Solved

Not registered on Network

P
Rank
Userlevel 1

After return to UK from EU, phone says "Not registered on Network".

Says "Emergency calls only"

Doesn’t send or receive texts or calls.

Had been working fine before visiting EU and while there for 2 weeks.

I’ve tried; closing down and re-starting; enabling Flight mode and returning to normal; enabling mobile data and turning it off;  enabling data roaming and turning it off; scanning for available networks and then selecting “3 UK”.

Network signal strength is 2 or 3 bars.

Device is Samsung Galaxy Ace S3 GT-S7275R, running Android 4.2.2.

I am reasonably IT literate having taught it till 5 years ago.

Advice please.

icon

Best answer by andewhite 11 April 2023, 16:03

View original
This topic has been closed for comments

31 replies

Mohammed
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +10

Hey @Pwat,

We don’t provide compensation for loss of service as we are a residential network but can look into any good-will gestures for line rental billed during time without a service.

It doesn’t sound like the phone is disabled as it is working with a non-iD SIM but just not the iD SIM.

The iD SIM working fine in another phone is the odd part as this points to the device being faulty.

Have you been into your local Currys store to get this checked?

Mohammed

I hope I was able to help you with your question. If my answer resolved your issue, then please mark my answer as ‘Most Helpful’ using the button below the message with the answer.
andewhite
Rank
Userlevel 8
Badge +9

Well, you can contribute to the iD community without having an active iD account, so here I am. 

iD Mobile is great when everything’s working, but if something does go wrong you can be left feeling incredibly frustrated, and without a solution - except taking your custom elsewhere.

Good luck @Pwat.

 

P
Rank
Userlevel 1

> Andewhite - You’re so right.

But that poses the question, why are you still here on the community?

andewhite
Rank
Userlevel 8
Badge +9

Yeah, the iD live chat agents are not based in the UK, and they’re often handling multiple chats at the same time. I’d have given-up some time ago.

P
Rank
Userlevel 1

The Complaints procedure page led to another hour and a half of agonising “Chat” with someone who (like the previous “agent”) seemed to be incompetant.
Why are they SOOO slow?  Are they dealing with multiple problems simultaneously?  Are they translating from a foreign language.
I used to teach I.T. and customer service before retiring.  LIfe is too short to waste it with such hopeless customer service.  I must be stupic to have kept bothering with ID.
My other supplier’s SIM works OK in the Galaxy Ace S3 so thaat’s obviously the way to go.
I now just need compensation for loss of service since April 2nd - What will they offer?
+ cost of borring a phone + 4 hours of my personal time at say £20/hr, (I’m cheap in retirement!)
I’m about to phone an alternative supplier.
 

P
Rank
Userlevel 1

Hi Andewhite.
Thanks for your prompt reply again.  It does indeed look like almost the end of the line.

What a shame ID Mobile Co cannot give as good customer service as you do!  You could teach them a thing or two about how to keep customers and gain customer loyalty.

Particular points to note, which you might wish to pass on to ID:-

  1. Sudden un-notified withdrawal of service (by their un-announced abandonment of our model of phone).
  2. Tortuous access to any form of online help (unless you are accustomed to their system and website).
  3. Dismal level of understanding or assistance on the “Chat” system.
  4. Equally poor access to, and quality of help on vocal phone call.
  5. It is bad enough that ID seemingly has no solution, but if that’s how it is, I could have accepted it and moved promptly forward.  I just would have liked simple swift understanding of the problem, and an immediate offer of compensation

    Thanks again.
  • I’ll follow up your suggestion about the complaint procedure.
  • I’ll follow up alternative suppliers.

ATB
PW

andewhite
Rank
Userlevel 8
Badge +9

It appears you’ve exhausted the possible solutions.

IMO your only remaining option is to make a complaint, and request compensation for your loss of service. The procedure is online at https://www.idmobile.co.uk/help-and-advice/complaints-procedure.

Good luck @Pwat. 

