Phone line issue

shifty_uk · 5 Jan 2011 at 15:02

This is an issue a grandparent is having so bare with me,

Phone line is dead, the cordless phones are ringing out but when you pick them up, it's just static. You can't call out. Everything has been reset several times and the old style phones we've tried haven't worked either, just static when you pick them up.

There's BE unlimited broadband in the house, also which is working fine so it just seems to be an issue with the BT phone service. They're wanting £130 for an engineer to come up and tell us there's no issues in this house. It's been the same line for the past 35 years, there was even a BT engineer out dabbling with the local power boxes earlier this morning.

Any ideas?

Morba · 5 Jan 2011 at 15:05

When did it start? Before the BT engineer was outside or after?

Morgoth · 5 Jan 2011 at 15:06

I thought the call out fee only applied if they found no fault with their equipment? From the sounds of it it's not something you can fix.

johnny6 · 5 Jan 2011 at 15:08

Have you try replacing the micro filter?

shifty_uk · 5 Jan 2011 at 15:10

It started yesterday afternoon so long before the engineer was out dabbling with the telephone exchange boxes.

Apparently they keep claiming the line appears to be working fine but it's clearly not. There's no issues with any of our equipment, I've even took the face off the BT port and used the older one underneath but nothing. Like I said, there's no problems with the broadband which is funnily another company.

shifty_uk · 5 Jan 2011 at 15:11

johnny6 said:
Have you try replacing the micro filter?

I tried a couple of old school phones which don't have any?

Paul. W · 5 Jan 2011 at 15:12

As long as you've tested from the master socket (which you say you have) and have tried a corded phone, then request for an engineer to come out and visit.

Testing from the master socket eliminates any of the cabling within the house being at fault. You are only charged for an engineer call out if the fault is proved within the house.

EDIT - Im assunming you have tested from the test (underneath the faceplate) socket using a single corded phone with nothing else attached?

johnny6 · 5 Jan 2011 at 15:16

Have you tried completely disconnecting the broadband router to see if the line clears up at all?

shifty_uk · 5 Jan 2011 at 15:18

Paul. W said:
EDIT - Im assunming you have tested from the test (underneath the faceplate) socket using a single corded phone with nothing else attached?

Yes. Still didn't work.

johnny6 said:
Have you tried completely disconnecting the broadband router to see if the line clears up at all?

Yes.

johnny6 · 5 Jan 2011 at 15:22

Get a BT man in then, I'm sure they only charge if there is no fault on the line/found to be user damage etc etc etc

We had a similar problem which turned out to be an issue with the phone cable connection at the telegraph pole end in the street. We didn't get charged.

Cosimo · 5 Jan 2011 at 15:29

johnny6 said:
Get a BT man in then, I'm sure they only charge if there is no fault on the line/found to be user damage etc etc etc

We had a similar problem which turned out to be an issue with the phone cable connection at the telegraph pole end in the street. We didn't get charged.

They will charge if you have a problem past the master socket. Keep an eye on what they do because these days some of the engineers will try and pass it off as a fault on your side.

Deleted member 651465 · 5 Jan 2011 at 15:29

Report the fault on BT.com/faults, say it's a voice issue and they will send out an engineer.

Providing it's not the internal wiring then you have no fear. This happened to me (no voice, DSL only) and was sorted at the dp.

johnny6 · 5 Jan 2011 at 16:19

simulatorman said:
They will charge if you have a problem past the master socket.

What even if BT themselves have installed the extension sockets? Surely they must also cover them in the above case?

Immsy · 5 Jan 2011 at 17:17

johnny6 said:
What even if BT themselves have installed the extension sockets? Surely they must also cover them in the above case?

Only for 12 months

telewebby · 5 Jan 2011 at 23:19

we've had the same situation since moving from bt to talk talk(still bt phone line) and it has been a problem in the local exchange and had an engineer out to sort it with no charge

alex

eGu_Ryan · 5 Jan 2011 at 23:33

BT, Sky, Talk Talk and any other companies cover from the test socket (if you have one) onwards, once you've tried 2-3 phones in the test socket and it still doesn't work it's an engineer job. Call them up and report it, it'll just be a line test then them logging the fault.

agw_01 · 5 Jan 2011 at 23:39

Just to echo what's been said (I work for one of the ISPs eGu_Ryan mentions), BT will only charge you if the fault is with the internal wiring/equipment.

As long as you've tried alternative phones directly into the BT master/test socket having removed any filters and other equipment, you have nothing to worry about. Definitely keep an eye on the BT engineer though as what simulatorman says has happened quite a few times.

doofer · 5 Jan 2011 at 23:45

I had the same fault, BT guy working up the road and then no phone line but Broadband was fine, took BT monkeys three weeks to sort it out, the cheeky sods even kept updating the fault status to fixed when it wasn't so I had to keep re-logging it as a fault on their site.

It turned out to be a dry connection at the cabinet the BT guy had been working on, Broadband apparently only needs one wire in the line to work but the phone needs two and that's how I still had Internets

Locky · 6 Jan 2011 at 00:11

simulatorman said:
They will charge if you have a problem past the master socket. Keep an eye on what they do because these days some of the engineers will try and pass it off as a fault on your side.

Yes they will, they tried that one with me the ****ers

shifty_uk · 6 Jan 2011 at 00:12

Thanks chaps, looks like it'll take someone coming around before they'll listen. Engineer it is then.

Phone line issue

Deleted member 651465

Deleted member 651465