MAR 4, 16 .. MobiCom .. MY MONGOLIA CELL PHONE CARRIER

MobiCom (for some reason I think of it as Mobi ‘dot’ Com) is the Mongolian cell phone carrier that I use here in Mongolia. I signed up with MobiCom last July 19th 2015 and have been with them since that time. I had three (3) active cell phones at one time. Why three cell phones? I had (1) my cell phone and (2) a cell phone for Patti and (3) one for Gullible when we three were here in Mongolia late last Autumn ( 29 October to 17 November 2015).

Each of the three cell phones are ‘dual SIM card’ phones.

“What is a ‘SIM card’?” I am so Happy you asked ‘Zilla. I too was wondering so I Googled it and Wikipedia told me ..

A SIM card is a Subscriber Identity / Identification Module.

Of course it was FOLLOWED BY MUCH MORE TECHNICAL ‘COMPUTER-GEEK-INFORMATION’ than either of us could possibly absorb in this lifetime ‘Zilla.

In the below photo .. right in the center of the cell phone .. are the two white SIM cards. To the right of the phone is the battery that goes on-top of the SIM cards. To change a SIM card you first have to remove the battery. You then grasp the bottom of a SIM card and gently pull it down to remove it. Because I keep my finger nails very short it can be ‘tricky’ (NO! IMPOSSIBLE!) for me to change-out SIM cards. I have solved this problem using ‘tweezers’ to gently grasp and then pull out the SIM cards.

“DAD ! Are we finished here Dad! Dad how would YOU like to have your ‘privates exposed’ and photographed and shown to the entire world DAD!” .. “Now put my battery back in .. Close my case .. Reset my time .. and get on with this post Dad!”

THE CROSS-I-CARRY THE BURDEN I BEAR having all of these discussions with my things. YOU WHO DON’T HAVE SUCH CONVERSATIONS ARE SO LUCKY! It is REALLY a problem when I have to ‘kill’ one of them and they scream at me! “Dad we have been together for over 30-years and you are throwing me away Dad!”

The above small envelope has been with me for well over 30-years. His mission has been to carry my extra passport and visa photographs so I always have one ready when I need one. Here in Ulaanbaatar I will need a passport photo to attach to the formal application that I must complete in order to remain here in Mongolia for over 30-days.

“Why throw him away?” .. /s/ ‘Zilla

“I may well NOT  throw him away ‘Zilla. He is really making a fuss about this. I just figured I didn’t need him anymore.”

“Pretty crass decision Dad!” /s/ The (Taa-Daa)  Envelope ..

I will use him as an envelope and mail him to Patti IF I do decide to part-ways with him.

IF you all just knew what I endure you would fall over in amazement that I ever get a post written and published.

WHERE WAS I WHEN THE DOORS FELL OFF THE RACE CAR HERE! GOT IT .. SIM CARDS ..

Of odd interest to me is the fact that the word SIM is capitalized. I had made it all lower case and went back here and capitalized it.

A Dual SIM card cell phone allows me to have two active telephone numbers in the same cell phone. Very nice because I can have a Hong Kong number active and an Indian or a Mongolian number also active at the same time.  Or I can simply use two (2) telephone numbers in my location where ever that may be.

I have to say that my experience with MobiCom has been all good.

The last time I used one of my Mongolian cell phones was November the 17th 2015 the day we three left Mongolia heading back South to Hong Kong. When I left Mongolia I removed the three ‘SIM cards’ from the phones and ‘put them away’. I did not record which SIM card was which with regards to each of the three SIM card’s associated telephone number.

When I flew up here last Tuesday the 1st of March 2016 ..

I put one of my MobiCom ‘SIM cards’ into my cell phone so that I would be able to call Changer when my flight arrived into Ulaanbaatar.
Immediately upon landing here in Ulaanbaatar I wanted to let-him-know we had arrived. This was especially important because the flight was over five (5) hours late and I didn’t know if he was waiting at the airport or waiting-at-home for me to call him. We were due-to-arrive at 6:05PM and actually touched down about 11:20PM. As-it-turned-out Changer had received some misinformation about the flight and ended up coming to the airport expecting the flight to arrive about 7PM. He then waited and finally went home and tracked the flight on the internet. He had been told (he believes) to .. “Call back around 7PM the flight is late.” He thinks he mistook this to mean the flight would arrive around 7PM and to call back later for more precise information.

