SOUTH U.S. -- Unhappy Former Alltel User & Now On Verizon

[jackeg]

Is anyone else having these issues? I live in the Wilmington NC area, use a Treo650 and since the Verizon takeover, I have all kinds of issues I never had with Alltel.
I get an echo (even with a headset) on many of my calls inbound or outbound.
I dial a number and it looks like the call is going to start ringing the number, but doesn't, then goes back to dial pad screen.
My phone started showing roaming all the time & now 99% of the time have to 10 digit dial.
I have dropped calls more in the last 3 months than I have lost in the past 8 years.
I don't have near the coverage in my local area, as my phone chimes to tell me when I lose service coverage & it does this a lot. It never used to do this with Alltel.
I have been to a Verizon store many times,called national support & currently have an open support ticket, the store tech's have reset it, they & I have done the *228 thing lots, I have updated my Palm OS & numerous other things.

Anyone else with issues since the switch?

Verizon staff (phone & store) are very nice, but I would rather have better service.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I can't answer all of your questions, but I'll help where I can.

Your phone shows "roaming" because your phone cannot find a native Alltel signal anymore (Presumably because the towers in your area may have been converted to Verizon). Because your Alltel phone can no longer find its home network, it is activating the roaming icon.

10 digit dialing is the standard for "roaming" phones, even if you're in your home area. 7 digit dialing only works on your home network. Since your "home" network is being converted to Verizon you may have to get a Verizon phone to restore 7 digit dialing, if Verizon supports 7 digit dialing in your area. I know on my phone (AT&T/Cingular) even though landlines in my home area allow 7 digit dialing, my cell phone has required me to 7 digit dial for many years. Even when I could 7 digit dial, it only worked locally in the Fredericksburg, Va area. About 25 miles out in any direction, and it required me to 10 digit dial.

[jackeg]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

I can't answer all of your questions, but I'll help where I can.

Your phone shows "roaming" because your phone cannot find a native Alltel signal anymore (Presumably because the towers in your area may have been converted to Verizon). Because your Alltel phone can no longer find its home network, it is activating the roaming icon.

10 digit dialing is the standard for "roaming" phones, even if you're in your home area. 7 digit dialing only works on your home network. Since your "home" network is being converted to Verizon you may have to get a Verizon phone to restore 7 digit dialing, if Verizon supports 7 digit dialing in your area. I know on my phone (AT&T/Cingular) even though landlines in my home area allow 7 digit dialing, my cell phone has required me to 7 digit dial for many years. Even when I could 7 digit dial, it only worked locally in the Fredericksburg, Va area. About 25 miles out in any direction, and it required me to 10 digit dial.

My assistant has the exact same service, phone, sits a few feet away & she doesn't show roaming any more. She had that issue for a couple of weeks, but it went away.

[Jay2TheRescue]

They may have sent an update to her phone. If I remember correctly you can force an update on Verizon by dialing *228 , and at the end of the call, reboot the phone.

[crood]

Yeah, you'll probably have to update the PRL. Dial *228 and select option 2.

[jackeg]

Originally Posted by crood

Yeah, you'll probably have to update the PRL. Dial *228 and select option 2.

I & the Verizon store people have done this 10+ times.

[Andy]

jackeg,

Call Verizon Tech Support and have them force a hybrid PRL to your phone. What happened is that you now have a Verizon PRL on your phone that prefers the VZW network over the more mature ALLTEL network, hence your network issues. Until networks are integrated, VZW is offering hybrid PRL's that prefer the ALLTEL network over the VZW network in areas such as yours.

After you have a hybrid PRL forced to your phone, DO NOT dial *228, otherwise you'll be back to a regular PRL.

[jackeg]

Originally Posted by Andy

jackeg,

Call Verizon Tech Support and have them force a hybrid PRL to your phone. What happened is that you now have a Verizon PRL on your phone that prefers the VZW network over the more mature ALLTEL network, hence your network issues. Until networks are integrated, VZW is offering hybrid PRL's that prefer the ALLTEL network over the VZW network in areas such as yours.

After you have a hybrid PRL forced to your phone, DO NOT dial *228, otherwise you'll be back to a regular PRL.

I have been to the store three times & they have done this three times. I was told on the phone by Tech Support to do the *228 on a couple differnt occasions. I was told on the phone they were going to do a hybrid push a couple of times.

The echo is so bad sometimes, it overlays the person I am trying to speak with. I wish someone that really knows something can help me.

[bikebryan]

Originally Posted by Andy

jackeg,

Call Verizon Tech Support and have them force a hybrid PRL to your phone. What happened is that you now have a Verizon PRL on your phone that prefers the VZW network over the more mature ALLTEL network, hence your network issues. Until networks are integrated, VZW is offering hybrid PRL's that prefer the ALLTEL network over the VZW network in areas such as yours.

After you have a hybrid PRL forced to your phone, DO NOT dial *228, otherwise you'll be back to a regular PRL.

Hybrid PRLs aren't really an answer. Yes, they can be done, but truthfully they were designed to be pushed to VZW phones and NOT Alltel phones. Will they work? Maybe, but more often than not they do not as they were not meant for that purpose.