Signal Strength Meter Went Dead

I am very confused. I was using my Motorola V300 yesterday. Suddenly, I noticed that the signal strength meter bars disappeared off the screen for no reason. The battery was fully charged. Fortunately, my friend standing right next to me also has a Motorola phone with the same T-Mobile service. His phone had the "Bars" so he tried dialing me but got a message, "Call Failed". I was very concerned. I couldn't reach Customer Service as no calls would go through for about 1 hour. The "Bars" didn't return. My friend said try turning "Power-Off" and see what happens. Miraculously, the "Bars" returned when I pressed "Power-On and service resumed. What could have happened? I fear this will happen again without warning. I would have to check the "Bars" continuously to have peace of mind.

Bugs, my guess is your phones out of warranty (I used to have one and as far as I know they don't make them anymore) most likely just went out of warranty. This happens from time to time and unless it's someting that happens so much it becomes impossible to use your phone I would just keep doing the power cycle as sending it in for repairs would be more expensive then just buying a new V330.

Yes, the Moto V300 is out-of-warranty. I bought it used . I didn't want a brand-new phone because I am a klutz and always dropping stuff. I got the phone already scratched this way I can't blame myself for the scratches. It's my first phone and I am already "hooked" on cell phones as a result.The "Bars" are now OK. Could the problem have been that I was outside in the street standing near power lines? Could that have caused the malfunction? My friend standing next to me, also having T-Mobile service never lost his signal but he has a newer phone. Incidentally, my 3 year-old Sony Handycam has a similar problem. It works fine 99% of the time, then suddenly, for no reason, the autofocus goes out-of-whack and all videos are ruined. After shutting off power and re-starting, it works fine for days or weeks! Like phones, camcorders cost more to fix than purchasing a new model.