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BT engineer visit query - do I have to use them?


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Old 28-10-2007, 15:36
madasaflake
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I have been having problems with my phones for a while. The line has been tested and found to be OK. I don't appear to have a master socket anywhere, just sockets with plain faceplates. I believe they were installed by the previous owner pre 1996 who worked for BT at the time. My view is that the wiring has degraded and it all needs updating from a decent main socket.
I would like to be able to get a master socket put in and then run extensions from there to where I need them.
As there is no current master socket, is there any way I can bypass BT and get someone else to put something in as I really object to paying the exorbitant fees BT want.
I think it is appalling that they can charge nearly £100 an hour, with no upper limit on what you would end up paying.
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Old 28-10-2007, 15:52
openreachpeep
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I have been having problems with my phones for a while. The line has been tested and found to be OK. I don't appear to have a master socket anywhere, just sockets with plain faceplates. I believe they were installed by the previous owner pre 1996 who worked for BT at the time. My view is that the wiring has degraded and it all needs updating from a decent main socket.
I would like to be able to get a master socket put in and then run extensions from there to where I need them.
As there is no current master socket, is there any way I can bypass BT and get someone else to put something in as I really object to paying the exorbitant fees BT want.
I think it is appalling that they can charge nearly £100 an hour, with no upper limit on what you would end up paying.
legally only our engineers are allowed to install a master socket. however look in yellow pages at sparkys and you'll find a couple of ones "ex Bt" who still have friends who are engineers and supply them with NTE5's (the new master socket) worth giving them a bell. if you can't find one who will do it, your could ask for your service to be moved to another location which will work out cheaper as it is a fixed price, then get a sparky to put in the new ext's (but now everything is cordless and wireless why do people need ext's?..ooops forgot about sky box's)
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Old 28-10-2007, 16:27
madasaflake
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Thanks Openreachpeep
So if I don't already have a master socket I could ask them to put one in and just run things from there? So the ones I have would be redundant and that would solve the problem of trying to find out where the bad bits are?
Any idea what the fixed price of doing this would be?
i take on board about wireless and cordless but yes I have a sky box and also a router for the PC and laptop, so I would need some sort of system for all that.
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Old 28-10-2007, 16:50
Heinz
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You probably have got a master socket - just not one of the modern ones with the removable bottom half.

Take your socket fronts off one by one and look for the one with the capacitor (about 1" long and ½" in diameter) inside. That's a master socket.
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Old 28-10-2007, 17:08
madasaflake
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The socket I have just inside the front door is a plain one but when I took the front off all I could see were wires. I have three in other rooms but they wouldn't be the master one would they?
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Old 28-10-2007, 17:18
iSix
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The one by your door will most likely be the master as BT liked putting them just inside the front door (probably the only place in your house you can't actually put a phone as it'll be in the way... clever old bt)
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Old 28-10-2007, 17:33
madasaflake
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OK - so if that is the master then I suppose BT wouldn't come and put a 'proper' one in for me? I'm just trying to get my phone probs sorted out at a reasonable cost. i don't mind paying for a service but do object to the openended charges.
I have a corded phone connected to a socket in the lounge which is continually noisy (have checked it with a new phone and it is the same), a dect phone connected to another socket in the kitchen area with three additional dects around the house plugged into the mains, and a router connected to another socket on the 1st floor. Even the dects sound funny at times, though I don't know why. I have a BT home monitor connected to the 'master' in the hall and that often says to check the comms, and when it tries to ring the control centre to report an event, the call is logged and I have to pay for it, but it doesn't get through. I have had the monitor checked and it is fine, so there is definitely something wrong with my wiring/sockets etc.
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Old 28-10-2007, 18:00
Heinz
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The socket I have just inside the front door is a plain one but when I took the front off all I could see were wires. I have three in other rooms but they wouldn't be the master one would they?
Any of them could be - check them (it only takes a minute or two to check each).
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Old 28-10-2007, 21:22
openreachpeep
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i think it's about £85, but don't quote me. you always have the opportunity of whilst the engineer is there to offer a back hander to check your existing internal and connect it to the new master.
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Old 28-09-2011, 19:23
johnmh156
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You probably have got a master socket - just not one of the modern ones with the removable bottom half.

Take your socket fronts off one by one and look for the one with the capacitor (about 1" long and ½" in diameter) inside. That's a master socket.
I have a BT 2 + 8 system nothing wrong with it except, the ext marked 20 is not wired up and I have not been able to locate ext 21, I would dearly like to have it all working but to re route ext 20 to my office and 21 to the reception looks a bit scary the inside of the exchange box is just a wire jungle, anyone know a tame or ex BT engineer who could put it together for me?????
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Old 30-09-2011, 08:40
speckledhen
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Check this link on wiring phones on a 2+8

http://www.htcnetworks.co.uk/BT%202%20+%208.htm
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