My line has mysteriously become "BT Incompatible"!

razam

Hi
I hope someone is able to help me - at least help me more than Tesco have!
Long story short;

• In 2007 I moved into my new house & setup my BT phone-line, with Sky TV & Broadband (BB) soon after. Sky required a BT compatible line to provide service.
• A few years later I changed my phone-line to Sky aswell.
• Last year after alot if issues with Sky, I cancelled my Sky TV, and moved phone-line & BB to Tesco - who required a BT compatible line to provide service.
• A couple of months ago I had a good offer from Sky to go back, but when I tried it was asking for a £25 new phone-line connection as mine wasn't BT compatible. I ignored this as Sky's mistake, but as I was going on holiday, couldn't be bothered to look into it further.
• Now I'm 'window shopping' and Sky, BT, PlusNet and TalkTalk are all saying I don't have a BT compatible line and require a new line installation!
• After asking Tesco about this, all they have said is "You needed a BT compatible line to join Tesco BB" and "We do not change the compatibility of your line", with no other explanation!

Is anyone able to help with possible reasons that this could happen? I'm still trying to get an answer from Tesco, but don't expect a quick reply.


Thanks in advance

Timalay

Tesco use Cable & Wireless old system, it sounds like your on that system.

razam

Timalay wrote: »

Tesco use Cable & Wireless old system, it sounds like your on that system.

Thank timalay

If that is what has happened, where do i stand?
Should Tesco have asked me if I wanted to be put on the old C&W system? If I want to move my phone & BB to another provider, is Tesco liable for the new connection/installation charge?

Gordon_Hose

Are Tesco (C&W) unbundled at your exchange?

If you give me the first 7 digits of your telephone number I can check who the rangeholder is (I work for Vodafone who now own C&W).

If Tesco are unbundled and they have given you a telephone number, chances are you won't be able to port it to many other ISP's. I had the same issue with Sky to Talk Talk porting as I had a Sky provided number.

razam

Gordon_Hose wrote: »

Are Tesco (C&W) unbundled at your exchange?

If you give me the first 7 digits of your telephone number I can check who the rangeholder is (I work for Vodafone who now own C&W).

If Tesco are unbundled and they have given you a telephone number, chances are you won't be able to port it to many other ISP's. I had the same issue with Sky to Talk Talk porting as I had a Sky provided number.

Thanks GH
First 7 digits on phone number: 0208530

My phone number has stayed the same since I first moved hom & got a BT line back in 2007. Tesco didn't give me a new number - does this mean that it's unlikely a C&W issue, but something else?

If I can ask, how did you resolve your Sky to TalkTalk isue?

Gordon_Hose

razam wrote: »

Thanks GH
First 7 digits on phone number: 0208530

My phone number has stayed the same since I first moved hom & got a BT line back in 2007. Tesco didn't give me a new number - does this mean that it's unlikely a C&W issue, but something else?

If I can ask, how did you resolve your Sky to TalkTalk isue?

Went to BT! They wanted me to take a Talk Talk number, I refused. I moved house anyway and had to have a whole new number, went with BT to prevent this nonsense from happening again.

You have a BT number, like you say, so I'm not really sure what the problem is. It should be a simple subsequent port from Tesco to Sky.

iniltous

When you moved to Tesco you became a C&W LLU /MPF line, so although you still use the cable from the BT exchange, it's not a BT WLR line anymore, so when other providers try to arrange taking it over they give you some bull about needing a new line, you don't,
I don't know if it's poorly trained staff from the company's you enquire with, or if the systems they use are not user friendly, but you can take MPF providers line and move it to another MPF provider, or onto a WLR connection, all done in the exchange with no visit to your house, but as you are finding, it's a lot easier said than done....most of these company's seem to be able to transfer from 'BT retail' to themselves but struggle to arrange anything else

macman

Many providers will get round this simply by provisioning you a 'new' line-what does it matter as long as they absorb the cost?
That doesn't physically require a new cable, they will reuse the existing one.

iniltous

macman wrote: »

Many providers will get round this simply by provisioning you a 'new' line-what does it matter as long as they absorb the cost?
That doesn't physically require a new cable, they will reuse the existing one.

You are absolutely correct, but if a new line is ordered then the lead time is longer that necessary , they have to 'book' an appointment slot that could be weeks into the future, against a lead time of possibly only a few days if the job raised as a takeover/migration, plus the end user is told to be available on the appointment slot, so they wait in, and if the OR staff realise what's actually read, they may do a changeover anyway so the end user waits in vain for a visit that never happens, or the engineer simply calls and check the line working