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Dialing a US Number


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An age old problem.  I have lived here for 19 years and in years gone by I was able to call Wells Fargo easily.  Now, when I enter the 1-800 + the number I am told the number does not exist.  When I enter 1+880 + the number I am told the number does not exist.

How do I call Wells Fargo 1-800 642 4720?  

 

 

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1 hour ago, Floradude said:

When I enter 1+880 + the number I am told the number does not exist.

The plus sign goes before the 1, not after.

+1 or 001. The plus sign is equivalent to the 00. They are usually interchangeable. My neighbor's  calls to the US weren't connecting with +1, so he tried 001 and it worked, who knows why.

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9 minutes ago, AlanMexicali said:

Check the bank's website and use the non 800 or whatever toll free number and use it.

Worth a try, but there are banks and other entities which do not, in fact, have any non-toll free numbers listed. Been through that. 

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https://www.wellsfargo.com/help/international-access-codes/

"International Access Codes - Wells Fargo

Customers outside of the United States can call Wells Fargo customer service toll-free from most countries.

If you are calling from Mexico, dial one of the following:

Telcel mobile network blocks international toll free calls

  • For personal accounts: 001-800-8693557
  • For business accounts: 001-800-2255935
  • For online customer service: 001-800-9564442"

If you use Telcel they BLOCK toll free international calls.

 

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I called Chase bank this morning.  Used 001 880xxxx. I have also used the international number which is on the back of all of our bank cards.  FYI we have never in 24 years in MX put a plus sign in front of any numbers when making international calls, always use 001.

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1 hour ago, ibarra said:

FYI we have never in 24 years in MX put a plus sign in front of any numbers when making international calls, always use 001.

24 years ago the plus sign wasn't used. I don't think it was used in place of 00 until a couple of years ago, but if others know different, feel free to correct me.

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The + sign is used by the cellphone system. It is automatically replaced by the international access code for the country you happen to be in. 

For example of you are in the USA it will be replaced by 011

In Mexico and most other countries it will be replaced by 00

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All I know is that when phoning a telephone number in the US or Canada using Telmex, that I simply dial 001 followed by the 3 digit area code, followed by the 7 digit local number.

The only problem with this system is that it only works with standard numbers, but does not work when trying to phone one of those toll free 800 numbers.

So, it is easy phoning friends who have a standard number up north, but does not work when trying to phone a toll free number up north.

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The following was posted a while ago. 

Calling from Mexico to US or Canadian Toll Free numbers:
For 800 numbers: Dial 001-880 & the seven digit number
For 866 numbers: Dial 001-883 & the seven digit number
For 877 numbers: Dial 001-882 & the seven digit number
For 888 numbers: Dial 001-881 & the seven digit number

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Thanks for the post, Frijoles. Those are the numbers I would use, if I only had Telmex and not a internet US or Canadian number down here. The problem is, and it is a small one, the problem is that Telmex charges its Telmex customers long distance when dialing up north this way.

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Best to unlearn the voice-calling thing anyway. Thirty minutes (or five) on hold for a know-nothing phone rep? In training? Who seriously claims his name is "Steve," and who may well drop the call accidentally on purpose? Though we wish him well, life's too short to suffer Steve. 🙂

Do your business online already. it's easier, faster, less aggravating, and more confidence-inspiring -- for you and the institution, because they can identify you with far greater certainty, establish your true location (which ideally isn't in Nigeria), and so on. By now, in 2022, voice telephone is usually the worst option for all concerned. And if voice truly is better, you've got the wrong bank.

LQ

 

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7 hours ago, Lou Quillio said:

Do your business online already

I agree that online is preferrable for most business these days, but there are some things that can't be dealt with online. I found that out when my wallet was stolen and my Mexican and Canadian debit cards needed to be cancelled and in the case of my Canadian card, a new one couriered.

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A VOIP service solves the problem of dialing a toll free number although the conversion posted above works but is not free.

The + sign used on a cell phone is the indicator that the next 1-3 digits are a country code. The number 1 is the only single digit country code in the world covering the US, Canada and a good portion of the Caribbean. 

When dialing out on a non-cell, the prefix 011 is used in country code 1 countries while the rest of the world generally initiates an international call using 00.

If a country code is 2 digits like Mexico 52 or France 33 (sometimes US caller IDs will identify a call from a Guadalajara cell 33 as coming from France), then there are no 3 digit countries beginning with those numbers. Conversely if a country code is 3 digits then there is no country identified by the first 2 of the 3. For example Bolivia is 591 meaning there is no country 59.

 

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37 minutes ago, mudgirl said:

I found that out when my wallet was stolen and my Mexican and Canadian debit cards needed to be cancelled

I had this happen when my wife used a shady ATM in Sayulita. Fraudulent charges in Nowheresville, California began within an hour. Those dudes don't fool around. The shelf life for stolen card data is short, as it should be.

The goal in this case is to notify the bank quickly and, in 2019, voice was still fastest. Nowadays (heh), the phone apps (or web apps accessed on a smartphone) for my credit union, CapitalOne, Chase, Wise, etc. make it a cinch to directly notify their systems of card loss or theft, without passing through a human rep who may not fully trust the Mexican back number you're calling from.

Heck, I don't even have to notify banks about travel plans any more, and they don't want me to. They just know. Might sound creepy to some, but it accrues to your significant advantage.

If your bank or credit union doesn't offer mobile tools, you'll have to call, but it's definitely not "better." What would be "better" is if they modernized.

LQ

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10 minutes ago, Lou Quillio said:

I had this happen when my wife used a shady ATM in Sayulita. Fraudulent charges in Nowheresville, California began within an hour. Those dudes don't fool around.

Yes, general advice is to avoid free-standing ATMs in Mexico, only those attached to a brick and mortar bank, if possible.

I cancelled my Mexican debit card first, thinking that was the one they'd try to charge on first, but that one hadn't been used. By the time I got off the phone with Bancomer and called Scotiabank, my Canadian bank, they had already charged $800 Canadian on it. 

I did get the money back from my bank about a month later.

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7 minutes ago, John Shrall said:

A VOIP service solves the problem

But this is if the VoIP call carries a U.S. back number, correct? It doesn't work because it's VoIP, rather because the VoIP services U.S. expats tend to choose are U.S.-based, or are made to appear so (because that's what solves their particular problems). It works because the call recipient won't know you aren't a domestic caller, right?

LQ

 

ps. Proud bellhead here, third generation to work at "the Phone Company." Sometimes bellhead means a Luddite who distrusts packet switching and software, insisting on copper and analog POTS. In my case it just means that half my family retired from phone company entities, or their unions.)

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12 minutes ago, mudgirl said:

my Mexican debit card first, thinking that was the one they'd try to charge on first, but

Makes sense. Stolen Canadian debit card in one hand, Mexican card in the other. Hmm, which one probably contains the most fish?

Conveniently, it also happens to be the one issued outside Mexican jurisdiction.

LQ

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  • 3 weeks later...
6 hours ago, mudgirl said:

Anyone have the number you have to substitute for an 833 Canadian govt. toll free prefix?

There is a post in October of 2020 with a little information about this. Please search - 833 Toll Free Numbers by kehoskins

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