topic Re: USA calls not working in Mobile Services

USA calls not working

Tobythemartian — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 22:52:56 GMT

Before coming to USA I added on a world calls bundle and regularly use phone in Europe. Roaming is on, network selection is auto and everything appears setup correctly. I arrived in Boston needing to call a pre arranged car hire collection and phone does not make or receive calls. Power cycled. Checked updated software. Did exactly as asked but no calls in or out for 4 days. IPnoe 13 plus EE monthly contract in UK. Help.

Re: USA calls not working

XRaySpeX — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 23:08:28 GMT

@Tobythemartian : What is a "World Calls" bundle? You sure it's not just for making calls from UK to abroad?

Are you on contract or PAYG? Did you use that SIM for making calls or texts in UK before you left to go abroad?

If you are on contract, did you activate roaming on your EE a/c before you left UK by texting ROAMING to 150? Having a roaming add-on doesn't of itself activate roaming on your a/c.

Often just rebooting the phone is the simple remedy. Also try selecting a network manually rather than auto. Otherwise login to your MyEE account online & go to Menu > Account Settings > Parental and Data Controls > Roaming Abroad and also Call Abroad and Premium Rate. They will show as ticked if roaming and calling abroad is activated. If not ticked, can you activate these settings?

If you can't enable the Roaming Abroad and the Call Abroad & Premium Rate settings of your online MyEE, you will need to call CS. Try calling CS on the Freephone no. in my sig. via Skype over WiFi. It should be free.

PAYG is auto enabled for roaming as long as you've used the SIM in the UK previously. You won't see any of those settings & don't need to change anything. If outside EU, do you have enough credit for making calls & texts from abroad?

Re: USA calls not working

Tobythemartian — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 01:32:40 GMT

Thanks, but this is the exact (word for word) advice I have read already. I answered the questions posed in my submission. I am a monthly payer, I have used the phone to make and receive calls around Europe and I contacted EE before I left, explained I would need to make a lot of calls to and from the States in the next few weeks and they sold me a ‘world’ package that meant I could use my minutes and data in the States as I do in Europe.
How do I contact EE CS if I am in the Stars and my phone doesn’t work?
This is really causing me a problem.

Re: USA calls not working

XRaySpeX — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 02:01:06 GMT

Then you call them over Skype as I suggested in my script that you've read before.

Re: USA calls not working

Tobythemartian — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 02:21:40 GMT

I am in the Adirondack mountains away from wifi and 4G does not work, like calls don’t work. By the time I get to my hotel the CS people have gone home. I could take time out to find wifi and spend an hour trying to get through to a human but given I did everything I was advised by EE and paid for it, I frankly don’t want to alter my itinerary.

I was advised that this community was going to assist. So far you have rehashed an answer that did not take note of the facts in my initial post and suggested I do something that will cost me time and money.

Just want to make calls from the states on my iPhone. I am paying an extra £10 a month for this.

I have elderly relatives who have my number in case of emergency and I am concerned they cannot call me. They cannot Skype.

I am sorry if I sound a little disappointed but, well, I am.

Re: USA calls not working

XRaySpeX — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 04:27:37 GMT

Sorry but we can't legislate for your specific circumstances. We are not CS but just users like you, trying to advise. Most peeps abroad can get to another phone or use hotel WiFi.

I'm sorry you are disappointed with my advice and in particular my "boilerplate" replies but I see similar roaming issues at least 3 times a day. So it is not unreasonable to give more or less the same initial response.

Furthermore none of your points in your OP impinges on any of my suggestions. E.g. You were using auto network selection.

Re: USA calls not working

bristolian — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 15:57:51 GMT

Just to clarify.. You've mentioned across your posts that "roaming is on" - how can you be sure? I'm just fishing to see whether you've checked the "international roaming" option within your myEE online account, given that you must have a working internet connection to be posting on this forum.

You've also mentioned previously using your phone in Europe, which suggests that either you have EU-roaming enabled but not worldwide, or that you do indeed have roaming enabled as above. EU-specific roaming doesn't get mentioned on this board too often so I presume it's the exception rather than the norm.

If you do have roaming fully enabled, then all the suggestions I would give are in the standard response already given. The only remaining cause would be a local network issue in the US - something EE cannot legislate for, but would require contact with EE C/S to raise a case against.

