@@alexamderhamiltom5238 nah, a Japanese citizen would have got the phone, after filling a stupid amount of paperwork (probably several times if they made a mistake)
@@dragoon0anime no no no, what problems connor have is he want the unlocked softbank + locked pixelpro, which can't be done. what he should do is buy new unlocked dual sim phone then enter his old sim to new phone. and buy disposable sim that can tether. note : i live in japan and know this shit so well because they screw me and my ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ wife.
@@pogituna docomo offer him new unlocked sim, that's why connor want to terminate the contract to spite them. connor made a mistake by booking that appointment, he should just straight up buying unlocked phone from amazon. regardless japanese carriers are dogshit.
All phones sold in Canada are required to be unlocked by law. It's been a thing for a few years now and it's great. Too bad our phone plans are so expensive lol.
Here in Chile is the same. It took time and the phone companies fought tooth and nail agains the law, telling us how it was going to destroy the industry. Now every phone is unlocked and we get to keep our number if we change companies
@@Xelief we gained that right in 2010. Before that each company was the owner of a range of phone numbers, so you couldn’t jump from A to B and keep yours. That law changed all of that.
That seems to be a common theme in Canada, you guys do something cool and forward thinking that not too many other first world countries do, but then you guys shoot yourselves in the foot with some other problem
That "too many foreigners have run away" line, phone companies were already giving it 20 years ago. I think the most annoying thing about how they handle those refusals is how they slowly waterboard you with it. In Connor's case, it was the sim, then the tethering, then the visa, then...
Yeah thats certainly the worse part I think, if they were just up front hey we can't do anything for you cause the visa is expiring would of been sufficient instead of making connor have to ask every possible route just to say no each time. But its probably bad customer service or something to be upfront like that because it could come off as refusing a customer or turning them away rather then a helping them by answering their questions type perception... even if all the answers to the questions is still refusing their patronage.
Racism is pretty strong in japan, and it doesnt help that their culture is so autistic and completely detached from practicality. So you get worst of both worlds. First their stupidly complex way of dealing with shit + their racism and speech problem. I am pretty sure Conner doesnt speak on a native level and i am just gonna assume that but the japanese seller probably couldnt speak english at all or maybe just some words
@@PervertHeart bingo. Connor is just being the stereotype of the ignorant foreigner here im afraid despite living there for a while. It's really a shame that he seems to be absolutely ignorant to the culture or how society works. In Japan/Japanese culture a flat out, straight refusal, rejection or "no" is rude. This goes doubly so for people working in customer facing roles. It's why they always say "that will be difficult" or "that will be inconvenient" or things like that. The listener is supposed to 1) read the air, 2) think (and not just about themselves) and 3) infer the meaning and respond accordingly.
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The logic is so backwards though. They should explain the reason and apologize for the inconvenience it has/may cause. Connor wouldn't be telling this story if they said up front the visa was expiring soon and that he'd have to wait until his new visa was in to do anything. I may not know much about the culture, but working in the service industry has taught me that most of the time being upfront and honest will lead to the least complication for you and the customer(s).
japan isnt the only country like this. when i moved to ireland i could barely get any company to accept my money until i had opened an irish bank account, which i couldnt do until i got irelands version of a social security number, which took 3 weeks. for 3 weeks i was unable to pay for heating, electricity, internet, etc. luckily i got an irish friend i met to pay the electricity bill from his irish bank account (ofc i transferred the cost) but its just absurd to me that a business would turn down money because the money was being transferred from a swedish bank account instead of an irish. no wonder some companies struggled. you never turn down money wtf.
I feel that at the end of the day, it come back to the fact that alot of japanese companies and corporates have a very backwards thinking and are very stubborn on existing rules and refuse to change any rules that doesnt make sense anymore. And Japanese people are fine with it because they are probably taught to not make a fuss and accept difficult situations.
That is why. Look at the customer is god rule where you need to treat the customer as if they’re a deity even if they’re being an a-hole to you and you can’t complain about it. Though it appears in this case that rule isn’t completely applied to Connor since they decided to not help him which is showing the xenophobia a bit.
It actually makes sense in this case though. If you buy a phone through a provider like this it's likely going to be a locked phone and will require you to sign a contract. Why would they take chances on a foreigner finishing out their contract when they can only prove that they have a month left on their visa? Also the SIM cards used in locked phones you get through providers are different from the kind that you get for unlocked phones, even if it's through the same service provider. If they were to switch your service plan to be compatible with the locked phones, they would need you to sign the contract most likely. Not all that different from AOL or Verizon phones in the US being locked to that service provider.
@@hsiang7 Entirely untrue. The locked one is the phone not the SIM card (in the US). I tell you this because my family has only bought phones from our provider, all of which are locked. Until last black Friday when I chose to buy a Pixel 7. Called up my provider to switch it into new phone, the SIM card I've had for the last 7yrs on now 3 phones works perfectly. The company runs very few risks giving out SIM cards since they can cancel service anytime. And the phone was being paid for upfront. A locked phone at that. Their treatment made no sense.
I live in Korea, and I feel EVERY. BIT. OF. THIS. I had a really similar experience with my debit card: It stopped working. I went to get a new one. I had to go to 4 different branches because only ONE branch in my area handles that kind of problem (but none of the other branches knew which one it was???). The branch cancelled my current, broken card. Then, they told me they couldn't give me a new one because my visa expires in 7 months (but my debit card expiration wasn't for another year or 2). Then they told me there was nothing else they could do. And that I would have to wait until my visa is renewed 7 months later. I cried in the branch because now I had no card and no way to access cash (bank always closes before I get off of work). Then suddenly they found a solution??? Reinstated my broken card and filed for a new one to be sent to my apt (arrived a week later). I love living abroad, but sometimes being the "foreigner" is a LOT harder than it should be...
Ah the classic, "emotionally overwhelm people who refuse to be sympathetic so that they panic and do so anyway". People are willing to be jerks until you're having a breakdown and its now THEIR problem
This conversation reminds me of reading a study that says a lot of hikikomori have autism or suspected to. And it makes so much sense to me the more I learn about how rigid socially Japan is. So much things in Japan seems like some kinda weird kafkaesque experience. I definitely wouldn't have made it in Japan being on the spectrum.
Why is every foreigner a flight risk? What is it about Japan that makes its own people think foreigners are just going to be plotting their escape as soon as they arrive?
Someone need to do an actual research on how often this happens in Japan vs other places as well as measures that other countries do against it and find an actual solution rather than “ok let’s just not serve foreigners then”
I had forgotten about locked phones. That was a thing back in my teenager years when mobile phones became accessible to the common folk. Nowadays nobody does that anymore. Heck, there are laws now that make you the owner of your phone number so that you can move from company to company as you see fit. This made companies offer crazy discounts trying to steal customers from one another. They go as far as giving you a plan like 90% off for a year or something like that.
@@Cruznick06 Argentina. One of the few good things we have. There are 3 major companies and a few minor ones. They always kill each other with the special offers, lol.
@@FFXfever I honestly haven't heard of a locked phone in like 15 years, had totally forgotten about it, life has gotten so much easier when buying new phone.
Living in Japan right now and I have noticed that for a lot of services, internet, phone, applying for a credit card, it’s all a pain in the ass to do as a foreigner. It feels like because 1 foreigner fucked up 20+ years ago, we all have to pay for it
No it's just japan. The US didn't really deal with Japan's fascist past and their grandchildren effectively rule Japan, with the help of other criminal elements, the yakuza, etc. The cia also funnelled money into Japanese politics to make those people win.
Would your company sell a phone locked to your company with a multi-month contractual service plan to a foreigner that only had a month left on their visa though? An unlocked international version sure, but I feel like this fairly reasonable though until their visa is renewed to ensure they will see out the contract. Because if you have a regular SIM card that can be used in any phone, I'm fairly sure you can't just insert your current SIM card into a phone locked to a particular service provider. Even if it was the same service provider you're currently using, you'd probably have to change your plan to a contractual type plan in order to be able to use it on a locked phone.
@@hsiang7 I also worked in phone service, if the Visa isnt expired we would provide a phone the whole "yeah we cant do this because you're Visa is ABOUT to expire"....like why even bother with a proper expiration date if it's not even going to be acknowledged???
I didn't expect to earn a stitch in my side from laughing but here we are. This is Kafkaesque bureaucracy at its absolute finest and it's just the most absurd thing ever that this is actually happening in the modern day.
I like seeing clips like this because it reminds me that Japan has just as many flaws as every other country. I see a lot of stuff about Japan that is all the good stuff, which is understandable, but sometimes it's good to get a reality check and remember there is no golden place to live with zero flaws.
Every country has its own problems. Heck I live in NZ and see so many people from other countries idolizing NZ as well. Meanwhile you talk to any local and its grumble this, grumble that, this sucks that sucks why wont they fix X, Y, and Z lol. Heck including me at times
I've lived abroad for years. Getting a SIM has always been a PITA. I remember needing to bring my passport, being photographed, taking my fingerprints etc and waiting days for my info to be cleared with the government before being allowed to purchase a SIM I went home for a visit and needed a SIM, went into one of the phone operators on the High Street with my ID, money etc Went to the counter with my ID and money in my hand. Said I needed a SIM, the guy just handed it to me and then turned to the next customer. I wad confused for a second until he asked me if I needed anything else. SIM was free, no ID required at all, no wait, super simple. As an added bonus: back "home" in the foreign country the Telecom company actually sold my number while I was away!
As someone who lived in Japan, I’ve experienced this first hand. There would be certain places that would outright refuse to even let you enter because they were Japanese only. There’s even little signs and stickers that tell you if they’re Japanese only.
That's been the talk of Japan for years and years, most of the time it isn't that they're "Japanese only" It's that they're "Japanese language only". I'll admit I've only been subjected to a few cities in Japan, only spending a little time in Tokyo, but the closest I've gotten to "Japanese only" was a maid café asking if I spoke Japanese since they didn't speak English.
@@IsanSamaa still xenophobic as fuck lol, I would love to know how many Japanese speak English, Spanish or French when they visit those countries lol… besides I’m going to stores to get service, not to talk to people, and this is a phone shop not a little izakaya, imagine refusing entry in pubs or cafes because you can’t speak the language. Japanese always had a pass on discrimination because they’re « nice » which is ridiculous, especially when they depend so much on services and tourism…
@@grandvizir I'm not defending them, I also think they need to treat people who are respecting them with more respect. But at the same time I understand why they don't want people who don't speak Japanese in the store, it's hard to communicate and Japanese hate making mistakes. Still no excuse, but it's also not a common practice at all and the majority of everyday Japanese people wouldn't agree with it
Just let them have that. There are certain things I would classify as "racist", but this makes you look like a whiny brat. That example isn't a big deal and I can even understand why. If your country is a giant toerist haven, you would want some places you can escape from them as well.
Foreigners didn't run away, foreigners were put in a spot where japanese sim providers acted like garbage. I remember buying a sim at BIC and then I went to BIC to cancel it. They told me no, go somewhere else preferably to the same BIC you got it from. I went to the same BIC I got it from in another city cause I got it with a bunch of friends when we went sightseeing with some japanese friends. They told me no, go to the sim providers local store. I went to the sim providers local store and was told no, call customer service. I called customer service. Got through and was told it was the wrong number for this service. I called the other number and was put on hold for 30 minutes and then in a some phone queue. And I said f it. Let these idiots send there letters and mess up their systems, I'm not dealing with this anymore. Put the phone down, plucked the sim out, broke it in two. And then I went back home.
