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June 14, 2020 - 12:13pm
#1
Vixy
Hi Guys I am needing some valuble input, advice and help here as I've been going crazy with trying to figure things out.
My friend is in Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution and after being in daily contact with him via Telmate/Gettingout Oregon have decided to change and go to CenturyLink and the change over is happening now at his facility. Now even though Telmate/Gettingout was sometimes very awkward to use and kept crashing it allowed me to add my own funds on there for my messages that I would send to him and I could also put funds on there for him for instant messaging, I could add the funds using my English bank cards with no problem at all.
Now they are moving over to CenturyLink I have had to contact them directly to get my UK mobile number validated as I can not use my US number and I can not set up an account with ICSolutions who CenturyLink use for their billing as I do not have a US address that has a US debit/credit card registered to. So they have told me that my guy will need to pre pay for all phone calls and video visits now from his end. Ok, I can add funds to his commisary account via Jpay no problem and then hopefully he can move it to wherever he needs to for the calls, video visits etc.
What I am also struggling to get to grips with the use of Corrlinks and how this will work. I use Corrlinks for a pen pal I have in California and everytime I send a message to him it is at no charge to me, I'm not sure if it charges him or not as that is something we have never discussed. For instant messaging though through CenturyLink we've been told that there are charges of 0.25c per message and to "manage a prepaid messaging account" it takes me to the Corrlinks log in page - thats fine but when I log in I have no idea of where or how I put funds on to my account, if i can even do that? I have paid for the Premier Account already but still have no idea how this is all going to work.
Does anyone else in the UK have friends/penpals incarcerated in Oregon? How do any of you guys work around things if you need to have a US address and US bank card for adding funds to things for your guys? Has anyone else got a US number that is in the UK and if so have you been able to get it validated with ICSolutions if you are in contact with someone in Oregon DOCs?
I know this is a bit long winded but I wanted to try and explain my situation clearly and hope that someone may be able to help me? Thanks
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June 14, 2020 - 1:57pm
#2
Londongirl1695
Hey I have the exact same issue as you my pp is in eoci! Have you been cut off from messaging? I haven't been able to put any funds in my account so I couldn't reply back and we haven't spoken since Thursday :( I'm assuming he has been cut off too but I dunno
As for validating a US number I was able to validate it after alot of hassle on the phone to their customer service (they were useless) so I emailed their customer service team on customer [at] icsolutions.comrel="nofollow" and it worked! But I can't add funds to it as I'm in the UK but as you said I can use jpay!
As for corrlinks I'm not sure how to add funds either I'm waiting for him to eventually send the invite code when the system is up and running. Maybe once you add the inmate then you can add funds? I'm so lost about this too!
I wonder if anyone else has any information about this?
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June 15, 2020 - 5:37am
#3
.nostalgic.
As ChantalRBailey said you can send an email to customer@icsolutions to get your phone number validated. I used my US phone number for that.
I live in The Netherlands and I'm not able to put any funds on my account with ICSolutions either. It's pissing me off... but I guess I can still send my boyfriend in SRCI money through JPay, as this is probably the only solution for now..
I heard that for some facilities/states it's free to send messages with CorrLinks, depends on where your PP is at. The inmates have to pay for it, but we don't. That's all I know..
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June 15, 2020 - 5:39am
#4
.nostalgic.
There are SO MANY people having issues with this... I don't really understand why Oregon decided to use CenturyLink.. It's extremely frustrating.
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June 15, 2020 - 7:27am
#5
VioletGrey
I have Corrlinks for a Federal PP and there isn't any option that I can see to add funds to their account. There is a place where it says "account balance" $0.00 but that's my account so I don't think it has anything to do with him.
I don't have any advice on Oregon and the CenturyLink thing, but for sending money from overseas here in NZ I have used Western Union in the past. It's a pain in the a** and pretty much 99% probability that the cashier will look at you sideways when they see you're sending money to a prisoner. I don't know if it's just not done very often in NZ but they were very thorough when asking me if I was "sure you want to send this money" to my PP. But once we got past that bit, it was all good. No issues.
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June 15, 2020 - 8:30am
#6
Londongirl1695
I agree centurylink is rubbish! Like getting out had its issues but at least you could video visit, send photos, top up your own account and their account, messaging and calls! Now it's like 3 different sites for each service :(
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June 15, 2020 - 12:03pm
#7
Vixy
Hey ChantalRBailey thank you so much for replying to me. Yeah I was cut off from messaging on Gettingout on Friday morning (UK time) and my guy was cut off from messaging on Friday morning his time.
When you validated your US number did ICSolutions ask you to send them anything? Like proof the number was yours etc? I have a US number through TextNow, where did you get yours from.
