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how do i report a dead zone?

  • 11 January 2021
  • 17 replies
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N
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Recently moved to land o lakes FL, we have absolutely no service both call and internet even though some areas we get 3-4 bars and says LTE. I have to use our cable WIFI to make calls. We frequent Wesley chapel where the new outlet mall is off SR54 and I75 and it’s even worse. Absolutely terrible considering major roadways should have coverage especially in a high population area. About to switch to Verizon if this doesn’t get resolved soon. Why pay for a service that is useless? How can we get more coverage in this very quickly growing area?

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Best answer by syaoran 11 January 2021, 12:18

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syaoran
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You could bring the lack of coverage in that area to the attention of Support.  Expecting things to change in a few weeks, if at all is unrealistic.  If it is the result of a tower that needs repair.  Dispatching people when there is a shortage of workers that maintain and repair cellular towers, especially during a pandemic, is going to take longer than normal.  If it is an actual dead zone.  Perhaps the issue why there is no service there yet, is because you mention it is a growing area.  Obtaining the site and permits to construct a new cellular tower and get it up and running all takes time.  

Syaoran - I am not a T-Mobile Employee but I could use a new job!
drnewcomb
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But they are more or less constantly taking “towers” down and putting them up, and they have no interest in informing us about the specific frequencies they are using, and which devices will work ‘better’ with which bandwidths. 

 

In part, this is due to the efforts underway to merge Sprint’s network with T-Mobile’s. It’s really one of the largest network mergers ever undertaken.

I have a perennial problem with poor service at my ENT’s office (outside in the parking lot). The signal from two towers is blocked by large, brick  medical buildings. The third tower is a little too far away and is probably too congested. The problem is that I’m only there for, maybe, and hour a week. It takes longer than that to get Tech Support on the phone. At least it’s not at my house.

I don't speak for T-Mobile.
D
Userlevel 1

The entire area is underinvested for years. I just moved as well and the coverage is just garbage. It's beyond madness. The only place where you have good service is next to the TMobile store because they use the booster in their store and connect it to their internet connection. My neighbors living here for 15 years told me TMobile has always been garbage. And it's fairly horizontal area, no buildings in steel or whatever. They have no excuse. Even a broken antenna should have been fixed years ago.

 

I don't expect them to do anything since they haven't done anything for the past decade despite the exponential growth. Actually it's probably worst because more people use that poor tower lost somewhere.

It seems that Florida is under invested, the other day we traveled to Orlando next to the popular places. Terrible speed despite 4 bars 5G or not. Like 56k speed. My overcrowded wifi hotel was better.

I'm disappointed because I'm a long term customer. I pay happily my bill because it's good service for the price but north Tampa it's just plain terrible.

I can't justify to stay with them any longer. I need a reliable service when I'm on the go in a major suburban area. I'm not in the middle of Yellowstone or Alaska.

M
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The entire area is underinvested for years. I just moved as well and the coverage is just garbage. It's beyond madness. The only place where you have good service is next to the TMobile store because they use the booster in their store and connect it to their internet connection. My neighbors living here for 15 years told me TMobile has always been garbage. And it's fairly horizontal area, no buildings in steel or whatever. They have no excuse. Even a broken antenna should have been fixed years ago.

 

I don't expect them to do anything since they haven't done anything for the past decade despite the exponential growth. Actually it's probably worst because more people use that poor tower lost somewhere.

It seems that Florida is under invested, the other day we traveled to Orlando next to the popular places. Terrible speed despite 4 bars 5G or not. Like 56k speed. My overcrowded wifi hotel was better.

I'm disappointed because I'm a long term customer. I pay happily my bill because it's good service for the price but north Tampa it's just plain terrible.

I can't justify to stay with them any longer. I need a reliable service when I'm on the go in a major suburban area. I'm not in the middle of Yellowstone or Alaska.


Just FYI, from a lot of personal experience, if you call/message them enough to “inform them of their failings”, you can get discounts or full refunds on your bill, so you don’t have to pay for their shitty service. 

also, whatever you do, don’t switch to ATT! I thought they were the worst carrier, until I met T-Mobile, but now they’re tied… 

F
Userlevel 7
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Just as a note.  I have been through this with BBB/FTC and FCC.

They work as arbitrators for most tickets, and often don’t care.

