Phone master socket - are BT responsible?

JennyP

We've just switched broadband suppliers and our home phone then acquired a strange hiss.
This happened to the in-laws too and Plusnet, their suppliers, said it was the master socket and that BT were responsible for it and so BT came and fitted a new one, free of charge.
Plusnet reckon it's our master socket too but BT want to charge us £130 to fit the new one - they reckon they are not responsible for it.
Who is right please? It seems odd that it was free to the inlaws but not to us!

spike7451

Anything back from the mastersocket to the BT exchange is BT's responsibility,anything in the house after the master socket faceplate is your responsibility unless fitted by BT.

BT Openreach do the work on behalf of the ISP's,looks like Plunet are trying to pass the charges onto you.

https://www2.bt.com/static/i/microsite/help_and_tips/faults/faq/faults_faq2.html#faq5

Do I have to pay for a fault repair?

We can repair many line faults at the exchange or on the network, others require a visit by a BT engineer. There is no charge for these repairs. We will only charge you when one of our engineers visits your property and finds that:
the fault is found on equipment connected to or interfering with the line
the network has been damaged within the boundary of your property (for example someone has run a vacuum cleaner into the socket or a hedge trimmer through the line outside). More details
no fault is found

JennyP

spike7451 wrote: »

Anything back from the mastersocket to the BT exchange is BT's responsibility,anything in the house after the master socket faceplate is your responsibility unless fitted by BT.

BT Openreach do the work on behalf of the ISP's,looks like Plunet are trying to pass the charges onto you.

https://www2.bt.com/static/i/microsite/help_and_tips/faults/faq/faults_faq2.html#faq5

When you say anything after the master socket faceplate, does that include the master socket faceplate? Are you saying that the actual mastersocket faceplate is their responsibility? Or ours?

We rang Plusnet - they said BT would do it but we'd have to pay.
We rang BT who said that we'd have to pay. I am almost certain there was something about this on Watchdog.

spike7451

JennyP wrote: »

When you say anything after the master socket faceplate, does that include the master socket faceplate? Are you saying that the actual mastersocket faceplate is their responsibility? Or ours?

We rang Plusnet - they said BT would do it but we'd have to pay.
We rang BT who said that we'd have to pay. I am almost certain there was something about this on Watchdog.

The faceplate is also BT's responsibility,basically BT Openreach charge BT who pass the charge onto your ISP.The ISP in turn pass the charge onto the customer even tho they shouldn't do.
HOWEVER as the fault started when you changed ISP to Plusnet,I doubt very much that the fault was caused by yourself.rather that it is from the NTE master socket BACK towards the exchange.
As it states in the link above,I'd argue the point using BT's own words against them,stating the fault started when you changed ISP.No ISP can tell you where exactly a fault lies without an engineer visit,their diagnostic tools which are all PC based, can tell you IF the's a fault but not where so their guess at the NTE being faulty is just that,a guess.

notbritishgas

Firstly OP we are talking about an NTE and not a Master line jack?
Assuming that is the case have you taken off the faceplate and plugged into the test socket, is the hissing still there?

When you spoke to BT did you just ask them to replace the "master socket" , if so then I would expect them to charge, however if you reported it as a fault they would warn of a possible charge if the fault was on your equipment but if the NTE was proved to be faulty then there should be no charge and the only way to prove that would be a visit from Openreach.

wapow

As the above said.

Simplified.

1. Test the test socket. (Unscrew faceplate)
2. If problem persists, ring BT.
3. Tell BT that you are trouble with your phone, your hear noise, you have tested the test cocket for 24hours. Problem is still there.
4. They will come round to check.
5. Tell the engineer that if the problem is not BT's and it is with MY equipment, to not make any chargeable changes. You will fix it.
6. Most likely the fault is from BT and you WONT get charged, Clarify this with the engineer.
7. IF the test socket does work, but replacing the faceplate and the problem occurs. Buy a new faceplate. Couple of quid from B&Q

phoneguy

Be very wary. You can still be charged BTOpenreach network is at fault, and you've 'caused' the damage. (Damp, smashed by hoover, kids stuck foil in socket, dog/mouse/rat chewed wire, bonfire under dropwire, garden fork through lead in).

