Voice Mail

After activating my iPhone 4 and finally figuring out how to transfer contact list, I went into my voicemail only to discover I no longer had my saved voice mail messages. I immediately called Verizon and was told when switching from the Verizon LG to iPhone 4 the voicemail service is different (???) and everything was erased. One of those messages was the last message from my dad before he passed away. I am completely heart broken and wish I never bought this iPhone. The Verizon rep said he would check into it and call me back. It's been almost 2 hours and I haven't heard anything. PLEASE there must be someway to get the message back. If I reactivate the old phone will the message come back? I'm heart broken...

Accepted answers

kaebfly

Blueiz wrote:
Can anyone address my question if Verizon and the new iPhone 4 use two different platforms, why if I re-activated my previous phone wouldn't the messages still be there? Verizon must have an IT department that can go back and retrieve information from the platform. It doesn't make any sense to me.

Because according to the FAQ that old vm box was closed and deleted when you shut the phone off and activated the iPhone. It no longer exists. It is why they suggested subscribing to Visual Voice Mail on your previous device so that you could listen to and save them on an external memory source (SD card) and then transfer them to a PC so that they can be played there. I doubt they will (although they may be able to) have IT try to locate your lost VM's. It's nothing personal...but they gave warning and it's in writing in the FAQ and getting started area.

All comments

Blueiz

Received a call from the rep. All he can tell me is for voice mail Verizon and the iPhone 4 use completely different platforms. If it's two completely different platforms, then WHY wouldn't Verizon still have the message? If I reactivated the old phone, why wouldn't my voice mail message still be on the Verizon platform? I do not understand. It makes no sense to me.

This message was the last message from my dad just a few days before he passed away. I am so incredibly bitter with Verizon.

They can send you txt messages about advertisements, or send voice messages telling you to call them. Then why couldn't they have cared enough about their customers to send them a txt message or voice message giving them a heads up this would happen if or when their customers activated the iPhone 4.

Abi

Voicemails are automatically erased every time you switch a device. You can sign up for something like Youmail which is free if you want to save your voicemails. I had some voicemails ona phone I forgot to set up with Youmail, so what I did was actually "record" my voicemails using my camera and burned the sound onto a disc. I had 2 voicemails on there from 2 people close to me that died the same year that I really wanted to keep. Once I had them recorded, I erased them. It actually does warn you about the voicemail issue before it erases it.

Sorry you lost your voicemail, but this has been my experience everytime I switch to a new phone. Your existing voicemail box is replaced with a new one and has to be reset. I know it does suck though.

Youmail is free in the app store, you could download it so you can save your voicemails in the future. Its just like visual voicemail but free.

Blueiz

Had I known I would have moved the message. I never got a message the SAVED voice mails would be deleted nor have I ever lost them before when upgrading my phone.

KelLottman

im so sorry for your loss and i'm sure you're really really upset right now. but it was in the FAQ for the iphone and in the activation guide that you would lose all your voicemails and there was a way to save them.. i think maybe you had to sign up for visual voicemail before you switched? i don't exactly know. but i think once you switch if you haven't done that they're gone.. i'm sorry :smileysad:

Blueiz

Can anyone address my question if Verizon and the new iPhone 4 use two different platforms, why if I re-activated my previous phone wouldn't the messages still be there? Verizon must have an IT department that can go back and retrieve information from the platform. It doesn't make any sense to me.

iphonenut

I thought there were instructions somewhere on saving voice messages before activating iPhone. I believe it has been discussed on this forum as well.

adbradia

I work in IT for a different company. I am sure the server that had your vm was backed up several times before. Write a letter to VZN and explain the situation. VZN IT have very good people and hopefully your letter will get to one of them.

Good Luck

maxxtris85

It was mention in the "getting ready" section that all VM's would be erased and they had instructions on how to back them up. You should of read through everything before proceeding, sorry for the lost but it was mention before hand.

Blueiz

So I just got off the phone with Apple. He has no idea what the rep is talking about in regards to a "platform". Said it doesn't make any sense to him. Apple doesn't have anything designed in their iPhone 4 to override or delete Verizon messages. Hmmm. Interesting. Per my last phone call with Verizon rep, yesterday, he said he will call me back this afternoon to tell me if he found a way to retrieve my message. This is so disconcerting.

I agree with you. Someone in the IT department at Verizon should be able to go back into their system and retrieve that message.

JoeVegasinPA

Blueiz wrote:
Had I known I would have moved the message. I never got a message the SAVED voice mails would be deleted nor have I ever lost them before when upgrading my phone.

Obviously you didn't read the "Before You Buy iPhone" article Verizon has all over the Internet.

bnadeau73

Honestly it is ridiculous for you to suggest that a person who is purchasing a new phone should have to read all the disclaimer information about that phone online and in the store. Furthermore, Verizon should not expect their sales people and Apple's sales people to shoulder the burden of ensuring that the customer is aware that their voicemails will be lost during the transition. Ultimately Verizon should have other mechanisms in place to ensure that the customer does not loose their voicemail.

kaebfly

bnadeau73 wrote:
Honestly it is ridiculous for you to suggest that a person who is purchasing a new phone should have to read all the disclaimer information about that phone online and in the store. Furthermore, Verizon should not expect their sales people and Apple's sales people to shoulder the burden of ensuring that the customer is aware that their voicemails will be lost during the transition. Ultimately Verizon should have other mechanisms in place to ensure that the customer does not loose their voicemail.