In places like CA, there’s a bit of info that can help - Sprint/T-Mobile merge requirements ‘force’ T-Mobile to provide rural coverage of +50Mbps or more for 94% of rural Californians.

N
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I know it would take time I wouldn’t expect an overnight fix. But to give comparison I normally average about 20GB month of used data and last month (when we moved here) only 0.3GB because I’m only able to use my phone when connected to WIFI. So it comes back to why am I paying for a useless service? So from home I don’t care it is what it is I have my home internet as backup, but I live along a very busy 6 lane state road and even busier interstate and popular exit that has been here for years. I can’t use my phone at all if there is an emergency I would have to use a stores phone or hope they have a free WIFI to connect to which is ridiculous in today’s world, might as well bring back pay phones. The homes and communities have also been here for over 10+ so more then enough time for T-mobile have started the process. Now we are reaching points where there’s more homes are being built so I’m shocked the lack of proper service. I did contact support they referred me here.

drnewcomb
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There are some diagnostic steps you can take. One is to run a speed test in the wee hours of the morning. If you get good speeds then, the problem can be due to congestion. T-Mobile is coping with unprecedented growth while simultaneously trying to merge Sprint’s network assets with their network. Sprint’s assets include a large swath of 2.5 GHz spectrum (LTE band 41), which will go a long way toward alleviating the congestion experienced in many locations. 

If your speeds are still slow at oh-dark-thirty, then the issue may be something blocking the signal. It’s possible that the signal from the tower can refract around the corners of building, providing a good number of bars indicated on the phone, However, the weaker signal from the phone can’t get back to the tower. This results in poor speeds at all hours with a decent appearing signal. In this case, look for topography or significant buildings between you and the tower.

Finally, is there a  big difference between indoor and outdoor performance? If so, it can be due to the materials used in the building construction. Things like shatter-resistant windows and aluminized vapor barriers can really affect  RF performance.

You need to talk to Tech Support, which can sometimes be difficult. You will need to be at a poor-service location for some time but have access to a working phone. (Catch-22) You have to first call Customer Service (e.g. 611) and ask to file a service complaint and speak with Tech Support. Tech support will be able to diagnose the problem if they can access your phones signal. However, all they can do with the problem is to put the report in Engineering’s inbox.

I don’t recommend holding your breath in hopes of a quick solution. What phones do you have and are they paid off? It might be possible to port out to another carrier that will provide better service in your location.

I don't speak for T-Mobile.
A
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WE, my boyfriend, and I have also had this SAME issue in the Mount Dora/Eustis area!!!!  We have been around and around with TMOBILE since July when I switched from Verizon to Tmobile.  My boyfriend moved from Orlando to Mount Dora and had NO issue with his service until moving to this area!!! We have been going in circles as well being told that new towers are either being put up or are being worked on and our service will soon improve…...it has been MONTHS!!  We are preparing to SWITCH back to Verizon.  I have also been trying to remove unneeded lines which no one seems to know how to do.

 

We also have to use WIFI when out away from our house just within a few miles of where we live.  RIDICULOUS and a WASTE of our hard earned MONEY!

D
Userlevel 2
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thx for your remarks, DrNew and Ann….if it is any consolation, many of us also suffer some of the same issues, and are trying to fight the same battles with all the Telcos…..they are very ready to take your money every month, but they are very fuzzy about the details of their ‘service’, preferring not to give us more info than they 1)-think we can handle, or 2)- want us to know.

I’m also a retired guy and have some time to look  at some of this.  Getting a signal depends on the tower location and what frequencies they are broadcasting, and what radio frequency bands you have in your device to receive them….it is actually extremely complicated, as is all of our ‘tech’ nowadays.  (there are many ‘G’s, maybe 10 or 15 types of data transmission, how it is sent and received)

If you have the right radio band (on your device) for the one they are using to broadcast their signal, then you will get a connection.  If you do not have, say band 66 on your device, but that’s the one they are sending on, you will not get a good signal.  Speed test apps can help a little.   

