BT Digital, vulnerable client struggling & needs help

[Jellicle]

Hello

My neighbour is over 90 and lives alone with no family members nearby. She has been switched to BT Digital Voice without realising what was happening. Now she finds she cannot use her phone and her answering system (I think the BT one) is a mystery to her. She has phoned BT innumerable times because she simply cannot make sense of what has been done, but no-one appears willing to help her.

Her phone is a lifeline to her and people are finding that they either can't get through or her answering system is full. Clearly she doesn't know how to access messages or empty it. She is a capable person in many ways but this is depressing her. He health is not good and she genuinely needs phone access.

I am happy to go round to try and help, but I'm distressed that BT has changed a very elderly person's phone without helping her to understand it and use it.  Is there a department or number which either she or I could call for help for a vulnerable, very old, unwell person?

I would be grateful for any insights.

[imjolly]

If moved to digital voice then phone needs to be connected to green socket on the back of the BT router not the old phone socket

[imjolly]

maybe register here if not already   https://www.bt.com/content/dam/bt/help/including-you/BT_Free_Priority_Fault_Repair_Scheme.pdf

register here   https://www.bt.com/help/here-for-you

[Jellicle]

Thank you for both those replies. I intend to pop round today to try and establish what the engineers have left her with. In the meantime I have sent those links to her daughter who is in America. I can't register on my neighbour's behalf but her daughter ought to be able to do that for her.

I have found out that she doesn't possess a mobile phone, so while her phone is unusable she is cut off and would have no means of sending for help in an emergency if there is a power cut. I need to explore back up battery sources, which I thought BT could help with.

[imjolly]

I am surprised that at your neighbour's age that she was moved to digital voice probably because she is not registered as vulnerable person - your neighbour must have broadband and phone from BT

[Jellicle]

Yes, she does have BT phone and broadband.  I hope that she will be able to register as vulnerable as soon as possible. Currently despite contacting BT numerous times, she isn't able to find anyone at BT who seems able to help. 

It would have been obvious to the BT engineer who came to fit the new equipment (I don't yet know what that was) that she is extremely old and  barely mobile. 

[imjolly]

hopefully it is just a matter of disconnecting existing phone from wall socket and reconnecting to green phone socket on back of BT router

[verkosh]

Or if they sent a digital voice adapter disconnecting the phone from the socket and plugging it into the port on the adapter.

[licquorice]

@Jellicle If she has her own answering machine, make sure the BT 1571 answering service is set to maximum number of rings and her answering machine is set to a lower number of rings in order that it answers before 1571 does.

[Jellicle]

Thank you. You have given me a few options to look at, including the socket on the  BT router and checking whether she has her own answering machine. The point about number of rings is a good one. I suspect she would prefer to have only one answering system - the answerphone which she previously had and was familiar with.

If a vulnerable person has had Digital installed without an explanation of what is being done, is  it ever possible to revert to the system which she knew how to use (her daughter calls it a 'plug in phone' system) and an answering machine which she understood?

Would BT ever consider sending a technician or engineer to help her understand and use what has been done to her phone?