Unable to get a signal, unable to cancel as mobile network says there is one!

Middy

My friend upgraded her phone in Jan this year on an 18 month contract with one of the big 5 network. She has split up with her ex and moved in with an aunt. Where her aunt lives, she cannot pick up a signal at all, even though there is a mast for that network 350 yards from her aunt's home. She has phoned nsp on her aunt's landline and asking to cancel her contract. They are unwilling as when popping in her aunt's postcode into the coverage map, it states there is excellent coverage both inside and outside buildings!

This isn't a one off issue with her aunt's property as half of the village - has about 4k people have no network coverage.

She can only go down to the lowest tariff. She feels that the nsp should not over rely on their coverage maps as there is similar problems with another village that our friend lives in. Plus she feels paying for a service that she cannot use is crazy.

Does she have any rights to cancel? When she was upgrading, the last thing on her mind was to move in with her aunt. What can she do to persuade them that her network coverage is rubbish.

Silk

Hi Middy,
Basics are no she does not have rights to cancel as at the time her Aunts was not her prime location and it's not the networks fault she has now moved into her Aunts.
No network guarantee's 100% coverage.

That said if it is true the mast is only 350 yards away it may be that there is a fault so perhaps try getting the network to investigate the matter.

Also if it's a 3g phone she could try turning off 3g and see if theres improvement for calls and perhaps try one of the independent coverage websites to see if it agrees with what the network says

nickmack

Middy wrote: »

she cannot pick up a signal at all, even though there is a mast for that network 350 yards from her aunt's home.

This isn't a one off issue with her aunt's property as half of the village - has about 4k people have no network coverage.

Is she sure the mast is for the network she's on?

You can check the masts and who they belong to here:

http://www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/

Unless there's a problem as Silk suggests, it's very unlikely you would get no signal 350 yds from your network mast.

DUTR

nickmack wrote: »

Is she sure the mast is for the network she's on?

You can check the masts and who they belong to here:

http://www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/

Unless there's a problem as Silk suggests, it's very unlikely you would get no signal 350 yds from your network mast.

Technically it is more possible due to the way radio waves work, the signal may pass straight over the nearby users, mast are not cheap to install and are installed where they will have good usage, so it is unlikely that there is no coverage just for one user in the area.

jon_r_2

Phone masts tend to concentrate the signal in an off centre pattern,without being technical if you draw a circle for coverage the mast is not located in the middle,but way off to one side.
Where i live Orange is supposedly a good signal,but in reality the signal is beamed the opposite way,i can see the mast.

If enough of you have no signal a small 'filler' mast can be installed on a lamp posts these days,have you tried a 3g phone? Sometimes signal coverage can be very different to an older 2g network phone.

Looking at the Ofcom map if a mast has a Frequency of 2100 mhz it is for 3g phones ONLY, BUT a 2g phone will only work on 900 and 1800 mhz.

Hope that helps