Verizon lost my voicemail. How to get back.

[Compman55]

To keep a long story short, I have about 12 VM's that are very important. I have had a total of 5 phone replacements since 2002, as I hang onto them until they are becoming pre-historic, voicemails were always on my new phones (as I think they reside on verizons servers anyways)

It was an LG Chocolate Touch on a contact plan. On Sat I switched to a prepaid plan from Verizon with a Samsung Galaxy J1 low end smart phone. After switching over my VM;s are gone and nobody can help me get them back. I have been on several tech support calls, and had local managers involved. What else should I try?

 

[thesmokingman]

Why didn't ya record them if they were that imp?

 

[lxskllr]

Thread hijack incoming(but an answer might help op)...

Is there a way to retrieve voicemails without using a voicemail app? I don't like using the proprietary program to retrieve messages, and would prefer to just download the audio, and listen to it using a program of my choice.

 

[Fardringle]

The voice mails are tied to your phone plan. If the old plan was cancelled and the new one opened (sometimes they just change the plan, sometimes they close and open a new one depending on how it's changed), then there's not much you can do, unfortunately.


For thesmokingman, that depends totally on your provider if they allow you download the messages as files or not. You'd have to ask them.

 

[thesmokingman]

The voice mails are tied to your phone plan. If the old plan was cancelled and the new one opened (sometimes they just change the plan, sometimes they close and open a new one depending on how it's changed), then there's not much you can do, unfortunately.


For thesmokingman, that depends totally on your provider if they allow you download the messages as files or not. You'd have to ask them.

Nah, I'm not talking about asking the provider though on tmo I get my vmails automatically emailed to me as **amr files which is easily played back. If the vmails were that important to keep for over a decade, homie should have recorded them in some way shape or form.

 

[Compman55]

Phone had no recording feature whatsoever, not sure how I would have worked around it other than holding a mic up to the ear piece.

 

[Kneedragger]

When my father in law passed away my mother in law wanted to save some voicemails from him. I played them on speaker phone and recorded it with my phone. That's pretty much it.. Then just sent them over email to her. I would see if you can do that if you ever get access back.

 

[Mike64]

To keep a long story short, I have about 12 VM's that are very important. I have had a total of 5 phone replacements since 2002, as I hang onto them until they are becoming pre-historic, voicemails were always on my new phones (as I think they reside on verizons servers anyways)

[...] What else should I try?

Nothing that I can think of. If VZW can't/won't help, I don't see what else you can do - the VMs are stored only their servers, after all. (Strictly speaking, I'm sure they must have been backed up, presumably many times over 12 years, but as a practical matter, that doesn't mean you're going to get them to dig into those back-ups for an individual customer, even if you were willing to pay them probably an enormous/exorbitant amount of money to do so...) At one time at least, you could pay them to make recordings of current/existing VMs, but iirc even that service was overpriced for what it was, and I don't know if they offer it at all anymore.

Going forward: now that smartphone are the de facto norm, there are apparently lots of apps that'll let you record VM to your phone (not automatically, but while you play it, manually), or you can look for something like this adapter (or just buy that one) to record them (or for that matter live phone calls) to an external recorder/computer. (Or check out this page for a more DIY-type solution.) Those adapters used to be more readily available than they seem to be now (I still have one floating around somewhere that I bought years ago from Radio Shack for not very much money that worked OK, if not wonderfully), but if you're willing to sift through a lot of irrelevant search results, you might be able to find a cheaper one, too. The search I tried was along the lines of [cellphone | "cell phone" recorder | recording adapter].

Is there a way to retrieve voicemails without using a voicemail app? I don't like using the proprietary program to retrieve messages, and would prefer to just download the audio, and listen to it using a program of my choice.

Do you mean, like a backdoor into VZW's voicemail system that would somehow let you just download the raw audio files, ftp-style?? I seriously doubt it, or (not that I in fact even know of such a thing,) at least not one that wouldn't involve potential criminal penalties for "hacking" if you got caught using it...

 

[thesmokingman]

Current systems should plug right into the VM system. With tmo, their vmail app transcribes vmails to txt for me and sends me a link to the actual vmail file which I can then dl or delete.

Thus you shouldn't need an extra program to get the actual vmails.

 

[Mike64]

Current systems should plug right into the VM system. With tmo, their vmail app transcribes vmails to txt for me and sends me a link to the actual vmail file which I can then dl or delete.

Thus you shouldn't need an extra program to get the actual vmails.

It's not entirely clear exactly what he's looking for, but lxskllr did say:

Is there a way to retrieve voicemails without using a voicemail app? I don't like using the proprietary program to retrieve messages, and would prefer to just download the audio, and listen to it using a program of my choice.

 

[thesmokingman]

It's not entirely clear exactly what he's looking for, but lxskllr did say:

I don't think he realizes how the technical aspects of it work and I assume he meant 3rd party. How is one going to access they vmail server w/o any app, just like you wrote above, nno backdoor loving here... And you know since phones are already pre-loaded with the carrier voicemail app. It's already in the phone right there, just listen to your vmail and save it.

Also the days of dialing into your vmail are not a necessity, you get your vmails delivered via the app, then save to file.

 

[Mike64]

I don't think he realizes how the technical aspects of it work and I assume he meant 3rd party.

You're probably right about that...

Also the days of dialing into your vmail are not a necessity, you get your vmails delivered via the app, then save to file.

