It is an all too common and frustrating 21st century problem - wanting to make a call or watch a video on your phone only to see the little bars at the top of the screen disappear.
But now an MEP has launched a campaign to hold phone service providers to account.
London Conservative Syed Kamall, a Kingston resident, is asking people who experience poor mobile signal to log their locations at a new website, nobarscampaign.co.uk.
The politician said mobiles are a "lifeline for sick and elderly people" as well as parents keeping in touch with their children.
He added: "London is the most important communications hub in the world. It is unacceptable that so much of the city has a poor signal or no signal at all.
"People find it infuriating when they rely on their phones, but then find it difficult or impossible to make a simple call or access emails.
"A first class global city should not have to put up with third rate communications."
Dr Kamall hopes to map areas where signal is poor
Loss of signal is a common complaint in and around the borough, with Surbiton and Kingston being hotspots for grumbling.
The familiar situation of being unable to get a signal in Kingston town centre has seen some phone users dub the phenomenon, the "Kingston dip".
Kingston and Surbiton MP Edward Davey said: "I think we are completely at one on this.
"In the coalition we have been working on 'not-spots'. We've been working with the industry to work out how they can end the existent not-spots.
"I have a not-spot in my house which is very frustrating. Sometimes I'm making a phone call and I have to give up and go on the landline."
A Government consultation into tackling the not-spots, run by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is open until 12am on Wednesday, November 26.
- To find out more, click here.
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