Cellular Telephony "a la Cubana"

Cellular Telephony "a la Cubana" / Rebeca Monzo
Rebeca Monzo, Translator: Maria Montoto

"+0000000000 Today 6:48

From mobile phones compradetodo.com (buyeverything.com)

Call as soon as possible to 07 2043145

For recharge of minutes balance via Internet,

If you do not call back today the charge will be returned

to the purchaser.

In case of fraud, the line will be cancelled."

As soon as I saw this same message twice, I called the number in
question and the voice of the woman who took care of me repeated that I
had received a recharge. I asked for how much, as I was not expecting
one, and she did not want to say.

Thereupon she asked my name, the number of my identification card, my
cell phone number and the address of my house. I gave her all these
facts believing that they were necessary and she immediately asked me
the name of the person who was doing the recharge. I asked her if this
was an interrogation, to which, a bit irritated, she responded that she
had only asked three questions. Since she insisted on the name of the
possible benefactor, I answered that it could be one of my two sons or
my aunt. Then she told me: "say a man's name". I mentioned those of my
sons and she said: "Those are not it… (This reply means that she knows
the name)… when you know the name, call us. In the meantime, your
recharge will be here. Have no fear". The message in question has been
repeated, as of now, five times.

This whole conversation, as well as its very tone, at first appeared to
me to be in jest and immediately thereafter, a lack of respect and even
a violation of the client's right to privacy.

I state this so that anyone who might generously recharge my telephone,
be they family or friend, may know just how tightly our telephony is
controlled. This appears to be a new "Service to the client" of the
Cubacel Enterprise.

Translated by: Maria Montoto

June 28 2012

Site manager's note: If you recharge the bloggers' cellphones (a
WONDERFUL thing to do) it's a good idea to send them an email with
whatever name you used when you recharged it and the amount… otherwise
it may not always be credited to them. If there's no email on their
Spanish blogs … email us (translatingcuba … at… gmail…) and we'll try to
get in touch with them. I will also put this information and the emails
we have for the bloggers on the "How to Recharge Bloggers' Phones" page.

http://translatingcuba.com/?p=19527