topic Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else! in Home Phone

Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

snj — Thu, 29 May 2014 20:55:25 GMT

Help!
We got in from work this evening to find our Plusnet phone line dead. We then find out calls to our landline number (that we've had for years, originally BT, switched to Plusnet some months ago) are now being routed to someone else's house. I've just called my number and spoken to the woman who's now receiving our calls, she tells me she had recently arranged to have her existing number transferred to Sky, so clearly someone has got something wrong when switching her line over.
I've contacted Plusnet, but they say that their tests on the line show there are no problems (even though the Plusnet support assistant called our number and spoke to the same woman). Presumably this is because technically everything is fine, it's just that some wally has just clumsily connected our number to someone else. But because no fault is showing, they have to arrange for an engineer to come out to our house, even though there's almost certainly nothing wrong since this is clearly a muck up at the exchange/cabinet.
This means I have to take a day off (losing pay in the process as I'm freelancing) at short notice for no reason. Also, the next appointment isn't until Monday which means we will be without the 'phone all weekend (at a time when we need to be contactable on the landline - our mobile signal is lousy in the house).
Is there really nothing that can be done until Monday? There is simply no need for us to have to be here when it's clearly an issue at the exchange. Can anything be done before the weekend?
Our ticket number is 86344208

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

jelv — Thu, 29 May 2014 21:07:13 GMT

This sounds very similar to something I've just been reading: http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,127186.0/topicseen.html

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

picbits — Thu, 29 May 2014 21:19:21 GMT

It sounds to me like an incompetent BT engineer has swapped the wrong pair over at the exchange and caused this issue.

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

snj — Fri, 30 May 2014 09:20:30 GMT

Seems like it, our Plusnet broadband is fine, thankfully, so we can at least use our VOIP line. Unfortunately it's the land-line number that has been printed on our wedding invites...

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

Townman — Fri, 30 May 2014 10:22:35 GMT

Quote from: snj
I've contacted Plusnet, but they say that their tests on the line show there are no problems (even though the Plusnet support assistant called our number and spoke to the same woman). Presumably this is because technically everything is fine,

@DCT,
We've seen this issue before - though the line tests out fine, this is still is service provision fault - as such it needs to be treated as a fault from the off. Is there a need for a business process / training change here?
What seems bizarre is the the BB is still working - if the wires had been mistakenly cross connected it is highly unlikely that the present wires would be connected so as to be associated with a PN connection.

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

jelv — Fri, 30 May 2014 10:27:00 GMT

Redirect of all calls to your VoIP number?
Sky should pay you for the cost of that as they have cocked up!

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

snj — Fri, 30 May 2014 10:32:32 GMT

That'd be a great temporary solution if there was any way of doing it. I don't have call divert active on the account and there is no way of setting it up on-line (as far as I can tell).
As I recall, BT offered something like this whenever there was an issue, it wasn't offered to me.
This is very frustrating...

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

jelv — Fri, 30 May 2014 11:34:55 GMT

My phone is with BT (mainly because of the free divert they offer if there is a fault) so I don't have the home phone control panel but I believe you should be able to add it via http://www.plus.net/plustalk/index.php?page=wlr_add_call_features

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

snj — Fri, 30 May 2014 11:49:33 GMT

Thanks, I saw that I can add the feature, but I suspect it won't get added until the next billing date. I'm also not sure if you can configure diverts from the portal.
This really should be something that Plusnet customer service should be able to set up for me (and actually offer to do). As far as paying for it, right now I don't care how much it costs I just want my calls (I have the all calls package but somehow I suspect that diverting to a landline will still cost me)

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

Townman — Fri, 30 May 2014 14:02:07 GMT

Quote from: snj
I'm also not sure if you can configure diverts from the portal.
This really should be something that Plusnet customer service should be able to set up for me (and actually offer to do).

You are correct, you cannot control the call divert service from the portal and yes, PN can set up a divert for you on a temporary basis - I have had that done for me before on my business account.

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

snj — Fri, 30 May 2014 17:19:11 GMT

Well, it seems not. They tried but it failed. I find it difficult to accept that this isn't considered a fault so they don't send someone out to fix it straight away.

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

RobPN — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 09:13:34 GMT

Watch out when your bill for the affected period arrives that you aren't charged for outgoing calls made by the people who have 'possession' of your number at the moment!
Edit: added 'made'

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

chrispurvey — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 08:30:43 GMT

Hi snj,
I've just taken a look at your account and it's seems that the engineer appointment if booked in for today, it is the route we have to go down at the minute for something like this.

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

snj — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 10:50:26 GMT

I can't believe this.
BT have been, fixed the telephone line and taken down the broadband in the process. The engineer says it's not his issue and we need to get a broadband engineer out to fix that, even though he just screwed it up. And now he's gone.

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

Pettitto — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 10:59:44 GMT

I've just taken a look into this for you.
I'm really sorry to hear that the engineer has disconnected your broadband as part of fixing the telephone service. I've raised the b4roadband side of things to our suppliers and they would like to send a broadband engineer out to resolve this issue.
Would you be available tomorrow morning for an engineer to visit? That's the earliest available appointment we have unfortunately.

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

snj — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 11:09:36 GMT

I don't get it, why can't you get the engineer back again to fix what he broke??! I'm just stunned at what's going on here. No one seems to appreciate the huge security and privacy issues with having a line hijacked in this way, and then on top of it an engineer breaks something and leaves!
I don't have any choice, I'll find someone to cover so yes tomorrow morning (thank you) - but if you can *try* to get someone back today that would be much more convenient though since there is someone at the house at the moment.
Simon

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

Pettitto — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 11:22:19 GMT

Hi Simon,
I appreciate your frustration, I really do. If I could get an engineer back out today, I really would. I've booked you an engineer for tomorrow morning between 8am-1pm. If anything comes up for today, I'll certainly get that changed for you.

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

snj — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 11:25:07 GMT

Thank you Chris.

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

Townman — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 14:52:15 GMT

Quote from: snj
I don't get it, why can't you get the engineer back again to fix what he broke??! I'm just stunned at what's going on here.

Hi Simon,
Indeed BTOR can be stunningly bad at times. I understand how frustrating this is for you, however not all BTOR engineers are skilled up to do everything. I suspect that you got a plain old basic POTS engineer, whose ability is limited to fixing voice circuit faults. As I noted before 9and no one responded to) it seems very strange that you still had a serviceable PLUSNET broadband service on a phone line which was apparently not yours.
One can only suspect that the POTS engineer correctly connected up your voice service and thereby the ADSL patch in the exchange is now connected to the wrong line. That is a job for a broadband engineer - different skill set - and not a POTS engineer. Broadband engineers can do POTS jobs, although they often feel it is beneath them.
Hope this is soon all fixed for you and you can get on with your wedding plans.

Re: Our phone number has suddenly been switched to someone else!

itsme — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 17:13:28 GMT

It's probably nothing to do with whether they are trained in POTS or Broadband, and if it's at the exchange the job could be given to a Frames Engineer. it's more to do with treating all customers equally and doing what they been instructed to do by the system. They are not allowed to think independently anymore.