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

[Tel61]

That's what I thought he was trying to say. However, can we have an acronym buster here:

PSTN

FTTP

ADSL/VDSL

DV (I guess is Digital Voice, but it might not be apparent to some)

Not all of us are familiar with these terms!

[licquorice]

PSTN Public switched telephone network, the current analogue phone service.

FTTP Fibre to the premises, full fibre

ADSL/VDSL older broadband delivered by copper to the premises.

[Jane2018]

Do we know what will be done with a customer as I am with one of my BT accounts has two telephone lines on it - one with landline number I have had for 25 years on it and don't want to change and no broadband on that line and a second line also with BT just used for broadband?

What I think will happen is BT will send us the same device to plug in the landline as mentioned above for people without broadband and will keep us on the very old broadband hub (not hub2) on the line that just has broadband on it as that line is unaffected by digital voice so will be no need for BT to upgrade that broadband only line.

The other thing BT could do to retain our landline number would be to move the broadband over to that home number and cut the separate BB only number and supply a home hub2 into which to plug the phone - that modem is 2 flights up though so that is not ideal. I don't think BT will do that as it will just look at the account and see there is a BB account unaffected by CV and a second number with no BB on it so send the new device into which I can plug the landline corded phone.

[Henry46]

I have a question regarding the use of you existing phone. You say that you will hardly notice any change, unfortunately this doesn't seem to the case. My father is using his existing phone and now he can't see if he has any messages, where before he went digital he was able to see a red flashing light. 

We have been told he now has to ring 1571 to see if he has any messages. which to me is totally ridicules

[licquorice]

Read the FAQ

[WSH]

I have a similar sort of phone, (a Panasonic cordless with answerphone).  The problem stems from the fact that digital voice has its own answerphone in the form of 1571 and that may answer first.  The answer is to set the number of rings for 1571 to be more than his answerphone. The default for 1571, if memory serves, is 7 rings with 10 being the max.  I have my phone set for 5 rings and the 1751 set for 7 rings.  My answerphone works fine.

The settings for the number of rings for 1571 is on BT’s website, somewhere under “MyBT”.

[chrisjp]

"The settings for the number of rings for 1571 is on BT’s website, somewhere under “MyBT”."
You can also select the number of rings for the 1571 answering service by calling 1571 and selecting the appropriate item from the menu.
So there's no need to go to any website to do this.

[Colin_London]

I have a similar sort of phone, (a Panasonic cordless with answerphone).  The problem stems from the fact that digital voice has its own answerphone in the form of 1571 and that may answer first.  The answer is to set the number of rings for 1571 to be more than his answerphone. The default for 1571, if memory serves, is 7 rings with 10 being the max.  I have my phone set for 5 rings and the 1751 set for 7 rings.  My answerphone works fine.

The settings for the number of rings for 1571 is on BT’s website, somewhere under “MyBT”.

This is the correct answer, but how on earth the majority of people, let alone elderly people, are supposed to work it out is anyones guess.

BT just say that old answerphones are 'not compatible' with the new service, but that's not correct either.

[RIC9380]

@Colin_London 

Any confused/elderly/stupid BT customer can call Customer Services to get appropriate advice and guidance.  Local authorites have Digital Teams, usually based in accessible libraries, which can offer full support.  What more do you want?  BT to send an Engineer to every home in the UK to check that everyone's set up?  Nothing like that happened when Subscriber Trunk Dailling took over from calling "0" and getting the Operator to connect your call or when 405 lines TV was switched off/analogue TV services were switched to digital services.  Consumers eventually have to go with the flow, whether that means getting some outside help or just asking a savvy, teenage relative or next door neighbour to pop in and check up that they're all set up correctly.

[Tim123]

The analogue TV switch-off was far better publicised though, with frequent TV 'commercials' (or 'infomercials'). There have been no commercials for the analogue phone-switch off. BT really should bring back the popular and funny Beattie character, played by Maureen Lipman, older customers would relate to and be greatly reassured by her (and Lipman is now the right age to do it). She could be worried about the change and reassured by her best friend, played by Miriam Margolyes (who has already been switched and needs no excuse to try and get one over on her snooty friend), that it's really nothing to worry about, and look - even Beattie's faithful old red corded telephone will still work! Of course this won't happen, because BT today is nothing like the old 'British Telecom' that was proud to call itself British. They're now even embarrassed by the trusted and easy-to-say 'BT' name and inexplicably want to change it to something that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue and looks and sounds like an ugly noise you make when you open your mouth for the doctor to look into it!