Unable to make certain calls from my landline

[#1]

Dear @Mr_Paul'

Such a clever suggestion - I dug out an old handset and tried with that.  Alas, the same result.  I could call local numbers but nothing with an STD code.  Just the 'unobtainable' whine.  For one blinding moment I thought you'd cracked it!

[#2]

Take a look at this - https://business.bt.com/help/article/phone-line-and-services/call-barring/using-bt-call-barring-and-...

Sounds as though outbound call barring might have become enabled.

[#3]

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@Townman wrote:

Sounds as though outbound call barring might have become enabled.

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@pat14  could check that by following this forum reply - Barring outgoing calls 

.

[#4]

Hi @pat14 thank you for reporting this issue on the Community Forum, I tried calling you however the number does not ring at all. 

I have tested your line and there is a fault detected, which is causing this issue, please follow this link for a more detailed response: https://www.plus.net/wizard/?p=view_question&id=246021313

[#5]

@Tina11192 Unless there is personal data included in the response, why has this been covered by a ticket, rather than a direct reply on here? Some of us may find it interesting/useful to see the issue.

[#6]

Hi @jab1 yes there is a detailed response such a fault reference and request to contact us because an appointment is required in this case. 

Furthermore, in line with our internal process, we have to leave a trace about the reason why a certain account has been accessed, I feel that providing a link to the question to the account would make a smoother process for our customers, especially if they are requested to contact us, they can simply quote the question number when calling in. 

[#7]

Okay, @Tina11192 - so the reason for the fault is not on the ticket response? - that was the information I (and maybe others) would like to see.

I totally get the rest of your reply, as I am well aware of how your internal processes work  - I've been around these parts for a loooong time. 😀

[#8]

@Tina11192 

Providing generic descriptions of issues helps the community learn and help other reporting similar symptoms.

A fault which allows some outgoing calls but not others, whilst inhibiting inbound calls is very unusual ... hence the deep interest in the nature of the fault.

We have seen may different consequences of faults over the years, but never one like this: phantom calls to low digit numbers (e.g. 111 or 123) IIRC can arise from an intermittent earth fault ... but selectivity on call placement is a new one!!

Really great that your touch here has promptly identified some kind of fault somewhere ...

[#9]

Hi Tina, Thanks for your reply.  The reason you couldn't get through to me was my fault - I inadvertently left my phone unplugged after trying another handset to - unsuccessfully - resolve my problem.  Sorry.  You could phone me now if you wanted to.  Meanwhile, i followed the link you sent me - which asked me to phone you.  But that, of course, is the very thing I can't do since I have no alternative means of phoning (no mobile, for example).   However, I note that in another communication, an engineer has been booked to visit me on 12/2/25 between 8am and I pm.  I welcome this and will make sure I'm in!  I'm hoping you have my address and can find me (I live in a rural area in West Dorset).

Pat x 

[#10]

Dear @Townman,

Thanks so much for your intelligent suggestion.  I checked out your link but couldn't see how I might have inadvertently enabled call barring - it's quite a specific procedure!  Meanwhile, however - and as you might have seen - Tina has identified a fault on my line and is sending an engineer round.  My hopes of a solution have been raised again!  

As a newbie to this forum, I'm grateful and somewhat touched by the interest and ingenuity shown by its members.

Pat

[#11]

Hi Pat,

As I hinted to @Tina11192 - the reported symptoms are at least a bit odd; the unplugged phone was a bit of a curved ball.

Not being able to dial out at all, noisy line, not ringing on inbound calls, phantom calls have all been seen before.  Note being able to dial non-local calls sounds like something more select - such as call barring.

How such might have become operative would only be a consideration on finding that it was operating here.  There are scenarios I could think of which might give rise to what you are experiencing, but that would need several oddities to be in play at once.

For example, if your line were touching another's line and your calls were being charged to their account, it would be reasonable that they might have implemented call barring.  Thereby given that your calls are being placed on their line, you might encounter this experience.

Thinking of that, dial 17070 and check that the number spoken back is indeed yours.

There is no harm in dialling the call barring in action query code in the link I shared.

Do the numbers which you can dial include any of the 'high' digits, notably zero and nine?

[#12]

Hi Townman, the unplugged phone confused the issue.  My bad.  I'm sure my line isn't touching anybody else's.  I don't even know what that means!  I dialled 17070 as you suggested but, rather predictably, got the unobtainable signal which obtains every time I dial a number that isn't local.  The local numbers I can dial successfully do indeed contain zeros and nines.

Pat

[#13]

Utterly odd, I would go so far as to say unique (outside of some level of call barring).

[#14]

Oh dear.  I don't want my phone to be 'utterly odd', Mr Townman - it suggests a solution will be hard to find....Call barring seems the most plausible explanation - but I can't see how it might inadvertently occurred.  I don't feel confident enough to try any unbarring procedure.  Scared of making things worse.  Besides, Tina avers that there IS a fault on the line which, I devoutly hope, an engineer can fix next Wednesday.

[#15]

@pat14 

I'm sure that everyone on this thread is intrigued by the cause of this problem.

Please can you report back on here on Wednesday after the engineer has been, with what they said caused it?

I appreciate that you might not understand what they say, so just relay it verbatim.

.