Updated: March 17, 2023
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by Andrew Cheberiak
Tech Expert & Writer
732 resolved issues
Verified Expert in:
Smartphones, Tablets, Apps, Home network

Unable to retrieve messages, screen says "new message."

Can't retrieve voicemail
author

Hello, thank you for using Howly. I’ll be happy to help you out! May I ask your name?

Customer Replay

*****

author

Nice to meet you, *****!
On what device you cannot receive voicemail?

Customer Replay

It's a Vtech, with our landline

image

author

Understood.
And you can't receive voicemail, correct?

Customer Replay

Frontier says #86 is the code, and our PIN is *****

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author

And you can't receive voicemail, correct?

Customer Replay

yes, that's it.

author

Please try the following:

  1. Make sure your answering system is plugged into a live telephone jack and power source.
  2. Make sure your answering system is turned on.
  3. Some answering systems have an announce only option, which plays your greeting but won't record
    messages. Make sure your system is set to record messages.
  4. Your answering system’s message capacity may be full. You must erase old messages to make room for new ones.
  5. If you have voicemail service in addition to your answering system, your caller’s message may be going into voicemail before your answering system picks up the call. Program your voicemail to pick up at least 2 rings after your answering system is set to answer the call.
Customer Replay

I set it to ring 6 times, so I could get across the room.

Customer Replay

Actually, the screen says" new voicemail."

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author

Please try the following:
Dial "*98" from your VTech phone. Wait for your voice mailbox to prompt you to enter your pass code.
Enter your voicemail pass code.
Follow the prompts to retrieve your phone messages.

Customer Replay

Voice says "I'm sorry, your call cannot be completed as dialed"

author

Noted.
*****, please try the following:

  1. Dial your home phone number from your VTech phone. Wait for your voicemail greeting to play.
  2. Press the asterisk key and wait until you are prompted to enter your pass code.
  3. Enter your password and follow the prompts to retrieve your messages.
Customer Replay

Is the passcode the PIN from Frontier?

Customer Replay

ok I'll try again.

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author

Please do and tell me the results.

Customer Replay

Just got a dial tone.

Customer Replay

Phone rang, but then I just got a dial tone.

author

Understood.
Have you tried to re-connect your phone?

Customer Replay

Do you mean put it back on the charging station?

author

Disconnect it from the wall

Customer Replay

It's sitting here in my lap.

author

Could you please try to re-connect your phone from the power outlet in your wall?

Customer Replay

OK, did that. It shows the battery is charged and then the envelope signal with v and m, under the word "ECO"

Customer Replay

Did you mean to unplug the phone from the electrical outlet, and then plug it in?

author

Yes, I did.

Customer Replay

OK, now I'll do that.

author

Keep me updated.

Customer Replay

Did that; now it says "18 missed calls." No, 10.

author

Now, please try the following:

  1. Dial your home phone number from your VTech phone. Wait for your voicemail greeting to play.
  2. Press the asterisk key and wait until you are prompted to enter your pass code.
  3. Enter your password and follow the prompts to retrieve your messages.
Customer Replay

information is incorrect, please try again"

author

*****, are you 100% sure that it is the correct PIN?

Customer Replay

Well, no, but that's what I wrote down. Should I call Frontier and find out?

author

Yes, please try to.

Customer Replay

I did retrieve a bunch of messages, including the important one from my Dr's office that I'd missed. Today I called our home number from my cell phone and heard my greeting message, left a message, but couldn't retrieve it.

author

Noted
Did you contact Frontier then?

Customer Replay

Yes, and they gave me a big long access # and a 4 digit code, which I stored using the instructions in the Vtech info.

author

And just after that, it worked?
But now, does not?

Customer Replay

I think so. Why does the handset always display "New voicemail?"
what's the big button on the telephone base for, that seems to allow you to play your messages, but doesn't?

author

It is the voicemail that you got but didn't listen to it. And the issue with playing them

Customer Replay

OK, on the handset beside the number 1 is the envelope symbol that I was led to believe would activate the voice mail if you held it down for a bit. But not so, I guess.

author

Just nothing happens, right?

Customer Replay

Yep

author

Could you please specify the exact model of your phone? Both the model and serial numbers of your VTech product can be found on the bottom of the telephone base.

Customer Replay

CS5129-26 but I don't see anything on the bottom of the base station.

author

Thank you for the provided information!
Please try to turn off and turn on back the voicemail system by following these steps:

  1. Press MENU when the phone is not in use.
  2. Press arrows up and down to choose Answering sys and then press SELECT.
  3. Press arrows up and down to choose Answer on/off and then press SELECT.
  4. Press arrows up and down to choose On or Off and then press SELECT to save.
Customer Replay

OK, I selected "on" but the screen already displays "ans on"

author

Got you
Did it announce something like “Calls will be answered"?

Customer Replay

I didn't hear that.

author

Noted
Do you see the option to select OFF?

Customer Replay

Yes, I did. should I select Off?

author

Yes, select OFF, return back to the menu, wait for 10 seconds and go there again to turn it on back

Customer Replay

done

author

Now try to play the voicemail by following these steps:

  1. Press MENU
  2. Press arrows up or down to choose Answering sys then press SELECT.
  3. Press SELECT to select Announcement.
  4. The handset displays Play [2] Del [3] Rec [7], press 2
    It also should announce “To play, press 2. To record, press 7.” Do you hear this?
Customer Replay

yes. It played the standard message, not the one I recorded, though.

author

I see
But just after pressing 2 to play it, nothing is playing or announcing?

Customer Replay

No, I pressed 2 and it played the standard greeting.

author

Got it. Thanks!
Not the system is on, correct?

Customer Replay

It displays "ans on"

author

Noted
Please follow these steps and let me know what you see after this:

  1. Press MENU
  2. Select Answering sys
  3. Select Ans sys setup
  4. Select # of rings
Customer Replay

Done. I had told it to ring 6 times so I could get across the room to answer it. It did display "6".

author

Understood, thanks for checking!

Customer Replay

Why can't the big button on the base station cause the messages to play? What's it for, anyway?

author

Could you please specify which one you mean? What icon does it have?

Customer Replay

the great big one to the right of where you plug the handset in.
It shows "play, /stop, skip, delete, repeat." on its 4 sides. Looks like it ought to do something!

author

Oh, understood, Thanks for details :)
This button can be used to play the voicemail, too. Could you please press the Play/Stop button and let me know if anything happens

Customer Replay

It says "You have no message." What happened to the ones I sent to myself? and why does the handset display "new voicemail" if it doesn't have any????

author

There might be errors in the system
You can remove the "New voicemail' icon by following these:

  1. Press MENU
  2. Select Settings
  3. Select Clr voicemail


After this, please try to call it from your cell phone and leave a message

Customer Replay

ok

author

Once the message is left, try to play it

Customer Replay

it displays "13 missed calls" which are the ones I played yesterday. After I hit the big button on the base, it says "you have no message."

Customer Replay

now it is playing some from me!

author

Just after some time or did you press any buttons?

Customer Replay

I may have pressed the envelope icon that is by 1

author

Ok, great! That's the button that it set up by Frontier to play the voicemail.

Customer Replay

Thanks for your help. I hope it's reliable now!

author

Here is also a useful table with options during a messages

image


I’m glad I was able to get that sorted out for you. Is there anything else I can assist you with today?

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