Rogers Customer Support
Problem
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Cell phone can no longer connect to voicemail. The phone is programmed to dial *789 to access voicemail and before Sprint was bought by Rogers, this worked fine. Now it doesn’t.
Solution
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**Attempt #1**
Check their [web site](http://sprint.ca) for the phone number. I don’t see a number like *789 for handsets — just the landline access number.
**Attempt #2**
Call the “Need Assistance?” toll-free number prominently displayed on the web site. Wait on hold for a long, long time. Rogers is very sorry for my inconvenience. Hold music dies. I think I’ve been cut off. So, I call back and wait on hold again. Finally…
Operator: Thank you for calling Rogers. How can I help you?
Me: I need the voicemail access number for my cell phone.
Operator: I can certainly help you with that, sir. Can I have your phone number?
Me: *I give her the cell phone number*
Operator: Is that your home number?
Me: Oh? You want my home number? *I give it to her*
Operator: Please verify your name, sir.
Me: Jay Zipursky.
Operator: Thank you, Mr. Nigursky. Can you also verify your home address and postal code?
Me: …
Operator: Thank you for that information, Mr. Nigursky. So, you need the voicemail access number for your cell phone?
Me: Yes, please.
Operator: I’m going to transfer you to our wireless department. For your information, their number is 1-800-blah blah.
Me: OK. By the way, I didn’t see that number on your web site.
Operator: Thank you for calling Rogers and have a nice day.
*Transfer and sit on hold for a long time.*
Operator: Thank you for calling Rogers. How can I help you?
Me: I need the voicemail access number for my cell phone.
Operator: I can certainly help you with that, sir. Can I have your home phone number?
Me: …
Operator: Please verify your name, sir.
Me: Jay Zipursky.
Operator: Thank you, Mr. Zipursky. Can you also verify your home address and postal code?
Me: …
Operator: Thank you for that information, Mr. Zipursky. So, you need the voicemail access number for your cell phone?
Me: Yes.
Operator: I have a number to access it from a landline.
Me: I need the number to access it from the handset.
Operator: Most people access their voicemail from a landline.
Me: What? I want to access it from the handset! We had a number, *789, and it no longer works since the Rogers switchover. I just need to know what the new number is.
Operator: I’m not sure. How do you access it from the handset? Do you press 1?
Me: Yes, but that doesn’t work anymore.
Operator: What happens?
Me: Let’s see… I get a message telling me that number cannot be reached.
Operator: Please hold.
Me: …
Operator: Thanks for holding, sir. I’m just talking with another department. They say you should turn off the phone and then turn it on again.
Me: Really? OK… That didn’t work.
Operator: Please hold… Thanks for holding. How are you accessing voicemail?
Me: I don’t have a lot of time here. Can I please talk to someone who knows the answer to this very simple question? I can enter the number into the phone — I just need to know what the number is.
Operator: Oh? You can enter the number into the phone?
Me: Yes…
Operator: Please hold… Thanks for holding. The number is +16046181146.
Me: Thank you.
Operator: Thanks for calling Rog-
Postscript
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The punchline is that the number I got (which did work) is the number listed on the web site as the landline access number. Sheesh.