Problem making calls

[#1]

I rarely use my home phone for dialling out - since I use my mobile instead. I

Today I tried to make a Freephone call (0800) but although I got dialling tone, putting the number in made no change, the dialling tone just continued and the call wasn't connected. I tried both a wired phone and a cordless one - same result.

I then made a call in using my mobile and that was fine. I then found I could make a call out.

Since it didn't answer I left it a couple of minutes and tried again. Again the persistent dialling tone was all I got. I phoned in again on my mobile and was then able to make an outgoing call.

Can anyone suggest please what may be causing this issue, and would it be an equipment fault my end or a PlusNet fault?

[#2]

That's a weird one!

Assuming you have a master socket with removable faceplate, and have or can borrow another phone -

I would repeat your tests using the test socket behind the faceplate, with two phones.

[#3]

Thanks - I went to try your suggestion, but...

I have an "emergency" phone plugged into the phone socket on the master socket (which is the most up-to-date version) so I tried that phone, after checking on my "normal" phone (BT Relate 2100) that the problem was still there (which it was). The emergency phone is ancient being a pulse-dialler but it connected to an 0800 number. Having done that my normal phone is now working again - so I can't check by plugging into the master socket directly at present.

I'm also going to try rebooting my cordless system - a BT 8500 Quad - to see if that alters the situation.

[#4]

OK, thanks for update.

I would strongly suspect an exchange fault, and you're only sometimes picking up a dodgy DTMF receiver, but of course it needs to be proved in or out of your property before reporting.

If you can get it to fail with more than one phone, from the test socket, then it's BTOR's problem.

[#5]

It does seem like a bit of a strange one. I'm glad to hear you managed to get it working on the first phone after testing another one.

If the problem returns, and is apparent on both phones as 198kHz has mentioned, please do let us know and we'll try and look in to it further for you.

[#6]

Thanks - I'll do a bit more testing.

I've just found it not working. I picked up the pulse dialling phone and dialled 0800 - the normal phones still weren't working - I then used the pulse phone to dial a full 0800 number until it connected - the normal phones were then working. It seems like the pulse phone is triggering the line into action?

Someone also rang my mobile on Saturday saying they'd repeatedly rung my home phone only to find it engaged. I picked the normal phone up and it seemed to be working properly. However this person then got through on the ho0me phone about 15 minutes later.