cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

FIXED
Daisybank
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Thanks: 5
Registered: ‎14-01-2017

I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

My Mother has:

 

Plusnet Mobile SIM

Plusnet Home Phone

Plusnet Broadband

 

We have just been informed, that on return from a current hospital stay, she will need to move directly to a Care Home.

She will be keeping her Plusnet Mobile contract, but unless the Care Home has a frame capable of wiring a line directly to her room, she will need to cancel both Home Phone and Broadband.

Presuming that the Care Home can't wire her existing line/number to her room, is there any way that calls to her landline can be permanently redirected to her Plusnet Mobile?  

I ask, because of course, if she can't move the line, there then is no line rental or broadband contract under which to use call divert - or is there. What are my options please?

 

Thanks!

20 REPLIES 20
TheMightyAJ
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 2,511
Fixes: 126
Registered: ‎26-03-2018

Re: I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

Hi @Daisybank,

From what you've said, the plan going forward would be based on whether or not the care home would be able to provide a line into your mother's new room. If it can and you would like to transfer the services across, then that is something that we can arrange, though we wouldn't be able to do it via the Community Forums. To do so you'd need to speak to our Customer Options Team who can be reached on 0800 013 2632, between the hours of 8AM-8PM from Monday to Friday, 9AM-7PM on Saturdays and 9AM-6PM on Sundays.

Regarding a call divert, this is something that we offer, however we would only be able to do this ourselves if the phone line is being provided by us - if the landline were to be transferred to another provider you would then need to ask that provider about their own call diversion options.

If this post resolved your issue please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
 Alex H
 Plusnet Help Team
Daisybank
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Thanks: 5
Registered: ‎14-01-2017

Re: I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

Thanks @TheMightyAJ !

Of course, I wouldn't expect to organise the line move via this forum, just checking on my options - as I figure that I can't be the first person to hit this conundrum.

The point is, if the Care Home doesn't have the infrastructure to accept the line to be routed to my Mothers room, doesn't a divert only work if there is a physical line?

i.e. I would have to cancel it at her current accommodation and then there wouldn't be a line to divert - unless you offer a service to divert a line that is effectively virtual rather than being physically terminated at a specific address?

TheMightyAJ
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 2,511
Fixes: 126
Registered: ‎26-03-2018

Re: I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

Hi @Daisybank,

Unfortunately it would be the case that if the phone line were to be cancelled/ceased, we wouldn't be able to provide a call divert as the line wouldn't belong to us anymore.

If this post resolved your issue please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
 Alex H
 Plusnet Help Team
Daisybank
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Thanks: 5
Registered: ‎14-01-2017

Re: I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

That is as I feared - so fingers crossed, that this can be moved to her new care home - as she has had that landline number ever since telephony was first introduced to her part of Bath..

 

That's a new revenue opportunity for you though: Virtualised geograhic landlines with divert 🙂

MisterW
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 14,573
Thanks: 5,408
Fixes: 385
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

Fix

If the line cannot be transferred then look into porting the number to a VoIP provider. They will then be able to provide a divert to a mobile.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

Gandalf
Community Gaffer
Community Gaffer
Posts: 26,563
Thanks: 10,265
Fixes: 1,599
Registered: ‎21-04-2017

Re: I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

@Daisybank If we can’t provide a phone line for your mother in her care home, it may be worth looking at porting the number out to a VoIP provider, which means that it will exist virtually.

This will need to be arranged without us cancelling the line, because if we cease the number I don’t think a VoIP provider will be able to port it. 

Once the port completes, the phone line will cease automatically along with the broadband service closing the account down. 

Fingers crossed though that we can provide a line at her new address. If we are it may be worth checking which exchange provides her old and new address at dslchecker.bt.com because if they’re different exchanges, we won’t be able to transfer the number over anyway. 

Hope this helps.

From 31st October 2022, I no longer have a regular presence here as I’ve moved on to a new role.
Anoush Mortazavi
Plusnet
Daisybank
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Thanks: 5
Registered: ‎14-01-2017

Re: I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

Thanks to everyone for great advice!

