Contacts don't show #s, texts show #s only

If I scroll through my contacts list, it shows their pic and their name - but not their actual phone number, unless I select a specific contact. Even then I can't send a text from there; I have to back out, go to the messaging menu, select compose, THEN select the contact.

Meanwhile, if someone sends me a text *even if they're on my contacts list* all that shows up is a phone number, so I have no idea who the text is from. Because no numbers show up in the contacts list I have to go through the contacts, one at a time, to figure out who sent the text.

The main reason for this discrepancy seems to be that incoming texts display the phone number with 1 and the area code... but if I store the #s like that in Contacts, then try to call anyone, I get the "the number you have dialed is not a long distance number" message.

With my RAZR, contacts display the pic, name, AND number and when a text comes in from someone on my contacts list it displays their name and photo - no guesswork required. Can I configure the instinct to do the same, or am I stuck with what the programmers thought made sense?

Probably should have put this in General Instinct Discussions.

I mis-read your question at first.   That is correct when you say you go to the contact list, it only shows the pic and persons name.  It does not show the number in the contact list.  You do have to go into each individual contact to see the number, and from there it lets you pick which number you want to call.  As for when a text arrives, it should just show the person's name as long as you have them listed as a contact.

When you go into the contact list, you can send a text from there.  On the line that their number is on, there is a little message balloon off to the right of it, click on that and it takes you to the text mode.

In your contact list, to the right of "my info" is a little half bubble, touch that, and the screen will get darker and a letter "A" will appear in the center of the screen.  Then you can just move that up and down the side of the screen scrolling to whatever contact you want by letter. 

I don't know what's going on with your contact list, aren't you using the area code plus the number, 10 digits? Maybe it is some canadian anomaly.

tried that - but the stupid Instinct won't recognize 306-xxx-xxxx stored as a contact number as the same as the 1-306-xxx-xxxx of the incoming text message.

I have to add the 1 (11 digit format) in order for incoming texts to be associated with the contact name AND store a 7 or 10 digit format to actually dial the person's number without getting the "The number you have dialed is not a long distance number. Please hang up and dial again" recording.

Not only is adding each number to contacts twice a pain in the butt, but apparently if I already have a pic attached to the number and add the 11 digit version under the same contact, it disassociates the pic and I have to re-add it. Least user friendly phone evar!

The frustrating thing is any non-samsung phone doesn't add the 1-306 on this network. It is unique to the brand, and the cause of the problem.