My callers hear no ring tone when I'm abroad

[muppix]

I'm on an Unlimited Max with Entertainment plan and travel a great deal for work, predominantly in EU but occasionally further afield.

For the past year or so, people who call me when I'm abroad don't hear my phone ring, they just get silence until I answer. The behaviour is the same in all countries and on all networks, and has been described in detail by user PDC_UK in this post from 2017, though unfortunately no solution was posted.

My wife is also on Vodafone but with a different package, and has the same issue. 

[Mark]

I can understand how frustrating this must be @lowmtr. When arriving in Spain do you just use the network your phone automatically connects to? If so try performing a manual roam and choose another network. This can be done in a few simple steps on either your Samsung or iPhone If this doesn't resolve your issue, please contact us via Facebook or Twitter and we'll be able to take a closer look into this. 

As I don't believe you'll be able to roam to another network whilst in the Isle of Man @muppix, pop us a message using the above link ☝ and we'll be happy to look into this for you 😊

[lowmtr]

Thanks Mark, but sorry, this has all been done already during an extended 2 hour Vodafone chat when first reported.

The issue itself is less frustrating than Vodafone's insistence to block proper attention to this problem and instead direct this down the path of an individual user error when it quite clearly is a network problem!

So one more time:

1) We have two roaming UK Vodafone handsets on two different platforms, they have both been reset, network reset, manually roamed, automatic roamed and Vodafone (apparently) did some other things from whatever access the chat teams have. Eventually Vodafone chat gave up, told us there was a network problem, they promised to fix it and this was the last we ever heard.

Khaled : I understand yes and what we were trying to do is to updated the sim card to the mast.

Khaled : I will make the refreshments and it should definitely sort it.

2) As reported in this thread, other people have exactly the same problem so Vodafone need to stop treating this as a user error and escalate it, direct it up as a network problem and start gathering information and working with their customers to try and solve it, I'm not asking for much here!

3)The problem has been 100% repeatable for the entire 3 weeks we have been here. 

I'm neither on Facebook or Twitter so the very last thing I'm going to do is sign up to either service in the desperate hope that Vodafone might deem either channel more worthy of their attention. Especially not if presumably they want to start playing the whole "user error" approach again, that was exactly what Vodafone tried to do again when I followed up via chat on why I'd not heard anything.

Sorry...this  might sound like a trivial issue but it isn't. I've heard more than once that people have abandoned calling us just on both phones just because they get no tones at all. Because Vodafone appear incapable of giving this the proper attention to fix this we just don't know what calls we are missing.

[muppix]

I don't use Facebook or Twitter. Even if I did, there would be nothing further I could add that's not already been repeated in painful detail, in this thread and many others like it.

The only reasonable conclusion to be drawn from this is that Vodafone are aware of the issue, are unable to do anything about it, and wish to brush it under the carpet by gently steering any discussion out of public domain while appearing to care. 

[Tash]

@muppix @lowmtr We'd need to raise a case with our Network Engineers who will be able to investigate why this happening for you. With this being a public forum, we ask that any queries where we'd require your contact details be sent to us through Facebook or Twitter. 

I understand you don't use either channels at the moment. If you change your mind and would like to create an account to reach out to our Social Media team directly and securely, please drop us a message on either channel with the below:

• Your full name
• Your mobile number
• Examples from the last 24 hours (including the number that called you along with the date and time)
• The country you're currently roaming in
• When you're due to leave the country
• Whether you're able to get through to the end party despite the silent ringtone

We'll then be able to raise individual cases for you both and provide you with your own case reference numbers. Once we have an outcome from the Engineers we'll then get back to you on Facebook or Twitter with more information.

[muppix]

Thanks for the reply @Tash, however I don't see why I should divulge an unreasonable amount of personal data into a frequently hacked social media platform when you can't even give me a support email.

All the data you need is in this thread. Have an engineer look at it. Until then it will serve as an endpoint for people using search engines in hope of resolution, just like I did all those weeks ago. Whether they find an answer to their problems or a reason to leave Vodafone is up to you.

