Voicemail "OFF"

[#1]

Voicemail is a bit like marmite. I don't like it for a number of reasons. Mainly it allows companies and individuals to put the emphasis on you to get in touch with them, if they can't leave a message it neuters their ability to do that and they'll usually try again later if it's important without me needing to do anything.

...so as Plusnet does not have the ability to disable it through the phone's menus/USSD code I called them to disable it. Which apparently it would within 2 hours.

However, querying the status of the divert (which is all voicemail is) through the phone menu, it still shows as being diverted to +447870020555. I got in touch and it is showing as "red" on the agent's screen, so as far as Plusnet are concerned it is "switched off" (not in the traditional sense).

The agent gave me a call and after the default amount of rings (about 8 or so) he got cut off. The divert is obviously still in place, just the voicemail is not kicking in. This seems like a massive bodge to me and has a number of implications:

1) It restricts the amount of time I have to answer an incoming call to 8 rings.

2) To the caller it may sound as if I have rejected the call if not answered in time.

3) Callers without inclusive minutes or on PAYG will get charged to hear a dead line.

Could someone confirm if my points are true? If they are Plusnet need to talk to EE about getting this implemented properly (i.e. the divert properly cancelled or being able to be done by the user via the phone's menus). At the bare minimum I think my point 3 goes against OFCOM regulations.

[#2]

Oooh! Now we've got your phone number we'll be able to call you and leave funny voice mails... Oh no wait...

[#3]

Yeah you'll be able to leave everyone a voicemail with that. It will be like a global mailing list plusnet voicemail spam fest 🙂

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Full quote of preceding post removed as per Forum rules.

[#4]

Tried an old PAYG SIM with credit on and none was deducted so point 3 was wrong.

I was also wrong about point 1. You get 7 rings before the call gets "busied" by the network. I still think this is way too short and is a bodge. A good way of making you use up your minutes calling people back because you don't answer in time though.

Point 2 still stands, your callers may think you've rejected the call if you don't answer in time as they get a busy tone (3 short beeps) after 7 rings (which is the same as pressing the red button/handset down/reject call key).

[#5]

Hi @RM1, sorry to hear you feel like your ring time is not long enough, you can always drop us a Private Message about this and we can look into getting the ring time extended for you. 

[#6]

I will contact CS directly as they'll need to do account verification and I'd rather do that direct than via PM.

However, what phrase/questoin should I ask so that it rings a bell (geddit?!):

e.g. "Please can you increase the amount of rings before the network cuts off my incoming call?"

I'm reluctant to mention the word voicemail, as the current situation is better for me than having it switched back on.

[#7]

Voicemail is the reason I moved my Granddaughter over to PN from ID mobile because she had 250 minutes call allowance and half of this allowance was going down the drain because of the minimum charge of one minute.

Interesting to hear that this maybe against the law because it’s going on and all if not most of the networks have VM turned on by default with no easy way to turn it off so it’s too their benefit as their making a nice little earner out of the compulsory charges.

At least with PN you only lose a few seconds while with most PAYG networks it cost a minute at your network rate or on a 30 day sims you lose a minute or if you’re really, really lucky, 30 seconds.

Something else Ofcom need to an investigation into if they’re not too busy.

Sorry for the edit, just correcting spelling.

[#8]

@RM1

have plusnet fixed this yet for you? how can you get them to make it so it rings constantly and not cut off...tried getting them to do this over live chat and they lied and said it was done....still isn't...

[#9]

So, presumably the longer the ringtone music you chose the longer you get to answer the phone?

For example 7 times a simple 'beep' is going to be shorter than 7 times some of the longer tones that are available?

[#10]

@Leki

I did as @Anonymous alluded to earlier in this thread; contacted live chat and they said it is not possible.

It is a PITA as people are now thinking I am "busying" their calls when it is just the network doing it (it is a massive bodge IMO and more than likely contrary to the GSM spec).

Voicemail should be able to be properly disabled via your phone's menu or a USSD (x#) code, but I can't imagine this is on the agenda to be rectified.

[#11]

@RM1

Thanks for letting me know, looks like i'll be leaving plusnet very soon then and also not porting the rest of my family over then if they can't do basic things on the plusnet service....

[#12]

Well I can understand why you are doing that. For me this "feature" is the most disappointing thing about my move to plusnet.

[#13]

Hi @RM1, 

We can extended a customers ring time to 30 seconds. I do apologise if you've been wrongly advised. If you'd like to drop me a PM I can arrange a call back for you. 

[#14]

@Anonymous

Can it be made to ring non stop....or at least say 3 minutes?

[#15]

No, sorry @Leki. 

The longest ring time we can set it too is 30 seconds.