Voicemail "OFF"

[#1]

Hi

I have also just fallen into this 'trap'. Plusnet Mobile currently have promised to 'investigate' extending the ring time from its current 6/7 rings. I am also concerned about the totally inappropriate message given to landline callers when the ringing is terminated which says 'the called number has hung up', which is clearly not the case !

Plusnet mobile may be very good value, but I shall be moving on unless this sorted.

All the best

Colin

[#2]

Over a week ago I called and after the call centre had come out of lockdown (no one available as they were on a training session), my request for 30 seconds of ringtime was sent to another team by email.

...and it's still not done.

[#3]

There must be something more to this problem. I requested an extension via online chat a couple of weeks ago.  Agent said they'd pass on request. Just checked and phone now rings for about 9 rings = 30 seconds. If unanswered goes through to nice voicemail lady - no hang up or anything nasty - it just works.

The difference may be that I'm using the PN supplied number rather than a ported number. Maybe the active redirect is falling over on voicemail???

[#4]

...another week elapses.

[#5]

yup, twice I've asked for it to be increased to 30 seconds......still not done....

I mean its bad enough to even have this problem in the first place but to also not even bother to do as they say and increase to 30 seconds after asking twice and being told it would be done just shows total incompetence. Will be leaving both mobile and phone / fibre soon.

[#6]

...so nearly 6 weeks of waiting. I think we can assume this one has been ignored or cannot be done and no one has bothered to tell me.

When CS escalate to another team is there any tracking/follow up to these emails.

[#7]

I assume it’s not in the Plusnet system so we won’t see it.

I was setting up an o2 Classic PAYG sim for the Sister in Law the weekend and how refreshing was it to see in the settings menu an ON/OFF Voicemail switch, something that should be standard on every phone and more so with a sim that’s under contract.

This having to answer a call in a given time is a pain in the what’s it, more so for me because being disabled with the use of one hand only it can take me 15 to 30 seconds to get the phone out of my pocket and that’s after I’ve heard the phone ringing in the first place with all the city noise.

I had the VM turned off on my Three network phone but had to ring customer services to do it and that must cost but the real intentions is that while you’re on the phone may be we can sell you something else.

[#8]

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@ChrisAtBristol wrote:

I assume it’s not in the Plusnet system so we won’t see it.

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Wierdly though they have implemented USSD codes for setting/resetting the voicemailbox number when it gets lost during ports (the *004 routine alluded to on other posts), but not the codes for switching it off properly (even when it is "off" the divert remains in place as "you have active diverts" or similar is shown by the handset when calling out).

[#9]

Hi Oldjim,

I read the link before I posted, found it most interesting and very disappointing, to find out that disabling voicemail is a dinosaur operation, with a company that prides itself on being modern  I.T. savvy and go-ahead.

Thanks for reply

E

[#10]

If you want to increase the ringing time to 30 seconds before the divert kicks in (or the number unobtainable if ringing from a landline and you have voicemail turned off) dial this code:

*61*07870020555*11*30#

You can actually put any number in the divert number bit (the above is the voicemail number even if turned off) as it makes no difference.

To check your current maximum ring time call *#61#. Default is 20s, max is 30s.

If you ring ##004# it attempts to clear all conditional diverts/forwards, but this then makes the network add the defaults, which is set to divert after 20 seconds, hence a maximum ringing time (whether you have voicemail or not) of 20 seconds.

Plusnet CAN YOU PLEASE escalate this to someone who understands the contract between yourselves and EE so that we can manually turn on and off the various types of conditional divert? It shouldn't be difficult. Someone has put a default setting in locking down the diverts but hasn't thought through the implications. What you currently have is a bodge!

[#11]

Hi markcoley!

At present, we wouldn't be able to adjust the Voicemail settings to allow for customers to manually turn on and off the various types of conditional divert, as this is a service we don't support. 

Although we use the EE network, we are an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator), and not an MNO (Mobile Network operator). This means we simply don't have the same functionalities that are available to the bigger networks such as 3, EE, O2, etc... However, I completely understand your frustration with this, and I'll certainly feed back your suggestions to the relevant department.

 - Rebeka 

[#12]

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@markcoley wrote:

If you want to increase the ringing time to 30 seconds before the divert kicks in (or the number unobtainable if ringing from a landline and you have voicemail turned off) dial this code:

*61*07870020555*11*30#

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Thanks for that info - tried it out and at least I've got a bit more time to answer the phone now.

[#13]

After some more experimentation I think I have a working solution so my calls don't go to voicemail after 30s, they don't go to voicemail if I reject the call, but they do go to voicemail if my phone is off or out of coverage, meaning callers don't get a number unobtainable tone and think my phone number no longer exists.

Plusnet refuses to allow you to turn off any of the conditional diverts. They all default to 07870020555 with a delay of 20s. If you try to clear them with ##004# they will reset to these defaults. What you then can do is attempt to divert to a landline the conditional diverts for busy and no answer. Plusnet won't do the divert and will drop the call, but it means you won't have your call sent to voicemail!

Dial
**61*01xxxxxxxxx*11*30#
replacing the 01xxxxxxxxx with a landline of your choice and this will attempt to divert a ringing call after 30s. The divert fails, the call ends, and it doesn't go to voicemail, so it is like turning it off. The *11*30 bit means voice calls divert after 30s. The number 30 could be 05, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 for that number of seconds.
Dial *#61# to check.

Then do the same for divert on busy.
Dial
**67*01xxxxxxxxx#
replacing the 01xxxxxxxxx with a landline of your choice and this will attempt to divert a ringing call the instant you press the reject or hang up button. The divert fails, the call ends, and it doesn't go to voicemail, so it is like turning it off.
Dial *#67# to check.

The divert on unreachable should stay as it is. If your phone is off it'll go to voicemail. If you were to set this to a landline (**62*01xxxxxxxxx) you'd get a number unobtainable tone if someone tried to ring you and your phone was off. You can check this by dialing *#62#.

Hope this helps.
It'd be so much easier if plusnet simply allowed you to turn off diverts like every other mobile phone company.

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Two identical posts released from Spam Filter and one of them subsequently removed.