It was a nice crisp evening with the temperature at 17 F.

The-stage-is-set. We touched down and taxied to the terminal. The unfasten seat belt sign came on. I got out my cell phone with the Mongolian ‘SIM card’ and called Changer.

My cell phone sprang into life! The time was correct .. It had all five bars indicating that it was in-contact with its local cell-phone-tower .. and it identified my Mongolian SIM card.

Hot-Diggety-Dog I can call Changer.

I dialed Changer. The call dropped immediately.

IN THE MIX HERE .. I ALSO TRIED TO CALL PATTI SEVERAL TIMES .. SAME OL’ SAME OL’ NO LUCK ..

I dialed Changer a second time.  The second call again dropped immediately.

I dialed Changer a third / fourth / fifth time and all of the calls all again dropped immediately.

Then-It-Hit-Me! Ker-Powie! I have a pre-paid cell phone. I last used my cell phone on November 17th when we (Patti .. Gullible .. Me) flew to Hong Kong. It was March 1st when we landed here in Ulaanbaatar.

I HAD NOT USED MY CELL PHONE IN WELL OVER 90-DAYS. PRE-PAID CELL PHONE PLANS OFTEN EXPIRE WHEN NOT USED IN A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME. SOME OF THEM EXPIRE WITH ONLY 30-DAYS OF INACTIVITY. SO MY CELL PHONE PLAN HAD EXPIRED. THAT EXPLAINED MY NOT BEING ABLE TO MAKE ANY CALL(S).

Off the plane and into the terminal.

I want to tell all of you that there are really some extremely nice people in this world. That or they feel sorry for me (this old man) and assist me so often anymore. My seat-mate on the flight was a thirty-ish (in his 30s agewise) young man. As we all stood up to disembark he asked me if he could help me with my overhead baggage. Mainly the CPAP suitcase. Not waiting for an affirmative reply he just grabbed it and pulled it down and handed it to me. Then he ‘had my back’ and prevented the roaring crowd behind us from running over and pushing me out of the way.

When we got out of the plane as we two walked up the jetway I asked him .. “Will you make a call for me on your cell phone so I can tell my friend we are in the airport?”

He did and I spoke with Changer. I asked my seat mate about a call to the United States. He did not have an international cell phone plan. Nor did Changer when I asked him the same question .. “Can we call Patti?”

HAPPINESS SURE IS DIFFERENT THINGS TO ALL OF US AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND IN DIFFERENT PLACES !!

The topic : The elevator in my building.

Not withstanding its normal mal-functioning day or night .. it is a real crap-shoot as to its reliability. My elevator being operational is an issue!

For reasons I do not understand .. Sometime late in the evening .. The elevator in my building is actually turned off.  More than once I have had to walk up or walk down or do both the 12 flights of 9-steps plus an additional 6 steps at the bottom.

I reminded Changer of this and he just sighed .. “We will just have to walk up Cap.”

We got to the building well past 12AM midnight and came into the building with my bags. I began to actually walk up the first flight of stairs. God Bless Changer he said .. “I will try the elevator.”

THE ELEVATOR WAS ON AND WORKED TO PERFECTION !!

Early Wednesday morning the 2nd of March 2016 here in Ulaanbaatar Mongolia ..

THE ELEVATOR WORKING WAS EXQUISITE HAPPINESS !!

Now to MobiCom.

My number one top priority on Wednesday the 2nd of March was to go to MobiCom and get my phone up and on-line.

THEN IT HAPPENED .. THEN IT HAPPENED .. WOW .. WOWIE ..

Before I left to go to MobiCom my cell phone here in my room rang. I answered it. It was Patti calling me from Alaska. On a whim .. Because Patti had heard nothing from me for over 24-hours and was concerned about me .. Patti called me. The last time that we talked I was on the plane in Hong Kong after 6PM Tuesday evening. We talked until they said .. “Turn off electronic devices.” What a stroke-of-genius for her to try to call me here in Mongolia. She tried and was successful.

Do you want some pure blind luck? I inserted the SIM card associated with my primary Mongolian telephone number into my phone. Thus Patti’s call reached me. Had I inserted one of the other two SIM cards she would not have gotten me.

Knowing that my cell phone was up-and-running .. I surmised that in my trying and trying and trying again to use my cell phone .. MobiCom sensed the phone was being used and re-activated my pre-paid calling plan.

