access voice mail out of home province (province wide plan) - long distance charge?

[hkc]

Hi there,

After reading many postings about  accessing voice mails there are three ways:

1. dial 1 + my ten digital phone number and then press * and then my password

or

2 press and hold 1 and then key in my password

or

3. find Voicemail access number

Dialer settings > Call settings > Voicemail settings. In my case, 1-289-680-4001 and 289 is Ontario area code

dail 1-289-680-4001 and  then press * and then my password

but I cannot find a clear answer for: 

How to avoid long distance charge to acess my voice mail while I am in out of home province (B.C.) and if I have on province wide call plan (home province: Ontario)?

And I remember someone in this forum said calling B.C. number while in B.C. is NOT long distance even I have province wide call plan (Ontario) . Only if I want to receive call in B.C. I will need to purchase the long distance add-on.  Is it correct?

If I am in B.C. and if I use method 2 above,  press  and hold '1', will it dial B.C. voicemail access number automatically or  1-289-680-4001 (stored in my phone setting) automatically instead?  If it dial 1-289-680-4001 from B.C., then it will be long distance call, right ?

If I call B.C voicemail access number while I am in B.C. Logically there should not be long distance charge, right? What is the B.C. voicemail access number? Also how to find out regional voicemail access number?

Thanks in advance.

[moegagner]

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@ckl wrote:

I wonder how many of you would be in favour of this:

The VOIP service I use for my home phone has this feature where if a caller leaves a voicemail, you have the option of having that voicemail sent to an email address(es) as an MP3 or WAV audio file. Then you can just play the file on your phone and listen to the message. Since most voicemail systems are digital, it wouldn't take much to either attach an audio file to an email and send it or even convert it to a playable format before attaching it. However, since PM runs off the Telus network, who owns the voicemail servers?

Anyway, this feature would avoid having to dial into the voicemail service to check messages and any airtime charges that apply.

---

In case anyone is interested, I've found a workaround.

First of all, there are a couple of prerequisites.

Android phones have Hangouts installed. If not, please do. iPhone users, same thing.

• You will need a data connection or Wi-Fi.
• In Hangouts phone dialer, dial ANY Public Mobile regional voice mail number.
• Follow the prompts and listen to your voice mail.
• You're welcome

[Murco]

Thats awesome!  Glad to hear some postive feedback.

[Storman74]

I recently joined PM and then went on a trip to Florida. I got a US roaming add on. Within the first week I received a voicemail, unfortunately I hadn't set up the voicemail. The number provided here, #18 778 outside of Vancouver, worked perfectly, in a few minutes I had my voicemail set up and retrieved, what was a very important email.Thank You!

[srlawren]

@rmathurin77 you're welcome, glad it's working normally now 🙂 

[rmathurin77]

Fixed this ! Thanks so much!! 💯💯

[srlawren]

Hi @rmathurin77, it depends on your phone.  It will be in your phone app's settings somewhere.  On my OnePlus 3 (Android phone), I go into the phone app, click the "..." for the overlfow menu, then top on Settings.  Then Call settings.  Then SIM1 (since my phone is dual sim--yours may not need this step).  Then Voicemail.  Then voicemail number.  Then a pop-up comes up letting me set the access number.  Add a +1 in front of it.  So for me it's "+17785804002" but substitute the 705 access number instead.  

Your mileage will vary as to where to find this setting but it will be in your phone settings somewhere.

[rmathurin77]

Hello,

how do i get the 705 one on list to go automatically to voicemail instead of dialling it..

[markjanzen]

delete

[Martin]

Hi @hkc,

What I didn't add, and I apologize for its exclusion, is that, while you are in BC with an Ontario calling plan, you can call any local/regional BC voicemail-access number from any landline, irrespective of telco, or cellphone on a non-Telus network, which also excludes PM and Koodo.

The reason for the above is this: When you activated your HSPA+ phone with Public Mobile, it was programmed to call only your local/regional voicemail-access number servicing your town or city in Ontario.