[lowmtr]

I'm in alignment with muppix on this,  Vodafone has all the information they need to progress my instance of this same problem already logged, ticketed and promised to be work to resolution via their chat facility. Attempting to drive paying customers down another insecure channel not owned by Vodafone themselves feels bogus and an opportunity for further delay. 

Vodafone have what they need, just get them to call me and if they aren't capable of it I have the complete noted original chat call, ID and transcript. If they had done what they promised and progressed the problem and escalated as I requested almost two weeks ago we'd be far closer to a solution. I need a network engineer from Vodafone assigned and to call me. It isn't rocket science, Vodafone need to just work the issue.

Does Vodafone not understand, that if the problem is fixed and the answer offered on this thread then all your customers get to benefit?  Done properly they would also see the active involvement in customer problem resolution and in turn get to benefit from the solution. How does driving it down a different channel benefit anyone?

sorry...anything else is just hot air at this point.   I'm offering to help Vodafone try and fix their network problem, now just seven days before I return to the UK.

No action from this point is just absolute proof that this forum is just a complete facade. Great if Vodafone's own customers can fix their own issues and save Vodafone the effort, but fix it or not Vodafone appear not to care either way.

[MarkD]

@muppix If you don't want to provide the details over a Twitter or Facebook account, you can speak to our Live Chat team who can help. You can find how to contact that team here, they are available 24/7. Once you have provided the information, a case can be raised and looked into. 

@lowmtr When raising a case to our Network Teams, additional information is required that can't be posted on the community threads, such as mobile number. 

[lowmtr]

>@muppix If you don't want to provide the details over a Twitter or Facebook account, you can speak to our Live >Chat team 

Did you read the thread, I only posted in desperation on the forum because I already spent two hours on a chat call with Vodafone, who couldn't fix it, promised to do something on the network, escalate it if not fixed and instead did absolutely nothing, not even and the courtesy of a follow up?    It is difficult to see why any representative of Vodafone would want to direct another customer down the same route when my experience was so dire

>When raising a case to our Network Teams, additional information is required that can't be posted on the community threads, such as mobile number. 

Yes, but that information, my mobile numbers, the network status etc (on both my mobiles which have the same problem) is already recorded and noted on my account via the very chat service you are directing the user to above. All troubleshooting steps taken and my numbers and account information are there for your network engineers to see. All I am after here is for someone to progress the problem.

So bottom line, have your own intractable processes defeated the might of Vodafone? There isn't a single person in the corporation with the capability or initiative to contact me further off the back of my original chat or this forum thread and help solve a problem that appears more widespread than just me and the other user on this forum.

I'm beginning to suspect this issue is very well understood by Vodafone but the barriers we are facing here are an attempt to keep it quiet.

[lowmtr]

Well, thanks for nothing Vodafone, no follow up of any sort to my chat call and this extended thread. 

After 5 weeks of living with the problem and offering to help Vodafone fix it for me and the benefit of other customers, they decided instead to do absolutely nothing.

I'm now back in the UK so the opportunity to fix what I suspect is a widespread issue has been lost.

If any Vodafone user is travelling to Spain (and the other countries mentioned) , read this thread and realise this problem may impact you as well.

Just for the record both phones worked fine travelling back through France. To me this proves (which we already knew) that the issue is with Vodafone's Network and/or roaming partners and nothing to do with the user or the phones themselves.

Shockingly Vodafone either don't seem to care about it or perhaps know the problem exists but wish to keep it quiet.

[Josh]

@lowmtr We do care though! We've offered on many occassions to look into this further for you, but you didn't want to contact us via Social Media. If you're not prepared to contact us via Call, Live Chat or Social Media; there's not really any further options.

As my colleague @MarkD explained, we needed you to contact us privately to gather additional details. Without said details, we can't identify the root cause of the problem.

I just want to add, that we also have no control over the Roaming Networks coverge or service issues. So if the no ringing when abroad issue, was solely in one country with a specific roaming network; there's not a lot we can offer or do to fix that, as it's a seperate network altogether.