remember the
calls would sometimes bounce. Meaning a recording would come on and say
something like: "Your call is being transfered to another cellular carrier"
Then it would ring and sometimes I'd get a live operator. Or sometimes I'd get
a voice prompt saying "dial number you are calling" and "dial credit card
number or zero for collect calls" and I let the phone work it's magic.
And since I'm prone to distrust, my guess is if you called a cellular carrier
they would tell you the phone won't work without a contract, because they
don't make the money, this CELLULAR EXPRESS does.
I'm beginning to wonder if I have the phone that laid the golden egg. But I
think it should work with other phones. Has it worked for anyone else, or was
it a case of: LOOK....the sign post up ahead...you've just entered...The
Twilight Zone?
BTW as you probably already figured out, I visited a friend in Boulder this
past Summer. Great town. I'm in New York City and envious.
I hope this info helps.
Jeff
83.5 Westy