Meanwhile here in Germany I cancelled our internet contract in an app and just got the official paperwork via mail a few days later that confirmed it and send me the shit to send back the modem. All was done within 5-10 minutes of work for me and I just drop off the modem at a DHL shop close to the expiry date of our contract. Easy. I wouldn't want to deal with the Japanese system either and I usually have the patience of a Saint when it comes to contracts.
Are you for real? If you doing all this to get it cancelled, might as well be a flight risk. By now, all countries try to be efficient either in food delivery or paperwork. Having to go through multiple complications to get something simple cancelled is just crazy.
When I was trying to cancel mine I went to SoftBank FIVE TIMES to try and cancel it and it took me having to call from abroad outta my own pocket to eventually get it done, man I was so done with that country by the time I left
@@DieAlteistwiederda Same in Australia, I can go to my account online and instantly change the speed if I wanted too. I can also cancel with no issues.
I went through something similar here in Tokyo with Rakuten. I have a visa for 1.2 years, the max they could give me as a language student. Though it will be renewed when the time comes for the remaining months. I had only been here 3 weeks since arriving. Rakuten told me, we won't sell me a sim because my visa was too short. I'm like, wait, the average visa is 1-2 years. I have over a year left on my visa. But my visa isn't good enough for you. Plus, you'll have my damn credit card to charge me. And your company is supposed to be the one with the least restrictions letting you leave at any time, no contracts and no fees. I'm almost 99% positive they just don't want foreigners.
@@EntropyOfChaos Because refugees are an older concept than this video, yet Japan took basically none. They've rolled the red carpet out for these nazi simping fucks.
My company would do the same. Look into prepaids if there’s the option in Japan. Prepaids aren’t contractual. If you were also buying a phone that could’ve been the issue as the carrier locks you in for a set amount of years. If you do BYOD though they definitely won’t reject you so just double check.
HANDS DOWN the most frustrating times I had living in Japan was always at a phone provider/internet company. The level of backwards thinking they use is insanity. It took me HOURS to set up a phone and you have to do it in the store and then they FORCE you to sign all these spaces and I asked what they were for and they said, “These are paid subscriptions for you phone like for apps, etc.” and I said, “Well I don’t want anything, can I just not sign it?” and she said no I have to sign and then later I can just cancel everything on my phone. Knowing full well they do this to people who can’t speak Japanese (nothing is translated) means they just scammed people into these stupid “required” subscriptions. Leaving Japan, I also had to cancel my phone and internet and it was so complicated I was pulling my hair out and asking my Japanese supervisor at work to help me. She refused to help and said, “Do it yourself,” and then I did and got a page on the website that I took to mean ‘cancellation complete’ and I left Japan. Then my supervisor wanted to get my address abroad because she wanted to send me the invoice for the internet which apparently I didn’t cancel and now was required to pay for. Also, the internet guy was so condescending and made a “Maybe your Japanese isn’t good,” because I couldn’t understand what internet cables he was explaining to me over the phone 😭 😡 I also had a friend in the inaka who tried to get internet and it took THREE MONTHS before they set her wifi up in her house. Also, as a student/employee I had a phone plan, but when visiting later as a “tourist” I found that it was impossible to find free wifi anywhere in Japan. Here in Korea, literally everywhere has free wifi and it’s no hassle at all. In Japan, I remember eating at Subway because they advertised free wifi, come to find out after sitting down with my food that the employees didn’t know how to give me the password, so I was SOL 😳
The only way I can see an 'free' Softbank SIM not working with a Softbank-locked phone is they sell 2 versions of SIM cards. One type that is for locked phones, and another for unlocked phones. Sounds needlessly compllicated, petty, and is peak Japanese beaurocracy bs :P MVP Docomo pulling through by actually being helpful though, even if they were tied up with the stupid 'visa expiring' rule that doesn't account for visas currently being renewed.
The 2 versions of SIM cards is a thing (and not just in Japan). Calling it petty is weird though. What you said about visas doesn't really make sense either. Connor was going to get his visa renewed (which isn't a guarantee), which means he just had a visa that was due for expiry soon. Visas are either renewed or they aren't.
Straight talk and various other carriers(usually prepaid) in the U.S have done the same thing, where they have a BYOD SIM that they offer usually bundled with a plan, and a version that's shipped out with their device.
Actually, the eSIMs (what Connor is calling SIM free) are such a shitshow currently. There's no industry standard, everyone is doing whatever they want, so compatibility is the biggest possible bullshit situation. There's most likely a reason they have different SIMs for different phones. Outside of that, the visa stuff might make sense if they aren't selling the phone outright or if it comes with a contract. Local laws can absolutely fuck over foreigners. For example, in the Netherlands, you can buy a phone on a lease with a Dutch ID card. You can get a Dutch ID card if 1) you're a Durch citizen or 2) if you're a non-EU resident. EU citizens can't get a Dutch ID because their ID is equivalent to the Ditch one ... But it can't be used to buy things on lease. An EU passport also doesn't help. Basically, EU citizens get treated like second class because the local laws are just insanely stupid. That said, you can buy a fucking house with an EU ID with a mortgage, just not a phone on lease....
@@Luxxanne I don't think he's talking about eSIMs, like, the terminology got confused but I think he means like, a SIM-only plan, that's how it sounded to me.
7:00 that and what ppl told me over the years in japan its the "loyal" or honorable mentality thats engraved into japanese society. loyal and honor is so damn important including contracts like that. moment you sign up they expect you to stay loyal and follow their company guidelines.
I had this issue with Softbank and AU when I was in Japan for 5 years. They do automatic 2-year contract renewals, and refuse to cancel it under any reason, unless you get a contract from them on base, which forces them to have a clause specifically for military members. Major pain in the ass, for absolutely no good reason. They want it so that they just lock you in for life... Worse than American cellular contracts.
@@MiGujack3 you have to cancel it right at the 2 year mark. Like, the day or the week before the contract officially ends. Even then, they cut it off immediately, not at the end of the contract. You can terminate the contract sooner, but you have to pay the remaining months up front. So if you cut it 5 months short, that's 5 months of payments up front, plus ridiculous fees.
This issue has long been resolved with the arrival of MVNO carriers to Japan like 10 years ago. You get the cheapest plans and they sell you, if you want, a sim free phone, including iphones, pixel and Galaxy. Forget AU, Softbank and Docomo and move to Rakuten (the best), Mineo, Biglobe, IIJ Mobile, Line Mobile, Nifmo etc, thousands to choose from. Connor, good luck cancelling that Softbank sim, gaman.
@@BartRovers_ Get a JP Bank account (the easiest bank for newcomers since they won't ask you for filling a phone number if you don't have it yet), and pay Rakuten via Direct Debit duh.
@@BartRovers_ Yup, your cash card can be used for direct debit (kinda like auto-debit) even if your bank account is still registered as a non-resident account. I recommend you to go to the counter since they'll help you though. I registered my mobile carrier in Rakuten Mobile Center (?), so I'm not sure if you can ask for Direct Debit payment in one at Bic Camera etc (that has more chance of having someone can speak English).
In Australia you can get a Pre- Paid SIM at your local supermarket. Not to mention there sometimes are phone stores close by. But those phones are locked to the Telco's. If you want a unlocked phone you go to either the local JB Hi-Fi or Harvey Norman.
Not even, a lot of phone plans nowadays have unlocked phones, especially with many phones accepting both physical sims and virtual sims. The only times you really get 'locked' phones are when you get the pre-paid cheap phones with sims included.
@@Moraag not correct. In Australia you can buy phones outright, get a pre-paid phone, or you can go to one of the many phone stores (or even JB Hi Fi) and get a phone with a sim plan. Most of the time, phones with sim plans are locked in contracts. Especially given that you're paying off the cost of the phone. Sometimes you can get no-lock in contracts. Buying sim plans only there's many locked in contracts and some no-lock in contracts available to choose from. After contract terms are up you're free to choose the carrier you want. As for pre-paids there's different categories. Cheap pre-paid phones can be locked but are not always. Conversely most pre-paid sims are BYO phone.
As an American that sells cellphones we kind of do that same thing in our own stores all the time to foreigners, for instance if you’re not having your credit checked and signing up for any carrier which most are unable to we won’t sell you a phone at all and there best bet is directly through manufacturer of the phone or a flea market
After a certain threshold of reasons, I'd look him dead in eyes and say "prove it. Physically prove to me it won't work'" Because after a certain point, he's bullshitting you.
They threw the visa card bullshit excuse. Even if it works they can bs their way out by saying they can't sell because of the visa expiring soon. What I learned from this video: -If I visit Japan, don't get anywhere close to Softbank. -Get a phone from docomo.
@@mahuk. They aren't allowed to sell it if your visa is expiring soon. The rules vary from carrier to carrier, but they do exist. There's nothing the shop clerk could do about it. And Connor's sim wouldn't work with their locked phone because there are two types of sim cards, one for unlocked phones - which is what Connor had - and one for locked ones. Btw rather than docomo, I'd recommend Rakuten, which has better and cheaper plans. About 3000 yen per month can get you unlimited data and they also have calls for free if you call through their app, which is basically just using a different app to make calls with than the default one in your phone.
I don't think you coward can do that. Well get ready to face Japanese prison. Stay away from Japan. Never come. It is good for Japan if there are less outsiders.
@@kurapan779 Spot on, not knowing anything about this particular scenario but knowing a thing or two about costumer service the answer to "do you know how stupid this is?" usually is "yes", and yet KNOWING that something is dumb won't magically make the clerk able to solve the problem.
That's why I am with Docomo. No booking or anything. I just went to the store, chose the phone I wanted, signed some paperwork, and left. Took about an hour.
I swear so much of living in Japan just seems to be the Kafkaesque blend of following the rules no matter how ridiculous and just outright xenophobic discrimination.
there is some xenophobic discriminations but not really that much im afraid. Connor's just a bit rarted (stereotypical foreigner really) and loves to play up the "i'm a second class citizen".
@@RockSolitude Bruh what's with you bringing up sTeReOtYpIcAl FoReIgNeR everywhere? Sounds pretty racist to me. People have bad experiences and not being a native doesn't discount them. "...not really that much, *I'm afraid.* " tf are you afraid for?
It's not xenophobic, you're using that word wrong. What you tried to say was the word "racist". Edit; I was wrong, Xenophobic is indeed applicable. I had the wrong distinction between "racist" & "xenophobic" in my mind.
Locked phones and sim contracts aren’t even a thing in India… I actually had to go do some research about what people were talking about the first time I came by this concept. There are many things I don’t like about my country but this is one of the few things I am absolutely glad we don’t have. Get whatever phone, get whatever sim and it will work.
Yes. It took me almost 5 to 6 hours being in the store to convince them to let me upgrade my phone. Then they required me to pay the entire cost of the phone upfront. The prevailing image is that a foreigner (all foreigners are tourists of course. The thought of us actually living in Japan doesn’t cross their minds) would just take the phone and leave the country without paying it off. So, people like me who live here end up getting shafted whenever we actually go in to buy / upgrade a phone.
One company once tried to sell locked phones here in Ukraine, after that all phones and sims are unlocked. You can even buy special chips to unlock locked phones from other countries.
@@HazZzur and a declining population. I’m hoping there’s a solution to the extreme strain the older generations will put on the economy once they all stop working.
