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Telecoms is a complex business involving the coordinated
operation of more than one network for any one call, and many
pieces of equipment. Faults happen, no matter how good the
component parts of the connection may be. Customers are advised to
develop some "first-aid" skills, in order to facilitate the
handling and speedy correction of faults. Once diagnosed as a
fault, it is similarly important that the exact symptoms are
reported.
Self Diagnosis - Line or Network ?
If callers can dial in, it is probably not a
line fault. If there is no dial tone, yet callers can dial in,
it is probably nonetheless a line fault.
If, when you dial out, the call does not connect, or you receive
an engaged tone, it is likely to be a network fault. If you
consistently receive a message to the effect of "you are not a
registered customer", your number will probably not have been
provisioned on the switch.
Line Faults Reporting
If you determine it is a line fault, we advise you to perform a
"clean line test" before reporting it. This should clearly
eliminate faulty equipment on your site as the cause of the
problem. In the VAST MAJORITY of cases faulty equipment on the
customer's site is found to be the cause. If the fault handling
progresses as far as calling out a BT engineer and the fault is
then found to be in your equipment, on your side of the BT network
terminating point, there is a real chance you will be charged !
To perform the Clean Line Test: unplug ALL equipment from the line
including computers, etc. Then plug in a reliable corded
handset, and see if the problem persists (many problems are traced
to cordless handsets). If it does, you can report it as a line
fault. If the line proves clear, then plug all your devices back
in, one by one, testing with each new addition. You will probably
then readily identify the device that is causing the problem.
If your lines are with us, you will find on your recent invoice
a helpline number. This is for use ONLY in cases of line
fault. It will be either 0800 026 0090 or 0800 026 1550
depending upon the carrier with which we placed your line. If your
lines are not with us (and even though your calls might be) you
should report line faults to BT by dialling 154.
Line Services Fault Reporting
In some instances when a line is transferred to us, a service
like call diversion might not work as it did previously. Line
rental transfers are done strictly on a like-for-like basis, so all
existing services should come over unaffected, and indeed the vast
majority do. In some instances PIN numbers or other existing
settings can be reset in the transfer process. In the event of any
difficulty please refer to the Line Rental section of this site
where the most common services are detailed. If the fault persists,
we will need you to report exactly what happens as you follow those
procedures through. Please click this
link to see information about Line Services, or use the search
facility to locate the page.
Network Faults Reporting
The most common instances of network faults are very transitory
in nature. They can be caused by congestion in the inter-connect
between BT and the switches of our carriers, or a variety of other
random effects. In such instances customers are advised to prefix
their calls with 1280 (to go to BT), or one of our other network
codes, in order to change the network routing.
In most cases the fault will not persist, but if it does, please
report it to us on 0800 980 5090. We will ask the carrier to
investigate, but in such cases they will need one or two examples
of recent calls that failed, that is number dialled, the time the
call was made and from what number, and the exact result
experienced. The carriers treat such matters seriously, and you can
be sure the fault will be properly investigated, even to the extent
of changing their routing permanently if required.
In cases of difficulty in dialling out, a message to the effect
that "you are not a registered customer" indicates a provisioning
omission by the carrier or ourselves, and we can correct that
quickly if you call us on 0800 980 5090. | 