USA calls not working

Tobythemartian · ‎29-09-2022

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.

bristolian · ‎01-10-2022

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.

XRaySpeX · ‎01-10-2022

@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.

If you think I helped please feel free to hit the "Thumbs Up" button below.

To phone EE CS: Dial Freephone +44 800 079 8586 - Option 1 for Mobile Phone & Mobile Broadband or Option 2 for Home Broadband & Home Phone

ISPs: 1999: Freeserve 48K Dial-Up > 2005: Wanadoo 1 Meg BB > 2007: Orange 2 Meg BB > 2008: Orange 8 Meg LLU > 2010: Orange 16 Meg LLU > 2011: Orange 20 Meg WBC > 2014: EE 20 Meg WBC > 2020: EE 40 Meg FTTC > 2022:EE 80 Meg FTTC SoGEA > 2025 EE 150 Meg FTTP

Tobythemartian · ‎02-10-2022

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.

Christopher_G · ‎02-10-2022

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

Tobythemartian · ‎03-10-2022

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.

Christopher_G · ‎04-10-2022

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

Tobythemartian · ‎05-10-2022

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.

bristolian · ‎05-10-2022

@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.

Tobythemartian · ‎05-10-2022

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,

bristolian · ‎05-10-2022

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.