@@sonic6689 I live in Japan and it's not that bad. Safety, welfare and infrastructure are the most important things when it comes to living. In fact, Japan's HDI is as high as in Scandinavian countries. I can live quite comfortably in Japan because I don't have to worry about getting involved in crime. You don't have to turn around when you're walking alone at night. Even children walk alone on the streets at night. I guess only few countries would allow you to do this like Iceland and Singapore. And if you get injured or sick, you can get treatment at a hospital for a low price. This is why the Japanese have the highest average life expectancy in the world. Yes, there are some negatives, but compared to other countries, it's a lot better overall. Couldn't buy a mobile phone because of SIM card problems? Well, it's unfortunate, but to be honest, it's not a big problem. It should be far better than in countries where shopkeepers are quite rude and shout at customers.
@@asdfghjjhgf How are u living in Japan without mentioning working in Japan? The working culture in Japan is fucking sucks unless youre working for western companies.
As a foreigner it can be very difficult to live there. (Especially if you have the look of a foreigner they'd be "scared of") Japan is good to visit for a short while and then go back.
SoftBank also refused to sell my Indian wife a cell plan. They couldn’t even give us a reason. They just asked us to “leave please” like bro I’ve lived here 3 years and I’ve had a plan with you those three years are being serious? Canceled my plan right before I left their building.
Japan is widely discriminatory against dark skinned Asians for sure. Heck, a lot of idols are half Filipino but they will BS you in saying their Filipino mom is "part Spanish" just to sell you the fantasy that they're not just half southeast Asian. East Asia in general is full on hostile to South Asians and southeast Asians.
I am going to give you some insight. Foreigners don't run away with a bill. They argue they might as a means to refuse foreigners service *in hops* they will run away. Most older business owners in japan make policies extremely hostile to non-japanese people as a means to keep their country genetically pure.
So let me ask you, how easily do they end up folding when it comes to pressure? If somebody doesn't take no for an answer, will they eventually fold and just sell you the phone?
@@scottiecurrie7927 The only thing that would make them 'fold under pressure' is financial pressure. And some do as they carve out a customer base for themselves. But that isn't possible in all industries. There is no room for upstarts in the mobile industry in japan, so there is no pressuring the industry financially.
The more I hear stories like this the more I pity my friend. They lived on an military base in Japan for a couple years. Even though they barely did anything culturally there and didn't go to a Japanese school they want to move there to be an English teacher
My friend has gotten this kind of treatment once when we went to a trip to Japan. It was a market of sort with lots of stalls. But they refused to sell any of their goods to my friend and shoo her away. Perhaps it was because she was black but they look particularly afraid of her. "No foreigner! No foreigner!" They said, before shaking their heads. Not all stalls were like that but she did ended up getting a lot of stares. I did not get the same kind of treatment because I look Asian so people were less weary of me. (and I _am_ Asian. Just saying that I look more like a Japanese asian and not Indian asian etc. Sometimes Japanese people are weary of other asians too, like Indians because of their dark skin or Muslim-populated asians because of their hijab. Japanese people tend to stick to Japanese people. They're so introverted it's hard to get them out of their comfort zone.) Our experience in Japan was overall wonderful but the spirits to explore Japan was lessened because of this one particular incident
colored backlights are getting oversaturated too. It was back in 2016, it was kinda new, quirky and made you look professional. Now it just makes you look like a generic podcast
This is exactly why I didn’t get a phone with AU or SoftBank when I was stationed in Japan. I just got a hotspot and used apps for my communication needs. But I had to sign over my contract to a friend so that they could cancel my plan with them for me because I was leaving and the plan didn’t expire until next month.
I wasn't even understanding the story at first, I thought "unlocked phone" meant something like jailbreaking your phone to get paid apps for free or some kind of homebrew stuff. Phones are required by law to be unlocked as default here in my country, and it has been like that for more than a decade at this point. Japan never ceases to surprise me with the extent they go to make things difficult and bureaucratic for almost none to absolutely no gain whatsoever.
The worst experience I’ve had in terms of treatment was by Japanese. So now I just use assertiveness to get what a need and only ran into trouble once in the past year. Works better for me
@@Ealstrom I already look scary according to Japanese friends I met. That was their first impression of me. So instead of being polite and soft to ease people around me I usually just am straight to the point, louder than they probably want me to be, and use that first impression to my advantage cause otherwise I’m ignored or refused. Basically have them want me to get out of their hair sooner rather than later and comply to what I need/want so I’ll need. It’s worked so far. Unfortunately this has been the only way I can get service immediately. Sounds strange but again, it works
Man, we sell unlocked phones to foreigners all the time. Only time it becomes a problem is if they try to apply for a credit card and it declines. My phone is locked to Verizon, but it’s nice that I can get my sim automatically switched if I go to a different country
>We sell phones to foreigners all the time! It's only a problem if they don't have a japanese-specific credit card. That's fucking stupid. Don't @ me. Don't give me shitty excuses.
@@logicphile6207 Hm? No I mean a store specific credit card, not an American card. I'm not saying it's a good thing, it's just what happens lol Weirdly hostile, man
The whole thing with certain sim cards not working on certain phones is a real thing. I used to sell phones (contract and prepaid) for years and this issue came up all the time.
@@DebEternity no not really because prepaid is meant to be pay as you go so typically you have to buy the phone cash and pay for the service month to month,so if you leave the phone company doesn't leave anything
@@Tobi_3L it has less to do with the service and more to do with the fact that most people finance phones, so if you leave and still owe money on the phone then the company loses money
Locked phones aren’t a scam it’s because your paying off the phone.. it’s like renting a car and the rental company doesn’t allow you to leave the country with it.
I’d love an actual talk or video about the whole “foreigner leaving without paying” thing. How prevalent is it as an issue, how much damage it causes, so we can maybe have an actual discussion on how they should handle it other than “let’s just not serve foreigners”.
Japan may be on another flippin' level with that, but phone carriers are weird seemingly everywhere in the world. Many years ago here in Poland, I wanted to switch from a prepaid plan to an unlimited subscription. My original carrier had one - but when I asked about that, they said I can't change plans like that. They literally proposed that I port my number to another carrier and then port it back to them, and that would be the only way. Needless to say, I ported my number to another carrier but then never went back...
How can they block tethering? Is it in the network level? Since its an unlocked phone I guess they don't configure your phone's OS to block it. How can they tell between a phone using an internet, and a PC tethered to the phone? Its just IP packets at the end of the day, isn't it?
Yes and undetectable tethering is perfectly possible, except that stock Android basically conspires against you to let carriers upsell you. On many custom ROMs or on a rooted phone you can trivially have undetectable tethering.
found out the hard ways, bigger manufactures like samsung and apple do CONSPIRE and can't tether if you buy non tether sim (which indeed sounds like bollocks crushed by trucks dumpster fire jesus) but the smaller one like realme can tether. wanna know WHY? because its fuckin JAPAN you illiterate monkey.
When you turn on tethering on a stock Android system, it requests the tether from the carrier. If the carrier says "yes this plan can tether" it'll send the phone the green light to enable it. If the carrier denies it, it won't turn on. On modified systems, it will just turn on tethering without telling the carrier it's being enabled.
If you are tethering, the packets are going to have a different TTL value. Standard rate for android is 64 Passing through the hotspot, a packet gets delayed by one - 63 That's how carriers are able to detect tethering.
I had the same problem with SoftBank about the visa crap But when I order stuff online through the online store things went smoothly when it’s not face to face
its the same here in france, never buy a phone directly from your operator, always go for the cheaper monthly plan without phone and just buy your phone online.
Rewatching this reminded me of a nugget of memory from when I worked for a no-contract cellphone store. They sold budget phones and you could also order main line phones as well (Referred to A for budget android and S for main brand like the Z Flip and more expensive phones). When people came and bought a phone with the store, the phone has to be locked to that carrier (Example, Verizon) for one of two conditions: they have to have had the phone active for one year, or they paid off the phone in order to get the unlock PIN number from the carrier. When I asked my Boss at my store why they did this, they said it was because people would buy a cell with a plan at a discount at one store (still had to pay the taxes on it even tho it was a "free" phone), not pay the plan and take the phone to another store to sell it for profit.
i bought a Megumin Figma from goodsmile. It fell over and the staff as well as a connecting part broke. the parts were a bit too slender and weak to be simply posed like it shows on the box. i asked them to send me a replacement, while being clear i was happy to pay for the parts and shipping. first they wanted pics of the Figma itself, the broken parts and all the other non-broken parts as well as the box showing the serial # etc. i sent this over and they dragged their feet for weeks with no reply. then they request more pictures i was like "No. You had your chance to request pics and you already requested MANY and very specific ones which i provided. im not going through an endless loop of 'and now send us this'; JUST SEND ME THE PARTS." i expected an invoice which i would pay and then they would send the parts. I got no reply, no invoice, only complete radio silence; they did nothing for a YEAR AND A HALF. Then in the mail one day i got the two parts i requested for free, they never asked for money for the parts or shipping. They finally just figured out "send the person the parts and be done with it".
I use Hobby Search for my figures Both times I received a defective figure they did ask for photos which is understandable So I sent pics and the replaced one and refunded the other and even paid the shipping for me to send back the broken item to them. One they did not have any replacement in stock so told me to keep to figure and refunded me. They are very accommodating to their customers it’s the main reason I get almost everything from them. And to top it of 99 times out of a 100 they are the cheapest as well.
In my country, and until just a few years ago, carriers were still selling locked phones to avoid having people jump from one carrier to another just to get the phone at a better price... But now, you can buy unlocked phones and even transfer your phone number to another carrier if you wish to do so.
I think I know why, so back in late 2000 before the iphone happened, Japanese phone were ahead of it's time (the UI were horrible thou), so oversea retailers would illegally (buying from Japanese telecom store full price) import Japanese phone to attract people to sign contract with them, Japanese phone maker and telecom REALLY didn't like that and they started to lock their phone to their network, and I don't mean the regular network lock you can unlock thru some hack, it's was airtight, they also had different cultures when it comes to cellphone, text were charge per characters, charger and battery were sold separately, but now day I think it became a little more streamline.
I am not sure that I follow. Before smartphones, the Japanese phones were so good that overseas retailers would buy them any way that they could, and instead of being happy for increased sales and trying to set up some more formalized trade channels, the Japanese phone companies responded by making the phones unusable outside of Japan. Am I getting that correctly?
There is a never ending runaround of ridiculous things here. I spent two years without wifi at home because company databases didn’t have my apartment building in them even though it’s an old building. I went to three companies and ended up helping SoftBank create an entry for my building, only for them to call me 4-5 more times saying they couldn’t find my apartment. Similar experiences occurred when my electricity company went out of business and I needed a new provider. I never want to sign another new contract.
Locked phones suck. It's not racism. It's happening everywhere. Just get a rootable pixel phone ("unlockable bootloader" is a hidden concept. Not all "unlocked" phones have this), root it, and then you can work around limits like that. People give too much power away to these big companies it's sad
The visa expiring and not being able to setup a new plan makes sense, also the not cancelling your existing plans because the visa is expiring, but the sim cards that work on blocked phones as opposed to sim cards that work on non blocked phones is pretty mental.