Re: USA calls not working

XRaySpeX — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:08:29 GMT

I took "roaming is on" to be on the phone itself, not on the OP's EE a/c. Could be wrong!

Re: USA calls not working

Tobythemartian — Sat, 01 Oct 2022 03:47:20 GMT

Sorry I have been imprecise in my terminology as telephony is not my science. In my phone settings the roaming switch is on.
when I say it works in Europe I mean as currently set up I make and receive calls when in France on the phone using my contract minutes.
a month before travelling to the USA I rang CS from UK and was told I needed an upgraded roaming package to get the same benefits in the USA. Around £11 per month extra. I agreed and was told my phone was ready.
During the month before travel I made various calls to Boston car hire companies and don’t appear to have been charged for them.
So as a non expert person I genuinely thought I had done everything, indeed I was amazed when my first call upon landing failed.
I had no idea anything else needed turning on on the website. This was never mentioned to me.
I have now looked on the EE site and, after logging in found a series of buttons related to roaming and these are off. But when I try to turn them on I get a pop up that says there is a problem and I need to talk to CS. Aaarrrgghh.
I am on a tight schedule ( with a team of geologists in the mountains) and when we get to motel at 8pm CS have gone home. Early starts mean Another hour less sleep as any call to CS is a minefield of options and messages to see solutions on the internet.
Does anyone know how to directly talk to a CS agent? What options will get me there quickest.
I can see I will be home before I get this fixed. Feeling a bit disconsolate. Thanks anyway for your responses.

Re: USA calls not working

_MrR_ — Sat, 01 Oct 2022 06:43:13 GMT

Understand your frustration on this one, there is part of me wondering if they've bolted on a call package (call the USA from the UK) package rather than the roam further product that allows you to use your allowances in the States.

So firstly, are you connected to a network? Have you picked up AT&T or is your phone saying No service? Assuming the latter then this would indicate that roaming isn't provisioned on your account and that will require a call to customer services.

Once roaming is provisioned, you'll get a welcome message. If the message says that your usage is included because you have a roaming pass then great. If not and it mentions the charges, then you need to buy the roaming bolt on.by texting ROAMING PASS to 150.

You mention you're not able to call EE. They do have a live chat functionality on the website that may be a better option?

I wish you luck with this.

Re: USA calls not working

bristolian — Sat, 01 Oct 2022 08:42:13 GMT

I appreciate your frustration, it's quite a common scenario on this forum that people pay for the "use your allowances abroad" billing add-on as you have, but don't enable the roaming facility which allows their phone to connect to foreign networks. And there's a few elements of your story that seem strange to me.

However.. you say "I have now looked on the EE site and, after logging in found a series of buttons related to roaming and these are off. But when I try to turn them on I get a pop up that says there is a problem and I need to talk to CS" - you are describing exactly the scenario I mentioned. The roaming facility on your account is not enabled, and you can't activate it by self-serve methods.

Contacting EE C/S is the only solution here - however you're posting on this forum by an internet connection, you may be able to resolve this by using a webchat over that same internet connection.

Re: USA calls not working

XRaySpeX — Sat, 01 Oct 2022 15:14:56 GMT

@Tobythemartian wrote:

Does anyone know how to directly talk to a CS agent? What options will get me there quickest.

Yes. as I keep telling you, you call them on the Freephone no. over Skype over WiFi.

Re: USA calls not working

Tobythemartian — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 03:46:56 GMT

I understand your frustration at my problem but I have explained quite precisely my situation and predicament.
I am, at certain locations, able to use wifi calling. I do not have a Skype account. I have tried several times to to talk to 150 and the line has dropped before I have gotten through the ‘we are experiencing a high number of calls’ messages and unreasonable 45 minute wait. Owing to time differences this can only be done before I start my day. My question about a quick way was in the hope that I could bypass the ‘press 1 for’ confusion and ages hanging on.
This morning (5am), however I did get through and it was apparent to the CS guy that I had done everything correctly. I had bought the correct package. It showed as applied but it was not working. He moved me up to level 2 (?) and I waited for another 10 minutes. This guy, really nice and apologetic, also could not fix it.
He said he would have to raise it up further and I am told I will get a callback in the morning (your afternoon in UK. I just hope he a) remembers and b) the wifi holds out.
Don’t understand why I need a callback, surely if it is nothing to do with me, my packages and my phone settings surely they could fix this without me!

