Hostile Roaming Takeover on Mother's Day!

[laureltn]

My husband and I both have sprint, his through business, mine in our personal account. We both have free roaming. We left our beach house in Cape San Blas, talked on one of the phones before leaving Gulf County. Hit the Sprint network in Marianna, saw I had a voice message. Tried to dial VM and the phone started to act weird. By the time we got to Dothan, we realized something really weird was going on. Every time we tried to dial out, we went to a recording from the American Roaming Network ($2.99 to connect and $1.99 pm). What the heck?!?

By the time we got to Ozark, I figured I'd try *2. It's Mother's Day and we've got to call our moms! The girl on *2 had no idea why it was happening, but said she'd reprovision our phones. (Bonus. I got my MSID number!!) Anyway, we did my phone, but it still wouldn't receive calls. She gave me the info to do my husband's phone, but I never got around to it. When I tried to use my phone, same story. When we got to Troy they suddenly worked again. It was the strangest thing. Has anybody else ever had this happen?

I googled american roaming network, and here's what I found. clearly somehow, at least for that period of time, our phones were both appearing as unregistered.

http://www.verisign.com/products-services/communications-services/content-and-application-services/american-roaming-network/page_001711.html

[JSMZ]

Strange, very strange. never had that happen. Ive onl had my phone go into roam a couple of times though.

[dfwtxpatrick]

Simply put,

Either SPCS didn't have a preset roaming agreement in that area,

OR

A trouble ticket would need to be done to get your numbers added to the local wireless (http:///#) company in that area so you can roam there.

As a former SPCS trouble tech, this is actually not as common as it used to be. Before roaming agreements and countrywide service, it was happening all the time.

To create a Trouble Ticket, you will need specifics. You need to have an EXACT location.

Something like either 125 N Main Street, Anywhere, USA 12345

OR

You can use intersecting Hwys like I-70 & Hwy 335 in Anytown, USA 12345.

With this exact information, they can go out and test the area, if they find it happens to all people, SPCS gets an agreement w/ that local area. If it works for them, then they give your two phone (http:///#) numbers to that local provider and it will recognize the next time you go through there. Just depends on if you want to take the time to call in, talk w/ a SPCS Trouble Tech, and get a Trouble Ticket Logged.

[laureltn]

Well, it went deeper than a roaming agreement, I think. Dothan's SPRINT NETWORK! It started in a roam area, then stuck. My phone and my husband's both showed we were NOT roaming, but the phones would not complete a call at all. Just went to that american roaming recording. (Even did it when I reset my 6700 and selected SPRINT ONLY in the choices)

When my husband first suggested I dial *2, I never dreamed the call would complete. Fortunately it did, but I'm not sure the problem was ever truly identified. That's why I was asking -- I'd hate to have my phone start that when I was on the road by myself late at night or something!
For the "weird and unexplained" file, I guess.

[dfwtxpatrick]

Then it is very possible thereThen it is very possible there was a network (#) problem in that area and all calls were being redirected.

I didn't ask earlier, have you traveled this way before, and if so, was everything working like it was supposed to. If you haven't, then there's a good chance you will be alright the next time you go that way.

It could have been a switch issue.

Also, FYI, if you have to reset, remove battery (#) or any other form of restarting the phone (#), pls take the battery out for at least 2-3 minutes, and if driving, at least 3-5 miles. This will allow the tower to have "forgotten" about your phone, or if driving, get you farther away from the offending tower.

This is just some suggestions for things that worked while I was w/ SPCS. Not a guaranteed fix all, just some simple suggestions.

[laureltn]

Good things to remember about the tower "forgetting" you! Yes, I drive down to the beach once to twice per month for work on a project down there. I've never had a bit of trouble. I really thought it was Mother's Day overload, but it must have been transient because the lady at customer care hadn't heard any other reports.

[neilson]

Crap, now I'm dreading when I do down to Cape San Blas later this summer(for the record, we stay at Barrier Dunes and last summer when I had Cingular GSM, I had zero coverage on Cape San Blas Road.)

[laureltn]

No, I had service on almost the ENTIRE cape this trip! Even at Barrier Dunes (well, not all the time, but sometimes). Service in PSJ is pretty much solid too. This was a real weird thing. I still think it may have had something to do with Mother's Day call volume.

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