1) voice mail light blinks but don't know how to retrieve messages (we are renters and don't own phone) 2) Our outgoing works ok but we aren't getting messages.

What type of phone is this? Most home phones have a setting in them to adjust the number of rings. Retrieving voice mails requires the voice mail be set up first. To assist you further, please provide more details.

#409

The phone's voice mail indicator works with the voice mail function from your phone service provider. When your line is busy or goes unanswered (depending on how it's set up), the message is recorded by your service provider at their end, and you need to retrieve it. Most systems give a "stutter dialtone" when you pick up the phone to make a call (a few short bursts of dialtone before it becomes steady) to tell you when there's a waiting message. The message waiting light on the phone lets you know in case you don't pick the phone often.

Once you pick up your voice mail the light will go out and the dialtone will go back to normal. Check with your service provider for how to do it.

should be as easy as pressing play or a button may be labelled with the symbol for play

If theres a play, play message, or voice mail button on the base/main charger, try that.
Or maybe your phone service has its own voice mail, in which case, try dialing your own phone number.

I have a Uniden 5.8 GHz and the message indicator light will not stop flashing. The phone screen says I have a voice mail but I don't. Does anyone know to fix it?

look in the manual book or contact service provider

Voice mail was down. Called a service tech.

If you have voice mail on a land line as opposed to your cellular phone, you shouldn't have an icon on your cellular phone to retrieve any but the voice mail on your cellular account. If there is a special phone number that you call to retrieve your land line voice mail, then dial it, and enter whatever codes are required to retrieve your land line voice mail.

I need more information. Your phone can be connected to one of many different Toshiba phone systems and you can also have different voice mail systems. I'm assuming you are talking about voice mail messages.

Can you verify that this is happening only on your phone? If you swap phones with another station does the light start to work? It's rare, but the light itself may be the problem.

Does this same thing happen to anyone else? Is the voice mail not turning on any message waiting lights? or is it working for others?

Not knowing all the details, you could try emptying all messages including saved messages. Then try to leave yourself a test message.

If you know how, you could have your mailbox deleted and re-created. This would need administrative rights to voice mail programming.

Most voice mails have an option to activate the MSG light or not when a new message arrives. Your's could have been turned off by mistake or glitch.