Mobile phone shop bullshitter?

[stinkwheel]

My Mrs has had a mobile contract with vodafone for years. She only uses her phone for voice and text and struggles to use a touchscreen.

As such, like me, she uses a simple dumb phone. Currently a Nokia 105. In my oppinion, almost certainly the best thing for her. Long battery life, less chance of breakage, cheaper to replace when dropped down the toilet (twice in the last 12 months so far) and a good signal.

We've recently both noticed the incidence of dropped calls and loss of signal on dialling has increased. Coverage has definately deteriorated over the last 2 years but the showing a full signal then dropping it as soon as you try to make/receive a call is a new one. I also now regularly get a "call not allowed" message when I attempt to make a call with a full signal showing.

Now I think this is all to do with the roll-out of smart meters snarling up the mobile networks. The wife thinks it's her phone.

So she went to the vodafone shop to see what they would do about it. First he changed her SIM card (and lost all her contacts in the process). I'm not clear what this was supposed to achieve.

Then he told her it was because they were rolling out 4G in the area. Then he told her it was because her dumb phone only uses 2G and like nobody uses that any more innit? He went on to suggest that the only way she's likely to get a decent signal in future is if she gets a 3 or 4G compatible smartphone.

Just to confirm this is a load of finest, grade A bullshit in an attempt to upsell her a smartphone?

My understanding is that all normal voice calls by mobile phone are still made using the 2G network? 3G and 4G Are for data only and the only way you'd use it for voice calls is via VOIP?

It's also my understanding that most dumb phones will get better reception than a smart phone due to less power demand and more room for an antenna?

The entertaining bit is what'll happen when she goes back to see the guy. He'll be wishing he'd sold her one of those bumphones.


TL;DR Vodafone dude says crappy signal is because my wife is using a dumb phone. He says she should upgrade to a smartphone because she needs 3 or 4G coverage to make phone calls nowadays. I say this is upselling bullshit, voice calls all use 2G and it's inadequate network provision that's the problem.
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[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

You're right, 3G, 4G are just to do with the speed of data transfer for emails, internet etc.. Voice calls are on the GSM/2G network (assuming you're not using Whatsapp/Skype etc.)

Might be worth talking to the call centre rather than one of the monkeys with pointy shoes and silly hair in their shops.
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[recman]

Vodaphone.

[stinkwheel]

[bamt]

[CaNsA]

[stinkwheel]

[CaNsA]

The VF website shows this for Carlisle.

[temeluchus]

The masts do take a beating in the wind.

I used to work for orange and had to send out people to repoint antennas in the windier parts of the country quite frequently. Could also be an issue with the gsm kit on their end, lots of people primarily talk over 3g these days so a GSM issue might take a while to be noticed.

Give vodafone a bell and report the issue.

As for quality of signal, that varies phone by phone regardless of it being a feature phone or smartphone etc.
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Some shite cruiser. Now with guns and FREEDOM!

[stinkwheel]

[doggone]

I wonder if the TX chip does deteriorate over time as used to happen with CB radios.
I might try another brick phone, Nokia 3510s are widely available for peanuts and the low signal performance is excellent.
I don't think there's an actual conspiracy to make you upgrade but they have been turning some masts off as a result of things like orange and one2one merging.
Some places inevitably will suffer.