Emergency calls only with full bars.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone help. I got the Samsung S4 at the end of July on a refresh and all seemed well. Good phone has everything you'd ever want and then some. My problem started about 1 week after I got the phone, the signal bar was full and i had "emergency calls only". Thought it a bit strange so restarted it and it seemed fine. Then it happened the next week so I done the same. Now it gets interesting, it got the 30th August and it happened again so I restarted it and it was the same. I took the battery and sim out and blew it out and put it back together again. Still the same! I left it and took screen grabs for about 2-3 hours, just for proof.

Went into the local 02 shop and got a new sim card and I had gotten less then 100 yards up the street when it done it again. Went back and they said that it would have to be repaired. In a strop I walked off, thinking to myself a pone that's 1 month old shouldn't have these problems.

I got home and it all started again, from 1 bar to full bars with "emergency calls only" on the lock screen and on the pull down screen where it should be 02. I was fuming. I took screen grabs all night and the Sunday and went into another local 02 shop. The guy said that it would have to be sent off for repair, so begrudgingly I agreed .

I got the phone back yesterday, after the repair centre said that there wasn't anything they could find. Was on the chat to the to the Guru's last night for about an hour trying to fix it to no avail. Went back to the shop today and the manager, 02 at the metrocentre, was great. He replaced my handset no problem. I got it home and was in 2 minds to keep it or sell it. Thought I'd keep it as it's a good phone. Turn it on and you guessed it "emergency calls only" full bar signal.

What I want to know is can the phone pick up another carriers signal and try to connect to it if there is no service where I live? Thus giving me full bars but with the dredded message. And if so what can 02 do? Please help someone

[Anonymous]

Steve your very welcome.

Perhaps update your thread with the outcome from your store visit ?

Sounds like your losing confidence fast in the phone itself which is a shame because its an awesome piece of kit.

You could ask to be supplied an alternative make and model of phone, although thats down to the shop manager and how he/she wants to stick to the small print.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Hi so I went into the 02 shop again today and got to see the woman that gave me the exchange phone yesterday. She looked at the pictures rhen looked at the computer and was saying well you get great 2g service in your area! I was like do I? she said the computer says you do. I told her that the manager, on the previous phone, had turned it onto 2g the previous day and that I still couldn't get signal not just in my house and garden but at the school.

So she went off to talk to the manager and said that they'd cancel the refresh deal that I'd done and I would be going back to the previous contract that I had with them. So I no longer have the phone or the contract that I was on and they refunded me the refresh money that I'd payed when I got the contract.

It's a shame because I did like the phone and I would recomend the Samsung Galaxy S4 to anyone, but it takes just one bad experience to put people off. I have put my sim card into my wifes old Iphone 3gs and I have much better signal with it then the S4. I think I'll see out the remainder of my old contract now and see what the new Iphone is like.

Regards

Steve

[Anonymous]

Hi Steve and thank you for the update.

I would have retorted that the service status is an indication, and not 100% accurate !

Its a shame you have felt the need to return the phone as it is indeed a nice piece of kit, but at least your not out of pocket from the experience either.

Now you can get back to actually enjoying the service !

Lots of eyes are on the new two iphone releases awaiting un boxing and user reviews to see what they are like in the real world.