How can a toll-free number fail on landlines & VOIP but not on cellphones?

Telephonically, can anyone explain what is going on?

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I'm trying to call ZTE Customer Support USA, during normal business hours, which has only one toll-free telephone number, which is listed at

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as: 1-877-817-1759

Inexplicably, every time I call that toll-free number from a California landline, or from VOIP, the calling sequence always ends up in undecipherable Chinese (see video above for proof).

However, if I call from a cellphone, the exact same calling sequence always ends up in English, as expected.

Q: Telephonically, how can this possibly be happening to me?

PS: Any ideas Jeff Liebermann?

Reply to
Eddie Powalski
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called from Arizona landline and got a menu that asked me to press "1" for English.

Somehow bypassing that menu?

Reply to
Robert Macy

I tried from my U S Cellular cellphone and had exact same experience as Mr. Macy.

Reply to
hrhofmann

Yes. When you call an 800 or 877 number, the originating number is logged on the destination CID device whether you have CID blocked or not. It's common practice for distributed support pools to redirect calls by originating country or originating type of call. In this case, the ZTE call director can recognize the differnce between a call from a mobile telephone and one from a land line. Calls from mobile phones are being recognize as potentially existing cell phone customers and are being directed to the correct voice mail hell. Call from land lines are assumed to be coming from China and are going to the local Chinese call center. Someone probably goofed with the programming. However, I prefer conspiracy theories... maybe they don't want to hear from anyone on a land line from the USA?

Send them email pointing to your YouTube video:

Isn't California now part of China? Everywhere I look, all I see is Chinese merchandise.

Why me and what does this have to do with repair?

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

I'm a bit confused but I appreciate your test from Arizona. In all three cases, I get the "Press 1 for English"; but only with the cell phone does that actually get to another prompt.

In the case of the landline and VOIP phone, after the "Press 1 for English", it goes to an error message in British English and then in a foreign language (i.e., it never gets to a human).

In the case of the cell phone, after the "Press 1 for English", there are a bunch of other prompts, and eventually, a human answers in English.

Given that all three repeatedly called the same number (1-877-817-1759), how can it possibly be that the landline & VOIP got a wholly different response than did the cellphone?

Reply to
Eddie Powalski

Again, I'm sorry but I'm confused.

In all three cases, the prompt asked to "Press 1 for English". a. Landline b. VOIP c. Cellphone

Yet, *after* pressing "1", only the cellphone went on to further prompts. The landline & VOIP switched over to a British error message, and then to a foreign language error message.

Is that what you experienced *after* pressing the "1" for English?

Reply to
Eddie Powalski

Hi Jeff, Thanks for responding. You mention call blocking. I had *not* even thought of that! My landline is blocked. I'm not sure about my VOIP (probably not). My cellphone isn't blocked.

As you noted, none of those are blocked when you call a toll-free number (which is why you don't want to rat on the mafia on an 800 number!).

That would explain why the initial connection answered with the prompt to press 1 for English.

Ah, it may make sense now that the *redirect* either couldn't get my number (because it was blocked?) or that they figured out that it came from a landline or VOIP phone rather than a cellphone.

But, why would the one USA phone number for ZTE Customer Support care whether I called them from a landline or voip or cellphone?

OK. I don't disagree that they can recognize my landline call versus my VOIP call versus my cellphone call.

If this is the case, then it's mighty weird. Nobody has confirmed yet whether they can or can not get past the "Press 1 for English" from a landline though.

Can someone call, from a landline (let us know if your number is blocked): 1-877-817-1759 (then press 1 for English when it asks you to). Can you let us know if you get to the *next* prompt or not?

Reply to
Eddie Powalski

I went to

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But based on the fact ZTE support hung up on me three times when I asked a simple question about replacing the cracked screen on a ZTE Concord, I doubt they're gonna care.

I just didn't understand *how* it could be that a landline (blocked) and a VOIP (probably not blocked) wouldn't get past the initial prompt, while a cell phone got past the initial and all the next prompts.

Just everything south of Summit Road! :)

Well, the recently cracked ZTE Concord *does* have to do with repair:

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Which was *why* I was calling ZTE in the first place - but really, I just knew you'd have an answer where nobody else would so it was a bold faced (lame) way to get the help I needed for the answer.

I do know that you used to frequent alt.internet.wireless so that's why I put that there, but I realize now you're mostly on sci.electronics.repair ... and I am on a wireless VOIP WISP ... so that's another (lame) connection. But really ... the reason I specifically asked for you is that you always seem to have the answer when nobody else does! (I don't know how you do it.)

I wish you'd go to our inventor's group on Wednesdays in Palo Alto, but that's another story that I don't want to say more online as I strive for privacy (while you don't try to hide who you are).

Reply to
Eddie Powalski

my landline is blocked

Reply to
Robert Macy

Hi Robert,

I'm confused though. Your landline is blocked, as is mine.

Yet, when we call 1-877-817-1759, we both get the initial prompt: "Press 1 for English"

After that, I'm confused what happened for you.

If my landline is blocked, the *next* prompt is (heavy British accent): The number you have dialed cannot be found; please check the number or call Airtel for assistance.

However, if I dialed *82 prior to dialing 1-877-817-1759, I get: Please select the product type; for inquiries on basic phones, please press 1, for inquiries on smart phones, please press 2, etc.

Which of those two options did you get from your blocked landline for the *second* prompt?

Reply to
Eddie Powalski

with blocked landline, asked me to select "1" for english, then transferred me to a message telling me the number was 'unavailable' or was it the wrong number, or something and suggested I call something else.

Reply to
Robert Macy

BTW - where is your VOIP hosted ? and what shows on your own callphone when you call from your landline and your VOIP ?

Maybe your landline/voip keypress is not sending long enough or not getting detected by the auto-attend ?

SO - just called from Chicago landline - a real one - without any blocking - got the Prompt - Pressed 1 - then prompts for product type

I hate when our friends call from Calif - as ALL calls are default blocked on CLID -

Reply to
ps56k

I live in California. My AT&T POTS line and PagePlus cell phone "line" should both show my name and CID. It worked about 2 years ago when I last tested it. Did something change?

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

Both ATT and Pageplus show the phone number but not the name this in Dallas and via verizon fios phones. Likewise neigher show up on pageplus cell phones.

Reply to
NotMe

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