I used to work for Verizon and had to tell people this kind of shit all the time. This doesn't sound like the Japanese trying to treat him differently as much as it is phone companies just sucking ass everywhere on the globe
Connor, I have learned that people working at tech stores in Japan are not necessarily knowledgeable about what it possible. They will say it is impossible when they don't know how to do it. Instead, you have to go store shopping and find the employee who knows. (Or just call HQ support) They will make it happen for you. Also, yes, Japanese phone companies are stupid. I bought a new phone a year before leaving and ended my contract. Got it unlocked. (Side note: Osaka employee let me pay off the phone in installments using my Canadian credit card! Did not expect that! But again, if the employee knows it's possible, lots of things suddenly are possible that another store said isn't. Anywho.) Get back to Canada and try to use it on my provider. Not only will tethering not work, neither with texts with pictures. Went 2 years using my phone in Canada with my friends having to email or FB message me pictures because they couldn't text me them. Such a pain.
You'd be surprised how many rich or financially well-off people don't replace their phones even though its cracked or broken. Chris Evans used an iPhone 6 for years and didn't replace it until it was literally unusable already, and Anthony Mackie also used a cracked iPhone in his GQ Top 10 Essentials video.
@@Zamandu Replacing a broken phone doesn't make you a degenerate, most people who aren't even rich do that. Why shouldn't rich people be lauded for their actions but every other income class can? Isn't that a little fucking discriminatory?
And this is a good indicator of why Japan is in decline from a shrinking population perspective - making policy/laws that are more friendly to foreigners/immigrants is an excellent counterbalance to low birth rates and lawmakers in Japan are going to need to change their mindset on this before they face an economic catastrophe. It's also a good reason why conservatives in the USA are morons for despising immigrants - America also has declining birth rates but because it still enjoys a positive population growth rate largely because of immigration...
Not sure about other parts of the world, but the cell phone buying experience is pretty similar in Canada. I used to work for a retail store here in Canada that would let you buy the phone outright but all of the carrier specific stores, like a rogers or bell store, would not let you buy the phone outright. In the case of the visa thing, it's the same thing in Canada where if you are on a work/study visa, you wouldn't be fully allowed to get a 2 year contract for a phone if your visa expired before the contract was up. Luckily, all phones in Canada are supposed to come unlocked and if they aren't, you can call your carrier to request to have the phone unlocked for free.
As someone here in Japan for a decade I feel this pain. Insanity everywhere. Tons of stupid rules, and selective use of rules for what is easiest for those in power.
It sounds like the new pixel only supports esim and not the old physical sim cards, and they won't sell him a phone with a new esim due to the visa issue.
I'm so glad I was able to use t-mobile global plus plan for all 3 years while living in Japan. I didn't have to deal with softbank's bullshit. I remember seeing my friend's bills at times or issues they would have when trying to make an online payment to softbank. If anyone is moving to Japan and has tm-mobile, get that global plus add-on yo.
I've been using it too and it works great. I did still have to get a plan here because I needed a japanese phone number for stuff but I just had to get the cheapest plan I could find since I never actually needed to call or use the data.
As a foreign in a different country, I can totally relate to these kinds of issues It is so infuriating, de-motivating and degrading. Makes you feel so unwelcome which I guess is the point lol
The clerk is saying that the SIM card you have is built in a manner that caters to phones released on a international level. The new SIM card you are asking for won't work on international phones because it's built to not work on them. You also can't use your existing SIM card because the phones they are selling is also modified on a hardware level to only accept SIM cards that are built with the Japanese standards in mind for the same reasons as earlier. That's why you can't do one of the other because it's fundamentally incompatible for one another. In regards to the refusal to renew due you VISA, it's not an exclusive Japan problem, other countries like Singapore also implement the same policy for the same reasons, even I personally had to suffer for it when I got a plan for my Singaporean SIM card.
You may think this is insane, but I went trough similar suff, not been able to walk in and talk to a representative (because you need an appointment), even if there are 4 people doing nothing... visa issues, bring all your documents, your japanese bank is not allowed for that carrier, etc. ... if you are in this situation, and they tell you no, just dont bother you are wasting your time. Go to the next carrier and waste hours of your life again.
I remember one time the bank refused to do a transaction for me because I needed to prove I’ve already done the transaction that they wouldn’t let me do, so yeah I feel for Connor
Hence why I do what Connor does, and just buy unlocked phones. I tried to buy a g6 thinq when it first came out at a T-Mobile store, and they refused to sell me the phone.
First thing that popped into my head when I saw the title was "expiring Visa." lol. Whenever I hear a co-worker who is planning to quit say that they're going to get a new phone soon, I tell them that this is always an issue with any kind of subscription or contract.
This is bizarre, I've never heard abt the concept of locked and unlocked phones, this is the first time I'm hearing it and it sounds crazy. Just buy a phone and use the old sim on the new phone. That's how I thought it worked everywhere. Also why's there so many hurdles on getting a new sim? It's just a sim card, even if some people did run away after using the carrier's services how much of a loss are they in? Just A few dollars for every person who ran? That's just meager change, It's not a mortgage. Edit: also being able to use just 1 simcard on a phone?? Wtf is up with that? How do people use such phones? I barely know anyone who uses only 1 sim. Everybody in my place uses two Sims(of different carriers) by default.
Well, for the 1 sim thing - if everyone is using an app to text or call, what's the point of getting another sim, especially when the population prefers to keep their old numbers? And why pay another carrier for a different number when I'll just be using the same apps to text and call? That's just another thing I'll have to pay for that gives me no benefit. That's likely the type of questions/responses you'll get.
@@0daadaadaa0inda late😅 but here's the reasoning for why we have 2 phones, we use 2 sims because sometimes people wanna separate personal and professional numbers so 1 for work and 1 for personal use, also we use different carriers because sometimes if you are in a place with irregular network connections then maybe 1 of the carrier won't work but the other carrier network might work. Edit: also sims here(india) are free so there's basically 0 negatives for having an extra sim😅😅
Similar thing with me. I was on AU, when I’m processing my termination because I’m going home. they said that the bill will come to my home but the bill will be sent after my flight home. I said I’ll pay now since no one could pay then, but they said only when the bill arrives on my doorstep I could pay. Was arguing for a few minutes and tell how counter productive their system is, and now I have an unpaid bill with AU.
So as a programmer, what SoftBank is saying makes perfect sense to me. It’s not that it’s a Japan problem, it’s an infrastructure issue on a technical level. SoftBank has 2 different networks, one for their “Free SIM” which is a shared network between all companies so they can all issue a SIM free card to be used on this network. The other network is a SoftBank only network and needs a different SIM. Anyway, it is confusing and it sucks but I would recommend sticking to getting SIM free phones (from official Google store for example), and using cheaper carriers like Rakuten or LINE (anything not in the big 3).
Every time I hear a story like this about Japan, I think "That sounds so annoying... But now try coming to China and doing the same thing, and it'll be twice as bad".
You guys might be joking about it, but you can tell the second class citizen treatment given to foreigners is starting to get under Connor's skin.
nah, they fo this shit to their own race as well.
@@alexamderhamiltom5238 nah, a Japanese citizen would have got the phone,
after filling a stupid amount of paperwork (probably several times if they made a mistake)
@@dragoon0anime no no no, what problems connor have is he want the unlocked softbank + locked pixelpro, which can't be done. what he should do is buy new unlocked dual sim phone then enter his old sim to new phone. and buy disposable sim that can tether.
note : i live in japan and know this shit so well because they screw me and my ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ wife.
@@pogituna docomo offer him new unlocked sim, that's why connor want to terminate the contract to spite them.
connor made a mistake by booking that appointment, he should just straight up buying unlocked phone from amazon. regardless japanese carriers are dogshit.
@@alexamderhamiltom5238 that just means they dont wanna sell him the appropriate phone...
All phones sold in Canada are required to be unlocked by law. It's been a thing for a few years now and it's great. Too bad our phone plans are so expensive lol.
Here in Chile is the same. It took time and the phone companies fought tooth and nail agains the law, telling us how it was going to destroy the industry. Now every phone is unlocked and we get to keep our number if we change companies
In the Netherlands and probably in whole Europe it's the same
@@FranciscoOyola94 Transferring mobile numbers between carriers has been in a thing in Canada and USA for a *very* long time
@@Xelief we gained that right in 2010. Before that each company was the owner of a range of phone numbers, so you couldn’t jump from A to B and keep yours. That law changed all of that.
That seems to be a common theme in Canada, you guys do something cool and forward thinking that not too many other first world countries do, but then you guys shoot yourselves in the foot with some other problem
That "too many foreigners have run away" line, phone companies were already giving it 20 years ago. I think the most annoying thing about how they handle those refusals is how they slowly waterboard you with it. In Connor's case, it was the sim, then the tethering, then the visa, then...
Yeah thats certainly the worse part I think, if they were just up front hey we can't do anything for you cause the visa is expiring would of been sufficient instead of making connor have to ask every possible route just to say no each time. But its probably bad customer service or something to be upfront like that because it could come off as refusing a customer or turning them away rather then a helping them by answering their questions type perception... even if all the answers to the questions is still refusing their patronage.
Racism is pretty strong in japan, and it doesnt help that their culture is so autistic and completely detached from practicality. So you get worst of both worlds. First their stupidly complex way of dealing with shit + their racism and speech problem. I am pretty sure Conner doesnt speak on a native level and i am just gonna assume that but the japanese seller probably couldnt speak english at all or maybe just some words
@@Notaforumguy007 I bet it's one of those things where customer service is not allowed to say "no" to a customer.
@@PervertHeart bingo. Connor is just being the stereotype of the ignorant foreigner here im afraid despite living there for a while. It's really a shame that he seems to be absolutely ignorant to the culture or how society works. In Japan/Japanese culture a flat out, straight refusal, rejection or "no" is rude. This goes doubly so for people working in customer facing roles. It's why they always say "that will be difficult" or "that will be inconvenient" or things like that. The listener is supposed to 1) read the air, 2) think (and not just about themselves) and 3) infer the meaning and respond accordingly.
The logic is so backwards though. They should explain the reason and apologize for the inconvenience it has/may cause. Connor wouldn't be telling this story if they said up front the visa was expiring soon and that he'd have to wait until his new visa was in to do anything.
I may not know much about the culture, but working in the service industry has taught me that most of the time being upfront and honest will lead to the least complication for you and the customer(s).
Damn. Imagine leaving a phone store without them trying anything to get you to buy a phone.
And worse, actively refusing to sell to you as well
Was he in Poland he would already have 3 phones and 5 plans for his whole family xD
Japan is well known of their dumb company management
Japan: our economy is suffering, what can we do?!
Connor: Hey guys, can I spend some money in your country?
Japan:....no.
japan isnt the only country like this. when i moved to ireland i could barely get any company to accept my money until i had opened an irish bank account, which i couldnt do until i got irelands version of a social security number, which took 3 weeks.
for 3 weeks i was unable to pay for heating, electricity, internet, etc. luckily i got an irish friend i met to pay the electricity bill from his irish bank account (ofc i transferred the cost) but its just absurd to me that a business would turn down money because the money was being transferred from a swedish bank account instead of an irish. no wonder some companies struggled. you never turn down money wtf.
@@opposed2logic Wait.. Were you not able to just pay in cash? As in, bring cash to the bank and send it to the utility company's bank account.
Their economy is suffering because they aren’t having kids, not because some small portion of the population is having trouble buying things
@@orppranator5230 Its a joke buddy. Unclench.
@@Chris44sun Will do, my b
I feel that at the end of the day, it come back to the fact that alot of japanese companies and corporates have a very backwards thinking and are very stubborn on existing rules and refuse to change any rules that doesnt make sense anymore. And Japanese people are fine with it because they are probably taught to not make a fuss and accept difficult situations.