My thanks for the helpful comments and sorry that my problems and posts have engendered rather dismissive ones.
I will let you know if I get a call and if it gets fixed.
I am really stretched being responsible for a group of fellow geologists in a foreign country driving a minibus hundreds of miles through hills and mountains. The stress of this phone issue, my mother back home and a lack of sleep is really getting me down.

Re: USA calls not working

Christopher_G — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 07:13:24 GMT

Hi @Tobythemartian.

It's good to hear that this has been escalated to the next level of technical support. They'll be looking into it to try and figure out why this isn't working for you.

Thank you for your patience. Finger's crossed they can get to the bottom of it soon.

Keep us posted on what happens please.

Chris

Re: USA calls not working

Tobythemartian — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 20:50:45 GMT

The news is all bad. Got woken up by the promised CS call at 5:30 Sunday morning EST. Nice chap said the level 2 guy had suggested them changing a setting may fix it but it could take 24 hours to start working (slow electrons) and that he would ring me in 48 hours (!) to check all was well. I suspect they have realised that if they say they’ve fixed it but it will take a day or two to ‘take’ then I will be home and this can be forgotten. The CS guy said he would raise a complaint on my behalf and this he obviously did as I got an email telling me my complaint number. 24 hours later I got a second email saying the complaint had been closed!!! No one asked me if the fault was fixed. Perhaps they rang me!

It is now a full week after I landed and I still cannot make and receive mobile calls.
I have two months on my contract and as things stand I will be taking my business elsewhere.
I understand these things are complicated and that complex packages can interfere with one another but this has taken seven days to not fix.
I am not happy.

Re: USA calls not working

Christopher_G — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 06:54:05 GMT

Thanks for the update, @Tobythemartian. I'm sorry to hear that it isn't working yet. It may be worth calling so that they can continue with the troubleshooting.

Chris

Re: USA calls not working

Tobythemartian — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 02:37:00 GMT

Guess what? Still not working.

was called by CS after 52 hours to be told it was fixed. Certainly this was a call from a UK number and I was looking at rocks on an island off the coast of Maine. It was an appalling connection but I blamed location. I was told that they had turned everything off and put on the correct packages to allow incoming and outgoing calls.

I turned phone off and on as requested and upon my return to the mainland…….. nothing. Totally dead. Not even getting the ‘ This call is prohibited’ message in a New England accent. Nothing.
so I am where I was when I arrived 8 days ago.
No phone.
Need to call home and car rental people but can only do when I get to motel when it is too late.
Really fed up with this.
Will wake up early (5am) to call 150 and waste another hour of my life hanging on before driving 8 people in a minibus 200 miles into the mountains.
As I say; fed up indeed.

Re: USA calls not working

bristolian — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 07:05:50 GMT

@Tobythemartian wrote:

was called by CS after 52 hours to be told it was fixed. Certainly this was a call from a UK number and I was looking at rocks on an island off the coast of Maine.

You say that you received a call on your EE mobile whilst roaming? The roaming facility must be enabled for this to have happened.

Re: USA calls not working

Tobythemartian — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 10:26:43 GMT

Indeed. My point entirely.
when called by CS it worked. I was on a beach in a remote location so it must have been a roaming call I received. Please remember my phone (as far as I control its settings) has roaming turned on.
It was after I ‘power cycled’ at CS instruction that I could not make or, apparently receive calls.
On the iOS app There is a place to view settings and this does NOT have roaming enabled. This is how it has been since I found it a week ago. When I ‘slide’ the switch it says ‘Something is wrong - call 150’.
This is what I have been doing. Over and over,

Re: USA calls not working

bristolian — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 11:28:07 GMT

I fear something is being overcomplicated here. And I don't use iOS so may be missing something but...

Roaming itself is not a device setting, it's an account/SIM setting and it's self-evidently on in your case.

Phones have options for "data roaming" which is effectively saying "when I am on a roaming network, am I allowed to use mobile data?" - often confused with the account-level roaming.

Your description sounds like something is either iOS-specific or the local network in US is intermittently blocking your phone for some reason.