BT Landline Not Working
Peachy Keen
Posts: 2,577 Forum Member
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I have been away for a few days. When l returned home this afternoon, l decided to call 1471 but there was no dialling tone therefore l rang BT Customer Service on my mobile about the problem only to be told by an automatic service message that l wasn't a BT customer (although l been with them for nearly 20 years) and was promptly cut off!
I decided to check with my broadband provider to see if there was anything wrong with their service. I got the all-clear and the assistant very kindly transferred me to the BT call centre in India. The BT assistant suggested that l should take the cable(s) out and then put it back in again but this did solve the problem so she booked an engineer to come and visit me next week and added that if it's not BT's fault, l have to pay them £99 to put it right!
I can't believe its not a BT problem as the landline was working fine before l went away.
I tried calling 1471 again and now l get a crackly sound, then dialling, then a further bout of crackly sound!
Does anyone know what the problem is?
One further thing is than an engineer was seen working on the green box outside where l live during the week, maybe this is the cause of the problem?
I decided to check with my broadband provider to see if there was anything wrong with their service. I got the all-clear and the assistant very kindly transferred me to the BT call centre in India. The BT assistant suggested that l should take the cable(s) out and then put it back in again but this did solve the problem so she booked an engineer to come and visit me next week and added that if it's not BT's fault, l have to pay them £99 to put it right!
I can't believe its not a BT problem as the landline was working fine before l went away.
I tried calling 1471 again and now l get a crackly sound, then dialling, then a further bout of crackly sound!
Does anyone know what the problem is?
One further thing is than an engineer was seen working on the green box outside where l live during the week, maybe this is the cause of the problem?
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Each time this happened an engineer was working on a green box just opposite my house.
I think he may have disconnected a wire
Second time this happened.
I informed the call centre about this and they tried to say there was no work on the box.
So I said I can supply van registration number and photographic evidence of work taking place.
An engineer appeared next morning at 9 am and my line was working before 10 am.
Now I had no photographic evidence or van number but there was an engineer working at the box
Next time i see work taking place i will have evidence and i may even talk to engineer to ask what he is doing.
Have you ever seen the number of wires in them boxes. Thousands of wires, so it does not surprie me if they miss the odd one.
Laserline
Believe it or not, my phone is now working again after at least 3 days out of action!
Yesterday l noticed that the light on the stand on which my phone rest was off. Thinking l had pulled the phone stand plug out by mistake instead of the router plug, l checked but it was still in the socket so l push the plug in to make sure and the light came on. I picked up the phone and heard the dialling tone so l called 1471 and could hear the last number which rang me!
I have no idea why the landline is working again as l had done the necessary checks without success.
I have cancelled the BT engineer for tomorrow and, fingers crossed, everything will be ok from now on.
If the locking tab on the plug is broken then the plug doesn't lock into place and can partially pull out. It may look as though it's plugged in but the electrical contacts may not be touching, hence no dial tone etc. If it's just on the edge of making electrical contact then you can get noise and crackles as the connection comes and goes.
Might be worth checking the plug to make sure the locking tab lever is intact and securing the plug in the socket. Just so we are singing from the same hymn sheet as it were
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/British_Telephone_connector.jpg/220px-British_Telephone_connector.jpg
I did pull the phone line plug out and then inserted it in again as instructed by the BT assistant but with no luck.
I meant the stand which the receiver is placed on. I haven't touch the phone line plug since Friday.
Is it something associated with the phone like a DECT cordless phone base or what?
Who has landlines these day's - get with it people
Mobiles can never be as good as landlines I prefer speaking over a landline
They are also often cheaper to call from abroad than mobiles are, which matters to some people.
Mobiles are great for convenience, but if you really need 99.9999% availability of a phone, then a landline is the only viable option. We have three mobiles, and a broadband link, but I still have the landline.
Yes, it's a phone base with an answering machine in it. The base light was not on so l pushed the mains plug in and, hey presto, the dialling tone was working.
Not exactly. The red light on the base was on when l first noticed there was no dialling tone so there was definitely power in the first instance!