That is why. Look at the customer is god rule where you need to treat the customer as if they’re a deity even if they’re being an a-hole to you and you can’t complain about it. Though it appears in this case that rule isn’t completely applied to Connor since they decided to not help him which is showing the xenophobia a bit.
Hard to break norms.
It actually makes sense in this case though. If you buy a phone through a provider like this it's likely going to be a locked phone and will require you to sign a contract. Why would they take chances on a foreigner finishing out their contract when they can only prove that they have a month left on their visa? Also the SIM cards used in locked phones you get through providers are different from the kind that you get for unlocked phones, even if it's through the same service provider. If they were to switch your service plan to be compatible with the locked phones, they would need you to sign the contract most likely. Not all that different from AOL or Verizon phones in the US being locked to that service provider.
@@hsiang7 Entirely untrue. The locked one is the phone not the SIM card (in the US). I tell you this because my family has only bought phones from our provider, all of which are locked. Until last black Friday when I chose to buy a Pixel 7. Called up my provider to switch it into new phone, the SIM card I've had for the last 7yrs on now 3 phones works perfectly. The company runs very few risks giving out SIM cards since they can cancel service anytime. And the phone was being paid for upfront. A locked phone at that. Their treatment made no sense.
Nintendo
I live in Korea, and I feel EVERY. BIT. OF. THIS.
I had a really similar experience with my debit card:
It stopped working.
I went to get a new one.
I had to go to 4 different branches because only ONE branch in my area handles that kind of problem (but none of the other branches knew which one it was???).
The branch cancelled my current, broken card.
Then, they told me they couldn't give me a new one because my visa expires in 7 months (but my debit card expiration wasn't for another year or 2). Then they told me there was nothing else they could do. And that I would have to wait until my visa is renewed 7 months later.
I cried in the branch because now I had no card and no way to access cash (bank always closes before I get off of work).
Then suddenly they found a solution??? Reinstated my broken card and filed for a new one to be sent to my apt (arrived a week later).
I love living abroad, but sometimes being the "foreigner" is a LOT harder than it should be...
Ah the classic, "emotionally overwhelm people who refuse to be sympathetic so that they panic and do so anyway". People are willing to be jerks until you're having a breakdown and its now THEIR problem
This conversation reminds me of reading a study that says a lot of hikikomori have autism or suspected to. And it makes so much sense to me the more I learn about how rigid socially Japan is. So much things in Japan seems like some kinda weird kafkaesque experience. I definitely wouldn't have made it in Japan being on the spectrum.
Hahahah kafkaesque is a great term to describe japan
@@sage-d4q I agree but wondering what your reasoning is?
@@dragoon0anime if you're using autism to insult people, cause that's what it seems to us, then it speaks more about you than about others
I'm not on the spectrum or have any handicaps, and I wouldn't stand living in Japan.
@@username-ql8ox I apoligize, it wasn't my intention to insult people.
it was a really stupid comment, sorry.
Why is every foreigner a flight risk? What is it about Japan that makes its own people think foreigners are just going to be plotting their escape as soon as they arrive?
i do flight once just because their bullshit bureaucracy, and more than so to spite them.
Because they think foreigners are inherently dishonest. We ARE inferior races, after all...
Unfortunately there have been many cases of foreigners fleeing e.g post bail or on debts etc
@@lou00006 as if people don't do that elsewhere
Someone need to do an actual research on how often this happens in Japan vs other places as well as measures that other countries do against it and find an actual solution rather than “ok let’s just not serve foreigners then”
I had forgotten about locked phones. That was a thing back in my teenager years when mobile phones became accessible to the common folk. Nowadays nobody does that anymore. Heck, there are laws now that make you the owner of your phone number so that you can move from company to company as you see fit. This made companies offer crazy discounts trying to steal customers from one another. They go as far as giving you a plan like 90% off for a year or something like that.
Like they'll list phones as locked version and unlocked version on like Bestbuy's website I've noticed but I only ever bought unlocked phones
Where do you live that has this legislation? That sounds fantastic.
@@Cruznick06 Argentina. One of the few good things we have. There are 3 major companies and a few minor ones. They always kill each other with the special offers, lol.
Well, locked phones still exist. Just not refusing to sell you a phone.
@@FFXfever I honestly haven't heard of a locked phone in like 15 years, had totally forgotten about it, life has gotten so much easier when buying new phone.
Living in Japan right now and I have noticed that for a lot of services, internet, phone, applying for a credit card, it’s all a pain in the ass to do as a foreigner. It feels like because 1 foreigner fucked up 20+ years ago, we all have to pay for it
Lol, Logan Paul came to mind
@@kalystagutierrez1607 same lol
No it's just japan. The US didn't really deal with Japan's fascist past and their grandchildren effectively rule Japan, with the help of other criminal elements, the yakuza, etc. The cia also funnelled money into Japanese politics to make those people win.
I’m pretty fine here living in Japan. I’m using Google Fi out here without any issues and can still get internet with my American credit card.
Living here too and feel the very same. It is quite annoying.
As someone that works for a cell phone company, that sounds ABSOLUTELY bonkers
Would your company sell a phone locked to your company with a multi-month contractual service plan to a foreigner that only had a month left on their visa though? An unlocked international version sure, but I feel like this fairly reasonable though until their visa is renewed to ensure they will see out the contract. Because if you have a regular SIM card that can be used in any phone, I'm fairly sure you can't just insert your current SIM card into a phone locked to a particular service provider. Even if it was the same service provider you're currently using, you'd probably have to change your plan to a contractual type plan in order to be able to use it on a locked phone.
@@hsiang7 A Western company might refuse the sale on the spot, but they would also ask him to come back once his visa is fixed. Simple as that.
@@crowe6961 in Canada there are no cell phone contracts.you could just get a monthly basis sim.
@@hsiang7 I also worked in phone service, if the Visa isnt expired we would provide a phone the whole "yeah we cant do this because you're Visa is ABOUT to expire"....like why even bother with a proper expiration date if it's not even going to be acknowledged???
@@Zexx4 and as he said, he was getting it renewed and it was marked as such
so the "about to expire" BS is just that, BS
I didn't expect to earn a stitch in my side from laughing but here we are. This is Kafkaesque bureaucracy at its absolute finest and it's just the most absurd thing ever that this is actually happening in the modern day.
true, i also find racism hilarious in every circumstance, we're so alike
@@aidanrock8719 it's not racism, it's xenophobia. They have different sources, with mostly the same effect
@@eisgnom7383 🤓
@@aidanrock8719 oof ah ow ya got me. I am deeply wounded and dead now. Bleh.
I like seeing clips like this because it reminds me that Japan has just as many flaws as every other country. I see a lot of stuff about Japan that is all the good stuff, which is understandable, but sometimes it's good to get a reality check and remember there is no golden place to live with zero flaws.
@@ii4826 nope. US and Canada you can buy unlocked and join most services. Learn the topic before assuming the whole world does this.
@@ii4826 Nah, don't try to make this a "rest of the world" problem. I've never had this issue with sim cards in the U.S.
@@TheAluvisify guess the US is the whole rest of the world
Every country has its own problems. Heck I live in NZ and see so many people from other countries idolizing NZ as well. Meanwhile you talk to any local and its grumble this, grumble that, this sucks that sucks why wont they fix X, Y, and Z lol. Heck including me at times
@@ii4826 why are you defending japan on a topic you have no clue about. Japan is being cringe to Connor here. No argument lol
I've lived abroad for years. Getting a SIM has always been a PITA.
I remember needing to bring my passport, being photographed, taking my fingerprints etc and waiting days for my info to be cleared with the government before being allowed to purchase a SIM
I went home for a visit and needed a SIM, went into one of the phone operators on the High Street with my ID, money etc
Went to the counter with my ID and money in my hand. Said I needed a SIM, the guy just handed it to me and then turned to the next customer. I wad confused for a second until he asked me if I needed anything else.
SIM was free, no ID required at all, no wait, super simple.
As an added bonus: back "home" in the foreign country the Telecom company actually sold my number while I was away!
As someone who lived in Japan, I’ve experienced this first hand. There would be certain places that would outright refuse to even let you enter because they were Japanese only. There’s even little signs and stickers that tell you if they’re Japanese only.
That's been the talk of Japan for years and years, most of the time it isn't that they're "Japanese only" It's that they're "Japanese language only".
I'll admit I've only been subjected to a few cities in Japan, only spending a little time in Tokyo, but the closest I've gotten to "Japanese only" was a maid café asking if I spoke Japanese since they didn't speak English.
@@IsanSamaa still xenophobic as fuck lol, I would love to know how many Japanese speak English, Spanish or French when they visit those countries lol… besides I’m going to stores to get service, not to talk to people, and this is a phone shop not a little izakaya, imagine refusing entry in pubs or cafes because you can’t speak the language. Japanese always had a pass on discrimination because they’re « nice » which is ridiculous, especially when they depend so much on services and tourism…
@@grandvizir I'm not defending them, I also think they need to treat people who are respecting them with more respect. But at the same time I understand why they don't want people who don't speak Japanese in the store, it's hard to communicate and Japanese hate making mistakes.
Still no excuse, but it's also not a common practice at all and the majority of everyday Japanese people wouldn't agree with it
Just let them have that. There are certain things I would classify as "racist", but this makes you look like a whiny brat. That example isn't a big deal and I can even understand why. If your country is a giant toerist haven, you would want some places you can escape from them as well.
It's like the "no blacks, no dogs, no Irish" pubs of the 1960s kek. They're so backwards it's hilarious
Foreigners didn't run away, foreigners were put in a spot where japanese sim providers acted like garbage.
I remember buying a sim at BIC and then I went to BIC to cancel it. They told me no, go somewhere else preferably to the same BIC you got it from.
I went to the same BIC I got it from in another city cause I got it with a bunch of friends when we went sightseeing with some japanese friends. They told me no, go to the sim providers local store.
I went to the sim providers local store and was told no, call customer service.
I called customer service. Got through and was told it was the wrong number for this service.
I called the other number and was put on hold for 30 minutes and then in a some phone queue. And I said f it. Let these idiots send there letters and mess up their systems, I'm not dealing with this anymore. Put the phone down, plucked the sim out, broke it in two. And then I went back home.
Meanwhile here in Germany I cancelled our internet contract in an app and just got the official paperwork via mail a few days later that confirmed it and send me the shit to send back the modem. All was done within 5-10 minutes of work for me and I just drop off the modem at a DHL shop close to the expiry date of our contract. Easy.
I wouldn't want to deal with the Japanese system either and I usually have the patience of a Saint when it comes to contracts.
Are you for real? If you doing all this to get it cancelled, might as well be a flight risk. By now, all countries try to be efficient either in food delivery or paperwork. Having to go through multiple complications to get something simple cancelled is just crazy.
When I was trying to cancel mine I went to SoftBank FIVE TIMES to try and cancel it and it took me having to call from abroad outta my own pocket to eventually get it done, man I was so done with that country by the time I left
@@DieAlteistwiederda Same in Australia, I can go to my account online and instantly change the speed if I wanted too. I can also cancel with no issues.
