'Service cannot be connected' - error only for calls made to Australia on International 300 package

[#1]

I am with Plusnet Broadband/phone package with international 300 package which allows me 30 minutes free calls to some of the international countries - Ireland/US/Canada/Germany/Australia etc.

I have been getting the error 'Service cannot be connected' to all calls from my landline to any landline and mobile numbers to Australia only.
I can call the same numbers from my mobile
I can call the same numbers from another landline
All other countries work fine from my landline

Plusnet have tried all options - removing call baring/reset account/make up new account etc...

Have had Open Reach engineer at home to test the phone line which is fine.

I am on my 3rd Plusnet account now with all previous problems with Plusnet.

Apparently after getting setup on my new account they have washed their hands and told me they cannot do anything else!!
Nothing works!

Help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[#2]

I can't help you solve the problem, but I can confirm that I receive the same message when dialling an Australian number. I also have the International 300 plan. I dialled a Bunnings office number chosen at random. Who are you calling: a business or home number?

[#3]

Thanks for the reply - how strange!
I have been contacting a lot of business numbers - the numbers that I have called before and have been able to get through from my landline on 24.3.21 - I made 3 calls to different business on that day and now I can’t get through on any of those numbers.
Have you tried any other numbers in Australia?

[#4]

That you were able to call the same business numbers in March, and that I am also unable to call there, indicates a wider issue not specific to your line or account. I've not tried any other numbers - I rarely contact anyone in Australia and if I do it's by email or Skype (at work). I was curious so tried calling a Bunnings office number.

Rather than phoning Plusnet I recommend you raise a fault report at https://faults.plus.net/  Or raise a complaint at https://www.plus.net/contact-us/ 

Before doing either of those though, maybe Anoush (@Gandalf) can help.

Good luck!

[#5]

I have tried calling random numbers - Bunnings too and get the same error.
I have raised a complaint/ questions with plusnet and have been speaking to the supervisor who basically has said that they cannot do anything!!
It was only after I insisted that they open up a new account and see if the same problem is replicated that they decided to do that and now we have the same problem on the new account too!
A number of complaints have been raised on my account since Feb 2019 on different issues but somehow PLUSNET do not have a follow up mechanism or a way to address complaints!!
And to think I have been a Plusnet customer since 1997!

I need the luck!
Thank you for your input.

[#6]

Fairly sure there’d be nothing on Plusnet’s end to affect your phone service as all an account would do is bill for the service so creating a new account predictably wouldn’t fix this type of issue.

More likely to be an issue at Openreach’s side. How to progress such a problem is hard to say but I suspect it’ll involve another engineer visit. 

@roser2 If you dial 1280 before the Australian number does the call connect? Got a hunch

[#7]

Thank you for your reply.
Just tried the prefix 1280 with the Australian number and still the same problem

[#8]

Ah that rules out a fix described here https://community.bt.com/t5/Archive-Staging/Cannot-make-international-calls/td-p/1490847

[#9]

@roser2 Been doing more digging on the internet. Try dialling 1470 in front of the Australian number now 

[#10]

With prefix 1470 - same problem ‘service can it be connected’
Thanks for your help

[#11]

@roser2 Welcome to the forum. 🙂

Plainly there is nothing wrong with your line or phone equipment, and the fault is in the digital switching network.

Assuming that @Lawrencium103 is not local to you, it's most likely in a distant switching centre.

The problem is that even with this type of 'niche' fault, Plusnet's only option is to arrange an engineer visit by Openreach.

This can lead to weeks of farce as in the case here .

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@roser2 wrote:

Apparently after getting setup on my new account they have washed their hands and told me they cannot do anything else!!

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As your only point of contact is your ISP, to whom you pay line rental, that is just not acceptable. If they really are refusing to act, I would follow the complaints procedure outlined here .

Good luck.  🤞

FWIW, I'm also on International 300 (not that I can see that's relevant), and I can call Australian numbers.

Incidentally, some while ago the 30 minutes free call limit was extended to 60 minutes.

[#12]

Thank you for your help.

It does seem that Plusnet can only sort this out - I will be speaking to them again today and hopefully they will have some solution or will contact the the complainant department again!

[#13]

If this is a matter that some Australian numbers can be reached whilst others cannot and those which cannot are all businesses, I would postulate that they are all VoIP numbers and that there is a problem with a gateway routing switch between traditional the traditional trunk network and internet call delivery.

[#14]

Thank you for your message - it may be that the problem was at a gateway switching network.
I don’t think it was to do with business or VoIP as the problem was with non business and mobile numbers to Australia.
The problem is now thankfully sorted
Thanks for all your help.

[#15]

Hi @roser2,

I'm glad to hear this has now been resolved. Out of interest and for future reference, do you know what caused this matter to be resolved? I had a look through the account notes and unless there was something I've missed, I can't seem to find what triggered this to start working properly again.