Telmex (detached thread)

Telmex (detached thread)

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That sounds like a good idea if the phone system in your area has caller ID and the phones you are using have the capability to take messages. In most areas they do not. All of our phones are relatively new, none of them are older than 7 years old. The only set of phones we have with functioning caller ID and the capability to take messages are the ones we use with Vonage.

The other two sets of phones we have connected to Telmex are supposed to be capable of having caller ID, and one set is supposed to take messages, but nobody told Telmex.

Things are not the same down here as they are NOB. If you don't want to answer the phone without knowing who is calling, it might be a good idea to consider not having phone service here.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

(This post was edited by Rolly on Jan 16, 2010, 7:03 AM)

Manuel Dexterity

Jan 15, 2010, 4:30 AM

Post #2 of 25 (9898 views)

Re: [Papirex] Extortion/Threatening calls

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Caller ID is avaiable from TELMEX. With some monthly packages it is included in the price, in others it is not. In that case you have to tell TELMEX you want the service and there is a nominal fee.

Jan 15, 2010, 7:51 AM

Post #3 of 25 (9875 views)

Re: [Papirex] Extortion/Threatening calls

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Your cell phones don't have voice mail?

For land lines, I guess I am misunderstanding something. What does Telmex have to do with having a message answering machine? The machine answers, plays a greeting, records a message, and hangs up. Telmex wouldn't know if it was a person or a machine that answered.

Jan 15, 2010, 7:56 AM

Post #4 of 25 (9869 views)

Re: [Papirex] Extortion/Threatening calls

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"If you don't want to answer the phone without knowing who is calling, it might be a good idea to consider not having phone service here."

Or just don't answer it. Or establish a ring code. Or hang up immediately if the voice is not familiar.

esperanza

Jan 15, 2010, 9:23 AM

Post #5 of 25 (9839 views)

Re: [Reefhound] Extortion/Threatening calls

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Our cell phones have caller ID as well as voice mail.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Jan 15, 2010, 9:58 AM

Post #6 of 25 (9823 views)

Re: [Reefhound] Extortion/Threatening calls

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For land lines, I guess I am misunderstanding something. What does Telmex have to do with having a message answering machine? The machine answers, plays a greeting, records a message, and hangs up. Telmex wouldn't know if it was a person or a machine that answered.

Telmex has a lot to do with the answering machine built into my phone. If you don´t pay for the service, it doesn't work. When I first moved into my apartment (the phone was already installed), I had the cheapest phone service possible, and it didn't include voice mail, call waiting and a couple of other digital services. When I upgraded to include an internet connection, the voice mail, et al. came on line

Jan 15, 2010, 12:29 PM

Post #7 of 25 (9794 views)

Re: [La Isla] Extortion/Threatening calls

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Does Telmex own and provide the phones? Are you allowed to use your own phone? Maybe that's what I am missing. Not trying to be argumentative, just trying to understand. Didn't realize Telmex was still like AT&T back in the 60's.

Camille

Jan 15, 2010, 12:37 PM

Post #8 of 25 (9787 views)

Re: [Reefhound] Extortion/Threatening calls

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Actually TelMex is more like the robber barons of the early 20th century.......

Jan 15, 2010, 12:39 PM

Post #9 of 25 (9787 views)

Re: [Reefhound] Extortion/Threatening calls

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Mine was bought at a Telmex store and is a Telmex brand phone. In the Manual de Usuario it states "Recuerde que estos servicios requieren contratación...". They include voice mail and call waiting plus a couple of others I'm not sure how to translate to English.

Rolly

Jan 15, 2010, 1:07 PM

Post #10 of 25 (9778 views)

Re: [Reefhound] Extortion/Threatening calls

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Telmex will provide a phone, or you may use your own.

Rolly Pirate

Papirex

Jan 15, 2010, 1:11 PM

Post #11 of 25 (9776 views)

Re: [Reefhound] Extortion/Threatening calls

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You are misunderstanding how things don't work in most of México. Telmex is a monopoly, it used to be a federal government owned service, it was sold to an individual some 20 years ago, but nothing changed, except that prices rose. Like most businesses down here, customer service is virtually unknown. They give you what is convenient for them when they want to.

I haven't seen a stand alone answering machine for sale anywhere in about 25 years. I try to have as little to do with Telmex as possible, so we have the most basic service possible. We live in an area with very poor cell phone reception or I would probably quit using Telmex. The only place in our house where we can make, or receive cell phone calls is in an upstairs front bedroom that I use as my computer office.

Last night we got a highly suspicious call. My wife answered it and the caller asked for her name and phone number so he could “verify” that he had reached the right person. I told her to hang up as they were probably fishing for information. After all, if they had called our number, why would they need to “verify” it?

