topic Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers in SIM cards & Porting

Cannot make calls to EE numbers

henryt84 — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 20:22:09 GMT

I too use vofafone network and my phone will not make a call to an EE friends mobile. It can call my mobile but not the other way around. I hear it ringing on my phone, but it does not ring on the ee phone. When I call the ee phone from an o2 number it rings and connects as it should do, What is wrong? Where is the error?

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

bristolian — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 20:09:25 GMT

Your friend needs to report "unable to receive calls from xyz user" to CS. Some bits to test before doing so..

1: Can your friend receive calls from other VF users?

2: Can you send texts to your friend?

3; Does your friend have an EE-issued number, or a ported-in one?

Is this a recent problem?

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

henryt84 — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 22:28:01 GMT

My friend is an 84 year old, finds tech very difficult. He has a Tesco supplied non smart mobile. I can call this number on my o2 based mobile. i cannot do it on my vodafone based mobile, nor can my son call him using his vodafone based mobile. The mobile number is non ported.( came with Tesco package)

He does not understand the concept of texting! I have only discovered this problem within the last few weeks, though I believe that he has had the phone since January.

Quite often when I call the mobile it doesnt ring, but goes straight to voicemail, but today when visiting him to check out this problem the mobile signal strength was showing strong.reception.

His talktalk land line will call (ring) his mobile and vice versa

Just to throw further confusion, my vodafone will not call his landline either, ( I hear it ringing but he does not) . Also his landline (talk talk) will call my mobile. I do not experience these problems using my mobile when calling other numbers. All quite confusing.

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

bristolian — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 22:41:42 GMT

The landline issue is separate, using different technology, and should be treated accordingly.

One option may be for your friend to add you to their EE mobile account as an authorised third party, providing they are aware this will give you access to more than just fault reporting.

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

henryt84 — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 06:56:58 GMT

I had considered this when I met up with him, but he has no concept of having an account ( the payg pack was bought with simplicity in mind) . His mild memory problems do not help in trying to sort out the issue from a distance ( I live 100 miles away)

Having searched various "boards" that raise similar issues, I am concerned that EE will blame Vodafone and vice versa. Actually talking to someone ( tech support) about a problem with a third party phone doesn't appear to hold promise either.

There must be solution to the problem out there, but finding someone who could fix it is the issue.

One extra piece of info which may be significant is that the number of one of my mobiles ( o2 network) which will connect with is EE device, is a ported number from ex orange. My current vodafone number, which will not connect, is a ported number from 02.

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

Rach_H — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 07:19:43 GMT

Hi @henryt84,

Welcome to the Community!

We certainly don't want you to have any issues calling your friend, so I'd love to take a look and see what we can do. Do you know if your friend is able to receive calls from other networks, or is this not something you've had the chance to test?

Rach

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

bristolian — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 08:33:46 GMT

@henryt84 wrote:

One extra piece of info which may be significant is that the number of one of my mobiles ( o2 network) which will connect with is EE device, is a ported number from ex orange. My current vodafone number, which will not connect, is a ported number from 02.

Ported numbers are relevant only for receiving calls. Hence asking in my previous post regarding identification of any patterns for your friend.

Your friend's issue doesn't fit any clearly recognisable pattern, and thus may require individual investigation.

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

henryt84 — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 08:41:14 GMT

Hi Rach, Thanks for your interest.

After receiving your message I contacted my friend by landline ( mine and his which he reinstalled after the lack of success with his mobile experience) I briefed him over our two landlines and first called him from my O2 based mobile and this connected to his ee based mobile. A minute later I called him from my "normal" vodafone based mobile and my device immediately registered that "user not available" and went to voicemail. He reported that the phone did not react at all to the call from me. We were in constant contact over the landlines. Sometimes when I call the mobile number from vodafone it will ring and ring before finally ending the call.

I cant help with information about other callers connecting on his mobile, but I know that his landline will call cause his mobile to ring, for I tested this myself.

Hopre this scant information gives you something to consider.