 

P
Rank
Userlevel 1

Hello everybody who has helped.

AFAIK the phone has the latest available updates, but obviously I will re-check this before “burning my boats”.
I am reluctant to root the phone because in all other respects it is working fine.
The new SIM is working fine in an alternative phone.
The phone is working OK with an alternative SIM.

It has been without ID service since 3rd April.  It has taken 3 weeks to determine the situation and possible solutions.
The deduction is that ID Mobile has in effect disabled the phone without warning. 
I’ve tried to discuss this vocally but English was clearly not the assistant’s first language, and she said I must use the online “Chat”.
My recent experience with the ID online chat was no better - I.e. the assistant was not only very slow, but they also clearly do not normally speak English.
The ID mobile company does itself no good by operating in this cheap way.
Life is too short to spend many more hours trying to work with ID Mobile.
ULTIMATUM - Unless a straightforward solution is available with ID Mobile, I will seek an alternative supplier with better customer service rating.
Please advise who to contact in ID to obtain compensation for the loss of three weeks service.

andewhite
Rank
Userlevel 8
Badge +9

To Andewhite

Fitted the new ID SIM in another (also Samsung) phone.  It received a load of texts including two from ID in connection with Activating the SIM.
I was able to make an outgoing phone call.
I therefore deduce the new ID SIMis OK.

Fitted a Plusnet SIM, working OK in another device, into the Galaxy Ace S3.  “Not registered on Network”.
What does this tell us?

Returned the Plusnet SIM to the other device - It is OK.  (phew!)
Tried the ID SIM in the Galaxy Ace S3.  Still no luck.

What next please?

Look like unless you update the operating system running on your Samsung Galaxy Ace S3, it would appear to be incompatible with the current EE and Three UK mobile networks.

If you want to keep using the device, I’d suggest trying a PAYG SIM card from giffgaff (who partner with O2). O2 are keeping their 2G mobile network operational, even after decommissioning of their 3G network.

FYI, all the UK mobile network operators are planning to decommission their 3G mobile networks within the next couple of years.

Good luck @Pwat 

Kash
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +7

Hi @Pwat,

Have you checked that the handset has the most updated software installed?

It’s strange that it hasn’t worked after a SIM swap which may mean that the SIM isn’t the issue.

Does the iD Mobile network show up in your manual network search?

 

Kash

I hope I was able to help you with your question. If my answer resolved your issue, then please mark my answer as ‘Most Helpful’ using the button below the message with the answer.
P
Rank
Userlevel 1

To Andewhite

Fitted the new ID SIM in another (also Samsung) phone.  It received a load of texts including two from ID in connection with Activating the SIM.
I was able to make an outgoing phone call.
I therefore deduce the new ID SIMis OK.

Fitted a Plusnet SIM, working OK in another device, into the Galaxy Ace S3.  “Not registered on Network”.
What does this tell us?

Returned the Plusnet SIM to the other device - It is OK.  (phew!)
Tried the ID SIM in the Galaxy Ace S3.  Still no luck.

What next please?

andewhite
Rank
Userlevel 8
Badge +9

I suspect the iD SIM card setup was disturbed by the EU roaming - when you returned to the UK a ‘new’ setup was linked to the iD SIM card (in your Galaxy Ace) after your device initially reconnected to its home network.

Unfortunately this ‘new’ setup seems to be incompatible with the Galaxy Ace handset - the wonders of tech obsolescence. 

 

 

P
Rank
Userlevel 1

Andewhite - Thank you for your input.
Taking on-board your comment “Samsung Galaxy Ace S3 is no longer an iD Mobile approved handset”, why would it have been functioning OK until a fortnight ago?  It was working OK while we were in Europe for a few days a fortnight ago.  When we returned to UK on 3rd April it would not connect to the network. 
The failure seems to have occurred in the transition from EU to UK.
Would ID have recently disabled use of the “Samsung Galaxy Ace S3?

andewhite
Rank
Userlevel 8
Badge +9

The main issue I see is your Samsung Galaxy Ace S3 is no longer an iD Mobile approved handset @Pwat. 

