Customer Reviews for Greece Travel Phones

I helped start this company. I admit it. Here's why. Everyone in Greece uses these cell phones. You buy a phone and a card for $120 and you are mobily-connected. When your card runs out you buy another. Simple. So I bought one. The guy in the store handed me the box, took my money, gave me a reciept and said goodbye. But it took me a day to charge it and a month to learn to use it (the instructions were all in Greek). By the time I figured it out it was time to leave Greece. I never learned how to get my messages.

It was actually my friend Tony who came up with the idea of selling mobile phones to tourists. Let people order them in advance so they have their number before they leave home, and they get their phone charged and ready to go, their voice mail programmed and the instructions in English when they arrive at the airport or their hotel. Then we asked our friend Tom Mazarakis if he would be the president of the company and take care of all the details. He hired our pal Dorian to deliver the phones and tutor travelers on how to use them. At first it was the blind leading the blind but now he's an expert. Like everything in Greece there are days when things just don't work. But the cell phones are a good deal and pretty darn helpful sometimes.
It's not a Greek Fortune 500 company yet. But it should be.
Matt Barrett

All in all, we truly want to thank you again for your great guide. Peter got
a cellphone based on your advice and it was the best....especially when we
arrived on Skolopos island and the taxi driver took us to the wrong property
and left us there in the blistering sun! It was a real welcome to the greek
islands! All we could do is stand there and Peter kept saying, Thank God for
Matt. He said get a cell phone.... and it saved the situation so
quickly......We look forward to going back soon and it is very much
appreciated how much you love Greece and share it. We will keep in touch,
and till then, be well. Claire-Marie and Peter

Tom,

I put the cell phone in the mail today from Colorado, insured for $75, so
you should receive it in about 7-10 days.

I just returned from 25 wonderful days in Greece. My husband said it was
the best vacation we've ever taken. We enjoyed the weather, the food, the
music, and especially the people. The cell phone worked just great with
all the numbers I needed right at my fingertips. You provide an incredible
service, and I highly recommend it to anyone traveling in Greece. I'll be
sending a note to Matt Barrett to let him know what a great Web Site he
has, and how all his recommendations were "spot on".
Thanks,

Della J. Bossart
Wellness Consultants

Tom,
Thanks for the email. The phone worked great and I found a dial-around service to call from the states that only cost $1.99 for 20 minutes and $0.19 a minute thereafter. In case any of your clients want the information, just tell them to have people in the US dial 10-10-220 before dialing the number. I just received my phone bill for when my daughter was there and it really was low compared to how often I called her. Also, your phone worked great no matter where she was traveling. I called her in Athens, Santorini, Kalamata and even when she was on the ferry!! Great phone and great service!!
Cathy

Hi Matt! I wanted to say thank you for your great website. My husband and my boys are in Athens right now and we appreciate all the information we found on your site. I really want to thank you for the information about Greece Travel Phones. My husband was having difficulty using the phone card he took with him so I contacted Tom Mazarakis who went the extra mile to locate my husband and deliver a phone. Even though it was late on a Sunday night and the hotel said my husband was not registered with them (even though he was), Tom persevered and delivered the phone. The phone works well and the reception is clear. Thanks for the great tip! Liz

Hi Matt -

We recently returned from another trip to Greece, and this time we followed your advice about getting a cell phone. We wanted to let you know that the cell phone turned out to be worth it's weight in gold - not only were we able to be contacted by people in the U.S., it was invaluable for calls inside Greece, e.g., calls to George the taxi driver; to arrange for retrieval of a video camera and still camera which my wife left under the back seat of a rental van; various calls to hotels, rental car places, etc.

Thanks for the excellent advice, and we will get the phone again on our next trip to Greece.

We also took your advice about the Attalos Hotel, and stayed there several times.

Sincerely

Steve and Anna Bloss
Bossier City, LA

Hi Matt,
Just wanted to let you know that you are walking down the right road. I
contacted Tom at Greek travel phones and he was absolutely great. It was so
nice to have a phone while in Greece. I still have it with me now that I am
home. Who knows I may be back there again sooner than one would think. It
was great for having my contacts in Greece and the States. Even when I was
in the taxi in Chania we called the Pension to make sure of where it was.
The one funny thing I encountered was when I was at Brettos.
Everyone (locals) was laughing at how your internet article really does have
people stopping in to see the place. We would sit there and see faces at the
door peering in. It really gave the place an international flair. And that
is what makes business good.
Thaks once again and I look forward to your articles and additions.
Carmelleta aka....athena10

We were very happy with our decision to get one of your phones. We traveled with another couple and it was convient for those who were watching our littles to call us. It sure beat being in the hotel at a specific time waiting for a phone call. It came in handy when our rented scooter would not start, on the middle of the island of Mykonos, and once again it came in especially helpful when we missed our flight and we need to make arrangement to get to Thesalonki.

Thank you again. We will be sure to recommend you to any of our friends who are fortunate to travel to Greece.

Hello Tom,

I just received your PayPal refund for time unused and wanted to thank you for processing this so quickly. I also want to tell you how completely satisfied we were with your service. In fact, now that I've had the benefit of having a cell phone during international travel I can't imagine traveling any other way again!

