BT4600 phone problem with ringer and answer phone

[Keisht]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can help me with a problem with the BT4600 phone.

I bought the 3 handset version when I was over in Scotland in August for my mum, she is getting older and I wanted to upgrade the phones that she had. She isn't tech savvy, and I didn't set up the answer machine for her as she didn't want to use it as she is easily confused with all the different buttons. I had set up her phone book so that her phone recognises certain numbers and they get through as she gets a lot of nuisance calls.

The answer machine base is upstairs as she wasn't going to use it, she has one of the charger bases beside her and that phone no longer rings, I had set it up, so it rings for longer, the other 2 handsets ring fine. When I had her try to adjust things using Facetime the screen on the handset appeared to go straight to the answer machine on the phone she has beside her, when you tried to press the button for OK it just changed the display to messages, it looks as if the handset is only allowing access to the answer phone, I can't seem to change any of the settings. When I called the phone, the display showed answer machine which makes me think that the handset is stuck on controlling the answer machine.

The answer machine on/off button was lit in red, but I asked her to switch that off in the hope it would fix things, but it didn't. I did have her press the * button to turn off the ringer as dx was displayed on the screen of the handset.

Can anyone help me with what I might need to do. I'm mainly just wanting to get the ringer to work as my mum is on the frail side and even with the length of rings set at maximum she sometimes doesn't make it to the phone in time. She has a smaller group of contacts now and the phone is her main source of communication to the outside world.

If I could somehow figure out how the handset appears to be only providing access to the answer machine base upstairs that would be great as I tried a few times to change something on the phone but I couldn't seem to do anything. I have a fear that when my mum was dusting or pressing buttons on the handset she might have knocked something off.

Thank you for any suggestions that I could try,

Derek

[HHGTTG · Accepted solution]

Somewhat hasn't accidentally turned off the handset in question have they or perhaps muted the ringing tone on the handset in question? Have you downloaded the user's guide on how to use the phone available here:
https://www.bt.com/help/user-guides/phones/landline-phones/cordless-phones-with-answer-machine/bt460...

[Keisht]

Hi,

I hadn't thought about turning the handset off. I can check with my mum, possibly tomorrow as I have a small window of getting in touch as I have to get ready for work.

I had downloaded the manual for the phone and I've been looking at it while trying to fix the issue.

I did see that on page 30, I can see the menu map. My mum's phone is showing the menu map for the answer phone, I'm trying to get it to show the settings, page 31 of the manual.

Derek

[HHGTTG]

I assume, of course that the handset in question had been 'registered' with the base station? Think it must have been based on what you had already said.

[Keisht]

Hi,

I believe everything was fine.

I had set up the phone when I was over in August, and it has been working fine up until about September 11th or so. I had wondered if when my mum was dusting or when she had picked up the phone she had touched something by accident.

Derek

[Keisht]

Hi,

Thank you for all the help, I've heard back from my mum and the phone appears to be working now. I think the problem was that she had switched the phone off by holding the hang up button for too long.

The great news is that with this problem, my mum also learned a bit on how to play and delete messages on the answer phone as well!

Once again, thank you for helping my mum and myself with this problem.

Derek

[Michael_D]

Hi @Keisht 

Thanks for keeping us updated. I'm glad to hear that it is working again now and that your mum has been able to get a bit more used to the phone and some of the the settings.

Take care and have a great day.

Michael

[HHGTTG]

Glad I was of some help - aged 86 and not past it!