Left without a landline as cable line disconnected during cooling off period

[LuciCharles]

I ordered BT broadband on the understanding I would have a 14 day 'cooling off' period. I then found they intended to 'upgrade' me to digital voice, which I did not want, so I cancelled next day. BT went ahead anyway and disconnected my cable landline. I now have no landline at all.

I am still using my original broadband supplier and want my cable landline reconnected but BT say it is impossible. They  said they can supply a digital line if I  re-order their broadband. They have relented slightly and said they might be able to supply a digital phone even if I keep my current broadband supplier. I cancelled their broadband specifically because I did not want a digital phone.

Because of my location, my mobile signal is very poor and I am left without a landline, feeling extremely isolated.

I am waiting for a call back that should happen on Friday but as my mobile signal is very poor I'm not sure a call will be successful. 

Surely BT have a responsibility to reconnect what they should never have disconnected. How can I sort this mess out? Any help will be very gratefully received.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@LuciCharles 

Unfortunately there are no more PSTN lines being provided.

See https://landlinesgo.digital/

This applies to all providers.

If you want to use BT, then BT Digital Voice is the only option. BT do not provide a digital phone service over other broadband providers.

Other providers have their own VOIP solution, or they do not provide a phone service at all.

[chrisjp]

Does your broadband come via Fibre to the Premises (FTTP)? If not, and instead it comes via Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC), I don't understand how you can still be using it, if BT has cut your copper cable connection.
I'm afraid it's now BT's (and indeed Governement) policy that anyone setting up a new broadband contract must migrate to digital voice.

[iniltous]

Perhaps you can clarify this part of your post , 

BT went ahead anyway and disconnected my cable landline. I now have no landline at all.

I am still using my original broadband supplier and want my cable landline reconnected but BT say it is impossible.

Who supplies your broadband if it wasn’t BT , is it over Virgin or an Alternative Network ?
, if your broadband was over Openreach , but not with BT , how were BT suppling your telephone  ? ,

were you on a very old legacy SMPF arrangement , where BT supplied the telephone service only and your broadband was paid for separately to someone other than BT ?( so you had two separate bills but only have the one Openreach line delivering both services separately ) 

We’re  you a BT telephone only customer with no broadband at all on the Openreach line ?

Can you give more details otherwise any reply will be guesswork.

TBH when you ordered BT broadband it is universally known that if telephony is required it will be BTDV , so that really shouldn’t have come as a surprise.

[LuciCharles]

Due to my location, I receive my broadband via a radio signal, nothing to do with Openreach. So yes, BT phone line only.

I am surprised by you comment 

'TBH when you ordered BT broadband it is universally known that if telephony is required it will be BTDV , so that really shouldn’t have come as a surprise.'

As I cannot agree that this is universally known, it was a shock to me, which is why I cancelled straight away. Where was the 14 day 'cooling off' period? 

[iniltous]

Obviously if you were unaware of DV doesn’t negate the fact that its introduction has been publicly discussed widely, with TV , newspaper, internet articles galore , mainly around the local power requirement and ,given that  once you realised you were getting DV , you cancelled the next day suggests you at some level were aware of the supposed limitations of DV otherwise why cancel so quickly ,  and if already aware of DV , ( and didn’t want it , otherwise why the near immediate cancellation )  unless you were specifically told you wouldn’t get DV ( and that seems highly unlikely to me ) then why did you order in the first place ?

The timescales also seem a little odd , the migration to DV only takes place once BT broadband is ‘connected’ to the line and you physically connect the phone to the SH2 , if the order for BT broadband was cancelled so quickly after it were raised, then broadband was never connected, there must be more to the ‘loss’ of your landline service than just the this conversion to broadband order …as the cancellation of the order ( if done in a timely fashion ) is effectively the same as if the order were never raised in the first place ,this assumes it’s FTTC or ADSL , and not FTTP .

As far as having an understanding you would have a 14 day cooling off period , that can be somewhat irrelevant ( plus it’s a grey area depending on if you called call BT or they call you ? and with you already being a BT telephone customer and not a new acquisition ) but it can be a little misleading anyway , because no doubt there was a period between when the order was raised , and the proposed service installation / start ‘date’ , if that ‘gap’ were 10-14 days , you had  a de facto period to cancel the order anyway …..any cancellation before the actual service date is penalty free .

[LuciCharles]

the migration to DV only takes place once BT broadband is ‘connected’ to the line and you physically connect the phone to the SH2 , if the order for BT broadband was cancelled so quickly after it were raised, then broadband was never connected, 

Your comment above  is why I do not understand how this situation has arisen. No digital phone was ever connected, I have never had a digital phone! but BT insist that broadband was installed, 'outside' and the copper cable removed.

[iniltous]

Were you simply ‘upgrading’ your copper pair BT ‘landline’ to BT broadband or where you also being provided with FTTP ? ,  an indication can be if you were given an ‘appointment’ and told you needed to be home for that date , FTTP installation needs access to your home , whereas FTTC/ADSL conversion to broadband on a copper line is self install , you connect the router yourself and there is no requirement for you to be at home as an installer doesn’t visit.

It’s easier to envisage losing copper service if FTTP is being installed compared to a simple cancellation of a FTTC/ADSL order , and given that you are  using  FWA ( fixed wireless access ) suggests that broadband over copper was / is poor otherwise why wasn’t it used before now , so again suggesting FTTP now available otherwise why consider using something presumably you previously dismissed as not good enough.

[LuciCharles]

Thank you for this information, it is helpful. I was told I did not need to be at home. I would just need to plug a new phone in. 

I did have BT broadband many years ago but changed due to a bad connection. Superfast was introduced to the village a few years ago but I have never had it installed.

The longer this goes on, and the more information I gather, the more I think that there have been some major fundamental errors with the 'installation', although I cannot honestly say that I actually understand it!

[iniltous]

So the thing that really makes no sense , if the timescales are as you describe, you order ADSL/FTTC , ignorant of the requirement to have BTDV , you cancel pretty much immediately ( so presumably you never actually received the BT SH2 router ) yet your landline service was ceased anyway ( even though the cancellation should have no effect on your existing service) and cannot be restored.

The  possibilities are , your cancellation attempt was  later than you admit , or wasn’t actioned in good time by BT  , if it were not actioned they you would  have received a BT SH2 ,  hopefully would alert you to the non cancellation of your order , so did you receive equipment after your cancellation ? 

TBH , it’s a little irrelevant now , as you no longer have a landline only service ,  you cannot be re provided as a  PSTN customer as that isn’t available to new customers ( which you effectively now are ) .

You  can however order a landline only service , it’s currently unclear how BT deliver orders for landline only customers , if PSTN is unavailable but they are still obliged to provide telephony .

The copper cable is only removed if FTTP is provided ( and then not 100% of the time ) , so presumably if you didn’t get FTTP , the copper pair line is still in tact , that isn’t the issue , the issue is that the equipment within the exchange that delivered your dialtone has been ‘switch off’ and it’s not possible to raise an order to switch it back on .