BT fitted new fibre broadband yesterday now landline won't work

[iangar07]

Hello,

Has anyone ever had issues with BT after having new fibre broadband fitted?

Yesterday, a technician from Openreach came and did what he had to do, and connected us up to new fibre broadband. The landline phone went off and a message is on there saying 'Check Line'. The technician assured us that this is normal and the service is usually up and running within 2 hours, and a maximum of 24 hours.

24 hours have come and gone, and we still don't have a landline working.

My mum is in her 70s and has a heart condition, and had a cardiac arrest two years ago. She has been worried about this landline not working and this is making her ill. I have phoned BT twice and the operators tell me that all it needs is for the sign-off to come from Openreach as it's still appearing as an open order and they will activate the line. 

Why won't anyone do that?

Instead, I am receiving text messages telling me the broadband is up and running, BT contact centre operators asking if we want to make a complaint, and telling me that they will get the landline activated. I have been told it could take up to midnight, or 24 hours since the technician left. This timescale has been and gone. 

If all it takes is for someone at BT to press the button to activate, I can't understand why they won't actually do it, especially when they know how this is impacting on my mum?

[HHGTTG]

I assume therefore that your phone is now plugged into the green socket on the back of your Smart Hub2 and that your Openreach technician did that for your mother. Perhaps you should reboot the hub and check from the home hub manager page that the phone box on there shows an active line with your phone number showing?

[iangar07]

Hello there, thank you for your reply

Yes, I can assure you that the phone cable is definitely in the port, and this is switched on. The technician did that before he left.

We have rebooted the hub several times and I have accessed the hub manager and followed the instructions. 

There is power to the hub, and the broadband is on. I am using it now to write this message.

[Leanne_T]

Morning @iangar07 

I am very sorry you're Mum's landline is not up and running after having the new fibre installed and understand how important having a working landline is for her. 

I would like to get you some help and have sent you a private message on the community for some extra details.

Speak soon. 

[iniltous]

When the tech ‘closes the job’ there is a back office type process that in effect tells the old system to stop delivering the old style telephone service and the new style service to start via the broadband connection, unfortunately this process can fail mid point and in effect needs manual intervention to go into those computerised systems and close the activity’s manually…this may take a while ,  unfortunately occasionally this can leave someone’s  telephone service in ‘limbo’ neither on the old system or the new system, it’s not an excuse BTW , but no system is 100% perfect, I suspect you have simply been unlucky that your order didn’t automatically close like 99% of orders do and until someone or another system intervenes and fixes whatever stopped the automatic closure, you won’t get service…with a bit of luck that won’t take too long 

[iangar07]

Hi @iniltous 

Thank you for the reply, 

I understand that systems can fail, but it feels frustrating when I get told it should be a simple fix which they can do remotely, but doesn't happen.

[iniltous]

As you have had a private message from the Moderator, once you reply they may be able to get your issue moved to the top of the pile of work needing manual intervention rather that it being one if many ‘exceptions’ waiting to be resolved, so if you haven’t , it’s worthwhile responding to the Mod request.

Although it may seem it should be a simple fix , huge organisations tend to have pretty rigid processes and procedures that stop ‘simple fixes’ , 

[HHGTTG]

Maybe people will understand why I keep on putting off this change due to this uncertainty and loss of landline. My partner won't or can't use a mobile phone. Every so often I get a spate of emails from BT comma, telling me I'm being upgraded to BT Fibre Essentials and Digital Voice. I also get one from Openreach each time where I can cancel facility this and that it what I do and they respond with "you'll stay on your existing service and we'll let BT/EE know. I don't know how long this will last. 

[iangar07]

@HHGTTG I agree with you.

We now wish that we never upgraded because of all this hassle.

Our existing contract (which we were happy with) was coming up for expiry, so we were given the option of either upgrading or keeping with the current package, but the advertised speeds on the current package would have been slower than we have now.

[iangar07]

@iniltous 

So now they say it'll be 48 hours before they call me. 

It started off at within the hour, then I was told 24 hours, now it's 48 hours. It's almost as if they want to make it into a formal complaint.

My mum and dad have been loyal BT customers for 50 years. I bet brand-new customers won't get this hassle.