Extended digital coverage area, new phone, horrible service

[JMP451]

I live in an extended digital coverage area, and I got a new iPhone 5s last month. Before that, I didn't have great service, calls were patchy depending on what part of the house I was in, but I never had a problem sending/receiving texts. Well, now I can almost never send or receive texts, and I definitely can't make calls, even when it's showing that I have 2 or 3 bars of service. It's getting annoying, because I'm almost always home, and trying to start a home-based business, and not being able to use my phone is going to be a problem. What's weird about it is that it only seems to really have been this way since I got my new phone. If anyone has any suggestions or any ideas why this might be happening, I would greatly appreciate the input.

[vzw_customer_support]

JMP451, we don't want this to be an ongoing problem. Are you connected to Wi-Fi when you have this issue with sending and recieving text messages? Are you unable to send and receive text messages to certain phone numbers or all numbers?

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[JMP451]

I am connected to WiFi at home constantly, so I can use the internet on my phone, and I'm not concerned about accessing data. But yes, I am connected to WiFi when I have issues sending and receiving text messages, and it's an issue with all numbers. I already tried changing my messaging system to SMS only, and it didn't help, either.

[vzw_customer_support]

JMP451, thanks for those clues. We have another step that will help. Is data enabled on in Settings when you have this issue? Make sure that data is enabled on and try to send a test text message. Please keep us posted.

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[JMP451]

Yes, data is always enabled. My whole family has iphones, and they almost always have service, but mine doesn't. The only differentiating factor is they had theirs shipped from Verizon, and I bought mine at a corporate location. Is it possible that my phone might be defective?

[JMP451]

Yes, data is always enabled. My whole family has iphones, and they almost always have service, but mine doesn't. The only differentiating factor is that they had theirs shipped from Verizon, but I bought mine at a corporate location. This isn't the first time I've had this kind of issue when buying a phone at a Verizon store. I bought a Samsung a few years ago and couldn't get any service when at home, and even had the phone replaced at the store, and it still didn't work. When I upgraded, I bought my new phone at Radio Shack, and it worked fine at home. Now that I bought one at a Verizon store again, I'm having the same issue. If I can't call or text with my phone from home, there is really no point in paying $80 a month for it, I could just hook up my ipod touch to WiFi and use it to access the internet. However, I really need phone service at home, so it's very important that I get this resolved.

[rcschnoor]

For the time being, you could always install Verizon Messages on your device. That way you would be able to send/receive calls on your device thru your wifi. If your phone does not have cellular access yet Verizon Messages is connected to wifi calls to your number would be automatically received thru that app. You would also be able to initiate a call from within that app.

[vzw_customer_support]

JMP451, I would be just as concerned with service issues involving my phone too.  I highly recommend that you reach out to us at 800-922-0204, so that we can help review your phone and SIM card, and uncover the root cause of this phone experience.
One thing that can be tested is if you all have iPhones, you can try swapping SIM cards to help see if the cause may be your phone, or the SIM card. Especially if your family members have iPhones and don’t experience the same issues at home.

NicandroN_VZW
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If my response answered your question please click the "Correct Answer" button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[JMP451 · Accepted solution]

I called Verizon customer service and was issued a new SIM card and phone. I tried the new SIM card in the old phone, then I tried the old SIM card in the new phone, then I tried the new SIM card in the new phone. None of that made any difference, so I called customer service again and they made a network report of some kind for me. After I got off the phone, my brother came home who has an iphone 5c. As a last ditch effort, I asked if I could borrow his SIM card and put it in my phone. As soon as I tried his SIM card, it was like magic. I IMMEDIATELY was able to make calls with absolutely no problem. I'm not sure why the new SIM card didn't work, but somehow if I can get a SIM card that will work, I don't think I should have any problems. I just don't understand why the new one I was sent wouldn't have helped.

[kaebfly]

Perhaps putting the new SIM card in your old phone corrupted it? Or did you put your brothers sim in your old phone also? Try contacting Verizon again to see about getting another SIM card. Also curious if your brother has Verizon also or if he has another carrier.