ORANGE Cell Phone Problems

Just have been experiencing some problems with my Orange cell phone service and wondering if others are experiencing the same.
People in Canada, USA, Africa have said they are frequently getting a message when they call even though I available.
Sometimes the phone display will say 'Emergency Calls Only", and I am unable to make outgoing calls.

If this is normal for Orange service maybe I should switch to a different company.

Well my phone was purchased in Canada from ROGERS (they are a pain too but that is another conversation for another day LOL).
The people @ the Orange Shop unlocked it for me.
I use phone cards and I am not on a plan.
It 'seemed' to be working fine for the first few weeks.
But a friend living in Puerta Plata said she tried to call me too and was unable to and some message came on.
Just missing some important phone calls from home a lot lately.

Yes was thinking that changing cell phone providers would be a waste of time.
But I have been told by some that Claro service is better than Orange...that is why it is more expensive.

Probably have to contact Rogers too. Arrggghhh. Not looking forward to doing that.
ROGERS Co. is the cell phone and cable providers 'sankies' of the world LOL.... IMO

Nightmare is correct!

I have had to personally march down to the head office in downtown Toronto many times to resolve issues.

Thanks for the reply everyone.

I went to the Orange office in POP and explained the problem and after fiddling with my phone for a while she said it was fixed... and said the problem was because it was on AUTOMATIC? That didnt ring correct to me and explained that other people on the internet said they are having the same problem!
So she sent me to the other office around the corner.
There was a very nice and helpful lady who thankfully spoke English and she called customer service for me and translated for me. She also told me that a lot of people with the (829) area code have been complaining they are having problems. Customer service said they would check my line within 72 hour and call me back. And at 8am today I recieved a call and asked if I could possibly speak to someone who speaks English so I could explain the problem in detail.
The gentleman I spoke to said that because the 829 area code is new, only 2 years old (ok 2 years old is considered new?) that some international companies have not added it to their system.
I told him that my friend who lives a 5 minute walk from me in POP was trying to call me on Saturday but couldnt get through? He said the system could have been congested.
So I said, basically the REAL problem is.... 'life in the Caribbean'? He laughed and said yes thats about correct.

All in all my experience with everyone who works with Orange was professional, pleasant, prompt and they were very helpful and patient!
So I will probably stick to Orange.
They could give a 'good customer service training class' lol.
Even though they did not make any promises and guarantees that my service would be ok from here on end... at least my blood pressure didnt rise like it usually does after talking with most Rogers reps. lol

I also got a call today from my bank back in Canada and the rep. said she could not get through when she called directly...but when she called through a Bell Canada operator it worked?

A game of hit and miss I guess! lol

Thanks for the tip. I will try that next time.
I have a Dominican friend who has 2 cell phones with 2 different
cell phone providers. I thought it was silly to have 2 cell phones and now I know why and will be getting a second phone myself, since I have no land line.