iphone not working abroad - emergency

[AshleyP]

I am in an emergency situation

I am currently in Ibiza and as a matter or urgency I need my phone to work.

I registerd fo Euro Traveller and lifted all bars onlne, however my IPhone 4 is not picking up network in Ibiza

I have tried calling and people have been so unhelpful and basically told me there is nothing that can be done.

This is vodafones fault, I did everthing I can do = now I am stuck not being able to contact home and as I said there is an emergency situation.

Today I spent over 40 euros on pay phones that I had to travel 4 miles to find I was also on hold to the international number for over 2 hours... during 5 different phone calls.

What do you suggest, there must be someting vodafone can do, there must be somone that can help?

[janefarnham]

I have this exact same problem ... went to Barcelona in October and have just been to Florida and phone not working in either destination with eurotraveller or world traveller ... this is ridiculous, I haven't had a problem before.

[Retired-Matt_B]

Hi @janefarnham,

So that we can look into this further please have a chat with our Live help team.

Thanks,

Matt

[janefarnham]

I will but I won't hold my breath ... tried this service before with  no luck!

[donabroad]

After 3 months of running battles and failed promises the problem on at least one of my phones (the one used by my wife) has now been resolved by some adjustment within Vodafone's system. I will find out if the second phone is working abroad (which they say it now will) when I go to Lisbon on Sunday. I have received an apology from Vodafone by text but no meaningful explanation of what was wrong or why it could not have been fixed earlier. However the chap that fixed mine must know what to do and it clearly can be done - perhaps the Tech Team shouls share the information..

The two main problems I found with the live chat route you have been directed towards are:

1 There is often no agent available

2 When there is - typically after a long wait queuing - they don't take the issue seriously and just try to palm it off with suggestions such as removing the SIM card, soft retets of the phone or blaming local transmitters for poor coverage, and then just closing the chat without checking if the problem is solved or if there is other evidence that this is not the problem.

I found they took my problem more seriously when I called 191 and said I wanted to move to another network. At least at that point they try to keep you rather than try to turn you away..

[janefarnham]

they are sending me a new sim after online chat but I have a feeling the problem may still be there when I head to Belgium next month ... only time will tell.  they did try to say that it was the coverage ... but I explained my husband had perfect reception and he is also with vodafone!

I used my phone abroad fine up until I changed phones in October ... strange?

[donabroad]

I suspect the SIM change will not work, they changed both my SIMs in January with no effect. It just led to another round of delay and frustration.

Among the things they told me in the week before they fixed my connection was that they have changed the software system for Eurotraveller and my phones were not migrated correctly to the new system as they have been very busy. I have to say that such a software change sounded a plausible explanation but not a good excuse. I suspect you will have no service in Belgium unless they address this too based on my experience.

At Christmas both my wife's phone and mine were together in Fuerteventura, We had no service on either phone and when we put our phones either side of a friends phone he had a full VodafoneES signal but the online chat who by then had actually called us on my friends phone, insisted that it was a variation in signal strength problem which was very frustrating. They then attempted to transfer us to somebody who could tell us about signal strength in our area but the transfer failed and we just had silence until his phone indicated the call had been ended. Lines dropping out while being transferred was another frequent theme with my dealings through 191.

[janefarnham]

I was going spare when I was trying to contact them from Barcelona ... a whole week without any reception, just wifi!  I too couldn't get hold of them online and when I called from somebody elses phone I waited an age and then the line dropped out!! Business suffered and when I got back they assured me it was because I wasn't sent up on the new Iphone.  So when I went to the states I called to make sure both eurotraveller and world traveller were set up but still nothing!  I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt with Belgium in March, otherwise I'm off to pastures new!  Have been with vodafone for 20 years!

[donabroad]

These promises and the dropping out of the line are so familiar - have they blocked and unblocked international calls too, to try to rectify it? After my first couple of trips without a service and lots of time wasted trying to get through to somebody capable, I went to the local Vodafone shop where they were at least helpful and sympathetic. After I expressed no confidence that their January fix would work (which was the new SIMs), they let me have a free pay as you go SIM card as a standby. You could try that approach. Then you can set your normal phone answerphone message before you travel, to say you may not have continuous reception while travelling - please leave a clear message and number. Then you can use the pay as you go SIM in the phone.to access your voicemail on the contract phone. You can also call them from that as I found the pay as you go SIM worked fine, only the contract ones were blocked. Not a good solution but it could at least protect your business until it is definitely sorted out. Ideally set the pay as you go SIM up in UK before you go or you won't be able to access the answerphone on that if anyone just auto dials after you miss them. Let me know how you get on.

[Retired-Matt_B]

Hi @janefarnham,

Could you please let us know the reference number you've received in the auto reply email?

It'll look like [#9xxxxxx]. 

Thanks,

Matt B

[janefarnham]

Hi Matt, 

I went on the live chat ... don't have a reference number?

Order number 035022941

Hope that helps?

J