Blacklisted in Japan

[Sebastian Bojek]

Hello everybody!
I am living in japan for about 10 years now!
In 2003 i messed up my credit card bill. I had to go back to germany for couple month and for some reason I could not pay my credit card bill! any way I payed it when I came back to japan!
But than I wanted to get a the iphone 3g when it came out and they said I could not get the loan for the phone, because I am blacklisted!
Now I am about to change from softbank to docomo and I wonder if I am still blacklisted?
How long do they blacklist you in Japan? In germany its about 7 years I think.

I would be glad if someone could tell me before I go to Docomo tomorrow.

Basti

 

[thomas]

Hi Basti,

herzlich willkommen im Forum!

I'm not sure how long blacklisting are generally imposed, but have you tried using your current CC? If you are indeed blacklisted, you won't be able to use it at all.

Besides, you don't need a CC in order to purchase a mobile phone. I acquired my first Softbank iPhone paying all monthly installments as well as the fees in cash.

Another option might be debit cards (Visa, Rakuten, etc). I don't if they are affected by blacklists.

 

[Sebastian Bojek]

Hi Basti,

herzlich willkommen im Forum!

I'm not sure how long blacklisting are generally imposed, but have you tried using your current CC? If you are indeed blacklisted, you won't be able to use it at all.

Besides, you don't need a CC in order to purchase a mobile phone. I acquired my first Softbank iPhone paying all monthly installments as well as the fees in cash.

Another option might be debit cards (Visa, Rakuten, etc). I don't if they are affected by blacklists.

The thing is that they give you a loan kind of thing for the phone and you pay it every month back to them!
I can get a contract thats not the problem, but the phone is what I am worrying about!
I might just try tomorrow!

 

[thomas]

That's correct. They send invoices which you can pay through bank transfer or convenience stores. That's what I did in case of Softbank several years ago, not certain about Docomo though. Let us know what happened.

 

[thepie]

That's correct. They send invoices which you can pay through bank transfer or convenience stores. That's what I did in case of Softbank several years ago, not certain about Docomo though. Let us know what happened.

Recently they've gotten much stricter with foreigners. They asked for my national heath insurance card (alien card is not enough). And for expensive phones like iPhone, credit card is the only options for foreigners (at least among the shops I've visited in Tokyo, the policy may vary among shops). My friend who's been a 5 year customer of Softbank (without a single time failing to pay the bill) was asked the same when he renewed his contract. Before, he had his old iPhone by paying through bank transfer, but now the option is no longer available.

So far I've heard, too many foreign customers ditched their contracts, especially with popular smartphones, so Japanese carriers are more cautious now.

About Japanese credit card system, they use only three main rating agencies. And they tend to index you base on phone numbers. I've heard that using your health insurance is a better choice since the card shows only minimum information. You can read more here: Japan Credit Card Tips

 

[SevenStarsHK2N]

Why would you even want an i-phone. they are rubbish and over priced. Get a Samsung or a Japanese phone.

 

[jeisan]

au has some decent free phones, depending on the store, the one here had HTC EVO 3Ds last week, this week it's the Motorola Photon. Can't beat free.

Seven stars, no one asked for your opinion on the iPhone. Also he never stated what kind of phone he wants now, just that he wanted an iPhone 3G when they came out. Perhaps in the future you should actually read a thread before you troll it.

 

[thepie]

FYI, I'm using a Nexus S, and have never used an iPhone. The story is of my friend, which has nothing to do with me. Among foreign students, Softbank is the first choice since a lot of ph meople are on the network, and they have the free-call plan (I know AU and Docomo also have that now). Changing network is not very convenient for us, and despite being a big anti-Apple guy, I must amid that iPhone is the most economical choice for Softbank: their Android phones are crappy (not the Japanese ones, which none of us prefer since they can't be unlocked), and iPhone data plan on Softbank is cheaper. Don't just jump the gun!

Back to the main topic, I think op can find phones that you can pay upfront with a two year contract. And I've heard smaller shops in the countryside tend to have more lax policy, but that may've changed.

 

[Sebastian Bojek]

So. I went to the docomo store, and had no problems at all. All went very smoothly. The loan for the phone the contract all fine!
Any way, thank you all for you help!!!!
By the way why cant i log in with tapatalk?
I use the facebook login here. But when I try to login with tapatalk and i type in my facebook infos it won't work!

Cheers
Basti

 

[thomas]

Glad it worked out!

By the way why cant i log in with tapatalk? I use the facebook login here. But when I try to login with tapatalk and i type in my facebook infos it won't work!

When you first time login to the forum with your Facebook account, you need to create a username, you can use that username to login. The initial password field is empty, so you can go to Your Account -> Settings -> Password and request a password.

 

[FrustratedDave]

To answer the op question. 3 years is the time its takes to get your credit rating wiped.

 

[Alam Hossain]

I along with my four friends visited Japan one year ago as temporary visitors (Visa category V). Unfortunately one of my friends didn't come back. So is there will be any problem when we apply Japanese visa for next summer ! Are we blacklisted !