Tones won't work on automated call routing systems

[tcoltham]

I have recently been "upgraded" to Digital Voice and have received a BT Essential Digital Voice phone. 
Now, when calling an organisation that has a call routing system that requires you to, for example, "press 4 for xyz department" the system doesn't recognise or "hear" my input from my phone, meaning I get stuck in limbo and the system is impossible to use from my landline.
Does anyone else have the same experience? Any suggestions for fixes please? Calling these numbers with my mobile is ruinously expensive.

[jac_95]

Hi tcoltham,

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[iniltous]

Presumably you still have the phone you used before you were supplied with a ‘free’ DV phone  handset…what happens when you call the same organisation with this ( older ) handset , if the navigation works using that old phone  , then the DV ‘network’ is fine ….

it’s possible that the DV handset disables the number pad to save battery when on a call but the number pad is not in use , ( so after you dial the main number and are listening to the announcements from the called number the number pad goes off )  , you may have to ‘wake up’ the handset to get the number pad made live again, this happens on my mobile phone , although touching the screen ‘wakes’ the mobile up , you may have to press a button ( obviously not the clear down button ) or there may be a setting you can change on the phone to turn off power saving.

[tcoltham]

Thanks for your reply.
I actually don't have the previous phone any longer since we were told that it would no longer work on the new DV system. I might try to borrow one and see if I can make it work.
Pre DV we would occasionally have the same issues but they were intermittent and older style phones seemed to work fine.

[Peter_W]

Good afternoon @tcoltham.

Welcome to the BT Community. 

You should absolutely be able to connect a standard landline phone to your digital voice service to test; just plug the cable into the green phone port on the back of your Hub.

With the Digital Voice phone you're using at the moment, is this connected direct to your hub using the WPS / Pair button?
Peter

[tcoltham]

Hi Peter
The BT Essential Digital Voice phone that we now have is in a different room from my EE Hub, although it is less than 3 metres away. The phone is connected to the adapter and paired using the green button. I hope that makes sense!

[licquorice]

No, it doesn't make sense at all. The adapter is purely to convert old analogue phones and is not required for DV handsets.

Pair your handset to the hub.