Orange no Network!!!!!!!

lemontree

My Son lives alone in the Rossendale Valley 30 miles away from me.
Due to ill health and many Emergency Hospital Admissions his PAYG mobile is crucial.
On Thursday he rang from a landline to tell me his mobile was not working.
On Friday a friend drove me to his home as I had bought him a new phone only to find that the new phone was neither sending nor receiving messages.
When I checked my phone I had the same problem. I used it to try and ring a landline and the message said Emergency calls only.
On the way home my phone began receiving txt messages but none from my Son.
I have set my phone to Delivery Report and all my messages to my Son say Pending.
Despite hours of calls to Orange, I have yet to speak to anyone who agrees this is a Network Problem.
Many times I am told to hold on and after some time the line goes dead.
My Son has 2 phones and neither is working.
Orange say they will call me today but I am not sure if they will!
Please please can anyone help?

espresso

lemontree wrote: »

My Son lives alone in the Rossendale Valley 30 miles away from me.
Due to ill health and many Emergency Hospital Admissions his PAYG mobile is crucial.
On Thursday he rang from a landline to tell me his mobile was not working.
On Friday a friend drove me to his home as I had bought him a new phone only to find that the new phone was neither sending nor receiving messages.
When I checked my phone I had the same problem. I used it to try and ring a landline and the message said Emergency calls only.

This means that the phone is registered to the local mast but there is a problem with the link from that mast to the rest of the network - usually a point to point microwave link.

On the way home my phone began receiving txt messages but none from my Son.

Because your phone was then registered to another mast but your sons was still on the mast with a problem.

I have set my phone to Delivery Report and all my messages to my Son say Pending.

Because they have not yet been delivered to him.

Despite hours of calls to Orange, I have yet to speak to anyone who agrees this is a Network Problem.
Many times I am told to hold on and after some time the line goes dead.

I would think that the company that maintains the network would be aware of this problem but the people that you are able to speak to do not understand.

My Son has 2 phones and neither is working.

Two phones on the same network. If maintaining communication is so important, then a phone on a different network would have been a better choice.

Orange say they will call me today but I am not sure if they will!

Probably said that to get rid of you! The network engineers may need to order new equipment to repair the link and this may take time.

Please please can anyone help?

............

lemontree

Thank you!!!!!!! I wish you worked for Orange!
Looks like I need to buy another phone on a new network and take another 60 mile round trip to my Son's home.

espresso

lemontree wrote: »

Thank you!!!!!!! I wish you worked for Orange!
Looks like I need to buy another phone on a new network and take another 60 mile round trip to my Son's home.

Remember that Orange, T-Mobile & Virgin and some other virtual networks use the EE (Orange/T-Mobile) network, so you would need to choose O2 or Vodafone depending on local coverage at your sons - check predicted coverage for his postcode on their websites.

Would the place that you bought the replacement exchange it for one on a different network, if you explained that Orange does not work at his location?

lemontree

I could take the phone back but my Son will lose the remaining txts and call miutes and I will have to buy another network top up and pay a friend to take me on another 60 mile round trip to take the new Sim.
Orange have confirmed the mast is down !
I realise these are my only options but can ill afford to lose what I will have spent(about £50)
Thank you for all your help.

lemontree

If I ring 02 and give them the code to unlock and sign up for a 1 year contract in my name can the old sim card and phone number be used?
Thank you.

Figment

The number can be ported across, but you will need a new (O2) SIM. Any credit on the current SIM will be lost unless used before the transfer.

lemontree

Carphone Warehouse say I can obtain a Sim Card there with£10 top up but I will have to send it through the post.

Buzby

Don't sign up for a contract - if that stops working, you remain tied and obligated. A different SIM on another network should be tried to see if it offers better/worse service.

If the BTS is down, they are usually brought back online fairly quickly.

Figment

lemontree wrote: »

Carphone Warehouse say I can obtain a Sim Card there with£10 top up but I will have to send it through the post.

Did you buy the new 'phone from Carphone Warehouse? If so, their 'phones are mostly not network-locked, so you can use any SIM with them. However, as suggested above, check out the anticipated network coverage at your son's address by visiting the network operator's web site first.

lemontree

Rang 02 and they say Post Code covered.
It was an Orange phone I bought.