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UPDATE: Setting Up Telephone and Cell Phone Service

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Since I wrote about setting up phone and cell phone service, I’ve had a few updates that I wanted to share. First of all, I was able to get T-Mobile to waive the early cancellation penalty on the one phone. All it took was a friendly customer service rep (CSR), a fax specifying the details of the move (which turned out to be an email thread back and forth with the landlord), and a week’s worth of calls to follow-up. Definitely worth it to save the $200 penalty.  Next week, just before I leave, I’ll switch the number over to pre-paid service.

As for the other phone, it turns out I’m not going to be giving up my Blackberry for a simpler life just yet.  I’ll be turning on international service for the Blackberry for an additional $19.99/month which includes unlimited email. However, to avoid charges for incoming calls, even if I forward them to voice mail, I’ll need to turn on “Unlimited Call Forwarding.” The CSR told me that they can turn it on and it will allow up to 500 minutes of call forwarding. Any minutes over that will incur the normal per minute charge. I’ll set that up to forward to my Vonage line to make sure I’m not missing anything.

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Checking the Weather

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I started packing my clothing for the move today and was immediately struck by the thought, “Hmmm…I wonder what I should pack.” I’ll be back in the US in December, so I can always pick up another season of clothing then. In order to pack, I guess I probably should know what the weather is going to be like.  A quick Google search turned up a great graph from The Weather Channel:

So, the good news is that even though I’m moving in their winter, I won’t have to pack my bulky winter clothes. I do remember our tour guide telling us that last July was the first time it had snowed in Buenos Aires in 99 years. After winters in New York and a hot summer, I’m looking forward to the milder climate changes in BsAs.

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Cancel Car Insurance?

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I’ve been trying to sell one car on Craigslist and eBay (know anyone who needs a low mileage Toyota Solara?) and the other car is a lease that’s being returned three months early, so of course I’ve also been planning on canceling my car insurance. That should save me some money, right?

That is what I thought until I read this post on Fat Wallet (edited here):

Last year I sold my car, canceled my Progressive insurance and left the country for 10 months for a research trip. Now I am back and buying a new car and I have just learned that I made a big mistake in allowing my insurance to lapse. (I though that it would be common sense to assume that if I have no car, I should have no insurance. Boy, was I wrong!).

Now “Progressive” quotes me premiums which may be even $200-per-6-months more than if I did not have an insurance lapse. Lesson learned – consult an an agent when you do things which appear commonsense. I did not allow my health insurance to lapse, but this…

I am in Ohio and have clean record, good credit and all. I complained and complained to “Progressive” that the issue of lapsed insurance was not addressed whan I was cancelling the policy last year. Any agent would mention that. Why not a CSR? They say I will have to wait 2 year to get the premiums back down and could possibly see some discounts in 1/2 year.

That started an interesting conversation on the topic and prompted me to call Geico to find out if I should keep some lower level of insurance in place to prevent this. The agent at Geico said I should simply cancel my insurance. They could offer “Non-Owner” liability insurance, but the agent did not recommend it as she thought it would not be worth it. They said that when I called to renew, they would look over my past driving record and she noted that I was moving out of the country.

That works for me, but if you’re moving, you may want to call your insurance company and check.

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Register with the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires

By on in Planning

I just happened to be reading The Argentine Post blog and one of their articles mentioned that Americans living or traveling in Argentina are encouraged to register with the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires. Hmm, I never knew that. I guess that old saying that you learn something new every day is actually true. I headed over to their web site and under “Citizen Services” is a link to the U.S. Department of State which gives some of the reasons for registering:

Registration at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate (in the country you are visiting) makes your presence and whereabouts known, in case it is necessary for a consular officer to contact you in an emergency. During a disaster overseas, American consular officers can assist in evacuation were that to become necessary. But they cannot assist you if they do not know where you are.

Registration is particularly important for those who plan to stay in a country longer than one month, …[edited] …

In accordance with the Privacy Act, information on your welfare or whereabouts may not be released to inquirers without your expressed written authorizations. Registration through the website is not considered proof of citizenship. Remember to leave a detailed itinerary and the numbers or copies of your passport or other citizenship documents with a friend or relative in the United States.

At the site, you create an account, add emergency contact info, and specify the details of your trip. You can also specify who you are traveling with. At the end, you can chooose to be added to their mailing list to receive travel warnings, public announcements and consular information sheets that are issues by the Department of State for Argentina.

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