"Sorry, the person you are trying to reach is not currently able to accept calls"...

[andrew lancaster]

This message occurs very often when trying to ring the new iPhone - my sister had been trying to ring me yesterday to see what time I would be arriving and she'd got this a few times.

When we got to her house and she told me this I tried to ring the iPhone from my other phone and it rang. A bit later, we were getting the same message (I was ringing the phone to see if the assigned tones were working - they were not).

Back at home today, I tried to ring my iPhone to see what ring tone it was - and got this message again. The phone doesn't ring - but I can phone out from it so it is not the signal I don't think.

Any ideas as to what is happening?

Thanks,

Andrew

[Toby Leighton]

My friend has an iphone 3GS and was having the same issue, but really really badly.  basically no one could call him and he could hardly ever ring out.  He has now had his phone exchanged, but it seems to still be quite bad.  I suspect o2 somehow, I'm on 3 and have never had such problems.  

Also I have a non-S iphone 3g, and at the moment its not jailbroken or anything, but is on software 4.0.something, not the latest.  His was on the latest, and I don't think has any jailbreak/unlocking type business going on.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sussex Mac User Group" group.
To post to this group, send an email to sm...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to smug+uns...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/smug?hl=en-GB.

[Adam Field]

I'd be willing to bet that the phone in question is using a GPRS/EDGE connection when you're ringing. 

This uses the same 'pipe' as voice calls so sends them to voicemail. 

This message was sent from my iPhone so please excuse any punctuation or spelling mistakes. 

[andrew lancaster]

I took it back tho the shop I got it from (3) and told them the problem.

I suggested the guy at the shop rang it so he could hear for himself the message. As soon as he saw the phone number, he said the number was the problem. He said it is a brand new prefix (0740) which was new enough to not be fully on the system and it would be a resolved issue once I have my pac code and get my old number back.

Does this sound right??

Thanks,

Andrew

[Jason Davies]

Try a different SIM?

From my iPhone 

[andrew lancaster]

My pac code arrived today so I had to ring 3 to activate it.

I realised there was a problem when I had to tap in the number of the new simcard and the voice on the phone said "if you want to talk about your pay as you go number press 1, for anything else press 2".

It is actually a contract, so if they had it registered as pay as you go it would be registering as having zero credit. Which explains why no one could ring the phone but got the message above!

So, that has been sorted out now and the phone is working fine on the new number until the old one is reinstated - which may be Friday. How does it take so long??!!

Andrew

[Ranulph Glanville]

I took my unibody in for a new screen to a highly reputable Apple repairer a week ago. Since when Apple have sent 2 dud screens, and 2 mlb's that have blown.

The result is that the machine will not be repaired by the time I leave on a trip, Friday morning.

This is the sort of behaviour that makes an earlier behomoth look as though it actually cared about quality.

I've moaned before about the quality of Apple products. I claim that scarcely a computer I've bought from them has not gone wrong in guarantee time. I bought this one on 10 March 2010 and it has lost its screen and then had dud parts from Apple.

Is this what we should expect now from the world's largest tech company?

Ranulph

[Nicklas Mikkelinen]

Hey Ranulph,

I'm sorry for how you feel - but really it could happen, 4 doa parts are not really Apples fault it's just a very unfortunate situation - instead of being angry about it, think about what can be done to fix your issue, have you called apple and told them how you feel and how the situation is?

Best Regards,
Nicklas

[Jason Davies]

andrew lancaster wrote:
> I realised there was a problem when I had to tap in the number of the
> new simcard and the voice on the phone said "if you want to talk about
> your pay as you go number press 1, for anything else press 2".
>
> It is actually a contract, so if they had it registered as pay as you
> go it would be registering as having zero credit. Which explains why
> no one could ring the phone but got the message above!
>
> So, that has been sorted out now and the phone is working fine on the
> new number until the old one is reinstated - which may be Friday. How
> does it take so long??!!

does tis make sense? it doesn't cost you anything on PAYG if you receive
calls, surely?

[Jason Davies]

Ranulph Glanville wrote:
> I've moaned before about the quality of Apple products. I claim that scarcely a computer I've bought from them has not gone wrong in guarantee time. I bought this one on 10 March 2010 and it has lost its screen and then had dud parts from Apple.
>

It does sound unlucky. I've only ever had a minor fault develop on a Mac
within guarantee (ethernet stopped working). I've had 7 laptops of my
own, one at work (which has always been slightly hinky and stutters on
audio, admittedly, from arrival) and 7 desktops, one of which developed
a screen fault after 5 years.

