Cell phone service in the Bahamas

[zboss]

Originally Posted by austinrick

Great advice, thanks! The last place I want to go in the Bahamas is Nassau, but maybe I could get in & out of there briefly without having to defend myself.

Anyone else?

I'm not sure why Nassau gets such a bad rap... we had a great time there this past spring. Be sure to go to the BTC by the cruise ship docks and not the one in the shopping center where the really nice grocery store is.

I found that the one in the shopping center gave really bad customer service.

We found that we got really really good service from the guy in Spanish Wells.

[RainDog]

Originally Posted by zboss

I'm not sure why Nassau gets such a bad rap...

I am with you. By far the cheapest, easiest, and best place to get stuff done. Especially provisioning.

[austinrick]

It has to do with the robberies and muggings.

Originally Posted by zboss

I'm not sure why Nassau gets such a bad rap... we had a great time there this past spring. Be sure to go to the BTC by the cruise ship docks and not the one in the shopping center where the really nice grocery store is.

I found that the one in the shopping center gave really bad customer service.

We found that we got really really good service from the guy in Spanish Wells.

[austinrick]

It's all moot now; ATT tells me that the phone I bought on the installment plan (on which I owe hundreds) must be paid off in full before they will unlock it. Makes sense, in a way.

So..... not sure now what I'll do....

Originally Posted by austinrick

For a tech-challenged cruiser headed to the Bahamas this winter, can anyone with an Android smartphone (mine is LG) on AT&T speak for the cheapest, easiest way to arrange for basic calls and text to US and calls within the Bahamas? -thx

[jcapo]

Google unlock cellphone. Dozens of sites will sell you an unlock code. Some fairly new Samsung Galaxy phones can be unlocked at no cost. Google is your friend.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by austinrick

It's all moot now; ATT tells me that the phone I bought on the installment plan (on which I owe hundreds) must be paid off in full before they will unlock it. Makes sense, in a way.

So..... not sure now what I'll do....

take it to any hole in the wall computer store and they'll unlock it for you. That's what we do in Toronto.

[DorisT]

You don't have to go to Nassau to get a smart phone set up with a Bahamian sim card. You can do it in Marsh Harbour, Abaco and possibly other BTC offices.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by DorisT

You don't have to go to Nassau to get a smart phone set up with a Bahamian sim card. You can do it in Marsh Harbour, Abaco and possibly other BTC offices.

And possibly not! Stick to the major centers to get your BTC sim. There are BTC offices on most of the islands with a tower but don`t rely on those offices having sim cards.

[zboss]

Originally Posted by Vasco

And possibly not! Stick to the major centers to get your BTC sim. There are BTC offices on most of the islands with a tower but don`t rely on those offices having sim cards.

I agree, you need to make sure the phone is configured correctly, that your online bill pay is set up correctly, and that you are shown how to add and transfer credit. Oh.. and make sure that you can actually dial 1-800 numbers or their Bahamas equivalent.

Far easier to do this in a big office.

You can do this in the Abacos in any BTC office but hours at these offices are erratic and there seem to be a lot of holidays in the Bahamas!

Here is a blog entry I talk about Bahamas cell service...

http://www.tikitreksailing.com/staying-grid-part-2/

[Sun and Moon]

Originally Posted by austinrick

It's all moot now; ATT tells me that the phone I bought on the installment plan (on which I owe hundreds) must be paid off in full before they will unlock it. Makes sense, in a way.
So..... not sure now what I'll do....

Did you tell them you are traveling internationally? The cell co's used to be willing to unlock them for international travel. Now with most of them having international service maybe they won't do it anymore.

Also a good strategy if you don't get what you want is always to hang up, call back and get a different customer service rep. Different reps have different skills and levels of interest in actually helping.

[travellerw]

Originally Posted by austinrick

It's all moot now; ATT tells me that the phone I bought on the installment plan (on which I owe hundreds) must be paid off in full before they will unlock it. Makes sense, in a way.

So..... not sure now what I'll do....

The Microsoft Store has tons of unlocked international phones for cheap..

Unlocked Windows Phones - Microsoft Store

I bought the Blu WinHD LTE.. Of course it is a Windows phone so you need to accept that. There is a version of that phone running Android that can be bought on Amazon, but its a littl more money!