I went through something similar here in Tokyo with Rakuten. I have a visa for 1.2 years, the max they could give me as a language student. Though it will be renewed when the time comes for the remaining months. I had only been here 3 weeks since arriving. Rakuten told me, we won't sell me a sim because my visa was too short. I'm like, wait, the average visa is 1-2 years. I have over a year left on my visa. But my visa isn't good enough for you. Plus, you'll have my damn credit card to charge me. And your company is supposed to be the one with the least restrictions letting you leave at any time, no contracts and no fees. I'm almost 99% positive they just don't want foreigners.
They want fuckin ukrainians
@@vincentvega7087 what? Not sure why you would think that. Besides this was before Russia even entered Ukraine.
@@EntropyOfChaos Because refugees are an older concept than this video, yet Japan took basically none. They've rolled the red carpet out for these nazi simping fucks.
My company would do the same.
Look into prepaids if there’s the option in Japan. Prepaids aren’t contractual.
If you were also buying a phone that could’ve been the issue as the carrier locks you in for a set amount of years.
If you do BYOD though they definitely won’t reject you so just double check.
@@Sekai420 I got it situated now. I'm with uq and have been quite happy with them.
HANDS DOWN the most frustrating times I had living in Japan was always at a phone provider/internet company. The level of backwards thinking they use is insanity. It took me HOURS to set up a phone and you have to do it in the store and then they FORCE you to sign all these spaces and I asked what they were for and they said, “These are paid subscriptions for you phone like for apps, etc.” and I said, “Well I don’t want anything, can I just not sign it?” and she said no I have to sign and then later I can just cancel everything on my phone. Knowing full well they do this to people who can’t speak Japanese (nothing is translated) means they just scammed people into these stupid “required” subscriptions. Leaving Japan, I also had to cancel my phone and internet and it was so complicated I was pulling my hair out and asking my Japanese supervisor at work to help me. She refused to help and said, “Do it yourself,” and then I did and got a page on the website that I took to mean ‘cancellation complete’ and I left Japan. Then my supervisor wanted to get my address abroad because she wanted to send me the invoice for the internet which apparently I didn’t cancel and now was required to pay for. Also, the internet guy was so condescending and made a “Maybe your Japanese isn’t good,” because I couldn’t understand what internet cables he was explaining to me over the phone 😭 😡 I also had a friend in the inaka who tried to get internet and it took THREE MONTHS before they set her wifi up in her house. Also, as a student/employee I had a phone plan, but when visiting later as a “tourist” I found that it was impossible to find free wifi anywhere in Japan. Here in Korea, literally everywhere has free wifi and it’s no hassle at all. In Japan, I remember eating at Subway because they advertised free wifi, come to find out after sitting down with my food that the employees didn’t know how to give me the password, so I was SOL 😳
How long ago was that?
@@Ealstrom Quite a few years ago - not sure that they do that anymore.
And yet we have the idea that Japan is futuristic and technologically advanced.
@@Kawakami_Akira The thing is that in Japan, they make things that are advanced, but they just don’t use them XD
The only way I can see an 'free' Softbank SIM not working with a Softbank-locked phone is they sell 2 versions of SIM cards. One type that is for locked phones, and another for unlocked phones. Sounds needlessly compllicated, petty, and is peak Japanese beaurocracy bs :P MVP Docomo pulling through by actually being helpful though, even if they were tied up with the stupid 'visa expiring' rule that doesn't account for visas currently being renewed.
The 2 versions of SIM cards is a thing (and not just in Japan). Calling it petty is weird though. What you said about visas doesn't really make sense either. Connor was going to get his visa renewed (which isn't a guarantee), which means he just had a visa that was due for expiry soon. Visas are either renewed or they aren't.
Straight talk and various other carriers(usually prepaid) in the U.S have done the same thing, where they have a BYOD SIM that they offer usually bundled with a plan, and a version that's shipped out with their device.
Actually, the eSIMs (what Connor is calling SIM free) are such a shitshow currently. There's no industry standard, everyone is doing whatever they want, so compatibility is the biggest possible bullshit situation. There's most likely a reason they have different SIMs for different phones.
Outside of that, the visa stuff might make sense if they aren't selling the phone outright or if it comes with a contract. Local laws can absolutely fuck over foreigners.
For example, in the Netherlands, you can buy a phone on a lease with a Dutch ID card. You can get a Dutch ID card if 1) you're a Durch citizen or 2) if you're a non-EU resident. EU citizens can't get a Dutch ID because their ID is equivalent to the Ditch one ... But it can't be used to buy things on lease. An EU passport also doesn't help. Basically, EU citizens get treated like second class because the local laws are just insanely stupid. That said, you can buy a fucking house with an EU ID with a mortgage, just not a phone on lease....
@@Luxxanne I don't think he's talking about eSIMs, like, the terminology got confused but I think he means like, a SIM-only plan, that's how it sounded to me.
7:00 that and what ppl told me over the years in japan its the "loyal" or honorable mentality thats engraved into japanese society. loyal and honor is so damn important including contracts like that. moment you sign up they expect you to stay loyal and follow their company guidelines.
anywhere else in the world: *"PLZ BUY ANYTHING, WE NEED EVERY BIT OF REVENUE!!!"*
japan: "too hard, please leave the store"
I had this issue with Softbank and AU when I was in Japan for 5 years. They do automatic 2-year contract renewals, and refuse to cancel it under any reason, unless you get a contract from them on base, which forces them to have a clause specifically for military members.
Major pain in the ass, for absolutely no good reason. They want it so that they just lock you in for life... Worse than American cellular contracts.
wait what? you are telling me you can't cancel a subscription? I am reading that right?
@@MiGujack3 you have to cancel it right at the 2 year mark. Like, the day or the week before the contract officially ends. Even then, they cut it off immediately, not at the end of the contract.
You can terminate the contract sooner, but you have to pay the remaining months up front. So if you cut it 5 months short, that's 5 months of payments up front, plus ridiculous fees.
This issue has long been resolved with the arrival of MVNO carriers to Japan like 10 years ago. You get the cheapest plans and they sell you, if you want, a sim free phone, including iphones, pixel and Galaxy. Forget AU, Softbank and Docomo and move to Rakuten (the best), Mineo, Biglobe, IIJ Mobile, Line Mobile, Nifmo etc, thousands to choose from.
Connor, good luck cancelling that Softbank sim, gaman.
Rakuten doesn't sell plans to people with foreign credit cards
@@BartRovers_ Get a JP Bank account (the easiest bank for newcomers since they won't ask you for filling a phone number if you don't have it yet), and pay Rakuten via Direct Debit duh.
@@s0ul216 You mean cash card? I have one of those now.
Rakuten is a good deal, but you need to have lived in the country at least a year to be able to sign up
@@BartRovers_ Yup, your cash card can be used for direct debit (kinda like auto-debit) even if your bank account is still registered as a non-resident account.
I recommend you to go to the counter since they'll help you though. I registered my mobile carrier in Rakuten Mobile Center (?), so I'm not sure if you can ask for Direct Debit payment in one at Bic Camera etc (that has more chance of having someone can speak English).
In Australia you can get a Pre- Paid SIM at your local supermarket. Not to mention there sometimes are phone stores close by. But those phones are locked to the Telco's. If you want a unlocked phone you go to either the local JB Hi-Fi or Harvey Norman.
Not even, a lot of phone plans nowadays have unlocked phones, especially with many phones accepting both physical sims and virtual sims. The only times you really get 'locked' phones are when you get the pre-paid cheap phones with sims included.
@@Moraag not correct. In Australia you can buy phones outright, get a pre-paid phone, or you can go to one of the many phone stores (or even JB Hi Fi) and get a phone with a sim plan. Most of the time, phones with sim plans are locked in contracts. Especially given that you're paying off the cost of the phone. Sometimes you can get no-lock in contracts. Buying sim plans only there's many locked in contracts and some no-lock in contracts available to choose from. After contract terms are up you're free to choose the carrier you want. As for pre-paids there's different categories. Cheap pre-paid phones can be locked but are not always. Conversely most pre-paid sims are BYO phone.
@@RockSolitude I've had multiple Optus and Telstra contracts and none of the phones have been locked to the provider.
@@Mrdwallful Yep. It should be free to unlock as well for older phones.
As an American that sells cellphones we kind of do that same thing in our own stores all the time to foreigners, for instance if you’re not having your credit checked and signing up for any carrier which most are unable to we won’t sell you a phone at all and there best bet is directly through manufacturer of the phone or a flea market
After a certain threshold of reasons, I'd look him dead in eyes and say "prove it. Physically prove to me it won't work'" Because after a certain point, he's bullshitting you.
They threw the visa card bullshit excuse. Even if it works they can bs their way out by saying they can't sell because of the visa expiring soon. What I learned from this video:
-If I visit Japan, don't get anywhere close to Softbank.
-Get a phone from docomo.
@@mahuk. They aren't allowed to sell it if your visa is expiring soon. The rules vary from carrier to carrier, but they do exist. There's nothing the shop clerk could do about it. And Connor's sim wouldn't work with their locked phone because there are two types of sim cards, one for unlocked phones - which is what Connor had - and one for locked ones.
Btw rather than docomo, I'd recommend Rakuten, which has better and cheaper plans. About 3000 yen per month can get you unlimited data and they also have calls for free if you call through their app, which is basically just using a different app to make calls with than the default one in your phone.
I don't think you coward can do that. Well get ready to face Japanese prison. Stay away from Japan. Never come. It is good for Japan if there are less outsiders.
@@kurapan779 Spot on, not knowing anything about this particular scenario but knowing a thing or two about costumer service the answer to "do you know how stupid this is?" usually is "yes", and yet KNOWING that something is dumb won't magically make the clerk able to solve the problem.
@@C4chorroSa1sicha Nah I'd rather just cry racism it's waaay easier that way.
That's why I am with Docomo. No booking or anything. I just went to the store, chose the phone I wanted, signed some paperwork, and left. Took about an hour.
Nice.what did you have to sign
@•Mighty.Matcha• just the 14-month agreement.
I swear so much of living in Japan just seems to be the Kafkaesque blend of following the rules no matter how ridiculous and just outright xenophobic discrimination.
You see sir, your skin is lighter than ours, that means you don't get a phone.
I’m Asian or Indian and want to go into a good university but there’s too many 👲 in there so I can’t... OUTRIGHT XENOPHOBIC DISCRIMINATION!!!!! 😡 😤 😡
there is some xenophobic discriminations but not really that much im afraid. Connor's just a bit rarted (stereotypical foreigner really) and loves to play up the "i'm a second class citizen".
@@RockSolitude Bruh what's with you bringing up sTeReOtYpIcAl FoReIgNeR everywhere? Sounds pretty racist to me. People have bad experiences and not being a native doesn't discount them.
"...not really that much, *I'm afraid.* " tf are you afraid for?
It's not xenophobic, you're using that word wrong.
What you tried to say was the word "racist".
Edit; I was wrong, Xenophobic is indeed applicable. I had the wrong distinction between "racist" & "xenophobic" in my mind.
This sounds like an Abbott and Costello routine😂😂😂
"Who's on SIM?!"
@@Samael767 "SIMs on first"
It's not fine. This entire business is based around exploitation and monopolization. Japan won't do shit in sure
Locked phones and sim contracts aren’t even a thing in India… I actually had to go do some research about what people were talking about the first time I came by this concept. There are many things I don’t like about my country but this is one of the few things I am absolutely glad we don’t have. Get whatever phone, get whatever sim and it will work.