I don't have an empire of macs, but I'm counting ones that my teenage
son has had via me, and ones at work too.

[andrew lancaster]

Actually it makes no sense as I was able to call out and not receive calls- but nevertheless, once it had been changed over it seems to be working. I am just waiting now to get my original number back... Friday most likely.

[Ranulph Glanville]

My reason for reporting is not so much to vent my anger (which, after years of this sort of thing, is much reduced by attrition and age), as to raise this matter. How is it that I have so many problems, and apparently others do not? Or are others less pissed-off when they are left without their office, workshop, whatever for a long time.

I'm afraid my experience of Apple is that the performance I reported is NORMAL. I am not sure how many macs I've owned, but at least 20, perhaps 30. Almost every one has gone wrong during guarantee period. The last one had a similar problem with dud components (and the same components, as it happens). Most have gone wrong several times, and sometimes during repair (as in this case). I've had 2 or 3 total replacements, and one complimentary machine, the performance has been so bad at the level of construction. God only knows what other machines are like.

The really clever idea would be that parts actually work when they are sent out. A secondary improvement would be to speed up availability (get rid of just-in-time, for instance).

In my experience this lack of quality is a persistent problem. If Big Brother Apple is out there (reading messages about them on M|UGs etc, which would be a clever idea), perhaps they would like to do something, such as get it right.

On the other hand, maybe I'm somehow electrically dangerous, generating strange currents, and should be plugged into the national grid as a source.

I have not thought of phoning Apple. Another hour of wasted time.

Ranulph

[Tony Crooks]

On 11 Nov 2010, at 06:45, Ranulph Glanville wrote:

> How is it that I have so many problems, and apparently others do not? Or are others less pissed-off when they are left without their office, workshop, whatever for a long time.

Over the last 15+ years I've had 2 Apple computers have problems - a white eMac that had a new logic board replaced FOC as it was in an Apple replacement programme and a white Intel iMac, the one I'm sitting at now, which required a graphics board covered by AppleCare. I know Robert Harding moderately well and in conversation they are of the opinion that there have been a few instances where specific models have had a high incidence of problems. Historically Apple's practice of using repaired components for replacement parts has got it into trouble - I understood this mostly applied to logic boards.

By way of comparison, over the last 5 years my wife has had 7 laptops from the school she teaches at fail, mostly Toshibas, and have to be replaced with new units. Not repaired but replaced. As each time a replacement is required it seems to take ESCC weeks to engage brain to effect this and she was given an old banger that takes forever to startup, never moves out of first gear, and taking about 3 minutes to load Word. In expectation of failure, for the last two years she keeps all her documentation and work on a regularly backed up external drive so that she can use one of our MacBooks in time of need. She'd think your experience is almost nirvana, Ranulph.
--
Tony Crooks
<mailto: tcr...@me.com>
53 Mendip Avenue
Eastbourne
BN23 8HP

Mob: 07590508079
Tel: 01323-460789

[andrew lancaster]

I've had macs for 16 years or so - one of the early iMacs, a cube, an iBook, a macbook and an intel iMac. The only problem was the cube - and that was caused by putting a DVD in from a wrong region then a UK region then the wrong one again - which messed up the DVD drive - it would only read DVD's from that region ever after, so it had to have a new DVD drive.

In fact, they have been so very reliable that whenever I hear friends moaning about how often they have problems with their PCs, I tell them to change to mac on the grounds that they never go wrong.

A friend in the village I live in makes his living repairing computers and says he HATES mac - because if everyone had one, he wouldn't have enough work!

I sold the first iMac to buy the Cube - 3 gig hard drive seemed to become so small! The cube went as I wanted to go from G4 to intel. Same with the iBook - to go from G3 to Intel.

And the reason I bought mac in the first place was hearing from the few mac owning friends how trouble free they were, against the constant stream of anguish from the many more PC using friends I have.

Any problems I've had have been due to my own ineptitude and lack of computer savvy. And this forum has been wonderful at helping me sort it out - not one problem unresolved! Thanks all!!!

I think you've been unlucky big time.

Andrew

Having said that - am I tempting fate? Will I have mega trouble now??!!

[Virginia Routhi]

I would endorse what Andrew says. The only problem I have had with Macs has been self inflicted eg cup of coffee spilt over MacBook Pro.

[Ranulph Glanville]

Then you should all be very grateful to me, for collecting all the problems and failures and duds, and saving you from them!