It has been found that in the very few kidnapping and extortion cases solved here that the person behind them is usually a close relative, or a trusted person such as a banker, real estate broker, financial advisor, etc. Trust no one here. By that I mean trust no one. If that seems like being a little paranoid, so be it. Trust no one.

In our Colonia, all of the houses have walls around them as is typical here. There are always a very few people sitting on chairs on the sidewalk in front of their houses. What are they doing there? They are watching to see which houses are empty so their gang may break in. I caught one guy climbing the wall in front of a neighbors house about a month ago. I yelled at him and he took off running. Trust no one.

Whenever we all leave our house, I always wave goodbye to an empty upstairs window. I want to give the impression that someone is always home. With the general lack of any law enforcement here, you are on your own to protect yourself.

It is not as bad as it sounds down here. Learn how things are done here and don't make any naive assumptions that laws, or that things are done similarly to the way they are done in any other country, and you will be OK. Forget everything you know about your own country, it won't apply here. It is also a good idea to forget everything you think you know about the real México, you are surely mistaken. Forget about using logic, that means nothing here.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

Jan 15, 2010, 1:32 PM

Post #12 of 25 (9764 views)

Re: [Papirex] Extortion/Threatening calls

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Rex, things may be different but life is life, blood is blood, and what I won't ever abandon anywhere is my sense of how to protect myself.

It sounds like you can use your own phone, according to Rolly. Which means there is a jack to plug into. Stand alone answering machines use the same jack. Order one from Amazon if you must. Telmex cannot tell if the connection is being opened by you picking up the phone, your maid picking up the phone, or your machine opening the connection. Even in the U.S. the phone companies offer built-in voice mail for a fee. Or use your own device. Screen your calls or not, that's your choice. I seldom answer the phone even here, and certainly wouldn't if I had to deal with threats. That's my choice.

I have many relatives that live in Mexico. Their houses also have walls. With broken glass lining the top. Everything is walled in Mexico. Everyone has metal doors and bars over windows.

Seems odd that so many retire to Mexico for the peaceful life and so many say that they feel safer in Mexico yet apparently you have to live inside a fortress and trust no one.

Jan 15, 2010, 3:34 PM

Post #13 of 25 (9738 views)

Re: [Papirex] Extortion/Threatening calls

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If I had to follow Papirex's admonition to "trust no one" in Mexico in order to have a pleasant life here, then I would be on the next plane back to the States. Such cynicism.....

Jan 15, 2010, 3:43 PM

Post #14 of 25 (9737 views)

Re: [Papirex] Extortion/Threatening calls

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Telmex is a monopoly, it used to be a federal government owned service, it was sold to an individual some 20 years ago, but nothing changed, except that prices rose. Like most businesses down here, customer service is virtually unknown. They give you what is convenient for them when they want to.

I had occasion to deal with Telmex Customer Service a couple of months ago when my Telmex internet modem was on the blink. I did have to spend a bit of time on the telephone with a very helpful customer service representative, who finally decided that the device in question was broken beyond repair. He placed an order for a free replacement for me, and I went to pick it up the next day. No problems, no hidden charges.

Manuel Dexterity

Jan 15, 2010, 4:20 PM

Post #15 of 25 (9725 views)

Re: [La Isla] Extortion/Threatening calls

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Telmex has improved drastically since the days it was run by the government and if anyone says different it is because they didn't deal with Telmex in those days.

At one time in the not so distant past, it cost the equivalent of $1000usd for a phone line....IF you could get one. Service was nonexistent. Sometimes months would pass before a problem was corrected. Calls to the USA were $2usd during business hours and $1usd at night. And sometimes it took days to get a call through to the US.

When I lived in Barra de Navidad in the 1970's they had a switchboard right out of Mayberry, RFD. Operators would answer and connect you through. My father in law's phone number was 1. Just 1. The very first phone in that town.

The other day I answered a call from Telmex. They called to advise me that with our phone package, unlimited local and domestic long distance, we now get 200 minutes of calls to the USA included. So for the erudite (Hound Dog's term) poster that says things haven't improved I'll just say you are mistaken.

