Choosing Plusnet for home phone

[#1]

Peter - the 1980s TPON cabinets in my last house had battery backup. They're getting on for thirty years old, and I would be amazed if modern fibre cabinets didn't have even better backup - but anyone with DECT handsets is going to find they won't work if they lose power in the home (unless the base station has battery backup or the homeowner has a UPS, or generates their own power).
I can't speak for FTTC - it doesn't apply to me - but BT engineers have told me they do have battery backup in the cabinets.
I'm talking about voice over FTTP, which is covered by OFCOM guidelines mandate battery back-up (BBU) is provided to support publicly available telephone services (PATS) provided over the fibre and although that's supposed to be a mininum of 1 hour, OFCOM anticipated 4 hours would be the typical minimum. According to Openreach literature, all domestic FTTP devices have BBU built in and it's set up so that even if you lose broadband capability, the PATS services remain powered from both ends by default if there's a power cut.
So as far as I know, there's no greater risk of you losing 999 call connectivity whether you're on FTTP or copper - the thing that really matters is, are you using DECT phones with a base station that doesn't have battery backup.

[#2]

or do you have an old wired phone which you plug in if needed - like me

[#3]

I came to Plusnet primarily due to the FTTC offer, both the initial discount and the ongoing lower cost.  The phone package is competitive and I am not prepared to take on the BT overseas help / support lines.  Having been with PN for many years previously, I had a good idea of what to expect.
I agree strongly with the others who feel that the extra cost of 0.99p pm for CLI to be (in my words), a bit of a rip-off!

[#4]

BE AWARE! if you phone line goes down with plusnet they WILL NOT divert your calls to a mobile for free. they charge you for the divert at the mobile call rate, TOTAL RIP OFF!
I am now without a phone line and estimated 4 days until engineer and i would have to pay for the privilege of receiving my calls on my mobile as plusnet cannot provide the service!!! 

[#5]

Do you know whether BT (or others) currently provide this service?  I know BT used to but I don't know if they still do.

[#6]

http://www.btplc.com/Thegroup/RegulatoryandPublicaffairs/Codeofpractice/Consumercodeofpractice/BTRes...

Quote

As soon as you report a fault on your phone line While you’re waiting for the fault to be repaired, you can ask us to divert all your incoming calls to another fixed or mobile number free of charge. If we do this, you can keep the diversion until we repair your service. If your incoming calls are diverted to a mobile phone, we’ll also help with the cost of the calls you make from your mobile phone. We’ll do this automatically by taking a call allowance off your next bill. We’ll work out the call allowance by looking at the number of days you’ve been without a service. (Please note: there are exceptions for some products, and it’s not always possible to offer call diversion.) You can find more information about the mobile call allowance in our Price List at bt.com/pricing.

My phone rental is still with BT. The day BT stop doing it or the day Plusnet offer the same is the day I'll move my phone to Plusnet.
I suspect that one reason Plusnet don't offer this is because they are so slow passing faults on the BT Wholesale it would cost them a fortune. Report a phone fault to BT Retail and it's passed straight on the BTw.

[#7]

Thank you.
I'd rather stay with PN for telephone but this does make me think.  With the additional charge for caller display the saving is not so much (if that were free then I'd be happier to take the risk), maybe time to re-think when my LRS runs out.

[#8]

I chose PN for phone only because as a package with BB it was cheaper. In isolation, neither the BB nor the phone were the best on offer.

[#9]

Hi Everyone, thanks for taking the time to answer my question. I really appreciate it. I've read all the comments and will pass them on.
Graham

[#10]

If you haven't finished your research i have an opinion.
I moved from BT because I had had enough of their arrogant attitude,
particularly that they won't give existing customers the best deals  >:(.
I also hated contacting them because I could spend the first 5 mins pressing button after button before
I got to an asian operator who often couldn't help.
I moved to PN because I liked the price, Sky was similar, but Sky satelite has a BT like attitude
Since moving  what I have seen of the service is streets better than BT or Sky satelite.
for instance I started on 40GB usage, after only a month or 2 I realised I needed more.
I asked PN to move me to a cheaper no limit  service (announced after I came in), no problem at all.
But you messed it up, and got the price right, but moved me to 10GB.
1 e-mail, took two days to correct the problem, and person who solved it put a note to himself to check that
my next bill was correct, which it was.
The difference between a good company and a very good one is how they resolve problems,
Everyone makes mistakes, I'm not perfect, neither are you, but you fixed it perfectly first time  :).
With BT I would still be arguing, it took me 4 months to get my final bill right.

[#11]

Hi Imere, good to hear. Thanks for the feedback!
Graham