Expert: DebiN - 7/15/2011

Question
My husband and I both have LG CF360 prepaid cell phones from AT&T. Both no longer receive a signal at our house. In each case the lack of signal started exactly 3 months after service was activated by AT&T. Mine was activated on 4-8-11 and my husbands was activated on 4-11-11. The $ amount added to each phone is good for 1 year. If I do a master reset on the phones I can get a 3G signal with 5 bars that lasts until I turn the phones off. Once the phones have turned off and turned on again there is no signal unless a master reset is done or if I dial 3845#*360# go to modem settings, then network, and choose dual network (both 2G and 3G). Phones will then once again receive a signal until turned off. I spent over an hour on the phone with AT&T technical service and got no where. I find it hard to believe both phones started not receiving a signal exactly 3 months after activation without AT&T having done something or LG having failed to provide a software update. Any help would be appreciated. We live 110 miles from the closest AT&T corporate center which is where the AT&T technical service representative suggested we take the phones. The AT&T tech rep did find a similar occurrence to ours that happened in Birmingham, AL about a year ago but could find no reference to a suggested solution.

Answer
What it sounds like to me is that something in the AT&T network changed 3 months after you purchased the phones. They may have either taken down the closest tower to you or moved the antenna such that it doesn't catch the signal properly. What I would not do is any type of reset of any kind. That is 100% unnecessary. There should never be an occasion to do a master reset on a cell phone. You also do not need an update from LG. Also, completely unnecessary. You also don't need to take your phones into an AT&T service center. I would recommend calling AT&T again and see if you can get to a supervisor. Explain to them that you think that the area you live in may have had some change recently that is preventing you from getting a signal. Can they have someone look into the area to see if there is a tower down or an issue with the signal? Also, before you do this, if it is at all possible, if you and your husband ever travel outside of your area, can you test to see if your phone works somewhere else? If it does, that will show you with certainty that the issue is with the network, not your phone. If the phone can't catch the signal when it's turned off and back on again, then that means there's an issue with catching the signal at the tower. You may perhaps need an updated SIM card too.

One last thing, if the phone works until you turn it off, I might suggest for the time being, not turning it off. I can honestly tell you that I never ever turn off my cell phone. Not for any reason. Let me know what happens please. Thanks.