- What is Talk'n'Save? What
is Cellcom?
Talk'n'Save is the leader in cell phone
rentals for Israel. No matter how long your stay in Israel, Talk'n'Save
has a plan for you! All of Talk'n'Save's phone lines are carried
through Cellcom,
Israel's largest cellular provider. Talk'n'Save brings you Cellcom's
great service and country-wide coverage combined with English-speaking
customer service, great rates and flexible options.
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- Where are the Talk'n'Save
offices located?
Talk'n'Save has offices in New York, Jerusalem and London, all
committed to giving you the best service possible. Our office in
Israel has a large staff of native English-speaking customer service
representatives to assure that when you need us, we're there for
you! (We also visit Talk'n'Save partner schools throughout the
year.) Contact us via email, phone, fax, or even snail mail, or
drop by our Jerusalem office anytime! For full information and
directions, please see our contact us section.
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- Can I convert a Talkman
account to Talk'n'Save?
If you're signing up on a long term account, you certainly can!
Switch your Talkman account to Talk'n'Save for a small hook-up
fee, and you'll keep your old number but be able to benefit from
post-paid calls with Talk'n'Save's great rates! Contact
us for more details.
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- Can I use my phone from
home?
Sure, if you have an unlocked GSM phone that can work on the 1800
mghz bandwidth, you can get a SIM from Talk'n'Save to use in your
phone! We can't guarantee compatibility until you actually try
out the SIM in Israel, but 99% of 1800 mghz, unlocked GSM phones
will work just fine on our service. If you have a question about
the model you have, you can check with your original cellular provider,
check your phone documentation, or just ask
us – we're happy to help!
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- How do I call a cell phone
in Israel?
If you're calling from abroad, first find out the international
exchange prefix. (In the USA, it's 011. In Europe, it's 00.) Then
you dial the country code for Israel, 972. Then you dial the cell
phone number, without the first 0.
For example, to call our office (052-399-3800) from the USA, dial
011-972-52-399-3800.
If you're calling within Israel, just dial the full cell number.
Our office is 052-399-3800.
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- How can I send a text message
to a cell phone in Israel?
From a computer, you can send messages for free
through www.icq.com. From
a cell phone, depending on your provider's service plan,
you can message phones directly. Read more here.
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- What does a 'minimum usage
requirement' mean?
Some of Talk'n'Save's offers are so, so low that we have to limit
them. So some plans have a minimum usage requirement. For example,
for a long-term (10 month) student to get a free phone on our Basic
plan, they have to make at least $10 worth of calls/month. For
plans paying nothing at all in monthly fees, such as our Frequent
Traveler plans, the account must be used once every nine months
to remain active. Plans with minimum usage requirements indicate
when this applies.
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- I love Talk'n'Save! They're
the greatest! How can I tell the world?
Talk'n'Save is proud of their thousands of satisfied customers,
and we'd like to reward them with our Talk'n'Save Refer-a-Friend
program! Click here for more information.
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- My
phone was lost / stolen. What now?
First, immediately call Cellcom
to have the line disconnected from making any calls! You are responsible
for any calls made from the phone until it is disconnected so this
step is crucial. Call Cellcom at 052-999-0123 (from outside of
Israel, call +972-52-999-0123). You could also dial *123 from any
Cellcom phone. Ask the Cellcom representative to have the line
temporarily disconnected.
The line will still be able to receive calls for 5 days after disconnection.
This gives you some time to try to track down the missing phone,
if you'd like. When you're ready to replace your equipment, be
in touch with Talk'n'Save to arrange for a new phone / SIM.
Note that once you've filed an insurance claim on the account,
it cannot be undone even if you find the original phone.
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- What
are the 'special dialing directions' I need to follow?
Every Talk'n'Save phone / SIM comes with
dialing directions for making outgoing calls. To get the rates
you signed up for, you must follow those directions! Dialing
any other way (for example, using 012, 013, 014 (etc) for international
calls) will result in higher charges. This is especially true
for our long-term plans, especially on the student plans.
