By klynn267 - 09/05/2012 11:03 - United States - Portland

Today, I switched cell phone service providers, hoping to upgrade. After working out the details and picking a phone in the store, I got home to find my brand new cell can't get a signal in my house. I already signed the two year contract. FML
I agree, your life sucks 24 499
You deserved it 6 092

Same thing different taste

Top comments

There's a 30 day trial period. You deserved this for not reading your contract! Return the phone and switch providers

pm_sky 0

call your service provider and ask them how to update your phone so you can hit more towers and get a stronger signal.

Comments

You deserved it for not checking via the internet or so, before signing the contract

omnomnicon 9

Uh, the contract wouldn't say if they would get signal in their house... Maybe they just live in an area with bad reception with that carrier

Check the internet, ask buddies with the same carrier, whatever. Not check the contract. Geez

8-Signal availability varies on location aswell, not just whether or not you're indoors. Because of this, I doubt anything his friends or the interwebs have to say would be relevant. Geez.

8-Signal availability varies on location aswell, not just whether or not you're indoors. Because of this, I doubt anything his friends or the interwebs have to say would be relevant. Geez.

Because a friend couldn't come over to check, right?

omnomnicon 9

Why? Because when you get a phone you expect it to work so why would you search for or ask friends to check signal strength?

^That isn't what you said. You said 'ask buddies with the same carrier'. Also, what the **** is testing a friend's phone in the same house going to accomplish? If the carrier is the problem as you stated, he would check his signal in other locations to be sure.

There's no real way you can check, I have the same problem. My phone gets a little reception outside and maybe one bar inside and by windows. It's pretty much trial and error.

This has nothing to do with our generation.

phantumgrey 6

You can return the phone for any reason up to 30 days of purchase. Stop bitching on FML and return it

Furthermore, who exactly is "this generation"? It's not as though everyone on here was born in the same decade.

Shadowvoid 33

What about this generation? It is our fault that we are raised like this by the previous generation. We bitch about no service on things we dont even understand. This generation hasn't created anything yet because we are not successful yet. We only go with what we were provided with which was created by generations before. I am happy to say i am nothing like the stereotype. I hate technology and how addicted people are to it. I can't go an hour without my girlfriend checking facebook and then putting her phone back after reading stupid shit and saying that girl is a hoe, butch, lesbian, gossip. I hate it.

Have you heard of BUYERS REMORSE? You have about 30 days to return and say you regret the decision. They are legally required to cancel the contract. Might just need a different phone though.

All phone service providers will allow you to cancel a contract if you don't get service in your area if you act immediately. Unless you've damaged the phone or something...whats the issue? Find one that works. You should have bought a prepaid card first to see if you wanted some sort of guarantee that it would work before signing a contract. Essentially you agreed to pay them every month for two years with no idea of the service you're paying for.

imavelociraptor 6

If i'm not mistaken she would have to BUY the phone and take it home (which would require her signing a contract) before being able to know if she got good service. How can you check that ahead of time???

Because the service provided to prepaid customers is the same as on contract. She has a phone, hence wanting to upgrade. Put the Sim in the old phone and check whether you have reception, problem solved.

OP, ask for a booster. It's like a mini-cell tower you can plug into your computer so you have full service. I think they're a bit expensive but if you have full cell coverage, it might eliminate the need for a house phone.

36- #1 was suggesting OP possibly could have checked online to see if the carrier had coverage in OP's area. Some carriers allow you to check online by entering your address. #1 was also suggesting if OP did not have this option, buddies with the same carrier could have went to OP's house to see if they had signal, BEFORE OP signed a new contract. Cheers.

U usually have a 30 day return policy they will just charge u a restocking fee

pm_sky 0

call your service provider and ask them how to update your phone so you can hit more towers and get a stronger signal.

^ Actually it is. I had the same problem with my old phone. I called my service provider and they tell you what to do ( call a certain number or something) and you will get a better signal. At least it worked for me. * Rainbow flies overhead* The More You Know!

thenomad 7

Every provider has a 30 day period for you to return or exchange devices. They understand issues with cell phone reception and they'll even let you switch to a different phone if the one you chose doesn't work out for you. Also, if you tell them you will leave their service due to no reception at the house, they may offer a free booster. It is like a wireless router. You connect it to the computer and the internet and instant reception.

pm_sky 0

#5, please explain to us how a cellphone works then.

#13 its not. The phone will automagically pick the cell tower with the strongest signal. Updating your phone does NOT update the cell tower. My reference: I was one of the open noko developers working on the GSM part of the phone

AutoMagically? So that's how they work..

^ 13 never said anything about 'updating a cell tower', they just said it would improve the signal. He's right, too. It worked for me aswell. Reading works wonders, doesn't it?

pm_sky 0

#5, you update your phone to pick up a better signal not the tower, my reference....I am an IT specialist for DPS.

The GSM standard has about 120 800 pages books explaining every aspect of the spoken protocol. I have neither the time nor the space to do this here on my phone, so yes, ist automagically (if you are interested in an general overview, read about electro magnetism)

#33 There certainly are software defined radios out there, and I'm sure that you can find them in phones too (after all some GSM frequencies are near the GPS frequencies so it would make sense to make a chip that can speak both standards, afaik there is one from qualcom available, not sure though). Anyway, if the phone can't RECEIVE a good signal, the problem doesn't lie in the chip but the chip is too much shielded off of the signal. Software CAN'T solve this problem, a baseband update could fix a bad modulation of the signal and thus improve the overall quality of the received and demodulated signal, but than OP would write that reception sucks everywhere, not only at their home.

KairoFallin 0

You know you have a 30 day period you can return your phone and the contracts void right? This is for all big providers such as Verizon and AT&T. All others have it too. Go return it ASAP hopefully OP reads this within that 30 day period!

There's a 30 day trial period. You deserved this for not reading your contract! Return the phone and switch providers

rachie2455 4

The contract isn't going to say that the phone wont get signal in his house. Your comment is just stupid.

rachie2455 4

Ya thats true but that wasnt the problem really

OP's life isn't ******, it's probably just a faulty phone, which should be replaceable under the trial period. Worst case scenario, OP can sell the contract to somebody else (which may or may not be illegal).

yaya1213 6

"We need you now Agent Nick Fury."

Trisha_aus 15

Don't need nick..need the hulk to smash that phone into pieces

sparklecherry 4

That's one of the few reasons allowed to break your contract.

Well have you tried ON top of the house yet??

No need to get on top of the house. OP should just go lion king on it and raise it to the sky. *sings lion king opening*

You can definitely cancel your contract at any time if you don't receive adequate signal at home or work. This is not so much an FML, as it is a DIM (damn, I'm stupid).

LunaDragon 10

You got T-Mobile didn't you? -.-

Orange for our house. It's a black spot. Cross the road and you get a weak signal though. Seriously, though, you can check in-store wether you get signal or not, and it's good to your postcode (so it wouldn't show the Orange blackspot, but it will show that Orange is poor around our house.)

Torva_fml 16

What the **** are you getting on about?

#29 was talking about a phone carrier in the uk. It's called orange.

bamagrl410 31

I would've said AT&T. I have T-Mobile & get signal just fine in my house, but it seems all my friends with AT&T never have service at my house.

133, Even without knowing of Orange it doesn't take a genius to figure out what is being said. The poor grammar doesn't help but it is still very easy to comprehend. Something tells me from the number of thumbs up and down on the respective comments there are a lot of people down voting because they don't understand what's going on. What a bunch of idiots.

tony1891 22

damn. should have went with Verizon. maybe in 2 years you can switch. =D