Incoming calls going straight to voicemail

[Sundaze]

Hi All,

I've been with O2 with the same phone number for 25 years (PAYG). 

Last September I signed up for a £10 pm 18m sim only deal, and keeping my number, as I was happy with my relatively new Huawei P Smart handset.

About a month ago an incoming call went straight to voicemail. The handset was Infront of me, so I was perplexed, but thought no more of it. 

Subsequently, 9 out of 10 calls are now doing this too.

I have tried the following, to no avail:

Rebooting the phone, turned Bluetooth off, checked do not disturb, checked call forwarding/call barring, tried to turn off voicemail itself-however it says to contact the service provider. I've done so 3 times, and they say they have/will, but haven't. The sim has been tried in another handset and another Sim tried in mine, with exactly the same outcome. Dropping to 3g didn't help either.

I've been in discussions with Customer Complaints....3 weeks on and 4 sim card changes, nothing has changed. I've also had my line disconnected for an hour.

I have now twice given to Gurus, who have called me (on my partners phone!) a list of of dates, times and phone numbers of the call/callers involved, via a text to 21336. I haven't had any feed back from that either..

Any ideas what the problem is?

Any advice welcomed, thanks.

[Anonymous]

@Sundaze Hi, If voicemail is off (You can call 1760 to turn off, you say you have done this) Then there is no way calls should go to voicemail. That's the problem in a nutshell, forget phone, SIM, other settings. Makes no sense at all that your calls still go to voicemail, even if you get no phone signal and somebody calls you then if voicemail is off, it's off. 

[Sundaze]

Hi @gmarkj

No, I haven't tried that, I'll give it a go, anything is worth a try!
Thanks.

[Sundaze]

Hi @Anonymous

That's part (or all) of the problem I think...

When I ring 1760, it says "unable to switch off voicemail, please contact your service provider". (My handset is a Hauwei P Smart)

So, various online chats, 3 visits into O2 shops, and now with customer complaints, no one has been able to turn off my wretched voicemail...

[Anonymous]

@Sundaze So voicemail is on then, that is not down to the phone that is O2. When you phone 1760 you are telling the O2 system to turn off voicmail - It has nothing to do with the phone.

You need to contact O2 and tell them that you can not turn off voicemail. It's not the phone.

[Sundaze]

Hi @Anonymous

Thanks again.

I'm thinking the same as you.
I have no idea what the numerous people that I have spoken with, emailed or had online chats with are doing, but certainly not, even though I clearly tell them, turning off my voicemail, ggrr.

Weird thing is that it's intermittent, some times calls come through absolutely fine, other times straight to voicemail... so frustrating.

Thanks again, I've been told I'll be contacted by a Guru...I so hope she can get to the bottom of this once and for all.

[Sundaze]

Me again @Anonymous

Is there actually hardware anywhere that potentially could have a faulty component? (Similar to say a telephone exchange when talking about landlines).
So it would be an engineering not a data problem?

[Anonymous]

@Sundaze  Hi, I woudn't think so a hardware problem would cause widespread problems, your specific problem sounds like some kind of software bug to me.

Anyway, hope you get it sorted out with O2.

[Sundaze]

@Anonymous

Ah, Ok thanks, I'm just clutching at straws.

I do hope it can be resolved, as the thought of updating potentially 25 years worth of people and places of a new number, and/or being given a recycled number that might have its own issues is causing me stress!

Thanks again for your patience and help 👍

[Sundaze]

Fingers crossed my issue is now resolved...

My line was disconnected for 4 hours last week and then reconnected, and touch wood, since then, every incoming call is coming through to my phone.

Here's hoping it's a permanent fix.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions I've been given.