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

Rach_H — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 09:07:44 GMT

Thanks for letting us know @henryt84. This is great information, as it let's us know that he is able to receive calls in general.

I'd recommend reaching out to Vodafone, and letting them know what has been happening, so they can check there are no problems on your line, as this might be easier than getting our team to check his, and we can go from there.

Rach

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

henryt84 — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 18:08:20 GMT

As suspected vodafone dont really want to know and palm me off with ASDA who dont have any serious level of tech support.

EE suggest that it is a VF issue, but if this is so then why does the EE answer phone system kick in telling me that the calller is not available?

At the end of the day I can now contact my friend using our landlines, but its sad that no one wants to pick up on the problem.... guess its down to cost.

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

bristolian — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 20:05:07 GMT

@henryt84 wrote:

As suspected vodafone dont really want to know and palm me off with ASDA who dont have any serious level of tech support..... guess its down to cost.

Are you a VF-direct customer, or with Asda Mobile? If the latter, VF are absolutely right to refer you to your network provider. They are a budget-MVNO and one of the factors anyone choosing an MVNO needs to consider is the lack of support they potentially have.

@henryt84 wrote:

but its sad that no one wants to pick up on the problem.... guess its down to cost.

No-one is saying that, but there are correct processes to follow. Any "I can't receive calls" issue should indeed be investigated by the recipient network, but it's your friend who is EE's customer, not you.

Nowhere can I see evidence of EE suggesting this is a VF issue.

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

henryt84 — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 07:55:52 GMT

A search of forums will show that the connections problems between VF and EE has plenty of comment together with conclusions.

Cant make a call , cant receive the call is surely call cannot be made and the other is semantics.

The suggestion that a user who chooses a budget service must accept a poor service is quite alarming. The large network providers often create simplified packages so that they can increase their share of the market and revenue. The fundemental ability to make just a simple voice call is not a big ask from a user. Some low volume users may not want the same package that a buisness would,

In this particular case the octagenarian receiver with memory issues does not possess the ability to contact his provider and supply details of accounts, email address etc. It will not happen. He would be able to provide his phone number and this seems to satisfy most of the system to identify him.

The jargon and acronyms used by techies within these responses would be complely unintelligible to him.

Things are not made simple for the user and it is easy to see that the cost of deploying an engineer to invesigate this problem would cancel any profit made from this user for the forseeable future.

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

bristolian — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 08:32:41 GMT

Are you a VF-direct customer, or with Asda Mobile?

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

killyouridols08 — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 08:43:41 GMT

Hi @henryt84

Has your friend, by any chance, Accidently blocked your mobile number?

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

henryt84 — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 08:47:50 GMT

No. I checked his phone during a recent visit.

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

bristolian — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 09:01:55 GMT

The symptoms described are certainly consistent with an inadvertent blocking, I would be trying to intentionally block & unblock as a test, to see whether the symptoms change. Also try calling with & without a withheld number.

Earlier in the thread there was a query whether text messages worked from the OP to their friend - I don't see an answer to this.

Are you a VF-direct customer, or with Asda Mobile?

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

henryt84 — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 09:31:59 GMT

I dont wish to go around the houses with this series of tests. I live more than 100 miles from my friend. This week I visited him. I stood next to his phone and called from my 02 and it worked. I then called from my Asda ( vf ) and it went straight to his voicemail. Thus the call gets into the EE system.

I can confirm that his phone will call me, but because he was a PAYG user, the arrangement was that once I saw that he was calling me I would then call him back on my mobile ( saves him from the high charges). This worked once only! All other attempts to call him result in ringing ( on my phone) but silent on his, or more recently my call goes staight to his voicemail.

At first I thought that this was because he was in a blackspot or more likely that the phone battery was flat, The recent visit showed that neither of these was the case.

Re texts, I sent one ( it did not bounce back) but when I asked him he, not suprisingly, did not understand the concept of texting.

Re: Cannot make calls to EE numbers

killyouridols08 — Wed, 21 Aug 2024 09:39:13 GMT

@henryt84 wrote:
I dont wish to go around the houses with this series of tests.

Oh, Pardon us...