As Wapow say, pull the faceplate out and test at the master socket 1st.

jb66

wapow wrote: »

As the above said.

Simplified.

1. Test the test socket. (Unscrew faceplate)
2. If problem persists, ring BT.
3. Tell BT that you are trouble with your phone, your hear noise, you have tested the test cocket for 24hours. Problem is still there.
4. They will come round to check.
5. Tell the engineer that if the problem is not BT's and it is with MY equipment, to not make any chargeable changes. You will fix it.
6. Most likely the fault is from BT and you WONT get charged, Clarify this with the engineer.
7. IF the test socket does work, but replacing the faceplate and the problem occurs. Buy a new faceplate. Couple of quid from B&Q

6 the call out fee is chargeable not the fixes

JennyP

notbritishgas wrote: »

Firstly OP we are talking about an NTE and not a Master line jack?
Assuming that is the case have you taken off the faceplate and plugged into the test socket, is the hissing still there?

When you spoke to BT did you just ask them to replace the "master socket" , if so then I would expect them to charge, however if you reported it as a fault they would warn of a possible charge if the fault was on your equipment but if the NTE was proved to be faulty then there should be no charge and the only way to prove that would be a visit from Openreach.

We're talking an NTE.

No, we reported it as a fault but said that it was the faceplate (we know it is) and asked if they could come and fix it. They said yes, for £130.

wapow wrote: »

As the above said.

Simplified.

1. Test the test socket. (Unscrew faceplate)
2. If problem persists, ring BT.
3. Tell BT that you are trouble with your phone, your hear noise, you have tested the test cocket for 24hours. Problem is still there.
4. They will come round to check.
5. Tell the engineer that if the problem is not BT's and it is with MY equipment, to not make any chargeable changes. You will fix it.
6. Most likely the fault is from BT and you WONT get charged, Clarify this with the engineer.
7. IF the test socket does work, but replacing the faceplate and the problem occurs. Buy a new faceplate. Couple of quid from B&Q

We unscrewed the faceplate. That got rid of the hiss on the phoneline so we're assuming that it means it's the faceplate that's faulty.

phoneguy wrote: »

Be very wary. You can still be charged BTOpenreach network is at fault, and you've 'caused' the damage. (Damp, smashed by hoover, kids stuck foil in socket, dog/mouse/rat chewed wire, bonfire under dropwire, garden fork through lead in).

As Wapow say, pull the faceplate out and test at the master socket 1st.

Done that - there has been no damp, no animal, no bonfire, no garden fork and we don't have any kids to stick anything into sockets!

I sent BT a straight question asking if a faceplate was faulty, was it their responsibility to fix it! They answered dodging the question with all the skill of an MP dodging questions from Paxman on Questiontime.

wapow

jb66 wrote: »

6 the call out fee is chargeable not the fixes

Any changes they make are also chargeable. If its customer fault they charge a flat rate of £130 and thats with any provider TBH.

@OP

If its the faceplate. Just replace it! BT are not responsible for the faceplate (whatevers behind it they are i believe.). Yes, they will quote £130 even for something stupid like that lol.

Even better, google about better broadband speeds by faceplate change. There are better faceplates out there than the old BT ones. Wiring isnt hard either if you want to try it yourself. Internet has many picture and video guides (takes about 10 minutes)

Or get neighbours kid round to do it for you on weekend and give him a fiver or something lol

KEEP YOUR OLD BT FACEPLATE. (Or buy two, one for your own works like i mentioned, and one legit BT faceplate)

If you do go down the route of amending the wires as i mentioned, and then later on down the line something happens to the phone line, you have to replace the faceplate with a legit BT one AND THEN report the fault. (Not that this happens often.)

JennyP

wapow wrote: »

BT are not responsible for the faceplate (whatevers behind it they are i believe.).

Confused! People have said that they are!

wapow wrote: »

Or get neighbours kid round to do it for you on weekend and give him a fiver or something lol

Someone on a Radio 4 comedy show last week suggested that childless people like us should be provided with access to a teenager to do such jobs! Like resetting the video and so on. Took me AGES to learn to work my Blackberry!

Will take your advice and replace the faceplate. My OH says that he knows how - we just thought it was BT's responsibility.