This topic

How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

infobleep — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 14:41:41 GMT

Hi there

I am looking to switch my father to BT fibre but when I get to the phone part it is wanting to charge him £85.00 for the battery backup power.

I thought these were suppose to be free for those with no mobile phone reception?

Where my parents live they barely get any mobile reception. Get some upstairs but it often breaks up and is poor.

However the online maps of mobile phone reception state otherwise and for their property are incorrect. I do appreciate Ofcom claim the maps to be accurate for the majority of people but that doesn't mean everyone.

So how do they get the free battery backup power when applying for the phone contract.

Thanks for reading

Tim

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

Keith_Beddoe — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 14:52:00 GMT

@infobleep

There are special criteria for getting a free battery backup.

See this post for an example https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/Requesting-Battery-Backup/td-p/2208199

You have to be a vulnerable customer.

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

infobleep — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 15:02:25 GMT

Thanks for the reply. Does my father being registered blind count as vulnerable, for the purposes of a free battery backup?

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

Keith_Beddoe — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 15:18:05 GMT

No idea, but the first thing to do would be to make sure MyBT is updated with that information.

Normally if someone has a care alarm which is connected to DV, then this may be a help.

Bear in mind that two backup units are needed for FTTP, but only one for FTTC. Also with FTTC, if there is a local power failure, then the batteries in the cabinet would discharge, so it would not help a long outage.

Unless there is a real need to change the broadband package, I would be inclined to leave things as they are.

Does he use the RNIB Talking Books service downloads?

https://www.rnib.org.uk/living-with-sight-loss/independent-living/reading-and-books/talking-books/

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

RIC9380 — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 15:21:37 GMT

If I were you I'd call Customer Support and discuss the situation with an Advisor. The number is 0330 1234 150.

RIC9380

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

imjolly — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 15:28:04 GMT

do you know if the poor mobile signal is only affected your provider and other providers give better connection. in emergency call the mobile will connect to any mobile signal not necessarily your own

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

infobleep — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:00:26 GMT

Thanks for your replies. Aa they aren't a BT customer I can't update MyBY with any information.

They are PlusNet customer but PlusNet don't want to offer phone over fibre.

For a time they had the Talking book service and also another device that streamed the radio and other services.

They are currently on 32Mbps and are about to go out of contract.

To me it seems silly to not switch to aomwthing faster. Prior to full fibre the best they could do was something like 36 Mbps at a more expensive rate, which wasn't worth the extra give. The such small increase in speed. All due to be so afr from the exchange.

I was hoping to avoid having to ring someone up and hopped it could be dealt with online. Obviously proof can be provided when needed.

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

infobleep — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:02:01 GMT

My parents are with 02 and I have no way of knowing if EE are any better as I am also with O2.

I wouldn't know how this could be tested out.

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

Keith_Beddoe — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:05:41 GMT

@infobleep

Plusnet are telling customers if they want a phone service in future, they have to move to BT.

See the Plusnet forum.

https://community.plus.net/t5/Forum/ct-p/Forum

If they re-contract with Plusnet, they will lose their phone service.

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

licquorice — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:03:30 GMT

Why on earth do you think they need anything faster?

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

imjolly — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 16:08:07 GMT

what does the EE coverage map show or even other providers . any provider will do in the case of emergency call

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

Jane2018 — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 10:51:30 GMT

I would probably just not actively change anything in their situation at present even if it remains more expensive than otherwise might be the case. Better the devil you know as it were

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

infobleep — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 09:57:58 GMT

My parents don't need anything faster but my brother who lives with them and myself, when I'm working from my parents house, could do with something faster.

Also, there is an on-going issue where from time to time, the router losses the connection to the Internet and restarts.

No idea why it occurs. Never got to the bottom of it. Originally there was a line speed issue, which got fixed but this problem remained. Switching to a new service will get rid of that problem too.

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

infobleep — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 10:27:49 GMT

Regarding the EE maps and notices, it says this:

EE say this about 5G

You'll get weak coverage outdoors and no coverage indoors on your Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The maps shows outdoors only.

Not that my parents have a smartphone.

For 4G and 2G they state this:

You'll get good coverage outdoors and varying levels of coverage indoors on your Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

However, the map shows them to only be outdoors only.

On 3G it states:

You'll get no coverage indoors or outdoors on your Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

I can't test this out however. This is what O2 say:

2G - Good indoors and outdoors.
3G - Good indoors and outdoors. Good for mobile broadband.
4G - Good indoors and outdoors. Good for mobile broadband.
4G calling - Good indoors and outdoors. Good for 4G calling.
5G - Patchy outdoor coverage for 5G

However. it is incorrect. There is next to often no coverage indoors for mobile data on 4G, even upstairs. Same applies to 2G and 3G. Not quite certain what 4G calling is as my parents don't have smart phones but calling is patching anyway, although better upstairs. 5G, what is that? 🤣

It is known by Ofcom that the coverage maps are not perfect but in most cases they claim they are accurate. The important word being most, which means in some cases, the maps will be wrong and this is one of those cases.

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

infobleep — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 09:53:44 GMT

Just an update to say 2 backup batteries and a digital voice phone arrived in the package. So despite not being able to get them it seems, unless OpenReach switch you over, they turned up at no extra cost.

The system clearly has lots of work to do to get this running more smoothly. I have yet another issue, which I will raise separately but still regarding the switch to full fibre under BT, which hasn't actually happened yet.

Good job this isn't required urgently.

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

Jillity — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 17:53:09 GMT

I applied for a free battery pack and BT claimed they'd put it on order. I waited several weeks and then I received a new phone that I hadn't ordered. I told BT and they asked me to send it back. When I asked where my battery pack was they claimed they'd sent it. Rubbish service. I never did get the battery pack.

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

Alex_H — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 09:07:02 GMT

Hi @Jillity,

I am sorry you did not receive your free battery backup, I understand that will be disappointing. From your previous posts I can see this originally happened a few years ago when there was some stock issues, I am sorry it never arrived.

Have you been back in touch recently, as if you meet the eligibility criteria and never received a battery back up, our team will be able to order one for you. The number to call us is 0330 1234 150 from any phone.

Alex

Re: How does one get a free battery backup when applying for full fibre and digital voice?

Jillity — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 10:12:48 GMT

Thank you Alex.