FYI.

[7789849803]

@hkc An an alternative, you can always just set up your unanswered calls to ring through to a 3rd party free voicemail service (like YouMail). That way, you can access the voicemails through, say free WiFi at a coffee shop, without having to call any strange access numbers.

[hkc]

hi @Martin,

Although it sounds illogical (can call in B.C. regional voice mail with long distance but not accessible to my ontario phone# voice mail), it is good to know and I am forced to call my long distance # (my ontario cell# or ontario voice mail #) to access my voice mail.

Thanks many much.

[Martin · Accepted solution]

Hello @hkc,

In that part of your post directed to Shazia, you stated that you would call the 778 number, in Vancouver, to access voicemail. If you were to attempt to do so, you would be unsuccessful.

You would be obliged to call the local/regional number in Ontario, servicing your city or town.

I know of what I speak. I do not live in the GTA or surrounding cities/towns. My access number is not what subscribers in the preceding call. That said, I experimented by calling the GTA voicemail-access number from the city in which I live. My attempts were futile, as the system did not recognize my number, and non-recognition wasn't a glitch. Having a Canada-wide calling plan played no factor.

FYI.

[Martin]

Hello @hkc,

Thank you for asking your question.

Though you would be able to call any BC number, while in that province with an Ontario calling plan, you would be required to call YOUR Ontario local/regional voicemail-access number to listen to your messages.

Without a long-distance add-on or Canada-wide calling, you would be unable to access that number from BC. With either, you would be able to call your phone's number or the access number for messages.

I hope that my reply has answered your question.

Cheers.

[srlawren]

If anyone is looking for this idea in the lab, @ckl's posting is here:

http://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Public-Lab/Voicemail-messages-by-email/idi-p/46347

Please up-vote or bravo if you would like to lend your support! 

[srlawren]

@ckl thanks for doing that!  Sorry for the confusion.

[ckl]

@srlawren Hi. Thanks. I just put this into the public lab.

[srlawren]

@ckl yes I like that idea.  Used to have that with Shaw Home Phone in a previous life, and it was very handy.  Could you please suggest it in the Public Lab?

[hkc]

I just joined PM few days and I can see this community is great to get fast answer.  Thanks everyone particularly Martin and Shazia.

@Martin

"If you have an Ontario provincial calling plan and are visiting BC, you can call any BC number without charge"

"The voicemail numbers, throughout Canada, are known to the community team members. You must call your local/regional voicemail-access number to listen to your messages."

"If you are outside your home area, access is not possible via your Public Mobile phone, unless you have Canada-wide or long-distance calling in which case you can call either your local/regional voicemail number or your phone's number."   --  Why do I need LD or Canada-Wide to call lcoal/regional voice mail number? You just said "call any BC number without charge"

@Shazia

 604 (greater Vancouver area 778-580-4002)
    604 (Outside greater Vancouver area 778-580-4003)

Combining the answers from Martin and Shazia,

Ontario provincial calling plan

Visiting B.C. (Vancouver)

WITHOUT Long distance add-on

In Greater Vancouver, from my PM phone, to retrieve my voice mail 

dial  778-580-4002  and then press * and then my password

It will not incur long distance charge (assume I don't  have Long Distance addon; but actually I did purchase LD add-on) and calling from my PM phone is possible. Is my understanding correct?

By the way, I was my first post to this forum. I only got the first notification of the first reply. Is there a way to get all notications from the replies to this thread?  Thanks again.

[7789849803]

Thanks so much, @Shazia_K - this list is super helpful!!

[ckl]

I wonder how many of you would be in favour of this:

The VOIP service I use for my home phone has this feature where if a caller leaves a voicemail, you have the option of having that voicemail sent to an email address(es) as an MP3 or WAV audio file. Then you can just play the file on your phone and listen to the message. Since most voicemail systems are digital, it wouldn't take much to either attach an audio file to an email and send it or even convert it to a playable format before attaching it. However, since PM runs off the Telus network, who owns the voicemail servers?