I wouldn't say it was ridiculous. A hassle for some, maybe. A pain, perhaps. But not ridiculous. It's likely a contractual purchase (unless paying full retail) or it's a new device for the buyer (excluding anyone coming from AT&T). Researching or reading up on the phone and what to expect when choosing it isn't ridiculous. It's making a decision based on available information. Doesn't mean that the less informed buyer did anything wrong...but it does mean that if they missed information that was readily available that they have to accept a little risk on their part. That being said, I have no clue why the email had to be completely different but for whatever reason it's the way VZ decided to go (or had to go). It would be interesting to know if this was something that anyone experienced with AT&T when they first got an iPhone 4 (or whatever model also uses the visual voicemail)...assuming of course they were existing customers when they switched to the iPhone.

chrisstu

I am sorry for the loss of the voicemail, but the warnings/directions were all over the FAQ documents and steps to prepare for the iPhone. I have two messages from my children that they sent when they were starting school, so I took the time to make sure I subscribed to Visual Voicemail--and then I downloaded them to an SD card--as per the directions.

Again, I am sorry for what happened, and I bet that if you get the correct person at Verizon (one willing to do some legwork), you may get lucky.

However, this world is going to the dogs because no one wants to take responsibility for things. Ultimately, you should have read over things and have been prepared, and this would not have happened.

JoeVegasinPA

bnadeau73 wrote:
Honestly it is ridiculous for you to suggest that a person who is purchasing a new phone should have to read all the disclaimer information about that phone online and in the store. Furthermore, Verizon should not expect their sales people and Apple's sales people to shoulder the burden of ensuring that the customer is aware that their voicemails will be lost during the transition. Ultimately Verizon should have other mechanisms in place to ensure that the customer does not loose their voicemail.

It's not like it was the "small print" so NO it isn't ridiculous.

Tug101

Seriously people. Enough of this.

I didn’t have voicemail that I cared enough about to keep. But even I knew that the voicemail wouldn’t transfer. That info was all over the place. In the FAQs, in the getting ready guide and not to mention numerous threads here and on other forums.

Stop blaming Verizon/Apple for your own mistakes people! Take responsibility for your own actions for once!

mainlandwhite

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Missing a detail like this whole voice mail thing is too easy to do. I have been struggling for days trying to figure how to get mine off an old phone in less than weeks and for less than spending much money.

For others checking here, I just tried transferring my special messages to another phone (in the other options when you listen to a voice mail), and then transferring it back to my old phone. That worked fine. I am wondering if anyone knows a reason these would not transfer to the iPhone after it's activated? (ie transfer from old phone another phone, activate iPhone, transfer from the other phone to the new iphone).

kaebfly

mainlandwhite wrote:
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. Missing a detail like this whole voice mail thing is too easy to do. I have been struggling for days trying to figure how to get mine off an old phone in less than weeks and for less than spending much money.

For others checking here, I just tried transferring my special messages to another phone (in the other options when you listen to a voice mail), and then transferring it back to my old phone. That worked fine. I am wondering if anyone knows a reason these would not transfer to the iPhone after it's activated? (ie transfer from old phone another phone, activate iPhone, transfer from the other phone to the new iphone).

Not sure if there would be a problem but the best way to find out is to test it out with anyone that happens to have a VZ iPhone and see if it works. You could also call CS to ask, but sometimes the answers given aren't correct so the best 100% accurate way to find out is to test it out with an already active iPhone if at all possible.

mainlandwhite

I made the mistake of thinking if I transferred my voice mails to another phone, I could activate the iPhone then transfer them back. It worked feature phone to feature phone, but it turns out that the 'platform difference' means that you cannot transfer the old voice mails from a feature phone to the iPhone.

kaebfly

mainlandwhite wrote:
I made the mistake of thinking if I transferred my voice mails to another phone, I could activate the iPhone then transfer them back. It worked feature phone to feature phone, but it turns out that the 'platform difference' means that you cannot transfer the old voice mails from a feature phone to the iPhone.

I figured that this may be a problem since there seems to be something different about the voicemail VZ generally has and the one for the iPhone. If you still have access to the voicemails on the number you forwarded them to you can follow the instructions given for people getting ready to switch to the iPhone...the messages won't be on your iPhone but you will have them. The will be on your computer...

Blueiz

A representative from Verizon called me on Friday, Feb. 11 and said he would contact the company that works with them [Verizon] on voicemail recordings. Because the company closed at 4pm EST, he said he would talk with them on Monday and send me a txt message. He even sent a test txt message to my phone to be sure it [his txt message] would come thru. If I wanted to talk to him earlier than Monday, I could txt him. I did on Feb. 14 because I didn't hear ANYTHING from him. Today is Thursday, February 17. I have yet to hear anything more from this representative.

