I have a friend in Eyman. I arranged an account with Securus and got permission to have him call me. He has tried to call but last week when he tried he got a message "Account Suspended" (he wrote me). Securus says all is OK, but they can see an attempt to call me. What is going on? I called the prison and the person there was pleasant and said he has to file a telephone trouble report. We are going on five weeks of attempts to call. Any suggestions?
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do you have to have any kind of account with securus? i know with global tel link (the people we have to use), i need an account set up with them in order to take calls.
The account has to be with Securus. My account with them, according to them, is just fine.
Hmmm sounds like its the prisons problem and they are trying to play pass the buck.
I am with Securus too and I am sure you know that there is an other phone number that they will give you that you have to call and set up your number with them before the calls will go through. Then it takes five days for your home number to clear. The phones at the prison are set up for voice recognition. Funny thing, my pp has a buddy that can access my number because the phone can't distinguish the difference in their voices, I would call Securus and get the number where you register your home phone and see if it has gone through. I think Securus is just for billing. Oh, one other thing, if there is a lot of noise in the background from inmates talking and yelling, you can get cut off saying that you have a "Third party call " which is not allowed.
Thanks. I will call them (again) tomorrow and ask them about that. I think it's gone through; it's been like more than a month. My home number is, supposedly, cleared by the prison (they told me). I'll call Securus tomorrow and if not satisfactory, I'll report back here for more suggestions. THANKS.
My pal in Arizona Eyman told me I could simply buy a Skype local number (which I bought - Florence) and I got a few calls from CO's to chat to me and verify me, then just a nice call to say hello from them too *lol* and my pal could call within days of him receiving the number I sent him (my Skype Florence number) I wasn't told I had to get a Securus account nor any other account. He just pays a local connection charge, it costs me nothing. Do you really need the Securus account?
CP I'm guessing your guy isn't allowed to call international initially?
RC, is this Securus Technologies/CBS you're on about? I could choose collect/prepaid account to set up with them when I used CBS before.
Yeah, Arizona Eyman are allowed to call international. As I said, all I had to do was buy a local Skype number (local number to his unit) and I had a call from a CO to chat to me, then he called back a few weeks later to say hello and have a laugh with me for 20 minutes lol (nice guy!) but my PP, he could call me immediately, I had visitation and calls approved within a day of them receiving my application, took a week to post from UK. No accounts were needed by me, my PP paid for the calls.
I guess it's cheapest way on his end calling a local #. I wish my guy was in the same state like yours with the approving situations CO's/procedure seem much nicer! God knows I've had to go through hell and back with that.
I'm not sure but I'm thinking RC is paying for the calls perhaps because sometimes my guy used/uses his own phonecard to call me and that was seperate from my account.
I hope there's something up with the prison phones and not your account, I've had that issue before with Securus (if we're on about the same company) and I went toe to toe with them to prove my right..it was ish lol.. Hope you get it sorted calls are the best!
Yeah, I was shocked how easy it was for me to be honest. The guy who called me was so lovely, we chatted ages and were laughing all the way, he was nice! Yes, it is cheaper for him to call a local number, under 2 dollars. I've been approved in this way in 3 states and not had to join any account anywhere, so not sure if its just because I am in UK or not, might be. I was approved immediately everywhere with no hassle at all.
Perhaps I should move to the UK then haha. Would be fun if you'd see your guy and meeting that CO, if all of them would be like that makes the visit more comfortable as well I guess! My approving was a disaster even the warden had to jump in, in the end. But that's luckily the past.
Odd thing happened like twice with the phone company. I was talking to my guy just after all that fuss and were mocking them back and forth and the call just cut off lol...it happened again later on. Me thinks people were listening and punished us right away for badmouthing haha. What a coincidence..
Perhaps I should move to the UK then haha. Would be fun if you'd see your guy and meeting that CO, if all of them would be like that makes the visit more comfortable as well I guess! My approving was a disaster even the warden had to jump in, in the end. But that's luckily the past.
Odd thing happened like twice with the phone company. I was talking to my guy just after all that fuss and were mocking them back and forth and the call just cut off lol...it happened again later on. Me thinks people were listening and punished us right away for badmouthing haha. What a coincidence..
My guy has no money. I can send him some, of course (and have). So, now I'm a bit confused. Perhaps we should try switching to prepaid/collect and see how much that costs. Florence to New York City. I just thought I had to use Securus. Maybe should have him try collect a couple of times. I had Skype for a while on my laptop. Probably is still there but I don't have an account any more. And with Skype, I buy a number local to Florence and when he calls that from the prison phone, it gets to my laptop? No video, I assume. Right? Wrong?
Its even better than just 'getting to your laptop' with Skype. Once you have set up your account, you forward your calls to your Florence (the local number you buy in Arizona state) number directly to your mobile phone, so that you can take calls wherever, no need to be trapped to the computer! I do this, my mobile rings, it came via Skype see? Get a Skype account, buy an online Florence number from Skype and give that number to your guy. If you send him dollars to call you pre-paid that will be a hell of a lot cheaper than through a phone company that charge fortune to you. This is all perfectly allowed at Florence, Az. I do it.
