Homephone line problem (Help please)

Zziggi

I've got a bit of a problem with my BT line.

I have a BT line and since yesterday I cannot make any outgoing calls nor does my phone ring when people try to ring me. When i pick up the phone, instead of getting the usual dialing tone, there is just a "dead" sound. However, i can still get onto the internet fine (?!?)

I tried disconnecting the modem and just plugging the phone into the socket and there was still no change. i tried using a normal phone rather than a cordless and plugged this into the socket and there was still no change. DH took the front panel off the socket just to look for loose connections. He didn't want to mess with the socket too much but on a quick inspection, there appears to be no loose wires in the socket box.

I contacted BT who checked the line and said there was no fault. They suggested I try all the things i tried above re:unconnecting modem, using a normal phone etc etc. So i did all this again to double check and there was no change. BT have said that since there appears to be no fault from their initial checks, they suspect the problem is with my equipment. They said they can send an engineer round but it is going to be VERY expensive if it turns out the fault is with my equipment and not the line (something like £133 intial call out, then £99 per half hour to fix the probs etc etc).

Can anyone suggest anything else i could try before i have to ask for an engineer to come round and risk a hefty bill?

Thanks in advance

gt94sss2

If you have taken the front cover off the telephone master socket and tried a telephone in the hidden test socket and still have this problem then get BT to have a look - the problem isn't then in your own wiring or any extensions you have.

There are several faults which mean ADSL will still continue to work but the voice part of the line doesn't.

Regards
Sunil

Heinz

gt94sss2 wrote:

If you have taken the front cover off the telephone master socket and tried a telephone in the hidden test socket and still have this problem then get BT to have a look - the problem isn't then in your own wiring or any extensions you have.

Don't forget to leave everything else (including the Sky box if you have one) disconnected while you try that phone in the 'hidden' socket inside the master socket.

gt94sss2

Heinz wrote:

Don't forget to leave everything else (including the Sky box if you have one) disconnected while you try that phone in the 'hidden' socket inside the master socket.

The act of removing the front cover of the master socket, disconnects all the extensions and equipment attached to them from the telephone line anyway..

Regards
Sunil

Zziggi

Thank you guys.

Sunil - I spoke to DH who said that he has tried taking the front cover off and plugging the phone into the test socket. Still no luck.

Rung up for a BT engineer. Let's hope the fault is with them and I don't end up with a £250ish bill.

Thanks again.

gt94sss2

I wouldn't worry but to be sure..

Just make sure you check it again before the BT engineer comes around.

If its been raining etc - your line could be affected by water on the BT network between you and your house and it could 'dry out' between now and when BT turn up.. though if it does, you're likely to have this problem again next time in rains (in which case let BT come and fix it properly)

Regards
Sunil

kkpolobear

i had the same problem and bt had to come out to sort it out
the wire had come out in the exchange box outside

Zziggi

Update:

Still no working phone line. Definitely not my equipment (phew!), not even a problem at the box 2 streets away. It's a problem at the exchange in a town some distance away. Needs a different bloke to fix it. Hopefully I'll have a working phone soon.

ioscorpio

I've had a problem with my line, the line is intermittently it is very crackly and the phone keeps ringing once and cuts off. BT tested the line and said there's nothing wrong, the BT engineer came and said there was nothing wrong but detected there was a fault 300 yards away, he said he would put in his report that there was a fault at the green box. As the phone was ok when he came, (typical) he could not say what was wrong. A couple of hours after he had been, it was playing up again. The problem is still there, I don't want to call them out as I know I will get charged this time. Yesterday the phone was going mental , kept rings once and stopping continually and the broadband kept constantly dropping off.

gt94sss2

ioscorpio wrote:

The problem is still there, I don't want to call them out as I know I will get charged this time. Yesterday the phone was going mental , kept rings once and stopping continually and the broadband kept constantly dropping off.

I can't see why you would get charged. If the line becomes faulty or very crackly sometimes (say after its been raining) then report it to BT (as long as you're sure its not your equipment) and make sure they know that it only happens after its been raining etc. which would explain why it may not occur when the BT engineer is there.

Of course, if BT fix the other fault that they found that might help, but not if its water in their network.

You can also report a fault online here

Regards
Sunil

ioscorpio

I have reported a fault several time on the phone and online, but every time they test the line they say there is no fault, I have an old bt box that does not have the removable bottom section.
I have unplugged everything and just plugged in my fax machine (that's the only corded phone I have) with and without the microfilter and the line is still crackly. My upstairs extension stopped work a while ago, s I don't know if that's causing a problem, that why I'm reluctant to call out the BT engineer again (as long as you're sure its not your equipment)
My phone is not woring at all now, I just tried from my mobile and it went straight to 1571