I have tried searching for information on all of this for weeks and weeks, it's driving me crazy!!!! The only thing I have with my guy is phone calls at the minute which is much better than not having anything with him. The install should be finished by June 16th and then hopefully everything will be up and running. At the minute though I am the only person he can call, he has had numbers for his mom and family added on to his list and then they are not there for some reason??!!!
GettingOut was a pain in the ass sometimes but was so much easier to use for both myself and for him.
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June 15, 2020 - 12:06pm
#8
Vixy
Hey .nostalgic where did you get your US number from and did you have to send ICSolutions anything as well to validate it?
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June 15, 2020 - 2:23pm
#9
.nostalgic.
@Vixy I got my US phonenumber with TextMe. I had to send an email to customer [at] icsolutions.comrel="nofollow" with a copy of my phone bill and ID. They didn't mind that my ID was international.
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June 15, 2020 - 5:19pm
#10
Londongirl1695
@Vixy yea! They asked for my current address and a form of ID and then it was done! I just gotta see if it actually worked! My number is from the Talkatone app
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June 16, 2020 - 10:00am
#11
Vixy
Thanks for the replies Chantal and .nostalgic. Have you guys figured anymore out about Corrlinks? I spoke to my guy yesterday and he said that in EOCI where he is, they have been told that for the instant messaging it will cost him 25c a message and it will cost us (friends/family) 25c to send a message as well, so it looks like Corrlinks is not going to work the same way for them and us as it does for guys in Federal institutions. This is driving me insane, I just need to be able to get a US bank card linked to a US address but I am struggling on ways to do this.
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June 16, 2020 - 10:22am
#12
Londongirl1695
@vixy I think jpay may be the only way to do it. Have you received a corrlinks invite yet? I haven't heard from my penpal since Thursday evening and the last thing he said was he'd send an invite. This is the longest we haven't spoken and I'm worried and I don't understand why he hasn't called. I know I'm probably worried about nothing but it's all out of my control :(
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June 16, 2020 - 1:45pm
#13
.nostalgic.
@ChantalRBailey This sounds like something is going on outside of the communication situation. Maybe they're on lockdown..? You can call the facility and ask if something is going on..?
@Vixy It's really hard to get a US card that is linked to an US address. I tried it before but I didn't succeed.... I'm guessing the only way is for you to send your PP money through JPay and let him/her pay for the calls and videos that way..
The facility where my boyfriend is at is going to transfer everything as of tomorrow.. I'm super nervous!!!
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June 16, 2020 - 1:52pm
#14
Londongirl1695
@nostalgic yea I called the prison and the officer said phones have been down basically the whole down only had a few times where they've worked! And he said the system isn't running yet even though centurylink said its completed. I've also heard that some people are saying messages are taking 24hrs to get through so instant messages aren't working! This is so crazy
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June 16, 2020 - 6:10pm
#15
.nostalgic.
@ChantalRBailey I didn't even know CorrLinks offer instant messaging. I was already assuming that these messages take over a day to get received as they are actual emails that have to approved by prison staff before they get sent.
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June 17, 2020 - 9:51am
#16
Londongirl1695
Just to let you know guys when I called up they said my number wasn't even validated!! That's why I haven't got any calls! They are useless
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June 17, 2020 - 3:49pm
#17
.nostalgic.
But on your account it said that it was validated? Did they validate it for you now?
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June 17, 2020 - 5:48pm
#18
Londongirl1695
@nostalgic yep it's all done and my guy got through to me! He had been trying to call for days :( plus I have corrlinks too now its slow though! He says it's a mess in there, most of the guys have international friends and family and they are really struggling with this new system as it is blocking numbers :( how's it going at your guys prison?
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June 18, 2020 - 12:25am
#19
.nostalgic.
Oh my god.... but did ICSolutions validate your number after that or not?
And they are transferring the phones as of today where my boyfriend is at..
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June 18, 2020 - 1:29am
#20
Londongirl1695
Yep I was put through to the supervisor and they did it manually, and then I was able to have a 30 min call with my guy. Oh god I hope you have better luck than me maybe call them to confirm its all validated properly just in case
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June 18, 2020 - 11:47pm
#21
.nostalgic.
My boyfriend told me that they can call any number in the first 2 weeks. But after that the numbers have to be validated.
After he called me the call shows up on my call history on my account so I think that means my number is registered.
But unfortunately I can't fund my account and he isn't able to transfer money from his books to his phone so as of now we're cut off until he can transfer money ):
I really f*cking wish there was a way for me to put money on there...
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June 19, 2020 - 10:14am
#22
Londongirl1695
When you log on does your number show up under a prepaid account or does it say it needs to be validated? Mine shows up under a prepaid account and then using a international card actually works. However if you gotta enter a credit card to validate the number it wont work. Dunno if that helps I was just given a prepaid account under my American number when I emailed the customer service
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