Long distance charges Dell voice and Follow me Service

[Nails95]

I hope I am posting in the correct forum:

Let me know if I have this correct. I am feeling confused and have not found a clear answer to this on the website or forums so far....

Say I have a cell # for ottawa (613 area code), but have registered for Dell Voice (DV) with a Toronto area code (647).

Now situation #1. Someone in Toronto calls my (647) DV number, the call should be free for the caller (or local minutes if they are on a cell) and it should be data charges only for me provided I am in Ottawa or anywhere in canada that counts as a free city (as the number is routed through the DV application which is using data at approx 1mb/ min.) Is this correct?

Situation #2. Someone in Toronto calls my (647) DV number again, however this time I have used the "follow me" service to route the Dell Voice (area code 647) number to the Ottawa cell number (613). The DV call is not answered so that the call is forwarded / followme'd to the 613 number. Now, should this call ALSO be free for the caller (or local minutes if they are on a cell) or are they now paying for a call to the area code 613 (ottawa number) without knowing it?
Secondly, is the receiver of the call that has now been sent to the "follow me" number (613 area code) now using his cell minutes and not data charges because the number called is the cell number and not through the Dell Voice application?
Furthermore and most importantly, is the person receiving the call paying for local minutes or long distance minutes, provided he is in his local (613 area) at the time he received the call? I presumed he is only paying for local minutes as he received the call and didn't make the call but I am not certain. i.e. does ANYONE end up paying long distance because the DV number was sent to a canadian long distance number that is not DV number but the "follow me" number? If they are, then there is no way of knowing if a call taken will be long distance or a local call (short of asking the call which number they called).
(If it helps the situation I can reveal I am using the rogers network)

Situation #3 is the same as Situation #2 but this time the receiver of the call is no longer in the (613) area when he receives the (647) DV call that has been sent to the "follow me" number (613). Do I presume that the caller still has a free call (or using local minutes if he is on a cell) but this time the receiver of the call is paying long distance charges? (for example the receiver of the call is in Toronto when he receives the call)

Thanks again for your time in answering these detailed questions. I know it seems very particular but the answers do significantly impact on how I use my DV number and set the "follow me" numbers.

Jose

[Jake]

Good questions!
#1 You have that all right, apart from the fact you could be anywhere in the world, as long as you have a wifi or some sort of internet connection that allows voip traffic. The actual area code you are in has no effect on the call at all, it is not like a normal cell call. You could be in Canada, UK, or China; and the call would still be free as you set it out in your example.

#2 (and #3 I guess) The caller's part will be free or using their minutes. They won't pay for a long distance call. The receiver will be accepting a 647 number, so that will be whatever the receiving telco's policy is on receiving long distance calls. AFAIK anyway. Someone else will no doubt tell me I am spouting crap

I think in general you can look at it as though the caller will be dialling a 647 number, so their calls will be free/local calls.
The receiving call should be looked as the call is coming from a 647 number, so the fact it is being bounced through DV shouldn't really effect what your cell company charges.

I don't think you would get around it by registering a 647 and 613 account, then make the 647 forward to 613 then onto your cell. The incoming CID will show the original 647 caller.

[TheHardy]

Jake covered all the bases for you ...

Just keep in mind that regardless of the service you are using (cell/home/voip) in _NORTH_AMERICA_ (important distinction!), if the dialed number is a local (or free longdistance) call for the person who dialed it, there are not any "back end" charges that could be billed back to the dialing party as a result of any forwarding.

However, under MOST circumstances (landline/mobile) if you as the owner of that first-dialed number chose to forward it to somewhere that is a LONG DISTANCE call to the original number, YOU are now paying the freight for the 2nd hop (forwarded part) -- actually, this example also holds true for Fongo numbers, except that they currently do not allow you to forward outside their FREE-CALLING-AREA/cities ... so as both cities in your example are covered, it is a moot point.

WRT to RECEIVING the call, that all depends on where you are and what you are using to receive your call .... if you are on any kind of WIFI, you are paying what you pay for the wifi data ... if you are using your DATA kb's, you are paying THAT, plus any applicable roaming as per your mobile agreement with your provider. If you are receiving the calls to your mobile, then it is the cost of the incoming call plus any roaming charges that may apply, or long distance charges on the INCOMING part of the call, which vary from provider to provider and plan to plan. Check your contract or details of your plan VERY carefully in this case.\

There are no Fongo-based charges that would apply, until such a time as Fongo would make "outside-of-free-area-forwarding" an available option -- and yes, it has been requested by several people!

[Nails95]

Thank you Jake and Hardy for the very complete and succinct replies. Those were exactly the answers I was looking for!

Jose

[TheHardy]

Thank you Jake and Hardy for the very complete and succinct replies. Those were exactly the answers I was looking for!

Happy to help (and I can safely say that for Jake too!). Just a word of caution, even though the answers are complete and detailed, as there are so many different carriers, YMMV (your mileage may vary). Always double check with your own carrier/provider for information on YOUR contract ... years ago, before Clearnet was swallowed up, I had no long distance roaming charges within Canada and could answer a call anywhere without paying incoming long distance ... then Telus took them over, and slowly it was phased in --- first no LD within my home province ... but now after the full integration, as soon as I am outside my "home bubble" I am paying extra ...

[FONGO_mike]

Wow, thank you Jake and Hardy, could not have said it any better myself!

[TheHardy]

Wow, thank you Jake and Hardy, could not have said it any better myself!

Jake and I both have our "Unofficial Fongo Forum Support" tee-shirts ... oh hang on, they're still in the mail, aren't they, Mike! Does yours have BBQ sauce and beer stains on it from the weekend? Welcome back, hope you had a good weekend!

[FONGO_mike]

In the mail...i uh....sent them out two weeks ago....with those cheques........

[TheHardy]

Seeing I am not officially on staff yet (although I have offered....) I'll settle for a Fongo pen, ballcap or promo teeshirt ... but then again, I would get registration errors and the pen would stop writing, the hat would not velcro shut and fall off my head, or the shirt logo would freeze and crash ...

Ooops ... sorry, sarcastic streak survived the long weekend ...

But about that pen ... !!!!

[Jake]

Jake and I both have our "Unofficial Fongo Forum Support" tee-shirts ... oh hang on, they're still in the mail, aren't they, Mike!

I have mine , although I think they used the same tailor as the Emperor did for his new clothes

[TheHardy]

You'd think that we might rate some swag tho ... I dunno about that skin coloured shirt, Jake. Looks more like a cross with a gorilla costume to me ... from all the way out there in 604-land ....

[FONGO_mike]

Jake and I both have our "Unofficial Fongo Forum Support" tee-shirts ... oh hang on, they're still in the mail, aren't they, Mike!

I have mine , although I think they used the same tailor as the Emperor did for his new clothes

Jake, please put some clothes on that the rest of us little people can see. The forums are for all ages. Clothing is required........

[TheHardy]

Mike: please forward requested Fongo-branded swag immediately -- participation level fading ... enthusiasm level draining ...