‘My’ MobiCom office is on the 5th floor of ‘My” State Department Store here on Peace Avenue in Ulaanbaatar.

Taa-Daa .. ‘My’ MobiCom store.

Clean .. Immaculate .. Professional ..’My’ MobiCom store.

I waited. When it was my-turn I sat down. I gave my phone number to my representative and said that I wanted to re-charge my pre-paid cell phone. My account was brought-up on the computer.

“Sir. You have not used you cell phone in a very long time. Your pre-paid plan has expired. You will have to get a new plan.”

THEN IT BEGAN !

I replied .. “The cell phone IS active. I got a call from my wife in Alaska.”

Looking again .. very closely .. at the computer .. the representative again said to me ..

“Sir. You have not used you cell phone in a very long time. Your pre-paid plan has expired. You will have to get a new plan.”

I replied .. “The cell phone IS active. I got a call from my wife in Alaska.”

CHAD IN 45039 .. WHAT A GIFT YOU GAVE ME WHEN YOU SO PAINSTAKINGLY TAUGHT ME HOW TO DO ‘COPY AND PASTE’ .. THANK YOU SO MUCH CHAD!

Then I saw that (who I think is) the supervisor was not busy. I called him over. He said .. after looking at my account on the computer..

“Sir. You have not used you cell phone in a very long time. Your pre-paid plan has expired. You will have to get a new plan.”

THEN IT HAPPENED .. THERE IN THE MOBICOM OFFICE .. PATTI CALLED ME .. AND GOT THROUGH ..

Happily I waved my cell phone at the two of them. Then I handed the cell phone to them .. and said ..

“See I told you .. I am connected! You talk to my wife.”

Long Story Short .. I got my cell phone formally re-activated with my former phone number. THIS .. saving my cell phone number .. was what I was really after. I also got my international long distance calling plan activated. To be sure I was in-business .. I tried both a local call and a call and a text to Patti in Alaska. I was good-to-go.

As I walked out I mused .. “What a deal. They were so positive of their position. Had Patti not called I would have been at square zero. Had I inserted the wrong SIM card I would have lost my number.”

This was in the afternoon of this past Wednesday the 2nd of March. For the rest of Wednesday and into the late afternoon of yesterday Thursday the 3rd of March .. PATTI AND I BLAZED AWAY ON THE PHONE .. ALL WAS WELL .. ALL WAS SWELL ..

At exactly 5:30PM yesterday I called Patti and could not get through. “Good Girl .. you are sleeping and the phone is off.” All day today I tried and I failed to get through. I got the message .. “Your call can not be completed. Call again later.”

I texted Karolynn. She called Patti. Patti called (successfully) me. Patti was wondering herself .. “Nothing from Cap in over 24-hours.”

8PM .. Into MobiCom I walked. I was in luck. No other customers were there. It was Thee MobiCom and it was Me! Around and around and around we went for well over one full hour!

“I have a long distance international global calling plan. It is not working.”

It went on and on and it went on some more.

“You try to call.” .. The representative tried to call the U.S. The call did not go through. It never did. It still isn’t working.

I called a friend. 

“I am at MobiCom will you please talk to the representative here?”

My friend talked to the representative. My friend told me what was happening. My friend could NOT believe it.

Basically I was told to use my local calling plan to call long distance. I was told that the cost of using my local calling plan to call the United States was the same as the Global International Calling Plan.

Both my friend and I asked .. “Then why on this good earth does MobiCom even have the Global International Calling Plan?

Do any of you remember (click onto the below link) the adventures that I had with Vodafone India?

https://babakaps.net/?p=17209

Management Technique: Take their money and stonewall them and then play ..

The Broken Record – Just keep repeating yourself to the customer until you wear-them-down and they leave. Besides what are they the pre-paid customer going to do? Leave you as a customer? They do that anyway! They go back home to where they live.

If you want my honest and my candid opinion I think that this is all about calling Alaska. I am able to use my MobiCom Global International Calling Plan to call India and .. Taa-Daa.. The lower-48 United States.

Captain Oh Captain ..

Do you want to be happy or do you want to be right?

Smiling .. Cap ..

I TEXTED PATTI THE FOLLOWING BEFORE SHE BEGAN TO PROOF READ THIS POST:

Take a nap .. Put your feet up .. Rest up .. Drink liquids .. This is a text intensive post coming to you at 8pm. Love. Cap

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