USA calls not working

[Tobythemartian]

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. 

[XRaySpeX]

@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?

[Tobythemartian]

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.

[XRaySpeX]

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

[Tobythemartian]

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.

[XRaySpeX]

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. 

[bristolian]

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.

[XRaySpeX]

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

[Tobythemartian]

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. 

[_MrR_]

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.