But they are more or less constantly taking “towers” down and putting them up, and they have no interest in informing us about the specific frequencies they are using, and which devices will work ‘better’ with which bandwidths.  They are interested in selling you a $1000 phone as often as possible and locking you into a long contract. ( instead of actually being honest about what you can expect ),   and it is very complicated…...it just does not feel right if you have paid for a device and service, but cannot get a signal….just my two cents...

just my two cents, not woth much
A

Literally nobody gave him the correct answer. You report interference / rural call completion to the FCC, they then notify T-mobile who is required to respond.

https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=39744
 

D
Userlevel 1

There are some diagnostic steps you can take. One is to run a speed test in the wee hours of the morning. If you get good speeds then, the problem can be due to congestion. T-Mobile is coping with unprecedented growth while simultaneously trying to merge Sprint’s network assets with their network. Sprint’s assets include a large swath of 2.5 GHz spectrum (LTE band 41), which will go a long way toward alleviating the congestion experienced in many locations. 

If your speeds are still slow at oh-dark-thirty, then the issue may be something blocking the signal. It’s possible that the signal from the tower can refract around the corners of building, providing a good number of bars indicated on the phone, However, the weaker signal from the phone can’t get back to the tower. This results in poor speeds at all hours with a decent appearing signal. In this case, look for topography or significant buildings between you and the tower.

Finally, is there a  big difference between indoor and outdoor performance? If so, it can be due to the materials used in the building construction. Things like shatter-resistant windows and aluminized vapor barriers can really affect  RF performance.

You need to talk to Tech Support, which can sometimes be difficult. You will need to be at a poor-service location for some time but have access to a working phone. (Catch-22) You have to first call Customer Service (e.g. 611) and ask to file a service complaint and speak with Tech Support. Tech support will be able to diagnose the problem if they can access your phones signal. However, all they can do with the problem is to put the report in Engineering’s inbox.

I don’t recommend holding your breath in hopes of a quick solution. What phones do you have and are they paid off? It might be possible to port out to another carrier that will provide better service in your location.

 

We've tested on 5 phones. From iphone 11 to Note 20 Ultra to pixel. Same bad result. It doesn't matter the time of the day. Indoor is worst. Some locations like my home: no signal at all and I'm like 1 mile from a major highway.

Porting out seems to be the only alternative.

R

There is a dead zone in my area I would like to report. The area is in zip code 92591 Temecula, CA. It’s almond Margarita Road   The signal is always dropping if on a call. I’m sure I don’t notice as much when I’m at home because I’m on my WiFi when I’m home. 

F
Userlevel 7
Badge +11

I’d recommend calling 611 or using social media (Twitter/Facebook) to report the issues.

Oddly, cellmapper looks pretty decent in that area.

D

The entire Lake Worth, Fl downtown area can’t get service inside buildings. 1 bar outside. It’s been this way for 2 weeks. Nobody at t-mobile store or 611 knows how to fix it (or they tell me to reboot my phone)

Maybe here will get some attention from people that know how to fix it?

N

We were also Verizon customer for decades and were happy with their service, but they kept raising the price. 

T-Mobile is cheaper, and I was able to get rid of Spectrum internet to save even more. 

However, T-mobile's internet gateway requires at least 1, 3 minute reboot every day.  This is unacceptable as we travel a lot and have security monitors we need access to.   When the gateway loses connection to the internet, you MUST reboot to get it to reconnect.  ( according to their support and my experience )

Looks like we will be forced to return to Verizon which provides much better cellular coverage in my area.

Y

The El Centro California location is very spotty. I have the Pixel 6 Pro and the phone goes from 5G UC to LTE constantly. Some mornings I have 5G or 5G UC in my neighborhood and then just 30 minutes later it's LTE for a few miles. This interrupts phone calls, music and is a safety issue. The Zip Code is 92243. The street intersection of the neighborhood is South Clark Road and West McCabe Road. Please respond with an update.

F
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Userlevel 7
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read the post marked as an answer above..you will need to call in or contact TMO through one of their social media platforms and put in a network ticket to have it looked at.

 

 

this can not be done on the site here.

***I like many others come onto this site for assistance and to help others. Marking a reply as helpful or correct helps others with like issues when they try to search the site for assistance. I do not work for Tmobile and my suggestions and or opinions are my own**.~~~~ The site here is primarily peer to peer with some TMO moderation to keep the site in order..They do not have account access..The prefered method would be to contact TMO through either calling in (tier 1 support) or by contacting them through either Facebook/Twitter (tier 2 support)**~~~~

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