Jan 15, 2010, 4:58 PM

Post #16 of 25 (9719 views)

Re: [La Isla] Extortion/Threatening calls

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I actually had an experience with Telmex while visiting familia. My BIL was moving and needed service transferred and I went with him to the Celaya Telmex building, which was actually one of the sleekest and cleanest buildings I've seen in Mexico with all the kiosk displays for cell phones and computers. They had some deal you could rent the entire computer setup with phone and internet. Anyway, it was very crowded and we sat in rows of bench seats where four young ladies, each with their own desk, worked tirelessly nonstop. In 45 minutes we were called and after a lot of typing and paper shuffling we were all done. All with a smile. I had expected lazy employees with an attitude but what I saw were hard working and friendly people.

esperanza

Jan 15, 2010, 9:06 PM

Post #17 of 25 (9685 views)

Re: [Manuel Dexterity] Extortion/Threatening calls

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When Sr. Dexterity says that Telmex business-hour calls to the US were $2, he means per minute--and nighttime calls were $1 per minute. I moved to Mexico when the cost was still that high and well remember making a collect, five-minute call during the evening, from Mexico City to a friend in the States: her bill was $32 US dollars.

The first time I visited Michoacán, almost 30 years ago, the village priest where I was staying asked me to keep in touch with him. "Write down my phone number," he said. The number was 2. The mayor's office was 1, the town parish office was 2. That was it for telephones in that town.

So I agree, things have come a long way.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

morgaine7

Jan 16, 2010, 6:33 AM

Post #18 of 25 (9663 views)

Re: [esperanza] Extortion/Threatening calls

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While traveling to the US for the holidays, I was stranded overnight in Atlanta. For two three-minute collect calls to Ohio from an airport pay phone, the charge on my family's phone bill was $66.49. Outrageous ... and according to their phone company, perfectly legal. I could have talked to them for seven hours from my Telmex land line for that amount!

I, too, have had good experiences with Telmex service (including a modem replacement almost identical to La Isla's). With the new features added to my package, including unlimited national calls and free minutes to the US, it's one of the few costs in my life that have actually decreased. My package includes Caller ID and voice mail, but I think a certain kind of phone is required in order for them to work.

Kate

Jan 16, 2010, 8:37 AM

Post #19 of 25 (9635 views)

Re: [morgaine7] Extortion/Threatening calls

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I can tell you that Telcel still charges outrageous rates for roaming service on a U.S. carrier. Got hit for several hundred bucks last year using my Blackberry and Google maps while driving across the country. Didn't realize I was being dinged that bad ($15 per mb) and the sad thing is I didn't really need it. It was just a novelty. The phone will be turned off next trip.

donemry

Jan 16, 2010, 9:49 AM

Post #20 of 25 (9608 views)

Re: [Camille] Extortion/Threatening calls

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I have a Telemex line with DSL. This month the charge was 422 pesos. In Nashville, a single phone line with no DSL is $45.62 (USD). I don't think the robber baron is operating here.

johanson

Jan 16, 2010, 11:41 AM

Post #21 of 25 (9591 views)

Re: [donemry] Extortion/Threatening calls

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"In Nashville, a single phone line with no DSL is $45.62 (USD). I don't think the robber baron is operating here." To degress for one sentence, in Seattle I pay about $22 US for a telephone line.

Yes things are getting better here along the shores of Lake Chapala. Thank God there appears to be more and more competition forcing Telmex and their related services like internet to greatly improve in quality.

Luckily neither I nor anyone I know has received any extortion threats over the phone. However, I have been broken into and therefore have a watchman, electric fence, alarm system etc. One of the most important functions of the watchman is to be seen from the street with my evil looking dog.

Another thing. My new fancy car is a 9 year old highly dented Ford Explorer which is certainly not the type of car a rich gringo would drive.

sandykayak

Jan 19, 2010, 11:01 AM

Post #22 of 25 (9440 views)

Re: [johanson] Extortion/Threatening calls

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"My new fancy car is a 9 year old highly dented Ford Explorer which is certainly not the type of car a rich gringo would drive."

Hey, Pete, as I guess that means you didn't succumb to the "cheap" Hummer you were talking about a few years ago. (Sorry for the hijack!)
Sandy Kramer
Miami, Fla & El Parque

johanson

Jan 19, 2010, 1:51 PM

Post #23 of 25 (9416 views)

Re: [sandykayak] Extortion/Threatening calls

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That was before the stock market took a dumb when I thought I had a lot of money :) Driving an older car is more fun anyway, because I don't have to worry where to park etc. You know, who cares if you get another scratch. (Sorry for continuing the highjack)

Moisheh

Jan 20, 2010, 4:44 PM

Post #24 of 25 (9349 views)

Re: [johanson] Extortion/Threatening calls

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Telmex is no longer a monopoly. There are at least 2 private companies offering land lines as well as cable internet/phone. The times they are a changin. Poor Carlos Slim!!

Moisheh

esperanza

Jan 20, 2010, 8:48 PM

Post #25 of 25 (9322 views)