Making Aliyah to Israel - Here are Some Useful Tips for You - How to Deal with Cellular Companies

When relocating to a new country, a simple task of finding the right internet provider can become complicated when faced with language and cultural barriers, as Grace, an American student who came to study in Israel, personally found out.

Grace has come from New York to study and experience life in Israel. Being a student, having direct access to the internet was essential and so she decided to purchase an internet modem, with one of Israel's leading cellular companies, offering very favorable terms to students. Grace was visiting a relative in Jerusalem when decided to purchase the cellular modem and she happened to buy it while there when Grace actually lived in Tel-Aviv. Consequently, the relevant contracts detailing the "internet plan" were signed in the Jerusalem branch, where Grace also received her new modem. 

Unfortunately, the modem sold to Grace did not work. In order to try and solve the problem, Grace was requested by the cellular company to show up with the modem and her computer at the branch from which she purchased the item – in Jerusalem.

 Since Grace does not own a car, she had to take a number of bus trips to Jerusalem and to the technical support department in Tel Aviv, but still the problem was not solved. Several bus trips later,   in addition to endless hours on the phone pleading with various representatives of the cellular company and one tearful outburst, Grace was told that her modem was incompatible with her computer. To her complete astonishment, although it was the cellular company which sold Grace the wrong modem in the first place, Grace was told that if she wants to purchase a new compatible modem, she will have to change her internet "plan" with the company, resulting (of course), with a fine she will be expected to pay, for cancelling her original internet plan.

Luckily, at this point Grace contacted our company – TransHomation – and we intervened on her behalf. After numerous attempts to solve the difficulties via phone, it was obvious a radical step should be taken to receive immediate response.

The solution to this whole saga was one short and very precise letter, written and signed by an attorney, who is also one of our company's partners. The letter was sent to the Head of Customer Services with a copy to the CEO of the cellular company, detailing Grace's torturous attempts to deal with the situation and their representatives and scolding their company's disgraceful behavior towards a foreign student, who was also contemplating making an Aliyah.

Needless to say Grace did not pay the fine. In fact, she paid nothing at all and within 2 working days she received everything she initially sought without needing to leave her house. A new compatible modem was sent to her directly via messenger service and these days she is happily surfing the net and using her Skype to communicate with her family in New York.

Some Practical Tips:

When dealing with cellular companies it is useful to remember:

• There are 4 major cellular phone companies in Israel, which provide various services in addition to cellular phones. These companies are competitors in the Israeli market, and hence their terms are "flexible" to an extent, so you should "shop around" before you decide on the best service provider in accordance to your needs.
• Each company has its own "monthly plans", including plans that offer favorable terms to specific populations such as students, businesses, families and "phone addicts". It can be very beneficial if you are entitled to participate in one of these plans, so make sure to ask the representative, whether you qualify for a "special plan".
• Since the companies charge in monthly payments, they request an Israeli credit-card to register you as one of their members.
• If you are not an Israeli citizen, but have an Israeli bank account, you may be requested to deposit a certain amount of money, which serves as a guarantee to paying your bills.  
• Like other fields in Israel, you can try and negotiate better terms with the cellular company. When pressed, the sales representative often have "bonus terms" they can offer, but more often than not, they will not "volunteer" this option unless specifically asked about it.
• When joining a cellular company for its services, you will be requested to sign a contract. Most companies do not have contracts in English. Obviously it is not recommended to sign any legally binding contracts in an unfamiliar language. If possible, ask an Israeli acquaintance to accompany you, to help with the forms and "translate" essential terms. You can request to put important terms in English and make a company's representative sign them (and provide you with a signed copy), but not all of them will be willing to cooperate.

Make sure you understand and agree to the cancellation terms of the agreement. Most companies charge a high fine if you decide to terminate the contract with them prior to the contract expiration. The payments in this situation can be a "penalty" for terminating the contract, and additional amounts owed for the phone you purchased from them, which is also usually paid in the monthly installments. These issues should be clear before you sign any legally binding contract with the company.

                                                                                             Yael Harari, Adv., Esq.

                                                                                       Co-Founder of TransHomation