Not only did your phone make it easy for us to communicate with other family members and coordinating our reunion activities, but it really came in handy during an emergency. You see, the day before we were to leave Greece we discovered that we had lost my husband's passport. We were in Patras on Friday at 12:30 and had to make it to the American Embassy in Athens by 4:00pm. We drove like crazy to get to Athens by 3:00 but then spent the next hour getting lost. With your phone, we were able to talk with a representative from the embassy who literally talked us through directions on where to turn to reach the embassy in time. We made it with 5 minutes to spare. If we hadn't had your phone we would have been hopelessly lost and wouldn't have been able to leave until Wednesday. While we would have loved to stay, our jobs and the kid's school-work were waiting for us.

Anyway, thank you again for the use of your phone and your excellent service. My brother has also really appreciated the use of your phone. I know that he and his wife have used it quite a bit (I believe they've exceeded their minutes) by text messaging their daughter who remained home in the US. We will heartily recommend you to anyone traveling to Greece.

Thank you again,

Marie

It seems that my daughter and I checked into the Electra Palace Hotel just a few days after you were there! As I registered, a very nice gentleman down the desk caught my eye and asked if I were Virginia Lake. When I said I am, he introduced himself as Dorian and proceeded to give us a half hour instruction session on the use of the mobile phone. He is the one who told us that you had just been there.

You are indeed the Duncan Hines of Greece! We had a very successful trip and it is all due to you. I followed your tips and never regretted it. Our reservations were made through Dolphin Hellas and Aliki was extremely helpful. While George (the Famous Taxi Driver of Athens) was tied up taking delivery of his new taxi, he made sure we were well taken care of by other members of his family. Christos picked us up at the airport (what a comfort THAT was) and Spiros showed us Athens one day and took us to Delphi the next. We made use of the Museum Internet Cafe and shopped the Plaka - including getting gold jewelry and ouzo at the places you recommend: the Byzantium and Brettos. The mobile phone idea was great - my husband is in a nursing home and, because we had the phone, we were worry free since we could always be reached immediately.

I'm wondering if you found the cell phone awaiting you at the MYRTOS
hotel.... I understand that you called there for me, but as my husbands name
and not my own was on the hotel register, there was some confusion ... I
tried to call you back but couldn't get through for some reason.

Anyway.... hope you found it there OK.... it was great to have with us for
the month, and I will certainly recommend Greece Travel Phones to any friends
traveling to your part of the world. Wish we could stay there forever!!!!

thanks so much for great service. I did appreciate having my phone while there.
Departed while you were closed, so have sent it off in brown padded bag.
Sent last Thursday the 28th September.

....The travel cell phone through Tom Mazarakis was a real money saver, and a convenience that I would not travel without. I had Tom program in numbers for George, Uli, a few folks back home, and most of the hotels. I confirmed all my transfers with George just before arriving, called Uli if I had a question, and the hotel if I needed a taxi from a distant spot. I always felt I had the professional with the answers right at my finger tips. I didn't get to meet Tom in person, but again, after talking with him on email, I felt I had a friend and a point of contact....
Dela Bossart

Hi Tom:
Please forward the address for returning the phone. I had no time at the airport to place it in the mail. Your service was terrific!
Thanks, Mike

Hi and thanks so much. The phone and your service was a great experience.
Your directions were detailed and easy to follow.
Thanks again.
Tracy Hollis

Hi Tom:
I'm glad you wrote to us because I wanted to let you know that we
received the refund for the cell phone in the mail yesterday. We
enjoyed having the phone with us especially given the uncertainty
looming over the world situation at the time. Our family and friends
were relieved to be able to contact us.
Also, I would just like to say a few words about our trip to Greece
and the wonderful Greek people. We were a little apprehensive
about traveling to your country because we had heard that there is
a definite anti-American climate there. Maybe we were fortunate
but at no time did we feel uncomfortable. If anything, we felt that
people opened their arms to us and felt very compassionate about
our losses in the U.S. George, our driver to Delphi and Meteora
was very cordial and informative about all aspects of Greek culture
and history. His son, a physical therapist, even came to our motel
to give my husband a much needed treatment for his achy back.
Part of our vacation was spent on the island of Crete where we
were especially welcomed and treated to warm, Cretan hospitality.
On beautiful Santorini, we could temporarily "forget" the horrific
events back home and enjoy the unforgettable scenery.
So, it's "goodbye" to Greece for now but, we will definitely return.
Sincerely,
Mary George

Dear Tom,

Thank you very much for all of your help in providing us with a travel
cell phone in Greece during our stay. We greatly appreciate all of your quick
replies and quick answers. The cell phone was a wonderful idea, and we
would definitely recommend anyone travelling thru the Greek islands to
carry one as a safety net. We were stranded in Europe last September 2001 when
the terrorist attacks occurred in NYC, therefore this time we wanted a
number where our friends and family could reach us should anything happen,
and also so we could reach them without the expense of hotel telephone
charges. The cell phone was a great idea and we greatly appreciate your
thoroughness!

Thank you,
Desi and Andy Sacinski
Chicago, IL

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