Helping neighbour with no internet - landline only

[Wiggers]

A neighbour has landline only and receives paper bills in the post. No mobile either. Everything seems to be via BT's website, how is she supposed to manage her account?

She has recently had voicemail enabled by BT unrequested, they just did it one day. I tested this for her at the time but for the past week no one else has been able to leave a message.

How is she supposed to manage her account and voicemail with no internet access?

[iniltous]

How did she manage her account previously ?
Voicemail being added is probably because she has been moved to a pre digital phone line (and almost certainly has had posted notifications etc about that ) , if the answer service isn’t wanted call BT to turn it off , the rest of the account management presumably was always done by calling BT if no one line access has ever been used, in that respect nothing has changed , she still needs to call as she has presumably always done .

[Wiggers]

She receives a bill in the post and then pays it at the Post Office. Yes, she had a letter talking about an "upgrade" that would provider her with Voicemail. But that seems to have stopped working after my initial test.

My point is, even to adjust the number of rings before answering you have to go online to the MyBT website. How is she supposed to do that?

[iniltous]

FWIW , apparently PDPL doesn’t have the same functionality as proper digital voice and the online management of PDPL isn’t comparable to DV , so as already stated , call and request it to be turned off .

[Wiggers]

She does want the answering service! 

[imjolly]

then as @iniltous posted  she needs to contact CS 03301234150

[chrisjp]

"My point is, even to adjust the number of rings before answering you have to go online to the MyBT website. How is she supposed to do that?"

Once on digital voice she can do it by keying in 1571 and accessing Voicemail settings in the menu that is read out. No need to go online to do this.
The options are Short, Medium and Long, with Long equating to 10 rings before Voicemail answers, if I remember correctly

[Wiggers]

I have just been round to see the neighbour to sort this out. The booklet she was given has nothing about settings that I could see. She is nearly 80 and finds telephone menus trying to contact CS very intimidating, and the wretched muzac drives her to distraction. 

Eventually we got through to a human who told her that, having enabled Voicemail, they then turned it off again!  You can't make this stuff up. He told her that the default is 7 rings whereas the other documentation says 8.

BT appear to have very little in place to help people who struggle with technology, seem to assume everyone is under 30 with a mobile phone and tech savvy.

[chrisjp]

I'm in my late 70s but did not find changing the number of rings before DV voicemail kicks in difficult at all.
As I said just pick up the phone, key in 1571 and follow the menu that is read out to you.
This has nothing to do with contacting customer services or in any way connected with mobile phones - the DV settings are an automated system - you are not actually talking to anyone.

[Wiggers]

You don't know my neighbour. She's never had any contact with computers of any description, her late husband did everything. In any case, you can't enable the service by dialling 1571.