The Unofficial Speak Out Wireless Canada Consumer Page - Topic: Voice mailbox no. not valid.

RonM on Voice mailbox no. not valid.

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:50:31 -0800

You can call your own number to get your voice mail from Speakout, like other carriers. I have no idea why they don't tell you that.

I'm assuming the round about way they do it is because they are piggybacking on the Rogers VM system with less than the full set of Rogers Features.

The SO voice mail system is regional. You have to call the "right" Rogers location to get your SO voice mail. The server for BC is in Vancouver, the one for the Prairies is in Calgary. There is at least one -- maybe more in Ontario.

If you call the "wrong" Rogers VM number from your SO phone it won't work. For example, callers in Ontario can call the Rogers Toll Free number to pick up VM from their SO phone. If SO customers west of Ontario call that number the system dumps them as it doesn't recognize the SO number. If a Prairie SO customer calls the Vancouver number, it won't work either.

If I call any of those same pickup numbers with a Rogers Phone, the system recognizes me from my caller ID immediately and connects to my voice mail. I have tried calling the Vancouver, Calgary and Toll Free numbers (as well as my own number) from my Rogers area code 250 number and all of them recognized my phone and connected to my VM immediately. Not so with my SO phone. Only the "appropriate" location recognizes my number. In my case my SO phone has an area code 204 number, so my voice mail number is in Calgary.

Perhaps SO feel that by programming that "right" location into your phone, you will always get the VM system.

However it would still be just as easy to just tell you to dial your own number IMHO.

davelon on Voice mailbox no. not valid.

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:28:36 -0800

Follow-up
Turns out my VM still did not work. The first SO CSR I spoke with did not tell me that the VM telephone number is not your own phone number (as with most other carriers VM -- I came over from Bell), but was a 416 area code number(my area code is 226). Regardless, after speaking with SO a second time it still did not work. Today someone from the "Tech Dept" called back and it's fixed. I find it odd that the SO VM system works by dialing a central number rather than your own cell number...however, it's their system and it works.

iamdrumming on Voice mailbox no. not valid.

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:10:28 -0800

Thanks for the info Davelon! I have found that VM can be glitchy sometimes. I was up north last summer, and my phone notified me that I received a voice mail, but I was unable to access it for a day or two.

davelon on Voice mailbox no. not valid.

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:00:08 -0800

I had a similar problem when trying to setup my VM - it simply would not work. I called a SO CSR and they advised me that it takes 24 hrs for the system to connect a new phone number with the VM system. She stated that this is not advertised. She had me turn my phone off for 5 minutes and she reset the VM in order to correct anything I may have inadvertently done. I was told to wait at least 24 hrs before trying the VM again and if there were any further problems to call back. However, she did say that in 9 out of 10 times the reset fixes the issue.

barbie_tonka on Voice mailbox no. not valid.

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:41:39 -0800

Thanks for the suggestion lamdrumming. This has allowed me to solve my problem.

iamdrumming on Voice mailbox no. not valid.

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:51:54 -0800

What's the number you tried to call? Did you try to call your own number from your SpeakOut phone?

barbie_tonka on Voice mailbox no. not valid.

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 21:40:51 -0800

Hi there,

I'm getting the following error message when I attempt to check my voice mail:

"Voice mailbox no. not valid. Contact service provider."

The phone was activated a few days ago. I've called customer service and they have attempted to reset things, but the this has not fixed the problem.

Any suggestions?