This topic

Phone Line Issues

Elisabeth73 — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 21:42:32 GMT

We in our area have been without a phone line since 17 November. The current update from BT now doesn't give a date for a fix. I have contacted BT and although I could go over to digital voice I don't want to. What I would like to know is that for those who have been without a line do we get the refund on the line fees as we don't have a phone to use? Or do we have to log a complaint to do that? My brother who is in the same area doesn't have broadband only a standard phone line so it would be good to know for him as we are paying for something we can't use.

Many thanks

Elisabeth

Re: Phone Line Issues

jac_95 — Wed, 30 Nov 2022 21:47:16 GMT

Hi Elisabeth73,

Thanks for the post and welcome to the Community.

This is an automated response as I can see you have a question about BT’s Digital Voice service. Rather than waiting for a response from the Community, you may find an answer to your question by using the search bar on the Community homepage. We also have a thread that contains a wealth of info related to BT’s Digital Voice, click this link to take a look, Digital Voice FAQs.

If you have already looked for the answer to your question and have not found anything that can help, then please ignore this message. One of our Community members will be along shortly to help you further.

Re: Phone Line Issues

Elisabeth73 — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 13:04:31 GMT

Sad to see no reply to this and we in our area still have no working phone lines. The rumour is that it affects 2000 people and it's being worked on. The fix date is now 16 December which will be a month since anyone had a working landline. Very disappointing.

Re: Phone Line Issues

licquorice — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 13:11:33 GMT

There has been no reply because there is clearly nothing anybody can do to expedite things.

You were offered to be moved to Digital Voice which you will have to move to at some point in the near future anyway, why did you not accept the offer?

Re: Phone Line Issues

imjolly — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 13:13:32 GMT

this is a customer help customer community forum and your post doers not go to BT

you should get a pro rata refund of your line rental for the period without your line

Re: Phone Line Issues

Elisabeth73 — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 13:30:34 GMT

Thanks. I hadn't realised that. When I've attempted to raise it with BT it wasn't helpful. Thanks for the reply.

Re: Phone Line Issues

Elisabeth73 — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 13:32:11 GMT

Because it wouldn't work with the bell we have installed. They do flag that on the website. For my brother he will probably opt to have the line disconnected as he doesn't want internet.

Re: Phone Line Issues

jac_95 — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 13:45:03 GMT

@Elisabeth73 Is your broadband service working? Assuming it is and your broadband is delivered down the same copper line have you seen any seeing any reduced speeds or increased latency?

Also on a side note that from September 2023 you will only be able to get a phone service via Digital Voice (Internet based voice service) when regrading your package and making changes or moving. Also current customers who receive a phone service via the traditional analogue service will be migrated to Digital Voice including those with no broadband today.

Re: Phone Line Issues

Elisabeth73 — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 13:59:21 GMT

Yes broadband is working. It has been a bit up and down but BT moved me over to Halo 2 - the one that has the back up of EE. I've still had a few dips when on zoom calls but normal working is fine. We are looking into alternatives for the "bell" - and once we have that the BT phone line can go. Neither my brother of myself are going to bother with Digital Voice. Thanks for the tips.

Re: Phone Line Issues

MisstickMeg — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 08:49:34 GMT

Elizabeth

It sounds like you're in a similar position to us.

Briefly, we lost our landline in August due to a fault on BT's underground cable. Fortunately broadband not impacted. Not just BT customers affected, of course. Logged the fault, waited for resolution which took more than 3 weeks.

The ofgem website says affected customers should get compensation automatically. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-telecoms-and-internet/advice-for-consumers/costs-and-billing/automatic-compensation-need-know

Dream on. After phoning to find out why we've received nothing we did get 6 days compensation but have had to log a complaint to get considered for the rest of what we're owed.

It seems to me that BT owe everyone affected from the time they were first notified of the fault regardless of whether the affected people are BT customers or not and also regardless of whether they reported the fault. No doubt BT don't see this in quite the same way.

Re: Phone Line Issues

garybs29 — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 09:19:07 GMT

@MisstickMeg i assume it's you thats posted this on money saving expert as well.

A correction to your post, openreach & BT are 2 separate arms so BT should not be compensating everyone as it was an openreach cable fault not a BT one, those with other providers should be contacting their own supplier

Re: Phone Line Issues

MisstickMeg — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 13:46:43 GMT

Nit picking, I think.
If I recall correctly Open Reach is a wholly owned subsidiary of BT.

Re: Phone Line Issues

licquorice — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 14:04:57 GMT

Not nit picking at all. Would you expect compensation from B&Q for a Screwfix problem? Exactly the same relationship, both part of the Kingfisher group.

Re: Phone Line Issues

MisstickMeg — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 14:07:09 GMT

@garybs29

Perhaps you've misunderstood my point about automatic compensation? The ofcom website says it's automatic, you don't need to contact your provider.

Of course, it's not automatic. But it's supposed to be.

As for the artificial separation of Openreach and BT - the network assets are owned by BT and Openreach is also owned by BT.

Re: Phone Line Issues

MisstickMeg — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 14:09:19 GMT

quoi? I buy the service from BT. My relationship is with BT. BT has a relationship with itself in openreach

Re: Phone Line Issues

iniltous — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 14:12:03 GMT

How could BT compensate a Sky customer ?, how could BT process any payment if compensation were due , how could BT know when a Sky customer reported an issue with their Sky service and when it were restored ?, BT doesn’t have any ‘special’ relationship with OR , that they can ask how much time a Sky customer was out if service, that’s assuming the Sky customer reported their issue to Sky and Sky subsequently notified OR of the outage ( it doesn’t follow that these are done at the same time ) ….it’s not nitpicking to point out that Openreach operationally a separate division from BT , and that BT and OR have no closer relationship than ( for example) OR and Sky ..the fact that they are part of the same group is irrelevant, that in part is what OFCOM regulates