Anyway, this feature would avoid having to dial into the voicemail service to check messages and any airtime charges that apply.

[Martin]

Bump due to editing.

[Shazia_K]

Hello @7789849803,

Within Canada:  

• Regular airtime charges apply. Retrieval is toll-free within Canada.
• Depending on the location, customers may have to press the star key and interrupt their greeting when retrieving messages.
  
  Customers who are outside of their calling area may not be able to call 1+MIN to access their voicemail.
  • These customers can dial their 10-digit phone number (without dialing the 1) to access their voicemail, as long as they are in their home area.
  • If these customers are outside their home area, then they cannot access their voicemail from their handset, but can continue to use landline.

Here is the list to all Access numbers.

1. 204 (oustide of Winnipeg) 204-588-4002
   204 (Winnipeg) 204-588-4001 204-588-4002
   226 (226-580-4001)
2. 250 (778-581-4001 778-581-4002)
   289 (289-680-4001)
3. 306 (587-580-4002)
   403 (587-580-4001 587-580-4002 587-580-4003)
4. 416 (647-580-4001 647-580-4002)
5. 418 (581-580-4001)
6. 438 (438-580-4001)
7. 450 (450-320-4001)
8. 506 (506-588-4001)
9. 514 (438-580-4001)
10. 519 (226-580-4001)
11. 581 (581-580-4001)
12. 587 (587-588-4002)
13. 604 (greater Vancouver area 778-580-4002)
    604 (Outside greater Vancouver area 778-580-4003)
14. 613 (613-581-4001)
15. 647 (647-580-4001 647-580-4002)
16. 705 (705-780-4001)
17. 709 902-580-4001
18. 778 (outside greater Vancouver area 778-580-4001)
    778 (greater Vancouver area 778-580-4002)
19. 780 (587-588-4001 587-588-4002)
    807 (705-780-4001)
20. 819 (819-588-4001)
21. 902 (902-580-4001)
22. 905 (289-680-4001)
    
    I hope this helps 🙂
    
    Thanks,
    
    Shazia

[7789849803]

Good morning @Shazia_K! Could you please advise about PM's voicemail access numbers across the country?

[7789849803]

You're very welcome, @NDesai

"Save saved voicemails"...ha...I must be getting sleepy!

[NDesai]

---

@7789849803 wrote:

---

@dhanadhan wrote:

To my understanding, they just want our number and pin where you can access all your voicemail on the web. Whichever voicemail you want can be sent to your email. 

---

Not true, according to the following post by a PM employee at the time: http://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/Voicemail-Migration/m-p/29054#M980

The voicemail export feature will only let you save saved voicemails from the old system, as a way of not losing them after the migration.

---

ahh, i guess i m wrong then...thanks for clearing

[7789849803]

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@dhanadhan wrote:

To my understanding, they just want our number and pin where you can access all your voicemail on the web. Whichever voicemail you want can be sent to your email. 

---

Not true, according to the following post by a PM employee at the time: http://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Announcements/Voicemail-Migration/m-p/29054#M980

The voicemail export feature will only let you save saved voicemails from the old system, as a way of not losing them after the migration.

[Martin]

Hi 778,

Thanks for the clarification.

Cheers.

[NDesai]

---

@7789849803 wrote:

@NDesai How will the new VM system solve this problem? Please elaborate.

---

To my understanding, they just want our number and pin where you can access all your voicemail on the web. Whichever voicemail you want can be sent to your email. 

When it goes i live, i will do more test on it...

[7789849803]

@NDesai How will the new VM system solve this problem? Please elaborate.

[NDesai]

Well the new voicemail system will solve this problem 🙂

I got a text today that my voicemail system will be transferred to the new one in 2 days where i can send and download voicemails i want from email. 

I am not sure if this system will go live for everyone at the same time...