OBiTALK Community

General Support => Day-to-Day Use => Topic started by: elsapuppy on December 31, 2012, 09:33:54 AM

Title: "This calls requires a credit balance in your google account."
Post by: elsapuppy on December 31, 2012, 09:33:54 AM
Hi All:

I just got my obi100 device today and was able to setup it up with my google voice account.  When I log into my obitalk.com account the google voice account is shown as being active and ready.

The problem is when I try to make outbound calls (AREA CODE-###-####) I get "this call requires a credit balance in your google account."

I thought making google calls outbound was suppose to be free? I have already made one google call directly my google account ("Call Phone"), which  rings the phone, which then rings the outbound number...so everything seems "connected".

Why can't I make outbound calls?

Elsa
Title: Re: "This calls requires a credit balance in your google account."
Post by: MRTT on December 31, 2012, 05:04:09 PM
Weird.  check your google voice history to see if the # it got is really the # you dialed.  What is the area code of the # you dialed?  There are some non us area codes jamaica,etc (876?), and some general purpose ones (900, etc)
Title: Re: "This calls requires a credit balance in your google account."
Post by: elsapuppy on January 01, 2013, 02:19:50 AM
very weird....i have a 347 area code google voice number and i am trying to call a 202 area code number. i am using an old corded phone i had stored in the attic. oddly, when i use an old cordless phone 75 percent of the OUTBOUND calls do go through---occassionally i get a busy signal.

Title: Re: "This calls requires a credit balance in your google account."
Post by: HHinFlorida on January 01, 2013, 08:15:46 AM
Isn't one possibility that GV somehow thinks (based on your IP address perhaps) that you are calling from overseas?

As I recall (?) GV charges 1 cent/minute for calls to USA from outside North America.
Title: Re: "This calls requires a credit balance in your google account."
Post by: MRTT on January 01, 2013, 06:00:15 PM
Perhaps your call history on your obi device would be useful?

See if it's getting the digits you are dialing on your phone. or not.  Would be interesting to note if the calls that fail are due to it not getting the right number.  Could be a bad pad on the phone, could be a timeout issue if you don't press the digits fast enough, etc.
Title: Re: "This calls requires a credit balance in your google account."
Post by: carl on January 01, 2013, 07:01:32 PM
Quote from: HHinFlorida on January 01, 2013, 08:15:46 AM
Isn't one possibility that GV somehow thinks (based on your IP address perhaps) that you are calling from overseas?

As I recall (?) GV charges 1 cent/minute for calls to USA from outside North America.

My mom uses her Obi overseas to call the US without any problems( or charge).

There are providers like Magic jack who charge for calls to 'expensive' area codes or exchanges. I never heard though that Google Voice would do the same thing.
Title: Re: "This calls requires a credit balance in your google account."
Post by: Lavarock7 on January 02, 2013, 10:27:26 AM
Using an old corded phone? Could the problem be "keyboard bounce" where a touchtone is intermittent and you are getting what the system things is two consecutive digits instead of one? GoogleVoice might consider that to be an international call because you now have more than 10 digits (or 11 with the leading 1).

Looking at your "Status, Call History" by going into your browser and logging into the OBI should show what Obi saw and passed along as the called number.

For example: "To GT1(123)" shows up when I dial 123 and wait for the Obi to time out.
Title: Re: "This calls requires a credit balance in your google account."
Post by: giqcass on January 07, 2013, 05:15:39 PM
There are a few exchanges that Google does not allow calls to because they purposely inflate termination charges.  I don't believe Google charges to call these number.  I believe they simply block them.  That is at least what their old policy was.

That said I don't believe that is the case.  I suspect the Obi is sending what looks like an international number.  This could be a hiccup with your phone like was mentioned earlier or it could be an error in your dialing plan.  Did you make changes to your dialing plan?  At any case the logs as previously suggested is the place to start looking.