How do I report a pathetic/non existent data connection in my area?

[Forgotten21]

Not sure how to report this as an issue- it's obviously not possible when in that particular area (not far from me but not where I am posting from) because there is no data connection.

What I don't understand is I'm looking at my phone during this and seeing 5 bars! There is no wifi in that area and others report the same issue too- it's not just me/my phone. I've tried the regular trouble-sh**ting (restart, check for updates, moved 10 minutes down the road...) all the same. I just get no data. 

How do I report this and is this something others have experienced? If anyone wants to know the area it's Charlton SE7 (in London). The phone has connected fine in the past, now I don't get any signal the whole area from as far as Ikea down to Currys and B&M stores. It's annoying, no not the end of the world but annoying, it's a fairly large area as well, at least 20 minutes walk end to end I recon, if you're able to walk fairly fast. 

[XRaySpeX]

Check service in your area  to see if any faults are being attended to in that area & at the same time you may report any issues you are experiencing..

[bristolian]

The on-screen bars are a measure of coverage not capacity, yours sounds like an issue with the latter.

How long has this been an issue? Do speeds vary time-of-day, day-of-week?

Occasions where your phone shows a lack of coverage, as you allude in one comment, are a different thing.

[Forgotten21]

The thing is, when it happens, there is zero connection for both my phone calls and my data. I can't talk to anyone to complain and I don't live in the area (I just shop there) so have no idea on things like the postcode or nearest mobile signal. I know inside the shops there is an issue and always has been an issue (this I know because every single customer has this issue and I think there is some blocking device or something in some shops and then the roof itself makes things tricky) but reporting that isn't the issue because there isn't usually a signal.

The issue is outside on the street, and that's where I struggle- not only because I can't connect but how do you get the postcode for somewhere outside- not tied to a building, because none of the buildings are going to be able to offer a connection and I know that will be the result of any investigation 😕 

[bristolian]

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@Forgotten21 wrote:

The thing is, when it happens, there is zero connection for both my phone calls and my data

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Even when there's a data congestion issue, voice calls should still connect - the only reason for these to fail should be a total lack of coverage.

The solution to finding a postcode is to use Google, then use the online status tool linked above. Use "report a problem" if necessary. I'll have a quick look at the sites in the area, but this is more for interests' sake than to be progressing any potential fault.

The result of a Google search for "Currys Charlton postcode" provides a link to their store-finder including an SE7 postcode.

[Forgotten21]

Sorry- I'm new to this! This isn't resolved but for some reason my "thanks" has become "solved" and this is not solved!!

It has been an issue for about 18 months now- possibly longer I don't know- I know it was an issue in the summer of 2024 at least! Before then I can't remember so can't say it started then.

The odd thing is; sometimes it's fine- it's random when the connection works and then when it goes down again. I shop in the area at all times; some of the stores are open very late (11pm, midnight...) and I can say though the shops are empty, there can be no signal then as well. It's not to do with traffic and people all trying to use the data. It happens throughout the week as well as weekends- nothing stands out when this happens, there doesn't seem to be any pattern or rhyme or reason for this happening, I can say if there is no connection when I hit the area it's not going to turn on no matter how long I try or retry, if it's down one day it's down the rest of the day.

The area itself doesn't shift, that's the only fixed thing- it seems to be as soon as you hit the shopping area, right the way down as far as the shops on Bugsby's Way, I can't vouch for if it goes down all the way to the water because I don't tend to go there. It goes far along the Woolwich Road, past Charlton Station, maybe down as far as the school but it occasionally reaches as far as McDonalds but that itself could be because at that point I'm speeding along on a bus and my phone hasn't reset itself and realised there is now a connection! I'm quite inpatient with these things and will at that point usually be listening to something downloaded rather than waiting to see where things reconnect again. 

The speeds don't fluctuate as far as I can see, it's never super fast but I'm not usually waiting for minutes for a spinny wheel or something, if it's not connecting it's not connecting- that wheel doesn't stop ever (then a pop up appears telling me there isn't a connection). 

But capacity, at 11pm or midnight, I'm sorry but I don't buy this. I also don't buy that even at peak times there is a capacity issue- I don't shop when it's super busy! I have however passed through North Greenwich- after a gig there if I'm unfortunate enough to be at the station when everyone is leaving or even everyone arriving, it's mega busy! The 02 is not a small venue! Additionally there are many shops there, restaurants, the tube and a bus station where about 10 different buses start their service, it's often so busy that there is a crowd control team in force. I have never had an issue connecting there- at all. The area I am having an issue with? I don't go there when it's busy- I'm not going to waste my time in long queues and tend to assume the shelves will be out of stock for basics I need, I do not think this is a capacity issue. 

Additionally, the area around the Currys and B&M store is virtually a desert of people! No one goes there, the security guards are usually so bored they're sitting in a chairs (you didn't hear that from me!) there isn't just a lower traffic of people, there are pretty much only enough people that you can count on one hand and none are able to use their phones either! The roads around the area are not so busy, there are many warehouses around- one side of the road has houses, the other side is full of empty industry buildings like builders warehouses or safe storage places.

I just wish whatever it was would be fixed and not keep breaking down! 

[bristolian]

In your first post you were clear regarding "no data connection.... I'm looking at my phone during this and seeing 5 bars". This is as good a description of a capacity issue as you're likely to get.

Subsequently, you seem to be clarifying as "there can be no signal then as well", suggesting different symptoms. Your initial query in this thread was "how do I report a non-existent data connection", to which the answer is the status webtool initially.