If you're missing the dialing directions, or would like a refresher
course in how to make calls the cheapest way, just contact
us – we'll make sure you have the right directions for your
plan!
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- Does the Nokia battery recall affect my rental phone?
We're of course aware of the Nokia battery recall, and your safety
is of utmost importance to us. Indeed, some of our phones use the BL-5C
type of batteries in the recall. However, we haven't found that
any of the batteries in our stock now are actually from the problematic batches included
in the recall.
Here's how to check: Go to http://www.nokia.com/batteryreplacement/en/ .
At the bottom of the page there's a place to enter the battery
identification number from your battery. Check it out - if yours
needs to be replaced, we will of course do so at once. However,
we haven't had a case yet of any of our customers needing replacements.
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- How can I fix a broken
phone?
If your phone is broken, and you have insurance coverage (note:
all long term rentals have insurance coverage), you have the following
options for fixing your phone:
- Go to Talk'n'Save's Jerusalem office for repair
/ replacement
- Go to one of Cellcom's service centers (see www.cellcom.co.il for
a list of merkazei sherut)
- Arrange Cellcom courier service to pick up
and drop off your phone. This can be arranged by calling
Talk'n'Save, and is available in most areas for a small
fee.
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- How do I use my voice
mail?
All Talk'n'Save lines have voice mail service. To access your
voice mail, dial *80 from your phone OR dial 0522999080 from your
phone OR hold down your 1 key (for phones that came from Talk'n'Save).
The system will prompt you for a password; the default password
is 1234#. You can then follow the directions to listen to messages,
record an outgoing greeting, change the language of your mailbox,
and so on.
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- Can I get email / internet
on my phone?
GPRS internet service is available for most customers (some schools
restrict their students' internet access). Packages are available
or you can be charged per kilobyte. Contact
us for updated package information and to sign up.
We're also proud to offer Surf'n'Save,
our USB broadband modem rentals for use with your laptop, available
for long or short-term customers. Click here for full information
and to sign up!
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- How can I get new ringtones
on my phones?
With Talk'n'Save's service, the only way to download ringtones
is with the GPRS service activated on your phone. When it is active,
you can use the 'Fun and Info' options in your phone menu.
Note that downloading ringtones is NOT free of charge.
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- Will my phone work outside
of Israel?
Talk'n'Save's phones are set by default not to roam outside of
Israel. Roaming rates are VERY expensive (upwards of $1.50/minute!).
If you'd like to turn on roaming for your phone, contact
us, but we do not recommend the service.
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- How do I return my phone
/ SIM?
- I'm not sure I'm on the best plan for me. Can
I switch?
You can switch plans from month to month if you like,
with few limitations. We can also look over your bill and tell
you which plan would be best for you! Changes go into effect
as of the next billing cycle. Changes must be made by fax or
email.
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- I'm a student on a 500 minute monthly plan, but
it's only been two weeks and I'm going over!
We CAN change your package for the current billing cycle,
but there is a processing fee for doing so. Contact us for
more details.
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- How do you send me my
bill? When?
Your fully itemized bill will be emailed to you before we charge
your credit card. All of your phone calls will be listed, with
their destination, duration and charge.
Talk'n'Save's billing cycles go from the 20th to the 20th of the
month. Once the billing cycle closes, it takes about five to ten
business days for the bills to be calculated and published. The
bill is emailed to you as soon as possible, and then your credit
card is charged in the next few days.
Because of the billing cycle being from the 20th of the month,
the 'July' bill covers June 20th through July 20th. Therefore,
if you rent a phone over more than one billing period, you will
receive more than one bill, each a month apart.
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- Can I check how many
minutes I've used midmonth?
Starting with the 2007-2008 school year, student users WILL be
able to see how many minutes they've used during the billing month.
Stay tuned for details, or contact us!
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- What if I don't have
an email address?
