*228
Q. I am a Verizon customer and am having problems with my cell phone. Customer service says to dial *228 to reprogram it. That doesn't help. Just what is *228?
A. From Mark van der Hoek
"*228 updates the mobile's PRL, the Preferred Roaming List. That's a list of what channels and what operators the phone can use, and affects your ability to roam. If the PRL isn't right, you can have problems. Unfortunately, updating the PRL has become the 'One Size Fits All' solution for customer service reps who really don't know anything technical. They've had just enough training to think they do, so you won't get anywhere arguing with them. Telling you to do a *228 gets you off their back, so their call times look good to their boss. You must go past the tier one people to get anyone with any real knowledge, and even then they usually know a lot less than they think they do."
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