(And I've been using macs since 1987: you might ask why, but that is another question!)

Ranulph

[Tony Crooks]

On 11 Nov 2010, at 09:57, Ranulph Glanville wrote:

> Then you should all be very grateful to me, for collecting all the problems and failures and duds, and saving you from them!

We are! We are!

Having Roald Dahl moment, perhaps?

[nigel proctor]

I would have to add a negative note here as I used to swear by the reliability of Apple products but in last five years have had problems with G5 iMac (two logic boards and still not working) 1st Gen iPod Touch ( dead screen ) Black MacBook ( internal connection ) which have consumed many man hours and expense.

It seems in the main that products are fine within warranty but out of can be troublesome. I've learnt now to take out extended AppleCare on all new kit.

My two cents.

Nigel Proctor
H T White & Co Ltd
n...@btinternet.com
07792000619
....sent from iPhone

[Frank Kennedy]

On 11 Nov 2010, Ranulph Glanville wrote:

I am not sure how many macs I've owned, but at least 20, perhaps 30. Almost every one has gone wrong during guarantee period.

20 to 30 Macs? What are you doing to the poor things? I repair computers for a living and thank God for PCs is all I can say...

Frank.

P.S. I and my wife use Macs at home, No hardware problems in 16 years, of course.

[Nicklas Mikkelinen]

I'm not trying to sound rude here but I have to agree with Frank.

Either you're _VERY_ unlucky or you're not taking care of the machines as you should with a computer, if 20 of your computers break during the first year - it's not something wrong with the machines.

Nicklas

2010/11/11 Frank Kennedy <binke...@gmail.com>

[Stephen Watson]

I'd echo my appreciation for you Ranulph .. ;-)

A Macintosh in 1984 (128K, 400K floppy, no HD and a bargain at £2,500 with an ImageWriter I), then Mac Plus (failed HT replaced under warranty - a very common problem), a IIci (8 years and no problems), a Beige G3 (HD replaced out of warranty), iLamp (HD replaced out of warranty by Sam!), 2nd hand G3 12" iBook which was just fine but was stolen and replaced with a newer G4 12" iBook in 2005 which I still use now and then but has never had problems and now finally my original Intel iMac Core Duo from 2006 that I'm typing on now (some logic board bits replaced by Sam when the DVD went mad).

iPod original 5MB which was dropped on pavements 3 times, unintentionally thrown out of a loft in a jacket and fell about 25 feet and when I found it the dial and button had come off! I pushed them both back in and it carried on fine for another year before the dear old HD died. iPod classic 30GB with no problems in 2 years which I sold for my current iPod touch 2G(?) which has behaved perfectly until I loaded iOS4 which slowed it to a crawl. iPad 3G just dandy so far.

Compare with the grief of my flatmate who sits behind me reloading Windows, HDs, anti-virus nightmares and has replaced his entire computer once as he just lost any patience. And that's in just over a 15 months!!

So, over 26 years I'm very pleased with my Apple kit.

Here's to the Apple fairy smiling on you in future,

Stephen

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sussex Mac User Group" group.
> To post to this group, send an email to sm...@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to smug+uns...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/smug?hl=en-GB.
>

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. - Anne Frank

[Ranulph Glanville]

It's interesting how this has become a testimonial for Apple.

I have had extended warranties on all my Macs, since that became available. I refer to the 3 year period of warrantee.

My point, right at the beginning, concerned the failure of Apple to supply decent replacement parts. I've had this happen on a number of occasions. I place this against the general bad experiences I have had: I have not kept a record, but the last time I spoke to Apple they were shocked. Sam, who has seen several of my machines, will know that, when taken to him for repair (as opposed to update) they were not badly treated and they were not working.

I am actually rather careful of my macs, many of which have just stayed at home. But I do travel a lot. I did suggest there might be something about me: perhaps too much static electricity.

But all of this is by the way. The point is that Apple can't/don't send out decent parts, and they should. I bought a computer, not a period of waiting while dud parts shuffle around.

Apple aren't infallible. To say they are better than rivals is not to say they are acceptable. The image and the actuality are very different.

Ranulph

[Nicklas Mikkelinen]

Apple does say though that they use refurbished parts in the hardware warranty document found at www.apple.com/legal.

I do though have a very hard time thinking that you can get that many DOA parts and/or have that many machines constantly breaking without any other reason than that 'apple supplies bad parts'.

Nicklas

2010/11/11 Ranulph Glanville <ran...@mac.com>