Yes. It took me almost 5 to 6 hours being in the store to convince them to let me upgrade my phone. Then they required me to pay the entire cost of the phone upfront. The prevailing image is that a foreigner (all foreigners are tourists of course. The thought of us actually living in Japan doesn’t cross their minds) would just take the phone and leave the country without paying it off. So, people like me who live here end up getting shafted whenever we actually go in to buy / upgrade a phone.
One company once tried to sell locked phones here in Ukraine, after that all phones and sims are unlocked. You can even buy special
chips to unlock locked phones from other countries.
It's amazing anything gets done in Japan with how inefficient it is to do anything.
Inefficiency combined with insane overwork mentality equals an average 1st world economy.
@@HazZzur and a declining population. I’m hoping there’s a solution to the extreme strain the older generations will put on the economy once they all stop working.
The more I hear about Japan, the more I feel like I'd hate to live there.
@ii I'm aware. It's all about the devil you can live with, and I think I'd rather live with the one back home.
Japan is a great place to visit but not a good place to live.
@@sonic6689
I live in Japan and it's not that bad. Safety, welfare and infrastructure are the most important things when it comes to living. In fact, Japan's HDI is as high as in Scandinavian countries. I can live quite comfortably in Japan because I don't have to worry about getting involved in crime. You don't have to turn around when you're walking alone at night. Even children walk alone on the streets at night. I guess only few countries would allow you to do this like Iceland and Singapore. And if you get injured or sick, you can get treatment at a hospital for a low price. This is why the Japanese have the highest average life expectancy in the world. Yes, there are some negatives, but compared to other countries, it's a lot better overall. Couldn't buy a mobile phone because of SIM card problems? Well, it's unfortunate, but to be honest, it's not a big problem. It should be far better than in countries where shopkeepers are quite rude and shout at customers.
@@asdfghjjhgf How are u living in Japan without mentioning working in Japan? The working culture in Japan is fucking sucks unless youre working for western companies.
As a foreigner it can be very difficult to live there. (Especially if you have the look of a foreigner they'd be "scared of")
Japan is good to visit for a short while and then go back.
SoftBank also refused to sell my Indian wife a cell plan. They couldn’t even give us a reason. They just asked us to “leave please” like bro I’ve lived here 3 years and I’ve had a plan with you those three years are being serious? Canceled my plan right before I left their building.
Japan is widely discriminatory against dark skinned Asians for sure. Heck, a lot of idols are half Filipino but they will BS you in saying their Filipino mom is "part Spanish" just to sell you the fantasy that they're not just half southeast Asian.
East Asia in general is full on hostile to South Asians and southeast Asians.
I am going to give you some insight. Foreigners don't run away with a bill. They argue they might as a means to refuse foreigners service *in hops* they will run away. Most older business owners in japan make policies extremely hostile to non-japanese people as a means to keep their country genetically pure.
So let me ask you, how easily do they end up folding when it comes to pressure? If somebody doesn't take no for an answer, will they eventually fold and just sell you the phone?
@@scottiecurrie7927 The only thing that would make them 'fold under pressure' is financial pressure. And some do as they carve out a customer base for themselves. But that isn't possible in all industries. There is no room for upstarts in the mobile industry in japan, so there is no pressuring the industry financially.
>as a means to keep their country genetically pure
LMFAO that shits going well they kamakazin their birth rates
The more I hear stories like this the more I pity my friend. They lived on an military base in Japan for a couple years. Even though they barely did anything culturally there and didn't go to a Japanese school they want to move there to be an English teacher
My friend has gotten this kind of treatment once when we went to a trip to Japan. It was a market of sort with lots of stalls. But they refused to sell any of their goods to my friend and shoo her away. Perhaps it was because she was black but they look particularly afraid of her. "No foreigner! No foreigner!" They said, before shaking their heads. Not all stalls were like that but she did ended up getting a lot of stares. I did not get the same kind of treatment because I look Asian so people were less weary of me. (and I _am_ Asian. Just saying that I look more like a Japanese asian and not Indian asian etc. Sometimes Japanese people are weary of other asians too, like Indians because of their dark skin or Muslim-populated asians because of their hijab. Japanese people tend to stick to Japanese people. They're so introverted it's hard to get them out of their comfort zone.) Our experience in Japan was overall wonderful but the spirits to explore Japan was lessened because of this one particular incident
Trash taste without the purple lights kinda looks better
It's like from LCD to OLED
colored backlights are getting oversaturated too. It was back in 2016, it was kinda new, quirky and made you look professional. Now it just makes you look like a generic podcast
This is exactly why I didn’t get a phone with AU or SoftBank when I was stationed in Japan. I just got a hotspot and used apps for my communication needs. But I had to sign over my contract to a friend so that they could cancel my plan with them for me because I was leaving and the plan didn’t expire until next month.
I wasn't even understanding the story at first, I thought "unlocked phone" meant something like jailbreaking your phone to get paid apps for free or some kind of homebrew stuff.
Phones are required by law to be unlocked as default here in my country, and it has been like that for more than a decade at this point.
Japan never ceases to surprise me with the extent they go to make things difficult and bureaucratic for almost none to absolutely no gain whatsoever.
When my foreign cell provider gives me a better plan in Japan than Japan carriers blows my mind
As someone who sells phones for a living, I absolutely sympathize with his expiernce and the way this industry functions globally. It is frustrating.
The worst experience I’ve had in terms of treatment was by Japanese. So now I just use assertiveness to get what a need and only ran into trouble once in the past year. Works better for me
What does using assertiveness imply?
@@Ealstrom I already look scary according to Japanese friends I met. That was their first impression of me.
So instead of being polite and soft to ease people around me I usually just am straight to the point, louder than they probably want me to be, and use that first impression to my advantage cause otherwise I’m ignored or refused. Basically have them want me to get out of their hair sooner rather than later and comply to what I need/want so I’ll need. It’s worked so far. Unfortunately this has been the only way I can get service immediately. Sounds strange but again, it works
@Schwainer mit ai unfortunately
@@aidenquinn19975 Can you give some examples?
in europe it’s literally illegal for carriers to sell locked phones now
Make an anime based on real life issues like this
MC tries to buy a phone, spend 5 episodes with arguing and the finale is he gets a phone
It'll be like the infamous 'Endless Eight' of Hahuri Suzimiya: same store, same paperwork, same arguments.
Man, we sell unlocked phones to foreigners all the time. Only time it becomes a problem is if they try to apply for a credit card and it declines.
My phone is locked to Verizon, but it’s nice that I can get my sim automatically switched if I go to a different country
>We sell phones to foreigners all the time! It's only a problem if they don't have a japanese-specific credit card.
That's fucking stupid. Don't @ me. Don't give me shitty excuses.
@@logicphile6207 Hm? No I mean a store specific credit card, not an American card. I'm not saying it's a good thing, it's just what happens lol Weirdly hostile, man
The whole thing with certain sim cards not working on certain phones is a real thing. I used to sell phones (contract and prepaid) for years and this issue came up all the time.
Why would a phone company care if you have a phone plan after your visa expires?
Because you might have to leave the country and If you leave them you'd most likely stop paying for service in a country you don't live in anymore
@@nhilist5774
Is it the same for prepaid services?
@@nhilist5774 And in that case they can't just cancel the service and that's it?
@@DebEternity no not really because prepaid is meant to be pay as you go so typically you have to buy the phone cash and pay for the service month to month,so if you leave the phone company doesn't leave anything
@@Tobi_3L it has less to do with the service and more to do with the fact that most people finance phones, so if you leave and still owe money on the phone then the company loses money
Locked phones aren’t a scam it’s because your paying off the phone.. it’s like renting a car and the rental company doesn’t allow you to leave the country with it.
I’d love an actual talk or video about the whole “foreigner leaving without paying” thing. How prevalent is it as an issue, how much damage it causes, so we can maybe have an actual discussion on how they should handle it other than “let’s just not serve foreigners”.
Lol There no issue. The japanese are just xenophobic
@@MrMADMADHATTER1 I’ll wait for someone with enough living experience in Japan to make that statement
The whole not serve thing is driving them away too. So they're just making it worse
@@RadenWA "ill wait for someone who agrees with me" lmfao🤡
@@MrMADMADHATTER1 I can't see all comments for some reason but I'll bet its asinine.
Japan may be on another flippin' level with that, but phone carriers are weird seemingly everywhere in the world. Many years ago here in Poland, I wanted to switch from a prepaid plan to an unlimited subscription. My original carrier had one - but when I asked about that, they said I can't change plans like that. They literally proposed that I port my number to another carrier and then port it back to them, and that would be the only way. Needless to say, I ported my number to another carrier but then never went back...
This shit sounds straight up like a comedy skit.
That sounds like the worst contract provider and customer service for a mobile phone company I’ve ever heard about in my entire life.
Ya, japan said they welcome tourists but in reality retail stores dont want to sell anything to tourists, if you are japanese then everything is ok
Back in early 2000s, all phones in Brazil were locked, so it was a torment. Now, every phone has to be unlocked
Why the hell did they let him make the appointment???? It must’ve been automated lol
I doubt they ask that much detail in the appointment. Just a quick are you lookin for tech help, buy a phone or got a question
How can they block tethering?
Is it in the network level? Since its an unlocked phone I guess they don't configure your phone's OS to block it.
How can they tell between a phone using an internet, and a PC tethered to the phone? Its just IP packets at the end of the day, isn't it?
Yes and undetectable tethering is perfectly possible, except that stock Android basically conspires against you to let carriers upsell you.
On many custom ROMs or on a rooted phone you can trivially have undetectable tethering.
found out the hard ways, bigger manufactures like samsung and apple do CONSPIRE and can't tether if you buy non tether sim (which indeed sounds like bollocks crushed by trucks dumpster fire jesus) but the smaller one like realme can tether.
wanna know WHY?
because its fuckin JAPAN you illiterate monkey.
don't know how but with iphones the tethering option simply doesn't show up, while you can use the mobile data normally
When you turn on tethering on a stock Android system, it requests the tether from the carrier. If the carrier says "yes this plan can tether" it'll send the phone the green light to enable it. If the carrier denies it, it won't turn on.
On modified systems, it will just turn on tethering without telling the carrier it's being enabled.
If you are tethering, the packets are going to have a different TTL value.
Standard rate for android is 64
Passing through the hotspot, a packet gets delayed by one - 63
That's how carriers are able to detect tethering.
I was waiting to hear: "Today's podcast is sponsored by Mobal Japan."
I had the same problem with SoftBank about the visa crap
But when I order stuff online through the online store things went smoothly when it’s not face to face
its the same here in france, never buy a phone directly from your operator, always go for the cheaper monthly plan without phone and just buy your phone online.
SoftBank is garbage. I switched to Docomo and never had a problem with them
Rewatching this reminded me of a nugget of memory from when I worked for a no-contract cellphone store. They sold budget phones and you could also order main line phones as well (Referred to A for budget android and S for main brand like the Z Flip and more expensive phones).
When people came and bought a phone with the store, the phone has to be locked to that carrier (Example, Verizon) for one of two conditions: they have to have had the phone active for one year, or they paid off the phone in order to get the unlock PIN number from the carrier. When I asked my Boss at my store why they did this, they said it was because people would buy a cell with a plan at a discount at one store (still had to pay the taxes on it even tho it was a "free" phone), not pay the plan and take the phone to another store to sell it for profit.
i bought a Megumin Figma from goodsmile.
