Sure Signal and iPhone 5

[newsbloke]

Hi All ..

I bought two new iPhone 5's today both of which I would like to work with my Sure Signal (orignal version).

I can seen from these forums that iPhone 5's and VSS don't always get off to a good start - mine is no exception.

I wondered if someone from the tech team would force a re-sync on my VSS please?  It's serial number is 21230685881.

I'll then do a hard reset here.

Thanks!

[e2rodney]

OK, thanks for the second reset, Paul. I have done several resets of the SS box here too and then left it for a few days to see if it picks my iPhone up but I'm afraid to say it is just refusing to work like it did so well with my old iPhone 4. Actually it doesn't work at all so I'm now working at my office here all day without any mobile phone signal which rather defeats the object of having the either the phone or the box along with the expense of it all.

So I'm afraid I need you to swap out the box now because there's clearly a problem with a new iPhone 5 phone and an older Sure Signal box.

I look forward to hearing from you.

[Retired-Andy]

Hi e2rodney,  

I’ve checked our systems and can see that your Sure Signal (VSS) connected with our servers yesterday afternoon. Are you still facing the issue?

On occasion, it can take time to make a connection so, to make sure your VSS is as up-to-date as possible, I’ve just forced a resync for you. To make sure the resync completes, can you perform a factory reset:-

• Hold down the reset button until all the lights show/flash (about 30 seconds)
• Keeping the reset button held down, remove then re-insert the power lead.
• Once all lights display release the reset button.
• The Sure Signal will come online in around 1 hour.

Let me know how you go on.

Thanks

Andrew

[e2rodney]

Andrew, thank you and your colleagues for all your help but I have done everything you and they have suggested numerous times now, but my SS box simply will not pick up my iPhone 5 at all, and it is now almost a month since I got it!

I am not a technophobe - actually I work in IT and I am completely familiar with this technology and I have done everything suggested but no solution has resulted. To my mind, then, it would follow that what we have here is a failed SS box, I'm afraid.

Please can I now ask you to advise me how I go about getting this replaced so it works as well as it used to do with my old iPhone 4.

Thank you.

[Retired-James]

Hi e2rodney,

Unfortunately I’m unable to send a replacement however a repair can be arranged for you.

You can do this in store or alternatively follow the instructions on the PM that I’ve sent to you and we can get this arranged for you.

As the Sure Signal is now out of warranty there will be a charge for the repair of £65.

On a side note, do you know anyone without an iPhone 5 on Vodafone that you could add their number to your VSS to see if it picks it up to help identify if this is only an issue with the iPhone 5 being picked up

You can find your PM inbox here.

James

[e2rodney]

James, I'm sorry to have to be assertive about this but the reason the Sure Signal exists is entirely due to Vodafone's inability to provide good cover in all areas. Your company is actually asking its subscribers to pay for this failure by buying a device that then piggybacks off your customer's broadband to fill in the gaps in its cover. So this subscriber is, in effect, paying twice to enjoy your service.

In light of this fact it is a bit rich to be told that I now have to pay £65 to repair a box that cost me £50 and which worked perfectly well before I changed from an iPhone 4 to an iPhone 5. The fact that (you claim) this is the only issue where an iPhone 5 has failed to have been picked up is entirely irrelevant.

In summary, for the reasons above, I am not prepared to pay anything at all to solve this problem which is, as far as I am concerned, not of my making but of your company's. It is therefore your company's responsibility to provide me with a solution without cost to me.

There are four iPhone 5s in my family all on contract with Vodafone. We have been with your company for several years and have been very happy so far. But unless you sort this out for me quickly and at no cost then we shall remove our business to one of your comptetors next time our contract is due for renewal. That means you will lose some £1800 a year of our money, all for the sake of not providing me a no-cost solution to this problem. Pretty silly, don't you think?

I am sorry to have had to write to you in such a vein but frankly this is very poor (actually quite insulting) service and I am paying a great deal of money to your company for perfect service. To put it another way, you are getting 100% of my charges for your service and I am getting a much lower percentage of value for this in return. Not a fair exchange.

Please reconsider your approach and get back to me with a proper no-cost solution to my problem. Thank you.

[Ben_H]

Hi e2rodney,

I'm afraid no one network can guarantee 100% coverage for all of the UK. As a network, we offer this as an alternative solution to finding another provider or to help those in areas that are remote or out of reach (for example basement properties or those in buildings where signal penetration isn't available).

Vodafone provide the hardware as a retailer and as such the Sure Signal carries a cost. We will cover the warranty for the first two years, however much like the phones after this warranty is up all repairs are chargeable. I'm afraid we can't apply one rule for one customer to another.

James' suggestion that you try a none iPhone 5 device which is 3G compatible on Vodafone will be the best way of ascertaining that this isn't a hardware fault. If no other phones work then I'm afraid the only solution is a repair. It is of course your prerogative should you wish to arrange one with us via email or consider other options.

Many thanks, Ben

[e2rodney]

Forget it. You have missed all the points I've raised and so I'll be remembering this exchange when my contract comes up for renewal next time around. Clearly you don't really care about your customers' experience of your service if you are so small minded and unimaginitive in your approach.