Yeah, I'm sure. I don't have a smartphone so I have to do it the old-fashioned way from my cellphone, but I have a similar set-up on my VOIP home phone, with the VMs sent as audio file attachments via email...

 

[lxskllr]

I don't think he realizes how the technical aspects of it work and I assume he meant 3rd party. How is one going to access they vmail server w/o any app, just like you wrote above, nno backdoor loving here... And you know since phones are already pre-loaded with the carrier voicemail app. It's already in the phone right there, just listen to your vmail and save it.

Also the days of dialing into your vmail are not a necessity, you get your vmails delivered via the app, then save to file.

I don't know how it's setup on the backend. I do know I need a program not developed by Sprint, that forces updates and changes settings, adds features I don't want, and whores premium services. I'd prefer wget-ing an audio file, and playing it on vlc

 

[Railgun]

http://www.hngn.com/articles/66020/...voicemail-dead-wife-breaks-down-recovered.htm

 

[KentState]

The problem is he switced from a post paid to prepaid account. They are handled differently and the likelihood of recovery the voicemails are doubtful.

 

[Mike64]

http://www.hngn.com/articles/66020/...voicemail-dead-wife-breaks-down-recovered.htm

As I suggested earlier, I'd be willing to stick my neck out far enough to guarantee (even without actual, inside knowledge) that the VMs were backed up numerous times over the 12 years the OP kept them as "saved" messages, but while the story you linked is of course heartwarming, I certainly wouldn't count on "a team of 11 experts" scouring more than a decade's worth of backups (exactly how many millions of VMs would that be?) unless you have a similarly compelling backstory. And even then, whatever their culturally-collective failings might be, I think you'd find that on the whole, your typical Brit would likely be more practically sympathetic even in this sort of situation than your average American cellphone company manager/executive would be...

On a tangential note, I hope someone finally made that guy a freaking CD of the VM! I mean, I know he's old and all, but it never occurred to him to ask someone if he could get it transferred to something other than his cellphone voicemail?😕/😵

 

[Mike64]

I don't know how it's setup on the backend. I do know I need a program not developed by Sprint, that forces updates and changes settings, adds features I don't want, and whores premium services. I'd prefer wget-ing an audio file, and playing it on vlc

Frankly, I wouldn't waste a lot of time looking for such a unicorn, certainly not unless you're willing to use an "illegal" one...

 

[notposting]

The problem is he switced from a post paid to prepaid account. They are handled differently and the likelihood of recovery the voicemails are doubtful.

Ding ding ding, winner winner chicken dinner.

For the OP:

Verizon Wireless postpaid and prepaid may as well be two separate companies. As far as your previous contract line and customer status goes, you are an EX-customer. You are now a NEW prepaid customer.

If you kept the same line, they basically have to port it over.

This pretty much leaves you at the tender mercies of advanced ex-customer support. So, yeah, good luck.

As for recording VM's off an older phone - for a tech forum, I am disappointed. 😛. A headphone cord with MM configuration, and you can record right to your computer. Audacity works well for cleanup afterward.

 

[zerogear]

Ding ding ding, winner winner chicken dinner.

For the OP:

Verizon Wireless postpaid and prepaid may as well be two separate companies. As far as your previous contract line and customer status goes, you are an EX-customer. You are now a NEW prepaid customer.

If you kept the same line, they basically have to port it over.

This pretty much leaves you at the tender mercies of advanced ex-customer support. So, yeah, good luck.

As for recording VM's off an older phone - for a tech forum, I am disappointed. 😛. A headphone cord with MM configuration, and you can record right to your computer. Audacity works well for cleanup afterward.

Or, you know, just use Google Voice. They let you download the audio file directly.

 

[notposting]

Or, you know, just use Google Voice. They let you download the audio file directly.

The old voicemail's aren't going to magically come along for the ride when someone ports their number over to GV (coming from an old basic, feature, or very first gen smartphone).

Pretty much covered the fact that modern smartphones allow downloading VM - but older phones require some creativity. :|

 

[Compman55]

Long story made short: Verizon is not willing and cannot do anything to help. The manager stated I would require a court order / subpoena to be able to get the VM's back, even though I was the original account holder. The FCC mandates a length of time messages are archived, but once an account is closed / terminated, the messages are no longer accessible by Verizon employees without legal intervention.

/end short story

In my opinion, in the era of smart phones, it is the responsibility of the owner to use the appropriate app to archive their own voicemails, and to keep control over them, however in the non smart phone era in which apps do not exist, and the files remain on the carriers / providers servers, this is where there is / should be some liability. Something as simple as letting the customer know before they are lost is all that would it would take.

I am thankful there was no voicemails that had sentimental value, rather quite a few addresses and non listed phone numbers that I will need to figure out.

 

[notposting]

Yeah, sorry OP. They really don't make it clear at all, but post and pre-paid may as well be separate companies. And landline, internet, video divisions...same with most of the original Bell remnants really. They just have no clue what the other hand is doing - and don't care. :/

 

[Mike64]

Something as simple as letting the customer know before they are lost is all that would it would take.

Well, maybe, but seriously/realistically, how many people count on saving VM messages for 12 years?😱

[ETA: Also, at this point, I really have to ask, why on earth didn't you just copy down the info you needed? "Sentimental reasons" I'd understand much more readily (though personally, I still would have recorded such msgs off the phone long before the 12 year mark), but if they were just informational, why did you leave them in inefficient "spoken" format instead of transferring the phone numbers/contact info to your contacts or even just a text file on your PC?]