Asda Mobile ported number can’t access international mailbox but works for a Vodafone native number

[tonyxmiller]

I have had an ongoing problem which Asda mobile seem unable to resolve despite about a million escalations and calls to their  management team. 

I have a complete log of the calls and the recommended actions.

If I dial the INTERNATIONAL MAILBOX number, then type in my mobile number then enter the hash # symbol, I continue to get the “SORRY AN AUTHENTICATION ERROR HAS OCCURED. PLEASE TRY AGAIN LATER” message. I have tried later many times over the past months and it is still a problem. 

I think this is a problem with a network element at the Vodafone end. It worked just fine back in April before I moved to the MVNO/Asda but stopped working by early August .   It hasn’t worked since then. Asda seem unable or unwilling to help.

I can turn voicemail off and on. I can do a 121 and collect voice mails (in the UK). I can change the PIN number (in the UK) and it appears to change ok… but i just cant connect to my mailbox, by dialling the international mailbox number +44 7836 121121. 

Asda keep telling me to disable voicemail; enable it; reset the PIN and wait 10 minutes and it will all be ok. This has to be something more fundamental. I reckon this must be related to the Asda move. Maybe a piece of automated workflow involved in the migration has failed. 

When the phone initially migrated it was ok for a week. Then Data stopped working for 10 days (asda contacted VF 2nd line support and got that fixed). Then the international mailbox issue started. 

Sadly I was with VF native since I got my first TACS phone in about 96, but they nolonger wanted my custom as a native customer so I moved to ASDA.  Any help would be appreciated

[AnnS]

To check @tonyxmiller , you have followed ASDA's information on accessing voicemail abroad by pressing 1 > 3 > 3 as advised by ASDA here How do I access my voicemail when abroad? 

As far as roaming is concerned as ASDA use the Vodafone network, would imagine they would have the same restrictions as Vodafone as far as the maximum time you would be able to use the phone abroad before returning to the UK.

[tonyxmiller]

Yes the pin appears to be set and i can change it ok in this country. Or at least it appears ti change. But when i dial the international mail ox number; enter my uk number; enter the pin - then it says authentication error.  The point of using the international mailbox method is that it enables me to pick up messages from any phone, not just my own phone, and it is possible to test this in the UK.  This used to work then just stopped working. 121 does work abroad but not all networks recognise this short code.