Roaming

[AmberR]

Hi! I have a Blackberry Torch 9800 and I'm currently in Paris. I called Vodafone and informed them I would be here for a week, and they put 'Passport' on my account. However, my BB isn't connecting to any networks out here; I just have a red SOS in the top right hand corner of the screen. I've taken the battery out to reset/restart it, but it's still not working. Any advice very gratefully received!! Amber

[pau1j]

Hi Amber.

Passport is a tariff option - the idea being any calls you make abroad (in certain countries, at least) are at the same price as your UK tariff plus a 75p connection charge.

Did they specifically remove the Roaming Bar?  (Given that you told them you would be going away, it's the first thing they should have checked ... but you never know!)

If the Roaming Bar has been lifted, it might just be the phone struggling to get a connection.  You could try setting Mobile Network to 2G only & try a Manual roam rather than having the Network Selection on Automatic.

Hope this helps.

[AmberR]

Thanks for your suggestion! I tried it out and I can still only get the red SOS. I wonder whether the bar wasn't lifted, even though I phoned them up (I don't think it's struggling to get reception, as there's no change no matter where I go in Paris)? Any ideas if/how I can get the bar removed (or at least checked) while I'm abroad and can make no calls? Thanks again!

[pau1j]

Have your registered on My Account?

(top right of this webpage)

You should be able to access your account and (assuming you've paid more than three monthly bills) remove the roaming bar yourself.  The My Account system can be a pretty painful experience but the section you want is Manage My Settings.

If you have a landline you can use in Paris (hope you're having a nice time, by the way) you can call Vodafone Customer Services on +44 (0)1635 676061 or, for Business CS, +44 (0) 1636 602902. (Courtesy of saynoto0870.com).

Hope this helps.

[AmberR]

Thanks again for your help! However, I logged in to My Account and there is no bar on international roaming so I'm still at a loss! I wonder if there's something I need to do on my BB handset, but I just can't see what it could possibly be. Really appreciate your trying to help.

[JamesBond]

Hi AmberR,

I do hope that a Mod can attend to this issue asap.

James Bond

[AmberR]

Me too, fingers crossed! Thanks everyone for suggestions so far.

[Retired-James · Accepted solution]

Hi AmberR,

To be honest it does sound like the roaming bar hasn’t been lifted on the account rather than anything to do with the handset.

So that we can check this for you I have sent you a quick PM with details of how to get in touch with our team directly, please follow the instructions on the PM and we will be able to get this checked for you.

You can find your PM inbox here.

Alternatively you can also call us from abroad from a different phone by calling +44 7836 191 191.

In the meantime I would also go into the settings to make sure that the network settings are set to manual and that you are able to search and view other French networks, you should then be able to manually select the required network.

James

[AmberR]

Thanks James. I've sent a message including the code and link to this discussion thread. I've done the manual search and can see networks, but when I select them, it keeps telling me I can only make emergency calls. This happens for every network, whether it says 2G, 2G X, 3G or 3G X. I only ever get the red SOS in the top right hand corner. Thanks for your message and I'll look forward to an email response back from the TechTeam.

[AmberR]

Thanks James! Can now make calls! Text messages aren't coming through, for some reason, but I'm just happy I can phone home. Thanks for your help everyone!