Unable to report phone line down

[#1]

Got back from holiday to find my phone line has gone down (again) no dial tone. Luckily internet is OK.

Tried to report the fault, but Live Chat has been switched off as Plusnet is too busy and tried to pm three "active" help staff - no reply (as yet). Tried customer services, cut-off. Very Poor, can not even get plusnet to log the fault with BT.

I have removed the front from the master socket and plugged in a corded phone, no dial tone. Previously the fault was in the wiring between BT "green box" and the BT telegraph pole.

This really is a bit silly, paying for a line which does not work and unable to get in contact with plusnet by any means.

Please, if any of the help team reads this, would they log a fault with BT.

I must say that in the past, if one of the team contacts you, then usually they are very helpful and things do start to happen. The problem here seems to be not enough staff.

Thanks

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Have you tried the phone troubleshooter?

https://www.plus.net/my-account/tools/phone-troubleshooter/

[#3]

Thanks for the reply, but yes, tried it a few times, tests the line and then comes up with the "ooops something went wrong message" can't believe that I can't even log a fault, let alone get it fixed!

[#4]

Yes, it often does that, but may still have raised a ticket - anything here? -

https://www.plus.net/wizard/?p=search

[#5]

No, nothing. No discernible action of any kind has taken place, nor have I had any reply from any "active" support team. Also I have found no way of raising my fault (no dial tone) to anybody.

However........... walked past the house phone earlier this evening and decided to pick it up, you guessed it, the phone line is now working again!

All's well that ends well, I would like to think that somebody somewhere, reset something. Rather worrying though is the total lack of tangible support!

Maybe this can offer some hope to anybody else who finds themselves in a similar position.

[#6]

Here we go again!

Telephone has been working fine, then exactly two weeks later [now], Sunday night, tried to phone my Father - No Dial Tone!. Tried the phone troubleshooter and got the same useless "oops something went wrong" message. Will it magically come back on again tomorrow - who knows?. Internet is OK.

For what it's worth - Any support team reading this, please could you raise a fault with BT.

May as well cancel the phone part of the contract and save myself some money because I can't rely on it.

Thanks

[#7]

Working again! - Hope it's permanent this time.

In fairness, I have made no other attempt to contact Plusnet/BT about my latest loss of dial tone, but this morning I received an SMS on my mobile phone from openreach, claiming my problem was fixed, which it is.

I can only conclude that yes indeed, if you follow the line test troubleshooter/wizard (link in post above) it is picked-up by BT.

[#8]

Dead Line Again!

Went to use the phone this evening and the line was crackling, told the other end I would phone back and then it went dead.This is now getting very annoying, whatever Plusnet/BT are resetting is obviously not fixing the fault.

I sent a reply SMS "Not Fixed" back on my mobile phone and got an immediate reply (automated?) to tell me that openreach would continue to look into the fault. It seems to me that the automated service is simply resetting my line but not attending to the problem.

Not Happy

[#9]

Working again!

Same situation, SMS to mobile and now working. I have telephoned myself 3 times without a problem so far. Let's see what happens next - Deja vu anybody?

[#10]

Check ticket history (closed ones) using the link given in post #4.

Sometimes the phone fault process fully works and clearly raises a fault report which can get processed with no need for user contact - this is typically when there is a clear external or in-exchange fault

Other times the line test reports that it failed, but a fault ticket is still raised

Occasionally it totally fails

Intermittent line faults can behave as you have experienced; in such circumstances the act of the line receiving an incoming call can rectify damp joints enabling the circuit to limp along.  Indeed it is possible for the broadband service to crawl along even in the absence of the dial tone, if just one side of the circuit remains properly connected.

[#11]

Thanks for your interest.

Yes this time there are now two open fault tickets raised using information I gave in the troubleshooter wizard. Still working tonight.

[#12]

Dead again!

It's Deja Vu.

Picked up my telephone this morning, no dial tone. Keep resetting the fault is not working, I need an actual Engineer to investigate and repair the actual fault. 

[#13]

Impressively, I just had a landline telephone phone call from openreach to tell me the phone line was testing no fault and HE GOT CUT OFF during the call Ha! Ha!

So he agreed there was an intermittent problem and assured me that it would be investigated and fixed by the end of tomorrow. So nice to actually speak to a human, let's hope a human physically investigates the actual line.

The saga continues........

[#14]

Unfortunately such can be the case for intermittent break / no-break joint faults.  If a fault cannot be seen at the time of testing (and some faults are 'rectified' by the act of testing) the it cannot be located so it cannot be fixed.

We (and often BTOR) make a big mistake when we conflate "No Fault Found" with "No Fault to Find".  Sometimes the only answer is to check and remake every joint in the circuit ... which could be dozens requiring both under ground and over ground engineering resources.

Over head working on joint service poles (those which carry both power and phone lines) require two cherry pickers for H&S measures and / or engineers with blue ladders!

If there are over head wires passing through tree branches, there will need to tree cutting activity ... and that can take time.  We have seen tree abrasion cause problems similar to your description before.  I have personally experienced a 3 month delay in supplying a new line due to tree obstruction of the pole and power lines on the pole 'inhibiting' pruning due to "H&S" issues requiring the distribution line to be de-powered.  I ended up contact SEPN who promptly rolled in, trimmed the tree whilst not de-powering the lines at all.  At times BTOR is somewhat work shy!

Hope your issue is resolved promptly ... and no digging to access cables is required!

[#15]

Hey @gregshaw, 

Thanks for your time on the phone and contact here. 

I've provided a record of our discussion over your fault support ticket and closed the non-validated one. 

Thanks.