Expert: DebiN - 3/31/2011

Question
My phone is a Samsung SCH-a990 with Verizon wireless carrier, purchased about four years ago in the Chattanooga, TN area.  The problem seems to have started after my wife ran an update (*228) a couple of weeks ago, but it may just be a coincidence since the phone is not used frequently.  After the phone battery is fully charged, usually only one call can be made, then the screen shows "Entering svc area" and "Leaving svc area".  We took the phone to a Verizon store, but they were not very helpful.  Since then, I noticed the phone would work all the time if plugged into an electrical outlet, so bought a new battery from the Cellular Factory.  The new battery did not solve the problem.  Verizon said this phone is no longer supported.  My wife talked with the Verizon corporate office and they said it probably could be fixed, but it would cost $200.  Is it possible that Verizon changes in software or support can render a phone obsolete in four years?  Please provide any ideas or info you have for this problem, thanks.

Answer
Yes, without question, a 4 year old phone will no longer work on the network. It is likely the phone is 2G and is not working on the 3G network in your area. 4 years is unfortunately a lifetime in cellular terms. There's nothing to fix, just get a new phone from Verizon. It should be free of charge. It's too late of course, but she shouldn't have done that update. There's actually no reason to do manual updates like this. Everything is now automatically updated. When you did the update, it likely did something where the phone is no longer able to recognize the towers. It shouldnt' have happened, but I know it did, so I would strongly recommend that you get a new inexpensive or hopefully free phone from Verizon. And I would suggest that you and your wife not do a *228 again to update knowing now that update are automatic. I hope this helps.