Telephone mystery

[kaneohe]

Yesterday I called a local electronics store. The recorded voice told me to wait for a rep, then came a beeping sound like a busy signal, did a pause, then a cutoff. This was repeated a number of times with this same store, then with some other stores (same chain) the same area code. This morning, the same thing happened w/ the original store. Later this morning, I called a store (same chain) in a neighboring city (different area code) using the cell phone. Everything worked fine.

Thinking they had fixed their phone system, I called original store using the land line phone. Same original problem. Then I used cell phone to call the original store. No problem. so.........there seems to be a difference on how their phone system reacts depending on whether I use the land line or the cell phone. What's the difference? land line is an old touch tone phone.

I often have problems using the land line w/ Ing's automated system. I never have problems using the land line with any other (many) banks, etc.
Are the 2 problems related?

 

[Rustward]

Have no idea in your case.

FYI, some phone systems (usually called something like "call transfer") look at the calling number and place the call into one of three classifications: 1) never been called from this number, 2) been called from this number and think we know who it is, 3) been called from this number and we are not sure who it is. The system further classifies the call if it can, for example, we know who this is and their account is delinquent so the call can go only to collections, or we know the caller is a big spending customer so don't put them on hold forever, etc. This is the short form of how it works.

One possible explanation for getting different results when calling from different numbers.

 

[Nords]

so.........there seems to be a difference on how their phone system reacts depending on whether I use the land line or the cell phone. What's the difference? land line is an old touch tone phone.

I wonder if your land line signal is marginally weak/noisy enough that the other end of this particular store assumes the call was dropped and hangs up.

 

[RonBoyd]

The Force is protecting you from the original store... bad Karma maybe.

 

[ERD50]

Did you have to press any keys to get to that point ( press "1' for bla-bla, "2" for bla-bla-bla, etc)?

Older phones only send the tone for as long as you hold the key. If you hit it quickly, the system might not "hear" it. But newer phones usually will read the key, then send the tone for a set minimum amount of time.

try again and be attentive to hold each key for a second, see if that helps.

-ERD50

 

[kaneohe]

Did you have to press any keys to get to that point ( press "1' for bla-bla, "2" for bla-bla-bla, etc)?

Older phones only send the tone for as long as you hold the key. If you hit it quickly, the system might not "hear" it. But newer phones usually will read the key, then send the tone for a set minimum amount of time.

try again and be attentive to hold each key for a second, see if that helps.

-ERD50

For the electronics store problem, I don't have to press any keys. The recording that plays when the store answers asks you to wait for a real person. Then the beeping starts and then the cutoff w/ the landline phone.
An older rotary phone and a portable phone on the same line get the same result. The phone co. tested the line and said it is normal. If I dial using the area code (also same as mine), I get the same results. Yet the cellphone works ok.

My problem w/ Ing sounds more like what you are talking about.
I reach Ing fine. Usually get thru the member #, and last 4 (or 1st 3 or some other variation) of SSN ok, but the PIN is very touchy. Sometimes
longer pushes work, sometimes shorter are better.....generally no predictability. Sometimes , anything works. Sometimes , nothing works.
I NEVER have problems w/ any other company..... the most that Ing admits is that some other people sometimes complain but would probably claim
generally that it is not a major problem. That leaves the combination of
me & them that is a fatal combination for some unknown reason.

 

[Nords]

The phone co. tested the line and said it is normal.

I wonder if they can test the line while you're on it with the problem company. The info you're getting from the phone company so far is designed to make you go away and look for the problem somewhere else, while the problem may actually be at your street box or the business's street box. That's also the phone company's equipment-- up to the wires going into your house.

Personally I'm thinkin' gecko eggs...

 

[kaneohe]

another datapoint........had a friend in the same city/area code (but several miles away) call the store w/ his landline. Same problem (busy signal/getting cutoff).