It fell over and the staff as well as a connecting part broke. the parts were a bit too slender and weak to be simply posed like it shows on the box.
i asked them to send me a replacement, while being clear i was happy to pay for the parts and shipping.
first they wanted pics of the Figma itself, the broken parts and all the other non-broken parts as well as the box showing the serial # etc.
i sent this over and they dragged their feet for weeks with no reply.
then they request more pictures
i was like
"No. You had your chance to request pics and you already requested MANY and very specific ones which i provided. im not going through an endless loop of 'and now send us this'; JUST SEND ME THE PARTS."
i expected an invoice which i would pay and then they would send the parts.
I got no reply, no invoice, only complete radio silence; they did nothing for a YEAR AND A HALF.
Then in the mail one day i got the two parts i requested for free, they never asked for money for the parts or shipping.
They finally just figured out "send the person the parts and be done with it".
I use Hobby Search for my figures
Both times I received a defective figure they did ask for photos which is understandable
So I sent pics and the replaced one and refunded the other and even paid the shipping for me to send back the broken item to them.
One they did not have any replacement in stock so told me to keep to figure and refunded me.
They are very accommodating to their customers it’s the main reason I get almost everything from them.
And to top it of 99 times out of a 100 they are the cheapest as well.
In my country, and until just a few years ago, carriers were still selling locked phones to avoid having people jump from one carrier to another just to get the phone at a better price... But now, you can buy unlocked phones and even transfer your phone number to another carrier if you wish to do so.
I think I know why, so back in late 2000 before the iphone happened, Japanese phone were ahead of it's time (the UI were horrible thou), so oversea retailers would illegally (buying from Japanese telecom store full price) import Japanese phone to attract people to sign contract with them, Japanese phone maker and telecom REALLY didn't like that and they started to lock their phone to their network, and I don't mean the regular network lock you can unlock thru some hack, it's was airtight, they also had different cultures when it comes to cellphone, text were charge per characters, charger and battery were sold separately, but now day I think it became a little more streamline.
I am not sure that I follow. Before smartphones, the Japanese phones were so good that overseas retailers would buy them any way that they could, and instead of being happy for increased sales and trying to set up some more formalized trade channels, the Japanese phone companies responded by making the phones unusable outside of Japan. Am I getting that correctly?
@@ocadioan It is not about the money. It is about control.
This is not a Japanese only thing. This is how phone companies work abroad.
Seems like foreigners in Japan are treated as second-class citizens and as something to gawk at.
Yea, kinda been said already, basically if you don't look Japanese, expect xenophobic behavior, like even Joey gets it...until they hear him speak 😏
@@ii4826 those are a lot of pointless words trying to excuse Japans extreme xenophobic behaviour.
@@ii4826 just stfu pls your Japan worship is cringe. Go home kid
Good
@@IT.93seethe and cope imperialist
There is a never ending runaround of ridiculous things here.
I spent two years without wifi at home because company databases didn’t have my apartment building in them even though it’s an old building. I went to three companies and ended up helping SoftBank create an entry for my building, only for them to call me 4-5 more times saying they couldn’t find my apartment. Similar experiences occurred when my electricity company went out of business and I needed a new provider. I never want to sign another new contract.
The lesson: Don't buy from SoftBank
Locked phones suck. It's not racism. It's happening everywhere. Just get a rootable pixel phone ("unlockable bootloader" is a hidden concept. Not all "unlocked" phones have this), root it, and then you can work around limits like that. People give too much power away to these big companies it's sad
Robots have more personality than some Japanese companies
The visa expiring and not being able to setup a new plan makes sense, also the not cancelling your existing plans because the visa is expiring, but the sim cards that work on blocked phones as opposed to sim cards that work on non blocked phones is pretty mental.
I used to work for Verizon and had to tell people this kind of shit all the time. This doesn't sound like the Japanese trying to treat him differently as much as it is phone companies just sucking ass everywhere on the globe
Connor, I have learned that people working at tech stores in Japan are not necessarily knowledgeable about what it possible.
They will say it is impossible when they don't know how to do it. Instead, you have to go store shopping and find the employee who knows. (Or just call HQ support)
They will make it happen for you.
Also, yes, Japanese phone companies are stupid. I bought a new phone a year before leaving and ended my contract. Got it unlocked. (Side note: Osaka employee let me pay off the phone in installments using my Canadian credit card! Did not expect that! But again, if the employee knows it's possible, lots of things suddenly are possible that another store said isn't. Anywho.)
Get back to Canada and try to use it on my provider. Not only will tethering not work, neither with texts with pictures. Went 2 years using my phone in Canada with my friends having to email or FB message me pictures because they couldn't text me them. Such a pain.
Imagine Connor who earns a lot, still putting up with a broken phone. King mentality.
You'd be surprised how many rich or financially well-off people don't replace their phones even though its cracked or broken. Chris Evans used an iPhone 6 for years and didn't replace it until it was literally unusable already, and Anthony Mackie also used a cracked iPhone in his GQ Top 10 Essentials video.
Don't laud rich people, they're not special for choosing not to be degenerates
@@Zamandu Replacing a broken phone doesn't make you a degenerate, most people who aren't even rich do that.
Why shouldn't rich people be lauded for their actions but every other income class can? Isn't that a little fucking discriminatory?
@@thanosthemadtitan5518 You can't discriminate against rich people
I accidentally misread the thumbnail as "They Refused to Sell Connor"
And this is a good indicator of why Japan is in decline from a shrinking population perspective - making policy/laws that are more friendly to foreigners/immigrants is an excellent counterbalance to low birth rates and lawmakers in Japan are going to need to change their mindset on this before they face an economic catastrophe. It's also a good reason why conservatives in the USA are morons for despising immigrants - America also has declining birth rates but because it still enjoys a positive population growth rate largely because of immigration...
Not sure about other parts of the world, but the cell phone buying experience is pretty similar in Canada. I used to work for a retail store here in Canada that would let you buy the phone outright but all of the carrier specific stores, like a rogers or bell store, would not let you buy the phone outright. In the case of the visa thing, it's the same thing in Canada where if you are on a work/study visa, you wouldn't be fully allowed to get a 2 year contract for a phone if your visa expired before the contract was up. Luckily, all phones in Canada are supposed to come unlocked and if they aren't, you can call your carrier to request to have the phone unlocked for free.
As someone here in Japan for a decade I feel this pain. Insanity everywhere.
Tons of stupid rules, and selective use of rules for what is easiest for those in power.
It sounds like the new pixel only supports esim and not the old physical sim cards, and they won't sell him a phone with a new esim due to the visa issue.
I'm so glad I was able to use t-mobile global plus plan for all 3 years while living in Japan. I didn't have to deal with softbank's bullshit. I remember seeing my friend's bills at times or issues they would have when trying to make an online payment to softbank. If anyone is moving to Japan and has tm-mobile, get that global plus add-on yo.
I've been using it too and it works great. I did still have to get a plan here because I needed a japanese phone number for stuff but I just had to get the cheapest plan I could find since I never actually needed to call or use the data.
@@hatrian oh I understand, luckily I would just use my roommate for those things too lol such a pain man
As a foreign in a different country, I can totally relate to these kinds of issues It is so infuriating, de-motivating and degrading. Makes you feel so unwelcome which I guess is the point lol
Should have gotten a phone protector. Not once have I had a phone break or screen crack and I have dropped my phone a lot.
The clerk is saying that the SIM card you have is built in a manner that caters to phones released on a international level. The new SIM card you are asking for won't work on international phones because it's built to not work on them. You also can't use your existing SIM card because the phones they are selling is also modified on a hardware level to only accept SIM cards that are built with the Japanese standards in mind for the same reasons as earlier. That's why you can't do one of the other because it's fundamentally incompatible for one another. In regards to the refusal to renew due you VISA, it's not an exclusive Japan problem, other countries like Singapore also implement the same policy for the same reasons, even I personally had to suffer for it when I got a plan for my Singaporean SIM card.
I had AU when I lived in Okinawa it wasn’t too bad but we were with the military so it made it easier
buying phone in japan is like buying illegal product
Is this a new studio? The background wall is so empty
@FartJiggly okay, that makes sense
You may think this is insane, but I went trough similar suff, not been able to walk in and talk to a representative (because you need an appointment), even if there are 4 people doing nothing... visa issues, bring all your documents, your japanese bank is not allowed for that carrier, etc. ... if you are in this situation, and they tell you no, just dont bother you are wasting your time. Go to the next carrier and waste hours of your life again.
I remember one time the bank refused to do a transaction for me because I needed to prove I’ve already done the transaction that they wouldn’t let me do, so yeah I feel for Connor
I don't think it's just Japan. In the US, the same locking behavior exists with the main carriers, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T.
Hence why I do what Connor does, and just buy unlocked phones. I tried to buy a g6 thinq when it first came out at a T-Mobile store, and they refused to sell me the phone.
I wonder if he has used the Jojo phone Kaho gifted him or if he keeps it in mint condition since it's precious ^^"
First thing that popped into my head when I saw the title was "expiring Visa." lol. Whenever I hear a co-worker who is planning to quit say that they're going to get a new phone soon, I tell them that this is always an issue with any kind of subscription or contract.
This is bizarre, I've never heard abt the concept of locked and unlocked phones, this is the first time I'm hearing it and it sounds crazy. Just buy a phone and use the old sim on the new phone. That's how I thought it worked everywhere. Also why's there so many hurdles on getting a new sim? It's just a sim card, even if some people did run away after using the carrier's services how much of a loss are they in? Just A few dollars for every person who ran? That's just meager change, It's not a mortgage.
Edit: also being able to use just 1 simcard on a phone?? Wtf is up with that? How do people use such phones? I barely know anyone who uses only 1 sim. Everybody in my place uses two Sims(of different carriers) by default.
Well, for the 1 sim thing - if everyone is using an app to text or call, what's the point of getting another sim, especially when the population prefers to keep their old numbers? And why pay another carrier for a different number when I'll just be using the same apps to text and call? That's just another thing I'll have to pay for that gives me no benefit.
That's likely the type of questions/responses you'll get.
@@0daadaadaa0inda late😅 but here's the reasoning for why we have 2 phones, we use 2 sims because sometimes people wanna separate personal and professional numbers so 1 for work and 1 for personal use, also we use different carriers because sometimes if you are in a place with irregular network connections then maybe 1 of the carrier won't work but the other carrier network might work.
Edit: also sims here(india) are free so there's basically 0 negatives for having an extra sim😅😅
Similar thing with me. I was on AU, when I’m processing my termination because I’m going home. they said that the bill will come to my home but the bill will be sent after my flight home. I said I’ll pay now since no one could pay then, but they said only when the bill arrives on my doorstep I could pay. Was arguing for a few minutes and tell how counter productive their system is, and now I have an unpaid bill with AU.
So as a programmer, what SoftBank is saying makes perfect sense to me. It’s not that it’s a Japan problem, it’s an infrastructure issue on a technical level. SoftBank has 2 different networks, one for their “Free SIM” which is a shared network between all companies so they can all issue a SIM free card to be used on this network. The other network is a SoftBank only network and needs a different SIM. Anyway, it is confusing and it sucks but I would recommend sticking to getting SIM free phones (from official Google store for example), and using cheaper carriers like Rakuten or LINE (anything not in the big 3).
That’s really bizarre. In Brazil every phone is unlocked. You just buy a phone wherever and get a sim card wherever and that’s it.
Every time I hear a story like this about Japan, I think "That sounds so annoying... But now try coming to China and doing the same thing, and it'll be twice as bad".