This topic

No landline for 3.5 weeks

hra29904 — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 12:02:57 GMT

During Digital Voice switchover, BT unexpectedly switched my router on 5 January but are not due to switch my landline until 29 January. This has meant I have lost my landline in the interim. BT say they cannot change the landline switchover date. In the meantime I have a PAYG mobile with unreliable mobile signal.

I complained and escalated this but BT closed the complaint on the grounds of not being able to contact me by phone (!). I did manage to contact them by mobile from a different location and they just emailed back to reiterate that they are not going to change the 29 January date. They also said they could not re-open the complaint.

As a remedy I was verbally offered £20 compensation but I believe I am actually entitled to automatic compensation.

What is the best route to take from here? Is there any further escalation route and if not, what can I do to obtain a speedy and more clear-cut deadlock response to be able to take this to the Coommunications Ombudsman? Can anything be done about BT's inability to communicate other than by phone? Even chat doesn't seem to be available.

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

jac_95 — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 12:05:02 GMT

Hi hra29904,

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.

To learn more about the nationwide change to this Internet based voice service visit landlinesgo.digital

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: No landline for 3.5 weeks

Keith_Beddoe — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 12:11:00 GMT

@hra29904

Welcome to this user forum for BT Retail phone and broadband customers.

Normally the disconnection of the analogue phone line is triggered off once the BT Smart Hub 2 has downloaded the configuration for BT Digital Voice, and this would show within the hub manager.

What sort of BT broadband connection do you have?

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

hra29904 — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 12:17:41 GMT

I haven't tried to access the Hub Manager as yet; what do you need to know?

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

Keith_Beddoe — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 12:22:47 GMT

I do not have BT Digital Voice so I am not sure where you would look on the Smart Hub 2, but other forum members may be able to help.

I assume you have tried plugging your phone into the phone socket on the back of the Smart Hub 2?

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

-Richie- — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 12:38:14 GMT

@hra29904wrote:
During Digital Voice switchover, BT unexpectedly switched my router on 5 January but are not due to switch my landline until 29 January.

Have you plugged your handset into the Smart Hub 2 before the switch date? you only do that when you're on Digital Voice, until then plug it into the master socket (NTE)

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

Les-Gibson — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 13:35:31 GMT

Go to 192.168.1.254 from a browser, you will see a screen similar to the below

Alongside where it says "Phone", from memory you should see either 'Not Configured' or something of that ilk, if you see your phone number then DV has been provided and presumably your copper line has been disconnected but DV wont work until your activation date

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

hra29904 — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 16:21:34 GMT

Thank you all for the prompt replies and help. I'm logged into BT Hub Manager now and the phone section is showing ujp as "Not configured". Yes, I have tried plugging 2 different phones into the router and cannot get a dial tone. I was expecting this by now. The problem is the gap between already losing my original physical landline service unexpectedly on 5 January, and the cutover date of 29 January which BT say they cannot bring forward. I initially even reported the landline as a fault by text on 6 January but BT have since confirmed it is due to the switch.

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

-Richie- — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 16:29:10 GMT

@hra29904wrote:
Yes, I have tried plugging 2 different phones into the router and cannot get a dial tone.

It doesn't need moving until you're on Digital Voice, plug it back into the socket like you previously have done, you're not on Digital Voice yet, only plug it in the Smart Hub 2 on the day of migration.

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

Keith_Beddoe — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 16:33:28 GMT

@hra29904

Why did you lose your physical landline?

Unless its been accidentally disconnected, or gone faulty, I would expect it to still have dial tone. Did you report it as a fault?

Are you sure that its not still working when you plug your phone in?

Even after the switchover to DV, the old line is usually made a "stopped" line, with a different number, that still has dial tone on it, but cannot make or receive calls.

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

hra29904 — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 16:39:15 GMT

Hi Keith. I don't exactly know why my service was disconnected but yes I did report it by text as a fault. I received a text reply that an engineer would call back within 48 hours but by the time the 48 hours was nearly up I called BT anyway and was told my service had been deactivated on 5 January.

On 5 January I also unexpectely received an email saying "Your service is now live" and "Your broadband service is ready". It was actually in calling BT to find out why I had received this email that I found my landline was not working!

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

Keith_Beddoe — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 16:43:56 GMT

Did you make any changes to your broadband package, that may have triggered the loss of the phone line, as a regrade would normally result in the loss of the physical phone line, and a migration to DV, as its not possible to keep a PSTN line after a regrade or renewal of contract.

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

hra29904 — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 16:54:57 GMT

No I didn't make any changes to my package. I also received an earlier email on 27 December saying "Your service is now live" but this did not result in loss of landline service.

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

hra29904 — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 16:55:57 GMT

My contract is actually due to expire before the 29 January switchover but it hasn't expired yet.

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

Keith_Beddoe — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:05:59 GMT

That should not make any difference, as you would simply carry on monthly, out of contract prices.

Someone has made an error.

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

hra29904 — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 17:16:08 GMT

Yes that is my impression too, verbally from the first call I made after reporting the fault. I find it hard to believe that they cannot bring forward the date of the phone part of the switch, which they have already changed once (as I did too) or offer any physical solution given my lack of a reliable mobile signal at the moment. No questions have been asked as to whether I am vulnerable or look after another vulnerable person.

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

RobbieMac — Sat, 13 Jan 2024 18:23:58 GMT

Hi @hra29904

Welcome and thanks for your posts!

I am sorry for the problems you're having making and receiving calls since your switch over to Digital Voice. I appreciate the amount of your own time that you've spent trying to get this sorted out.

Get in touch with us and we'll see what can be done. I have sent you a private message with instructions on how you can send us over your details and we'll look into this for you. See: Private messages

Thanks,

Robbie

Re: No landline for 3.5 weeks

hra29904 — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 07:36:30 GMT

Just to post how this all ended up.

On 29 January I did get my landline back and did not lose my number. Both BT and my potential new supplier had advised me to wait.

During this period I only had a PAYG mobile with unreliable mobile service and also lost access to any online website which sent security codes to my landline. Some of these were time-critical or had sent secure messages online I could not access and were very inflexible about changing the security arrangements.

The vulnerable person I help to support was away during part of this period but that was a worry as well.

Part-way through the outage however, I went to an EE shop and the very helpful members of staff replaced my mobile phone SIM, which resolved the frequent loss of signal.

In addition the BT team here were also very helpful in contacting me promptly and addressing the complaint, trying to see what options there really were.

Far from the £20 I was initially offered, they have ensured I will get automatic compensation for the whole 3.5 weeks.