Unable to make outgoing calls

[Spidergirl1]

I had Sky broadband and talk when I was living at my parents home in 2015. I moved out and cancelled the account with Sky and my parents took out a new broadband contract with BT. Since they have been unable to make any outgoing calls. There's a dialing tone but after you dial there's a recorded message... something along the lines of "if you are the Sky account holder press 1" then you get the engaged tone. 

I've reported to Sky and they confirm the account was closed with no oustanding payments and to contact BT which I did and have had several engineers out to fix it but the issue remains. They even changed the no to help clear the message but that didn't work. Please help!

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Spidergirl1 

Your parents would have been moved to BT Digital Voice, so the phone socket on the wall will no longer work. There are no more analogue PSTN connections being provided.

Their phone needs to be plugged into the green phone socket on the back of the BT Smart Hub 2, is that where its plugged in?

[Spidergirl1]

They have not moved to digital voice yet. Even plugging the phone in the socket still has that message on the line, the BT engineers have been unable to clear it. They can receive incoming calls only

[Keith_Beddoe]

When did they place their order, as there is a Stop Sell on PSTN connections from September 5th 2023?

Where is the phone plugged in when they get incoming calls?

[Spidergirl1]

In 2015 when I moved out! They've had the issue for the past 9 years. It's plugged into the main BT phone socket, in the DSL filter

[Keith_Beddoe]

So they have not been able to make any outgoing calls since 2015?

If they still get Sky when they try to make outgoing calls, then the Sky equipment in the exchange has not been removed, and their phone circuit is still connected via their equipment.

Their circuit should be connected directly to the BT Exchange equipment, a simple task.

This is a fault in the local exchange, as it should have been disconnected once BT took over. Somehow this has been missed, but it should not be difficult to sort out, assuming there is anyone left in BT with the skills to work on the exchange frame.

Probably the easiest way to sort it would be to request a move to BT Digital Voice, as its going to happen anyway.

That would disconnect any link to the exchange equipment, but it would mean that their phone would need to be plugged into the BT Smart Hub 2.

It all sounds quite a mess.

[Spidergirl1]

Yes since 2015! Last resort was to change the number and that hasn't worked. Given up with BT and will wait until the digital voice switchover 

[Keith_Beddoe]

You should be able to request a changeover to DV, assuming the exchange is ready.

Its just a pity that BT cannot sort the wiring out in the exchange.

I did a bit of "frames" work when I worked for BT, mostly when there was no other Private Circuit repair jobs in the queue.

[Spidergirl1]

Thanks for the advice, I've made a complaint to BT so hoping they'll come with a resolution 

[Keith_Beddoe]

Probably a good idea, perhaps they will get someone to the exchange and remove the Sky equipment from the line, as that is the only way I could see how they could be getting a connection to Sky.