Why can't I access my voicemail?

[Shiveron]

For some time now I've noticed I haven't had any voicemail notifications. I went ahead and tried to call my voicemail but it no longer works. When I call, it acts like I'm calling from another phone and goes straight to my voicemail, and I hear my own greeting and it beeps as if I was calling from another phone. Hitting # to interrupt the message doesn't work, calling from *86 doesn't work, etc. This is a big problem for me right now trying to find a new job, I have no idea if any of the calls I've missed have been trying to leave me a voicemail or not :|.

[tikibar1]

You may want to contact Customer Service and see if they can reset your Voice Mail.

[vzw_customer_support]

Hey there Shiveron. I hope that your job search is going well. I know that voicemail is an integral feature during a job search so you can keep in touch with potential employers.

That is odd that when you dial *86 from your cellphone that it doesnt route you to listen to your messages. Have you switched phones recently? Please try dialing *228 and press option 1 when the voice prompts you to.  Once the phone restarts, please try the voicemail again and let us know what happens.

NickB_VZW
VZWSupport
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport.

[Shiveron]

K I dialed *228, and a message saying my verizon sim card has been activated popped up near the bottom but it didn't dial anything so I never pressed 1 on any menu. I restarted the phone anyways and tried again and it still just goes as if I was calling my phone from another number. I haven't switched phones recently either. I'm using the same Galaxy S3 I bought back in like august.

[rcschnoor]

With a 4G phone you never need to call the *228 number. The SIM card takes care of all of that.

To check if your voicemail is active, when you get your voicemail press #. You will then be asked what your number is, enter it. You can now enter your password and you should be able to access your messages.

If this doesn't work, you should call CS to have them reset your voicemail. When you do so, you will most likely lose any messages already in the system.

[handset_junkie]

there are several features that could be preventing you from reaching voicemail. lets get these disabled.

1. call forwarding

2.  busy signal transer/forwarding

3. no answer transfer

To ensure Call forwarding is turned off, dial *73

To ensure No-Answer-Transfer Call Forwarding is off, dial *920

To ensure Busy Transfer is off, dial *900

Message was edited by: handset_junkie

<Post edited to remove full name for privacy per the Verizon Wireless Terms of Service.>

Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator

[handset_junkie]

1. From the Home screen, touch Phone.

2. Touch Menu ➔ Call Settings.

3. Configure options:

• DTMF tones: Set the length of Dual-tone Multi-frequency

          tones, which play when you use the keypad during a call, such

          as when navigating device menus.

Since the # key isn't working, try toggling the DTMF settings on the S3

[vzw_customer_support]

Thanks for the additional information Shiveron!  "rcschnoor" advised correctly; 4G devices are not "*228" compatible.  Reprogramming would simply be completed by removing and reinserting the 4G SIM Card http://vz.to/14IW3UD.  And as "handset_junkie" suggested, ensure Call Forwarding is disabled http://bit.ly/SYNYnA and retest.  Keep us posted with your results.  Thanks!

AnthonyTa_VZW
VZW Support
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

[annruth]

Where in the owner's manual does it mention *86? I can't find it anywhere.

I did find instructions for accessing voicemail, but it doesn't mention *86.

[tikibar1]

Look under Message Retrieval here:

Voice Mail FAQs | Verizon Wireless