 

I hadn't realised, until I asked, that you could port landline numbers to virtual providers (pity Plusnet don't offer this service).

 

Anyhow, virtuallandline.co.uk seem to be the go-to folk in this space, so one I have confirmation of cabling cababilities at the Care Home, I then know that I have good options either way.

Mav
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 22,369
Thanks: 4,725
Fixes: 514
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): The fix has been changed to @MisterW as per message #5..

Forum Moderator and Customer
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear - Mark Twain
He who feared he would not succeed sat still

Townman
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 22,918
Thanks: 9,535
Fixes: 156
Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

@Gandalf

Years ago (and I’m thinking of 30) BT used to be able to provide an advice of new number service against a ceased number for however long. Is such a service still available in the infrastructure?

Clearly PlusNET’s ability to provide it is not the same as it being an available feature.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

198kHz
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 5,730
Thanks: 2,773
Fixes: 41
Registered: ‎30-07-2008

Re: I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home


@Townman wrote:
@Gandalf

Years ago (and I’m thinking of 30) BT used to be able to provide an advice of new number service against a ceased number for however long.

Without having to ask, my father was offered this by BT (Changed Number Announcement) when he moved to a different exchange area about two and a half years ago.

IIRC there was a small charge, and it was for a maximum of three months. There was no charge to callers who rang the old number.

Trying to get anything current and definitive from the BT website was, as per usual, giving me a severe headache, but I got the impression that the equivalent service was now "Caller Redirect", at least £20/month, unlimited period, but very hard to cancel!

Telecoms deregulation - don'tcha just love it.  Roll_eyes

Murphy was an optimist
Zen FTTC 40/10 + Digital Voice   FRITZ!Box 7530
BT technician (Retired)
Daisybank
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Thanks: 5
Registered: ‎14-01-2017

Re: I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

I really appreciate all your ideas and help with this - THANK YOU!

I have actually got in a bit of a pickle with this....

My Mother has Parkinson's and her capability with numbers is starting to fade. The one constant, is her telephone number, which she has had since the telephone came to her part of town in about 1964 - and given that she can still remember it (and give it out to friends) is the one test we use of her (rapidly) failing health.

 

Because she is moving out of her apartment (she has already left) I had to request that Plusnet cease the service, which is due on the 11th Oct (which is when I give the keys back). I then went to get that number ported to a virtual number with another supplier (because as we discovered here, that is a service that Plusnet don't offer).

 

HOWEVER, the Catch 22, is that now the line is marked to be ceased (on the 11th) it is not possible to port numbers marked as to be ceased. Once it is ceased (on the 11th) it is still not possible to port the number, because it ceases to exist.

 

Any idea if Plusnet can "un-cease" it just long enough to get it ported and then mark it to cease on the 11th again?

OllieC
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 799
Fixes: 46
Registered: ‎23-01-2018

Re: I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

Hi @Daisybank

 

We can keep your mothers service live so the telephone number can be imported to VOIP. However, you would need to discuss this with our Provisioning and Customer Options department as soon as possible. 

 

Once the telephone number has been transferred to VOIP it can never be brought back to the BT infrastructure from what I have been informed. If the number is imported to VOIP we will receive a notification of cancellation.

 

Kind Regards

Daisybank
Dabbler
Posts: 21
Thanks: 5
Registered: ‎14-01-2017

Re: I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

Thanks @OllieC !

 

I will call the Provisioning and Customer Options department  tomorrow.

 

I understand that once transferred, it can't be brought back to VOIP - but then she will never get any better, so will end her days in the Nursing Home I am afraid - so coming back to BT is not a problem.

 

Of course, you are right, if I can just temporarily remove the cease, as soon as the number is ported (they normally do it within a day) that will cease the line in any case - which is what we need. 

 

Fingers crossed!

OllieC
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 799
Fixes: 46
Registered: ‎23-01-2018

Re: I need a cunning plan for my Mother moving into a Care home

Anytime @Daisybank 

 

If you need us for anything else, please feel free to give us a shout. 

 

Kind Regards