9 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Get a Globe Postpaid

This is part 3 of 3 of my blog posts about my review on getting a Globe postpaid plan. It has been more than two years since I got a Globe postpaid plan. I am almost near bill no. 50. You can find the other parts here:

Part 1 of 3 Getting Started on a Globe Postpaid Plan
Part 2 of 3 Reasons Why You Should Get a Globe Postpaid Plan

This post was last updated on September 29, 2016.

It has been more than two years since I got a Globe postpaid and I have compiled all the things that I have found good and bad about Globe’s postpaid services. This guide lists all the bad things when having a Globe postpaid plan. The list shows the things that prospective customers of Smart and Globe can use before they decide to subscribe to the postpaid services of the network of their choice. The list contains the things that the agents might not tell you and that you should know.

1. SIM Card Activation takes forever.

Unlike Smart postpaid, I don’t know why activating a Globe postpaid line takes a long time. When I applied for a Globe postpaid line, it took them two days before they finally activated my SIM card. I also read from my previous blog post that it can even take a week before their SIM gets activated! Crazy!

From my experience with Smart postpaid, it only took them one hour to activate my SIM card. From my experience with SK Telecom when I was in South Korea, it also took them one hour to activate my SIM. The only difference is that Smart will give your SIM card unactivated, but in Korea, they will ask you to come back after one hour to eat some lunch or do something else rather than staring at your phone that has no phone signal.

2. You will only know your number once it’s activated.

You will only know your cellphone number once it’s activated.

3. Voice Mail or Enhanced Voice Mail is not available.

If you are coming from the United States, South Korea, Japan or any other country that uses voice mail service, stop thinking. Globe Telecom does not offer the voice mail service anymore. They stopped it years ago.

4. All calls are charged by the minute.

If you are coming from South Korea, you will not be so happy when you heard about Globe’s voice call charging scheme. If you call another Globe subscriber for 10 seconds, you will be billed for one full minute. If you call someone from another network for 25 seconds, not only will you be charged for one full minute, but you will also be charged a peso higher.

Globe’s postpaid roaming charge is complicated and more expensive.

When I used my Globe phone for roaming in South Korea for one year, I found out that Globe’s postpaid roaming is more expensive compared to its prepaid counterpart. You will not only pay the roaming operator, but you will also pay additional surcharges for using the roaming service. (Roaming rate + Globe surcharges).

Take note, the rates for roaming are not posted online. Therefore, you have to call the roaming hotline to ask about the rates of the network operators abroad.

5. 3G Data signal is awful.

I notice that even here in Metro Manila, most of the time, the data connection is on GPRS mode, not on HSPA or HSDPA mode. It’s annoying. Sending a message in KakaoTalk or VIber takes forever. In our hometown as well, signal coverage is terrible. Besides not having 3G signal in our home, there is no 2G signal as well. You need to be in the second floor of your home to get that 2G signal.

6. Billing for smart phone users is confusing.

Based from my experience with SK Telecom in Korea, I think having a Globe postpaid subscription is a hassle. Globe currently doesn’t have postpaid plans specifically designed for smart phone users. If you want to have a data subscription, it’s only good for 30-days. It’s not for a billing cycle. So, if you have a monitoring program, like PhoneUsage, on your Android phone that monitors all texts, data and phone calls, it’s confusing. Globe’s charging scheme is good for 30 days. So it means, you need to adjust PhoneUsage every 30 days. It’s a big hassle.

I don’t know why Globe isn’t coming up with ingenious plans that adds data to your current plan good for an entire billing cycle.

In this time of year, why don’t they follow SK Telecom in Korea? AT&T in the US? Add data services for a billing cycle, not for 30 days. It’s confusing!

Take note, once you are subscribed to these services, you will be charged the full amount, regardless if you do not complete the entire 30 days. It’s not prorated.

7. Phones are insanely overpriced.

Actually, not only Globe, but Smart as well, sell overpriced phones. If you would look at the other stores selling phones that are already network unlocked (meaning, you can insert other SIM cards), it would seem that the phones in Globe are more expensive. It’s so stupid to buy a mobile phone that is locked and you wouldn’t even get a good discount. For example, if you look at the Samsung Galaxy Nexus in Amazon.com, it’s almost half the price. If you plan on buying a phone with a two-year contract with them, get a higher plan instead. Subscribing to a plan below 1799 is like paying for service and only get very little discount from the phone price. Why can’t they show their prospective subscribers how much will they save on the phone if they avail of a two-year contract?

8. You cannot let Globe unlock your iPhone.

If you bought an iPhone from Globe, you will be very disappointed. If you plan to travel to another country and you happen to know a lot of people in that country and then you decided to buy a local SIM and put it in the iPhone that you have bought from Globe. Think again. Globe will not unlock your iPhone and Globe does not have the capacity to unlock your iPhone. In short, the network lock on your latest iPhone is almost permanent. You might have to wait for at least 5 years before iPhone unlockers will provide a mechanism to legally unlock your iPhone.

Sure, those rooting tools might work, but nothing works as perfect as the un-rooted iPhone. Plus, rooting will destroy your iPhone’s limited warranty.

9. Globe’s Postpaid Plans list are always changing.

If you are on Globe for many years and you were on My SuperPlan 1699 and decide to downgrade to Plan 299, think again. Globe has again discarded the list of postpaid plans that subscribers can choose.

I don’t understand the logic. Why remove the original My SuperPlan 299? Why remove the original G-Text 500? Globe could have just added more minutes and text messages to the old legacy plans and still offer it. They could have just charged more expensive data charges to the legacy plans and prompt the subscribers to upgrade to a postpaid plan that offers bigger discount on data services.

If you are still on Globe’s Plan 299 (like me), don’t disconnect your line. Keep it or let someone else use it!

NOTE: This blog post is neither sponsored by Globe Telecom, PLDT nor any telecommunications company.

DISCLAIMER: All contents of this blog post are based on the author’s experience. Some services may have changed. The information provided may be inaccurate at the time of reading. As this blog post was last updated on March 24, 2015.

WARNING: To sales agents of PLDT (Smart and Sun), Globe Telecom or any other telecommunications company, KEEP OUT OF THIS BLOG. You are not allowed to do any form of advertisement here. Your comments that contain advertisement will be deleted as soon as I detect them.