Regards to the video that is available on Skype, that's video conferencing between two Skype calls. What I do and what you would do is different, its an online number, local to him, that he calls, get directed to you via Skype - to your mobile or landline if you choose to transfer the calls when they come in (means you not trapped to PC when waiting for calls)
To add - when they use pre-pay and call a local number, its a one-off small connection charge for the whole call !!
That sounds idea. I'll check it out with Skype. THANKS.
So, I would get a local skype number at Tucson (same area code)? Or...?
So far my PP has not been able to call me; this has gone on for over a month already. First he couldn't get the paperwork completed; they kept "forgetting" it; he had to file many add/deletes. OK, that was done. Then the staff had to call me and that failed a couple of times. I finally called them and the staff person immediately called me back and that was that. Then, after all that, the phone was smashed (another prisoner) and it wasn't fixed for a week; and now account suspended. Yikes!!! So, I'm going to switch to Skype and screw Securus. Did you have the same "account suspended" problem with them? Or another problem?
[QUOTE=rc3250;1014946]So far my PP has not been able to call me; this has gone on for over a month already. First he couldn't get the paperwork completed; they kept "forgetting" it; he had to file many add/deletes. OK, that was done. Then the staff had to call me and that failed a couple of times. I finally called them and the staff person immediately called me back and that was that. Then, after all that, the phone was smashed (another prisoner) and it wasn't fixed for a week; and now account suspended. Yikes!!! So, I'm going to switch to Skype and screw Securus. [B]Did you have the same "account suspended" problem with them? Or another problem?[/B][/QUOTE]
I assume that the question was directed at me? :)
Well...when my guy tried to call me back in the days (I was with CBS/Securus) he had a voice saying something number doesn't exist, or it could have been ''account suspended'' and it was due to erhm...forwarding..CBS detected it which is what I'm wondering with what CP means because I too had it forwarded to my cell/house and that was forbidden/seen as 3rd party. I had to prove to them VOIP (Skype and such) is allowed in the state he is in apart from the forwarding which caused the block because they did a (mass) scan. I had to obtain a new local number that I bought from Skype. When I answer on pc/lap it's fine as long as it's not forwarded. Sometimes I still do and we never mention or talk about it on phone how I set it up.
Some cellphones even have skype I think that you have to connect your Skype ID to and you can accept the calls there instead?
Hope it works out, annoying when the procedure of approving and stuff like that happens, especially when prison staff pulls stunts like that!
p.s.CP is right the pre-paid/collect account comes with a small connection charge fee
oh and yes what I did back then was getting same local # with the same area code of the prison he's located. Not sure how it works in the state you want to get a number from but with my guy the rates are the same anywhere within his state.
OK, now I'm even more confused. Two questions: If I get a Skype number which forwards to mine, is that a problem at Eyman or not? And how do I arrange that with them? Be up front and tell them it's a local Skype number that forwards to my NYC number? And also, is it cheaper to get a Phoenix or Tucson area code? Eyman is 520 and so's Tucson. But Phoenix is a lot closer but it's 480. Thanks.
R
Have you checked the DOC website regarding inmates making phonecalls? They usually state the rules in there what is and what's not allowed. I'm not sure but I know that alot of states don't allow call forwarding because it's a 3rd party type of thing. If he calls to your Skype number (one you buy) and you answer on pc/laptop then it's ok. But for skype to call you on your cell is mostly seen as forwarding since it's technically ''not him'' calling, as long as you don't mention anything through the call about that, then you should be alright. But then maybe you should ask CP since her guy is also in same state, if she mentioned the forwarding when she got approved?
I took a # number with the same area code his prison had, just incase. So you could go with that.
As I see it on:
Arizona Department of Corrections, Inmate Telephone Service
which is Securus, they say they are the contractee with the Arizona DOC for telephone calls. And here:
http://www.azcorrections.gov/Policies/900/0915.pdf
is the Arizona DOC document. Relayed calls are prohibited (so call forwarding is prohibited). I could answer the local call on my own Skype but the basic issue is not Skype or cost but the fact that he gets Account Suspended when he calls and that has to be Securus.
what about other alternatives? Prepaid? Or collect calls? He can call me collect? Yes? Securus totally sucks. I've been on hold now 1/2 hour with their bull**** message about high call volume. They are truly incompetent.
I spoke with Eyman. Securus is the only thing allowed. He's in lockdown. I'm still on hold with their b.s. message. Hmm....I see the forum *** out my previous message. Securus is totally incompetent. Even their messages are incompetent. OH well, I'm in hell today. Nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
I will pm you I think it's better :)
Well, I know for a fact that Arizona Eyman, Florence does allow skype calls as I get them, and 2 CO'S spoke to me from there on that very number I bought in Arizona from Skype, so no idea why you aren't able to, I'm puzzled for sure.
Thank you for your informaton all. I have a few questions about co's calling or automatic message system calling and verifying that you are you, do you accept collect calls, calls from this and this inmate etc. So my question is that: How long does it takes after this "automatic call" that my bf can call me? Is there some "approving time" to get my number "approved"? Can they find out about skype # how easily if I don't forward the call to my cell? - like said before that it's something to not to do (thank you for the info AuroraLabello) My bf is in Virginia doc.