Google voice warning!!!!

[PowerPlayGraphix]

Um.....You use minutes when you check VM with VZ.
Fine print when looking at the VM wording on VZ's site:

"Please note that you do use airtime when you check your messages from your wireless phone."
So while you may not get charged for the initial call you get charged for the time it takes you to listen to it. Google Voice just flips the charge to incoming rather then outgoing.

If you call into google voice to listen to the VM then yes you get double pinged but there is an app to read the VM and play it using your data so there is no reason to call in....

And yes you could call into your VM from another phone to get around the charges but if you are going to that extreme then you either need to ditch a cell phone as your main line or get a larger contract.....

The difference between VZ and GV in this though is that on VZ, if someone doesn't leave a voice mail then no charge to retrieve it or for them leaving it but on GV, EVERY call forwarded to GV voicemail charges whether a voicemail is left or not.

 

[soulpatch]

Only for the second or two that they listen to the VM message before they hang up. You only get billed once GV answers.....

 

[PowerPlayGraphix]

Only for the second or two that they listen to the VM message before they hang up. You only get billed once GV answers.....

Yes, you get billed when it is transferred to GV. That counts as an answer. Whether 1 second or 60, it's billed as 1 minute. So every time it transfers a call, whether they wait for the message or not, it's billed as a 1 minute call. Now if they stay on to leave a message then it's also as long as the message is.

 

[soulpatch]

well man if you are running into minute issues with getting messages then either ya need to quit GV or probably more importantly change yourminute plan

 

[unix.punkx]

Good to know, i never go over my minutes, thats what unlimited texting is for

But thanks for post! Good to know for future reference

 

[solideliquid]

Personally I find the benefits out weigh the cons here. How many freaking calls do you get that you end up with 200 minutes being used just for google voice? That's A LOT of calls. do you like not ever answer your phone? if you get that many calls you prob should just upgrade your minutes.... or add to your friends and family list...

Let's do a little math here. 200 calls / 30 Days = 6.7 calls per day.

I work in a job where I am away from my desk working with tools/dies/knives/inks/etc.. a lot and I leave my phone at my desk. I also leave it at my desk when I meet with people so a lot of calls roll to voicemail. 7 calls over 8 or 9 hours is not even 1 call an hour so 200 over a month isn't much but when it's 200 CHARGED MINUTES it does hurt your bill.

Look, I wasn't blaming Google or anyone else other than me for not fully thinking it through. I honestly thought the calls were being routed through the Google Voice App using Data, NOT just forwarding the call to my number. Maybe if I'd read all the details on it I would have realized that but being new to GV, Droid and Android I didn't do my due diligence. My point in this thread is to make it clear that it is FORWARDING and not USING THE APP. Apparently others on here were thinking the same as me. I don't want anyone else to be surprised.

Um.....You use minutes when you check VM with VZ.
Fine print when looking at the VM wording on VZ's site:

"Please note that you do use airtime when you check your messages from your wireless phone."
So while you may not get charged for the initial call you get charged for the time it takes you to listen to it. Google Voice just flips the charge to incoming rather then outgoing.

If you call into google voice to listen to the VM then yes you get double pinged but there is an app to read the VM and play it using your data so there is no reason to call in....

And yes you could call into your VM from another phone to get around the charges but if you are going to that extreme then you either need to ditch a cell phone as your main line or get a larger contract.....

Interesting info... what if you use the visual voicemail from VZ?

 

[fallsgable]

2 questions please:

1. I assume ALL of this thread information holds 100% true for YouMail and its Droid app (which also uses the *71 busy/forward setup) as well then, since it is forwarded similarly....

2. I also assume that ALL of this is irrelevant in terms of minute charges if your GV number is on your "friends and family" AND you are set up with *71 so busy/unanswered calls forward to the GV mailbox

...right?!? do I have it all correct?? :icon_eek::icon_eek:

I just wanted to add, that after talking with my friend who works for Google about this dilemma, he reminded me that ALL of us, are attempting to use GV for an unintended purpose. While it is a great service Google offers...it was NOT designed to be a VM service, and NOT developed as a way of "saving money or minutes" with ANY carrier, Verizon or otherwise... (not my words...his)

 

[PowerPlayGraphix]

2 questions please:

1. I assume ALL of this thread information holds 100% true for YouMail and its Droid app (which also uses the *71 busy/forward setup) as well then, since it is forwarded similarly....

2. I also assume that ALL of this is irrelevant in terms of minute charges if your GV number is on your "friends and family" AND you are set up with *71 so busy/unanswered calls forward to the GV mailbox

...right?!? do I have it all correct?? :icon_eek::icon_eek:

I just wanted to add, that after talking with my friend who works for Google about this dilemma, he reminded me that ALL of us, are attempting to use GV for an unintended purpose. While it is a great service Google offers...it was NOT designed to be a VM service, and NOT developed as a way of "saving money or minutes" with ANY carrier, Verizon or otherwise... (not my words...his)

1. I would assume any service forwarded to an outside number has the same effect.

2. Yes this is correct. F&F covers the charges.

As for "It was not intended as a VM service", up, why is it called voicemail then? I guess he meant, "Not intended as a REPLACEMENT voice mail service"

 

[takeshi]

Definitely good warnings for those that aren't carefully reading before implementing.

Conditional forwarding is conditional forwarding. Unless it's to a number on your F&F list or a VZW number you're going to use minutes.

The GV site's help section does mention that conditional forwarding is used but the info is a bit buried and not quite as obviously placed as I would think it should be:
http://www.google.com/support/voice/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=164655

I don't get why people keep assuming that GV uses data for handling voice. Every GV thread I've run across has at least one person pointing out that all calls (and that includes forwarding to voicemail) are handled via your voice plan. Even if you're using GV just as a voicemail replacement the forwarding is handled by Verizon. There's no changeover to data anywhere in that chain and Google doesn't take over until the call is forwarded to them. However, it certainly doesn't hurt to continue to remind people.