Rant Time

  • Rolebama's Avatar
    I have alluded to my trials and tribulations with BT on a few posts, so here is a 'condensed' version.
    Jan 6 this year I changed from my then provider to full fibre with PlusNet, not realizing they had merged with BT. One of them dropped the ball, and our telephone number which was replaced with another, so for most of February, I was on BT and my wife was still using 'previous' provider. In the meantime I had connected the phones to the BT hub, and they didn't work. (I assumed incompatibility as they were a few years old.) I bought a new pair of phones, and they didn't work either. At this point I contacted BT, and was told that I was now with EE! They suggested buying a pair of wireless phones. They didn't work either. All through March I had no 'landline' and was on the phone (my mobile) almost daily trying to get 'landline' sorted out. First visit from Engineer who couldn't get it to work, and couldn't work out why. 29 Mar 'landline' began to work. Noone had flipped the switch to allow 'landline' connection!
    Connectivity problems, which were. and still are ongoing, meant more use of the mobile, and another visit from Engineer. I was told that the Hub was faulty, and was sent another Router. Then everything stopped working because another neighbour connected, and during the course of that work, they severed our fibre connection. So another visit from an Engineer. At this point, apart from fluctuating connection speeds, all seemed OK. Until June 17 when connection speed dropped so low, the phones dropped out, and I could only get one to register. Cue another Engineer visit yesterday. Another Router, and another pair of phones on the way.
    During all this time we were receiving unexpected visits from friends, relatives and neighbours because they had been phoning 'landline', getting a ringing tone, and no answer, so, worried, they came to check up on us.
    I have received a lot of apologies, and a lot of compensation for loss of services, but they do not seem to understand that I do not want these. I just want the thing to work!
    Just been notified my next Router, and new phones should be here tomorrow.
  • 9 Replies

  • Mark07's Avatar
    Community Manager
    Ugh, it sounds like you've been through the ringer with this.
  • Beelzebub's Avatar
    Ugh, it sounds like you've been through the ringer with this.
    Did you mean "wringer", or was it a phone-related pun?😉
  • Mark07's Avatar
    Community Manager
    @Beelzebub it was a mistake... but damn, I wish i'd thought of that pun.
  • Rolebama's Avatar
    So, the replacement phones and router arrived. Connected everything and found that again the phones wouldn't register to the router. So after spending yet another session on the mobile, turned out that yet again they had supplied without turning on the phone capability.
    It does seem though that everything is working as I downloaded an 87GB file today without any problem.
    As an aside though, getting Alexa to connect to a different network was a nightmare.
    Last edited by Rolebama; 30-06-24 at 20:35. Reason: Clarity
  • Drivingforfun's Avatar
    I'm wondering if this is at all similar to a problem we have

    We recently switched from EE fibre to BT because we got something like 450mb for less money than the 80mb we were getting before

    Along with the deal they mentioned something about us no longer having a copper(?) landline, we have some sort of modern landline that operates by fibre optics

    Since they made that switch (or maybe didn't, as the case may be) our landline hasn't made calls but has received them

    Sorry for my stupidity which is probably made manifest in this post but does anyone have any ideas?
  • Rolebama's Avatar
    Drivingforfun: That is one of the many types of problem I was having. Send PHONE to 66033 on your mobile. Generally they got back to me 10 - 15 minutes later. (Initially, they text then phone.)

    NMNeill: Technology is good, but it would be better if Call Centres could employ people who understood it. For that matter, I have met 'Engineers' and 'Technicians' who could do with a slap around the back of the head for obtaining their job under false pretences.
    Last edited by Rolebama; 01-07-24 at 10:38.
  • Mark07's Avatar
    Community Manager
    Along with the deal they mentioned something about us no longer having a copper(?) landline, we have some sort of modern landline that operates by fibre optics

    Traditional phone lines are being phased out and soon (2027) all landlines will be plugged into the broadband hub/router rather than the telephone socket.

    Whilst we benefit from faster speeds or a better deal, the ISP's HAVE TO migrate our phone lines on to the new tech.
  • NMNeil's Avatar
    My internet connection went down.
    Called customer service and it went like this;
    CS "You can e-mail technical support"
    Me "I have no internet remember, hence this call"
    Pause
    CS "If you log onto your account"
    Me "I have no internet remember, hence this call.
    Longer pause.
    CS "Have you tried turn on off and then turning back on your modem and router"
    Me "No need there's a light on the front of the modem which illuminates when I have an internet connection, and it's off"
    Longer pause
    CS "Then I can't help you"
    And she hangs up.
    I call CS again and a new voice answers "How can I help you"
    Me "I want to cancel my service with your company as the internet isn't working; again"
    CS "Have you e-mailed technical support"
    Me "Without an internet connection? Just transfer me to whoever will cancel my service with your company"
    I got transferred to technical support and they had a service truck outside my house within 2 hours.
    Amazing the incentive of CS having to explain to upper management why I cancelled the service 😀