The list is online at https://www.idmobile.co.uk/help-and-advice/approved-handsets.

Android version 4 is very old now.
Is there an Android update for this device?

Another option might be root the handset, and install a free Open-source Android distribution, which is likely to be closer to Google’s newest release (v13).

Good luck.

P
Rank
Userlevel 1

I’ll try it.
Meanwhile, mmaybe hyou could say whether “Connect Automatically” should have worked?

andewhite
Rank
Userlevel 8
Badge +9

You won’t be able to automatically or manually connect to the 3UK mobile network @Pwat.
iD Mobile is a different mobile network, even though it uses the same physical infrastructure as the Three UK mobile network.

Does your replacement iD SIM card work in another handset with iD Mobile network?

 

P
Rank
Userlevel 1

Still misbehaving
Received the new SIM.  Activated it.  Switched the phone on.  Waited a couple of hours.  No sign of a connection.
Switched the phone off.  Waited 10 seconds.  Switched the phone on.

Searched networks.  Found 3UK, O2-UK, Vodafone UK, EE.  Signal strength is 1 bar.
Tried “Select automatically”.  The wheel goes around forever.
Tried 3 UK.  After a long wait it says, "Not registered on Network",  or “No Service”.

Suggestions please!

Mohammed
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +10

Hey @Pwat really pleased to see @andewhite  has been able to help so far, he is a credit to the Community and one of the Super Users!

If you need help activating the SIM do let us know.

Hoping that the replacement SIM fixes this.

Mohammed

 

I hope I was able to help you with your question. If my answer resolved your issue, then please mark my answer as ‘Most Helpful’ using the button below the message with the answer.
P
Rank
Userlevel 1

Thanks for that.  You really are on-the-ball.  ATB PW

andewhite
Rank
Userlevel 8
Badge +9

Thank you @Pwat.
FYI, replacement iD SIM cards are not active, so you’ll have one remaining hurdle - to activate your replacement SIM card.

 

P
Rank
Userlevel 1

> andewhite.  Thank you for your help.  It is difficult to identify exactly which bit/s of infoermation helped most.

It took an age to get help on the “Chat” system, and the individual reponding took a long time replying to each of my inputs.

The outcome is that a replacemnt SIM will (we hope) be sent, the installation of which (we hope) will resolve the problem.

-----------------------

Having worked, and then lectured in Customer service, I feel obliged to mention:-

  1. The conflict between being logged into the “community” (forum) and accessing the rest of the website is a hassle I’d not encountered elsewhere, and it is not user-friendly.
  2. Trying to find the ID mobile coverage checker led me to a page with two buttons but neither would take me any further.
  3. The relative inaccessibily of telephone or other help does not encourage one to recommend the service to potential new customers.
  4. Despite the above observations, I am moved to thank you “andewhite” for your very swift and helpful input which will mean that I will stay with ID at least for the foreseable future.  Kind regards.  PW
andewhite
Rank
Userlevel 8
Badge +9

You can get a replacement from any Currys store, although you might need to insist because not all Currys staff know iD Mobile customers can pick-up a free replacement SIM card in-store.

Anyway, the following online article has the details:

🍀 

P
Rank
Userlevel 1

Maybe I have found the problem.

On removing, cleaning and re-inserting the SIM, I get the message “No SIM”.

Tried again.  Message says “No network Connection, try again”.

Does this imply the SIM has failed?

If so, how do I get a replacement SIM?

P
Rank
Userlevel 1

OMG.  What a pain.  I’ll try again.  Thanks.  “OUT”.

andewhite
Rank
Userlevel 8
Badge +9

Make sure you are NOT LOGGED-IN to the iD Community when you visit pages on the main iD Mobile website @Pwat.

The browser cookies used by the iD Community site cause this problem when you try and access pages on the main iD website, while signed-in to your iD Community account.

Terms & Conditions