Why You Should Read Annoying MEO Texts
Especially if you are traveling...
A funny thing happened shortly after we left Geneva.1 It was day 27 of our 35-day summer travels. Until then it had been smooth sailing (i.e. driving). Yes, we had missed an exit or two but recovered after a few kilometers. However, that day, a drive that was supposed to take us 5 hours took 9 … in part because I failed to read a text message from MEO.
European Cell Phones
One of the wonderful things about EU cell phone plans is that your phone works even when you are not in your home country. Just as one doesn’t have to think about their phone plan when they travel from California to Arizona in the US … when I travel from Portugal to Spain, France, Italy, etc. my Portuguese cell phone still works. I can make a call, receive a text, and utilize cellular data just like I was sitting in Lisbon. The first 24 days of our trip, I didn’t need to worry.
However, on day 25, we entered Switzerland…though it is in Europe it is not in the European Union and not governed by their rules and regulations. But not to worry. The night before, I accessed the Airalo app on my cell phone and downloaded a Swiss e-sim. As we entered Switzerland, the e-sim took over. Google Maps led us to our hotel and all was well.
Sh*t Happens
We spent a few lovely days in Geneva. We visited museums and public parks, took free public transportation, walked a lot, and even enjoyed our meals.2 Perhaps we enjoyed our meals because we had visited Switzerland once before and knew how expensive our meals would be. (I am 100% confident that there is no cafe in Geneva where you can enjoy a typical Portuguese lunch (soup, an entree, and a glass of wine) for 11.30 Swiss Francs (12€). I am fairly confident you can’t find a Swiss Cafe that offers lunch for twice that much. But this post is not about the cost of living in Switzerland … sorry, I digressed.)
We left our hotel in Geneva at 09:00. We were headed for Brive-la-Gaillarde, 515 kilometers (320 miles) away. Shortly after we left Switzerland, we encountered a major traffic jam on the highway. After crawling forward for 1 hour (as ambulances passed between cars), we were forced to exit the highway onto a country road. Google Maps attempted to reroute us without success. I asked Denise to access Google Maps on her phone, but nada. I assumed it was the Swiss e-sim, so I deinstalled it. Still nada. Oh sh*t!
As we followed the bumper-to-bumper traffic, I considered what to do next. We never saw signs for any highways. We were unfamiliar with the names of any of the towns we saw on road signs.3 Slowly over the next hour, cars turned to the right and left and we were left wondering what to do. Finally, we saw a highway and decided it had to be better than this two-lane road. The first chance we got we stopped at a highway rest stop with a gas station and restaurant.
I smiled as I approached the restaurant door and saw a sign for free wifi. My smile turned upside down when I learned it wasn’t working. But I asked a lovely French woman if she spoke English … and, of course, she did. She let me borrow her cell phone, a piece of paper, and a pen and I spent the next ten minutes scribbling down the step-by-step Google Map instructions to our destination. I thanked her profusely and we were off.
Technical Support
As Denise drove, I continued to “play” with my phone settings. Finally, I decided to call MEO Technical Support. Due to my limited Portuguese comprehension skills, I had to listen to the phone tree several times to determine the correct sequence of numbers to get me to mobile phone — data — technical support. Once there I said the one Portuguese phrase I say perfectly, “Fala ingles?” and was transferred.4 A minute or two later, a lovely woman answered and asked how she could help. I explained the situation and she responded:
“I see we sent you a text message 3 days ago. It explained that you had run out of roaming data. There is a charge to reinstate your roaming. All you need to do is text…”
That is when the line went dead … I lost her.
But undeterred, I accessed my text messages and found the text she referenced. There it was in black and gray … I texted DADOS to 12083. I attempted to access my Gmail … nothing. I attempted a Google search … nothing. What had I done wrong?
It turns out I didn’t do anything wrong … I was just impatient. It took about 15 minutes for the charge to be accepted and my service to be restored. I received a text from MEO (this one I read immediately), and eureka it worked!
In My Defense
I get text messages from MEO nearly every day. When you live on the Spanish border, you regularly connect to a Spanish cell tower. Even though our golf course is in Portugal, my phone thinks I am in Spain whenever I am on the course (at least 3 times a week). MEO also has a habit of sending you promotions …
Of course, there is no defense for failing to learn Portuguese. Denise continues to study 15-30 minutes every day using apps such as Memrise and Drops. She has also signed up for year 3 of the free Portuguese classes. Me … I am thinking about trying to repeat year 2. Stay tuned.
Pelo menos sou honesto, até à próxima semana, tchau
Nanc
It was not funny. It was annoying and extremely frustrating.
The day before our stay, our hotel sent us an email with a QR code that provided free public transportation during our stay. Our hotel (Hotel Mon Repos) was near the UN Office in Geneva…about a 40-minute walk from downtown. I don’t know if the free public transportation for visitors is a Geneva service or unique to our hotel. But it was much appreciated!
No, we do not carry an Atlas in the car. I know Mike and Mary do. However, they are the only people I know who still know how to read a map.
I know other words … I can order a meal, pick up a package at CTT, and refill a prescription. But, I admit I have been a slacker learning Portuguese.
and that's why I dislike mobile phones. We have a GPS in the camper van but I always carry maps as my late father, having been an RAF navigator, would haunt me otherwise. Even so, rural France can be challenging - esecially among the vineyards. Nao faz mal.
Fun post. You are not the only one who is struggling to learn "the P-word" (patience). And I agree! Phone trees are difficult to navigate in English, much less in rapid-fire Portuguese. Thanks for sharing your travels.