I won't bore you all with the story behind the complete numptys at BT, but I've seen it before (I think I was checking broadband availability), where a site shows if you have an active BT landline.

Can anyone help?

I'm checking as I've made four attempts to rejoin BT, then connected me, but they entered the details wrong each time, so technically, I don't have a line (sorry, said I wouldn't bore you).

Thanks in advance!

Only checkers are broadband ones like those found on the BT site and SamKnows. You need a telephone number to have an active line, plug a phone in to the (preferably, but doesn't have to be) master socket and listen for a dial tone. Also, if you don't know the number of the line (providing it's working) dial 17070 and the nice robotic lady will tell you the allocated phone number. Check you can make calls if there's a dial tone as well.

Thanks, but I've done that.

The nice lady on 17070 lied to me saying I was ringing from a "circuit" that I actually wasn't.

I have a dial tone, I can make calls, I can recieve calls, but I sure as hell aren't paying for them, as the number of my bill (got my first one since I returned to BT - big mistake) is for a different number and no calls have been made from it (on the bill).

I've rung BT 15 times, and each time the idiots at BT say it's "wrong details" were entered (and that's happened four times in a row now). The latest, they managed to wrongly spell my surname, still have a different number that the active landline....


....and this has all stopped me getting by broadband back for the last 10 weeks as "I don't have an active BT line", despite calling them on it!

So I can call as much as I want, and not get charged, woo hoo, but I want my broadband back.

The reason I asked for a site that confirms if I have a BT line or not is because the last time I did this, the site said I "needed a BT line".

Samknows only tells you that your line is "in an area that" can have broadband, and is not specific to the number, just the area (thus is no help).

I think the best thing to do is to cut my losses, get a new line installed into the house and start from scratch as I really don't want to talk to those morons at the BT call center again.

just ring up the faults department and say that you have a crossed line. give them your number( the one on the bill) and the circuit you have ( the one when you 17070) and that should get the ball rolling in the right direction.

Thanks, glad you said that.

Given one of the people at the help center was so bemused by the problem not being corrected for weeks, she told me to do just that. Once put through to that person, she said that a note had been sent off for the engineer to correct (feared the worse, as the last time I was told that, nothing happened and that note no longer exists, apparently - classy).

The result of the latest call was that it would be corrected by April 2, and that I would get a call on my mobile to confirm.

No call, and I phoned back today to ask what the latest was. Fault center said they have no record of me mentioning this the first time! (actually the umpeenth time) Got to wait another four working days again.

Amazing. And I'm trying the whole damn process yet again, to which I'm sure we'll be back at this stage in a few weeks yet.

Fun part is once I do eventually have this sorted, I assume the broadband won't start working again (being charged for it) by itself, so have the Indian call center to look forward to after all of this.

Take advantage of the situation. Set up your own premium rate £5.00p/m number and call it all you want from this phone line that you apparently don't have, then watch the pennies roll in!!

On a serious note though, a colleague of mine is in a similar situation (sort of). He has his phoneline working fine, and with broadband too. However, there's another phone socket in the house, on a different number which calls can be made to/from which BT deny all knowledge of. 6 months later and they still deny, even when like you he was calling them from the very line in question!

Its not possible! Premium rate numbers don't go over £1.50 per minute or per call depending on the type of service it is.

Those costing more than £1.50 on a mobile,all the remaining revenue is kept by mobile phone companies.