No Phone and intermittant broadband

[#1]

Here we go again !
About two hours ago the phone went ballistic. Crackling/crossed lines/ no dial tone/ no body can ring me etc ,etc. Then my broadband went on and off now down to under I meg.
I live in an isolated spot. and we are pensioners. No mobile signal and when I ran Plus net help they said something about an exchange problem and fix date may 9 th !!!
That is a lot of good !
We had the same problem not long back.
What am i supposed to do
JohnR

[#2]

The phone is now completely dead.
John Robinson

[#3]

John,
Sorry to learn of your issues, however sadly you and PN are in the hands of the people who own and manage the exchanges and wires - BTOR.
Their target to fix line issues, is I believe 72 hours, so unfortunately it could indeed by the 9th before BTOR get their fingers out and fix the issues... unless if you are vulnerable pensioners, then a "social case" might be considered / possible?

Kevin

[#4]

Thanks for that.
I suppose if i need an ambulance - it could be  a special case but a bit late. Is it 72 hours repair time for BT customers too ????
JohnR

[#5]

John,
That is a very good question.  BTOR are supposed to treat all CPs the same, however one does suspect that BT Retail gets and edge, but proving it is a different matter.
Remember that 72 hours is the maximum, it could be quicker, it depends on available resources and where the fault is and if an internal engineer visit is required.  Have you been advised of the fault location and if an engineer visit to your home is required?
It would be a good idea to check your support ticket if you can.

Kevin

[#6]

HI JohnR,
Sorry so see that you've got a fault. I've checked your fault and it seems the fault is external, I'm trying to get an update to confirm this.
The estimated repair time is 72 hours and this should be the same for other ISP's to who use BT Openreach.

[#7]

Thanks Chris
I,ve heard nothing  about visits or anything.. Although slower my broad band is working at half speed. How can that work but phone not ?
I am a bit thick on these matters.
JohnR

[#8]

usually one wire of the two is broken - kills phone but the broadband will struggle on

[#9]

@johnrobinson This sounds very similar to a recent problem I had which was resolved 1 day earlier than the estimate and you can read about the resolution here.
I hope it gets sorted out quickly for you.
one comment I made on the feedback forum was

Quote

The engineer eventually sorted the line after 4 hours. He did tell me that he was about to give up after around 1 hour or so but his manager had peeved him off so rather than go back and face him he stuck with the issue - rather a shocking comment!

But at least the end result was good

[#10]

I,ve been thinking about this
Surely there should be one company  providing the  phone network infro structure to the whole  country. I assume there is -- ie BT
OK - So anyone renting their services get a certain amount of support . OK so far
BUT Bt should not be allowed to compete for internet access packages etc.etc,etc.
Its biased . They should be a phone line provider - full stop !!
JohnR

[#11]

Just an update on your fault, a Local Network engineer is due to attend externally and hopefully this will resolve the fault.

[#12]

Quote from: johnrobinson

Surely there should be one company  providing the  phone network infro structure to the whole  country. I assume there is -- ie BT

John,
It is a complex space!!
BTOR own the access infrastructure - local wires to your property, telegraph poles, green cabinets, exchanges (equipment and buildings), main truncs, central switches etc.
BTw sell access to the above for both Voice and Internet to Communication Providers (CP) and Internet Service Providers (ISP)
BT Retail are but one of dozens of CP / ISP resellers who are supposed to work at the same arms-length distance from BTw and BTOR as any other CP or ISP.

To add the complexity of people's perception, "BT" is a massive corporate body operating in many fields beyond telecommunications (for example computer systems such as NHS patient administration management services), to say nothing of technology research and non-BT branded operations, one of which is a competing CP/ISP retailer - PlusNet.
Many think "BT" is fully joined-up and integrated and one bit can demand what they will of another  - for many good reasons this is simply not the case.  That said there is not though, the robustness between separate divisions which might otherwise exist if there were an even wider divide between operating units - to return to one of my hobby horses, I am yet to be convinced that PlusNet is best served by having a CEO out of one of the other core BT groups, given that his future is more than likely to be somewhere even higher within the BT group.
All that said, ultimately, the UK CP and ISP industry can be no better than the level of service provided by those who control the wires - BTOR.

[#13]

Thanks for that !
As a matter of interest- nothing has happened yet. I notice on my ticket details(85214676) that there are two estimated resolution times.
One is for 5 pm may9th
the other is for 11:59 May 8th.
I assume if nothing is done I then  have to wait another 72 hours ????
Is that correct?
Thanks
JohnR

[#14]

We're expecting the fault to be cleared by our suppliers by the end of the day today.
I'll check back on the fault tomorrow for you to save any potential further delays. Engineers will most likely have your fault on their task list for today to investigate and resolve.

[#15]

Well Chris
Nothing has happened - as I expected. Theres still one hour to go before the first deadline for repair at midnight  but I doubt if they will turn out now.
The second deadline is tomorrow at 5 pm. If its not sorted then that will be 2 weeks without a phone in the past two months. I rang tonight to make sure I am not  having the fault re opened meaning I have to wait another 72 hours. !!!
Being with this company for a long time but I,ve had enough.  Its not much good saying you in the hands of your suppliers.
very dissapointed. My neibour rang BT last week to see about a new line off the existing cable which I share and BT were out here in half a day !
John Robinson