Digital Voice Scam

[licquorice]

---

@Gruffski wrote:

Apologies, please forgive my confusion.  As connecting the handsets uses the WPS (WiFi Protected Setup) button, I (incorrectly) assumedthey used WiFi. I understand now.

---

Only BT could confuse customers by using a WPS button for a totally different purpose.

[Keith_Beddoe]

---

@licquorice wrote:

---

@Gruffski wrote:

Apologies, please forgive my confusion.  As connecting the handsets uses the WPS (WiFi Protected Setup) button, I (incorrectly) assumedthey used WiFi. I understand now.

---

Only BT could confuse customers by using a WPS button for a totally different purpose.

---

But it saved them money, not having to re-design the SH2 and add another button, but at what cost to the consumer. 

[Gaz112]

I've been part of the Salisbury trial chaos. After many delays and disasters they've marked it as a success despite it being a failure. I now have a service that doesn't work. Due to handset (2 feet away from hub) synching all day so it mostly does NOT ring for calls or cuts calls off resyching/ looking for handset in call. I mostly now use mobile instead. I have reset phone and hub but just continually synchs/ searches. I bought a second DV handset and identical problem. People I call report missed sound and huge - making them jump- artifact noises mostly clicks which are probably data rerouting. The support for anyone older than me was non existent, BT seemsed unaware of the trial. They do not care about seniors or disabled with this scheme.

BT staff are now on targets to sign you up when you recontract without asking you if you want it.  Death of the landline and hopefully also BT as they don't deserve a company under this new policy.  The UK now has this rubbish to look forward to?

If anyone has managed to get the batteries out of their DV handset to hard reset it - let me know. I have pictures  (they are the official manual -online only of course- and a cartoony joke) but it's very difficult

[garybs29]

@Gaz112 I do have some sympathy but it's outright lies that staff are on targets to sign you up, it's a stop sell of PSTN  so there's no other option

[Gaz112]

@garybs29 garybs29

I stand by my comment and with so little info how do you know?

In Salisbury no but in plenty of other places for now you do not need to be forced onto buggy DV in 2023.

My son recontracted 3 months ago in Essex. Received uninvited DV handset, called and found the lady he spoke to signed him up to DV without consent. He cancelled contract, re-set it up without DV and had to send handset back.

My brother did the same, recontracted, suddenly had emails and letters about DV, chased up and they luckily changed it back in time to what it was before as he does not want DV having heard about how bad mine is, he landline is used a huge amount and reliability is key for him.

A lot of false info by BT customer suport/ sales teams and assumptions in your best interest. It's the same as Smart meters, there is no national rush (yet) but internal targets yes. Other wise why the subterfuge giving customers DV?

.

[Keith_Beddoe]

Of course you can have broadband without a phone service, and that is an option if you re-contract, but  as from 5th September 2023, there is no longer an option to have an analogue phone connection, and the only way to get a phone service is to use BT DV, or a third party VOIP provider.

[garybs29]

You must just be unlucky @Gaz112 I've been using DV for a couple of years without any issues so there are probably plenty of others like me with no issues hence why it's been classed as a success

[Gaz112]

Thanks Keith

The roll out is still regional. And a lot of  Ofcom requirements have not been met or not met satisfactorily.

The dates have changed several times as they did for Salisbury -   2022 then end 2022, then early 2023 and maybe they did in April 2023. 

Open Reach: "We'll be retiring the old analogue phone network at the end of 2025." This is why I compared it to Smart Meters because of these panic tactics that are their issue not the customers'.

Where is this  5th September 2023  date from please? @Keith_Beddoe 

BT say "If we've written to say your home phone is moving to Digital Voice" well they haven't written to anyone I know outside of Salisbury so people should still be able to re-contract with copper in the meantime because the copper network is still up and running fine -  just Openreach are not selling new connections to it and are still trying to get everyone off.

[Keith_Beddoe]

https://www.openreach.co.uk/cpportal/products/the-all-ip-programme/stopsell-updates

[Gaz112]

Maybe @garybs29 The forums say quite a few are unlucky. With geography probably.

Salisbury was never a success story. It was a disaster that ironed out a few creases at the locals' expense for national roll out. It was a leaflet printing exercise with no follow up support. Customer support at BT were unaware of the whole thing. There were no dedicated phone lines for the test roll out, they just said call 150 who were clueless.  In Salisbury - the internet is bad (latency and loss, not speeds) and DV uses that infra now.  Rural locations are really going to suffer a lot with this.