Elderly/vulnerable customers without Broadband - Notification of new Digital Voice service

[Keith_Beddoe]

@blackprince 

FAQ.

https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/Digital-Voice-FAQs/td-p/2207485

[blackprince]

Thanks, both. The broadband/voice separation thing is still as clear as mud to me. But it's off topic for this thread, so I'll leave it.

"It is a relatively straightforward operation to configure existing wiring to be utilised but will be your responsibility to do so"
And BT just expect a 94 year old widow who can't even change a plug to just do it? I think that's pretty disgraceful.
Still, if the migration date is being pushed out, I suppose it becomes more likely that she will die before she needs to be treated like this.

[c64z86]

You could hire a telephone engineer to do it for her instead.

Or if she is staying with BT for her telephone/digital voice then the digital voice adapters can be used anywhere there is a power socket and a DECT signal to the hub. They will provide a telephone socket anywhere she needs one around the home.

[licquorice]

But home wiring has always been the responsibility of the customer. With only a master socket  nothing would change, the device would simply plug into the existing socket instead of the current phone.

[chrisjp]

This raises an interesting point. If you have Smarthub 2 then, as well as plugging one phone into the socket on the back of it, you can also have other phones by using DV adapters that plug into any mains electrical sockets and that your extension phones plug into. The adaptors communicate with the SH2 via radio (DECT).
But it's not clear whether the "alternative device" that BT will provide to households with landline only and which don't want broadband will have this DECT capability.
Does anyone know about this?

[RIC9380]

@licquorice Indeed! If my 92 year old mum now wants to locate a lamp where there is no nearby power socket she doesn't expect EDF just to turn up and fit a new one for free!

[c64z86]

@chrisjp 

I don't know for sure, I think that they would provide a device with such a capability for people with landlines only.

There have to be a lot of people who have their telephones plugged into extensions right now. I don't think they will be forgotten.

[blackprince]

@RIC9380 - I bet she would expect EDF to make things good if they turned up and broke her service.

[blackprince]

@c64z86 Thanks. I'm not sure I understand that. Are you saying this "DV adaptor" will allow her to plug in her cordless phones' base unit into her existing bedroom socket (which isn't her master socket)?

On the other item
"You could hire a telephone engineer to do it for her instead."
Pretty much her only income is her state pension, so this would be a sizeable outlay for her, just to keep what she has now. So, I would need to convince her that I should pay for this for her, which will make her feel like a charity case, and will also mean that BT feel it's up to me to subsidise their profits 🙄

[c64z86]

Or if convincing her does not work, you could just tell her it's a 3rd party contractor BT sent around to help her get her new service in order 😛

She would never need know that the enginner was paid for by you. If you don't mind a little white lie of course!

Yep, the digital voice adapters will work anywhere around the home where she needs to plug a phone into the telephone extension. Just pair it to the smarthub and off you go.

This is all assuming she is with BT for her landline, those adapters do not work with other providers sadly.

Here's a guide for them: https://www.bt.com/help/user-guides/phones/digital-voice/digital-voice-adapter