Talk'n'Save keeps its costs down (thus giving you lower prices!)
by sending emails to our customers. It's the most efficient, quickest
way to communicate. If you don't have email, we suggest asking
a friend or coworker if they can receive one email per month on
your behalf. If there is absolutely no one you know with email,
we can mail or fax the bills to you for a $5 per month charge.
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- Can I pay my bills by
check / cash?
One of the ways we keep our costs down is by automating our billing
system. As a result, we must have a valid credit card for each
account!
We send out bills by email three days before we charge the credit
cards. If, during those three days, we RECEIVE payment by cash
or check, we can refrain from charging the card. However, please
keep in mind that realistically this may be a difficult timetable
to keep, so please plan to have us use your credit card each month.
If you do not have a credit card, then Talk'n'Save may not be the
best program for you.
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- I don't understand the
dates on my bill!
The itemization on your bill has dates in the European format,
which is used in Israel as well. Therefore, 05/10/06 is October
5th, 2006, not May 10th!
Because of the billing cycle being from the 20th of the month,
the 'July' bill covers June 20th through July 20th. Therefore,
if you rent a phone over more than one billing period, you will
receive more than one bill, each a month apart.
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- Is there a deposit on
my account?
Deposits are charged on most rental accounts, regardless of which
type of equipment is being rented. Your credit card will be charged
the amount of the deposit.
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- How and when do I get
my deposit back?
Your deposit will be refunded to the current credit card we have
on file for you on the cycle after your equipment is returned and
your final bill issued.
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- How can I change my
billing information?
You can call, email or fax us new billing information (see our contact
us page). Please provide us with the rental code / cell phone
number of the account, the new cardholder name, address and credit
card information. If you are changing the cardholder name and
billing address, you may be required to sign a separate form,
which we will provide.
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- My account ended a while
ago – why am I still being billed?
The first question to ask yourself is: did I return my phone,
and when? Even if you left Israel and stopped using your phone,
if you don't return your rental equipment you will still be billed.
Keep in mind that our billing periods go from the 20th to the 20th.
Let's say you left Israel on June 1st. The bill covering May 20-June
20 would only come out in July.
As always, if you want to ask specifically about your case, contact the
billing department directly.
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- Can I use
Surf'n'Save on any laptop computer?
SnS works on any Windows XP machine. It also works with Windows Vista 32 bit. It can also work with Mac OSX; however, we only have limited Mac technical support at this time. We can give you directions to use the device with a Mac at your own risk (see below). Currently the device will not work on Vista 64 bit systems.
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- Do I need
any special software? How do I dial to access the internet?
For Windows XP users, the device comes with a cd with all the
software you need. The software dials and connects for you.
For Windows Vista, Windows comes with the drivers for the software
built in. You can follow our easy directions on the cd to enter
the user information and connect through Windows. Note that only
Vista 32 bit supports the device - currently we do not have drivers
for Vista 64 bit.
For Mac users, you will need to set the device up manually. Directions
will come with your modem rental.
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- How do
I return the device?
- What happens
if I lose the device?
- How do
I know if I need 10 gigabytes or more?
We define normal internet usage as checking email, light surfing,
minimal media downloads and typical Office program uploads and
downloads. Surf'n'Save classic, with a maximum of 10 gigabytes
of usage per month (that's 10,240 megabytes per month, prorated
to about 340 megabytes per day), will be more than sufficient.
If you plan to stream audio or video, or to upload and download
large media files like movies or a very large amount of heavy photographs,
then Surf'n'Save Extreme will be your best option.
Still confused? You can use a tool like the one at www.bandwidth-meter.net to
get an idea of your daily typical usage.
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- What do I do if I need technical support?
Contact us! For Windows users, we can connect you to a
technician (or have one call you back) who will be able to address
any technical difficulties you may need.
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- Can I use Surf'n'Save to work on my office VPN overseas?
The device should be able to connect to your VPN, but please be aware that processing this type of connection internationally may make for a very slow work environment.
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