I have been a Verizon customer for several years. Upgraded my phone several times. Never have I lost saved voicemails. In fact, the representative stated to me that this phone, the iPhone 4, is the first phone Verizon has put out that causes customers VM's to be deleted when upgrading/activating it. Did I read the fine print? Did I get on the internet and search out information on the new iPhone 4? Did I read the information that came with the phone? No I didn't. Why? Past phone upgrading history indicated I didn't need to.

Verizon is quick to call or send their customers txt messages or voicemails regarding their account. Why when they knew the iPhone 4 would cause SAVED VM'S to be deleted with their customers couldn't they have sent their current customers, who bought the iPhone 4, a curtesy txt message about this "surprise" revelation? I had 3 saved messages on my phone. One from over 2 yrs old and the last one just a few short months ago. I saved my messages exactly how Verizon instructed to do so. I never dreamed I would lose these messages.

Blueiz

I'm not sure who marked my question "Solved" because it surely hasn't been.

jandrewsfne

Hi, I received a new iphone yesterday...I had voicemails on my old Droid Eris and I specifically asked the sales rep if my voicemails would be lost. I didn't think I was going to get the iphone..but the sales rep talked me into it so I did not research or read fine print prior to making the decision. I did specifically asked the sales rep because I had a VM with a similar story...the sales rep assured me that my VM's would still be there! I am deeply saddened that they are gone. My question to you is did you get a resolution and should I bother contacting verizon to retrieve my VM?

ibanez737

Blueiz wrote:
A representative from Verizon called me on Friday, Feb. 11 and said he would contact the company that works with them [Verizon] on voicemail recordings. Because the company closed at 4pm EST, he said he would talk with them on Monday and send me a txt message. He even sent a test txt message to my phone to be sure it [his txt message] would come thru. If I wanted to talk to him earlier than Monday, I could txt him. I did on Feb. 14 because I didn't hear ANYTHING from him. Today is Thursday, February 17. I have yet to hear anything more from this representative.

I have been a Verizon customer for several years. Upgraded my phone several times. Never have I lost saved voicemails. In fact, the representative stated to me that this phone, the iPhone 4, is the first phone Verizon has put out that causes customers VM's to be deleted when upgrading/activating it. Did I read the fine print? Did I get on the internet and search out information on the new iPhone 4? Did I read the information that came with the phone? No I didn't. Why? Past phone upgrading history indicated I didn't need to.

Verizon is quick to call or send their customers txt messages or voicemails regarding their account. Why when they knew the iPhone 4 would cause SAVED VM'S to be deleted with their customers couldn't they have sent their current customers, who bought the iPhone 4, a curtesy txt message about this "surprise" revelation? I had 3 saved messages on my phone. One from over 2 yrs old and the last one just a few short months ago. I saved my messages exactly how Verizon instructed to do so. I never dreamed I would lose these messages.

Sorry for the loss like most people have mentioned. It is unfortunate they didn't inform you of this. However, I don't see why anything would be sent via text message (which you say is an allowable disclosure) as nothing related to any new phone purchase has ever been sent via SMS. It is always sent with the new phone in the shipment. This has never changed. Not trying to pass blame to any party as I think it is equally due on both parts at this point.

As far as retrieving the message, it does seem like it probably is not possible to have it retrieved at this point. The only thing I can really think would be to have an NRB trouble ticket filed with tech support to have the voicemail recovered. I highly doubt this will work because even people before have had issues with accidentally deleting messages on accident while in the VM box and never being able to get them. Honestly, I think there is not going to be a solution to this problem, unless the above some how works out. Definitely not a good situation and people do make mistakes. Just another reason to be more informed whether its confirming information other ways or just reading the information when you get it with the new phone. It's definitely a horrible lesson, but again people make mistakes. We're all human. If the above works, please post back and hopefully it will work.

MacSam

I am truly sorry that you lost your voice messages from your dad. I just went thru the exact problem when switching to an Iphone4. I read your words about being heart broken and that is exactly what I told the sales rep who failed to inform me that I would lose my saved messages. I was heart broken. For all the people stating that somehow we should have found out this information ourselves, they are 100% wrong. I spoke to the store manager and he indicated that all sales people are trained to INFORM all customers, when switching to an Iphone from other phones, that they need to save there messages before the transfer. He told me they would have been able to do that for me right there in the store. Unfortunately for me, I did not have a sales person that folowed his training. I was told by the Verizon Technical staff, it was not my fault I lost the messages. I should have been protected from losing them by information the sales person neglected to pass on to me. Something he had been trained to do! I am still checking into this. I firmly believe that the messages will be available somehow, someway. I have switched from device to device and always had the voice messages still saved after the switch. This is strictly a KNOWN problem that Verizon was aware of and absolutely is responsible for. Verizon should have a warning before any IPhone 4 is activated to ask the customer about saved messages. I am going to continue to work on this and would appreciate hearing any updates from anyone on any resolution of the problem.

MacSam

I have switched devices atleast 7 times thru Verizon and my saved voice messages have always been transferred to the new device. The only exception was the IPhone4 and that was neglect on the part of the sales person. They are trained to inform the customer of the deletion when transferring to an Iphone 4.