Have you ever tried to report a landline fault in the UK?

[Emulator]

What, more than I already have?

 

[CakeHole]

Potentially yes, all the way from billing issues, to your new number not being recognised on databases if you ever decide to change broadband or phone supplier.

The worst thing that can happen if records to reflect the number change are not updated is that number gets issued to another party at some point, by another provider.

If that happens Its right fun and games getting that fixed because you will effectively have two ports in the exchange assigned the same number with no record to show who should have what number or what pair (the bit of wire that goes from you back to the exchange) the number is connected to....

To put that in easier terms.... just try to picture a large exchange with 30,000 connections and somewhere in among them is your connection with no record of where you are connected in the exchange. Then imagine even if they find the line by chance in all those how they would know if it is the pair which is connected to you of if it is connected to another person. (remember there would be no record).

Becomes even worse if 2 providers are involved because then you are at the mercy of them deciding on who should have what and a third party (IEOpenreach) to fix it, and thats assuming they all even bother to communicate properly with each other.

Ive seen this happen years ago to a person that had a LLU O2 connection (they are now out of the landline broadband market thank christ). The only way they ended up getting it fixed was to cease service, see they had to register the address as not connected and then the person moved back to BT, having to pay £100+ for a new connection and again obviously another new number. A further 2 month wait after that for databases to be fully updated with the new number and broadband allocation on the line possible, again as a new subscription complete with install charge even though technically they had broadband in the first place and it should had been a free migration via MAC which obviously O2 could not issue as they had no record of the number they provided.


PPS...... Have you tried dialing your OLD number on your NEW number to see if anything happens? It would be interesting to see if its a number still in use elsewhere.

 

[Emulator]

Yes, it gives a ring tone but no one answers---yet!

The provider does not accept what has happened, looks at his system checkout screen and decides to refer it to engineering, who refer it back as solved. This has been repeated about 5 times. Now talking about an earth fault.

You loose patience with them, which doesn't help.

I must try to find a contact in TalkTalk who can knock a few heads together.

 

[CakeHole]

Your old number still exists if it rings and has to be active somewhere for it to ring.

It is NOT an Earth fault you have, it may had been at one stage at the start of your problems but the issue now they have changed the line is something else entirely (earthing fault normally results in phone not ringing, unable to make/receive calls or line just being intermittent basically what you had when you had your OLD number).

If you have been keeping records (as i suggested from the start) it may be worth you emailing dido harding who i think is the Chief Executive of talk talk.

dido.harding@talktalkplc.com

even trying to get the email (google can work wonders) of many of this bunch may help...
http://www.talktalkgroup.com/investors/corporate-governance/board-of-directors/

Make it clear you are contacting them as support are unwilling to listen, be polite but make it clear you have contacted them as a last resort and feel without their help the problem is unlikely to be resolved and you may have to go to the ADR ombudsman.

Sit down one evening and plan out what you want to say, try to be as detailed as possible without writing an essay. It may or may not get you somewhere but is certainly worth a try.

 

[Emulator]

Your old number still exists if it rings and has to be active somewhere for it to ring.

It is NOT an Earth fault you have, it may had been at one stage at the start of your problems but the issue now they have changed the line is something else entirely (earthing fault normally results in phone not ringing, unable to make/receive calls or line just being intermittent basically what you had when you had your OLD number).

If you have been keeping records (as i suggested from the start) it may be worth you emailing dido harding who i think is the Chief Executive of talk talk.

dido.harding@talktalkplc.com

even trying to get the email (google can work wonders) of many of this bunch may help...
http://www.talktalkgroup.com/investors/corporate-governance/board-of-directors/

Make it clear you are contacting them as support are unwilling to listen, be polite but make it clear you have contacted them as a last resort and feel without their help the problem is unlikely to be resolved and you may have to go to the ADR ombudsman.

Sit down one evening and plan out what you want to say, try to be as detailed as possible without writing an essay. It may or may not get you somewhere but is certainly worth a try.

Yes I will.

Take a look at these http://www.broadband.co.uk/broadband/providers/talktalk/reviews/page:all/ , some way down the list (2014-07-03) is an identical situation to mine!

 

[The Hat]

My heart goes out to you Ian and your problems, but I would think it’s time to check out another telecom provider because TalkTalk are just not doing the business for you..

 

[CakeHole]

Yes I will.

Take a look at these http://www.broadband.co.uk/broadband/providers/talktalk/reviews/page:all/ , some way down the list (2014-07-03) is an identical situation to mine!

If you have not already i would advise you demand an Openreach (NOT talk talk) engineer is sent out. Do not be fobbed off with having to wait a stupid amount of days either, most BT Openreach appointments are sent out within 5 days. Have copies (print them out if you can) of previous bills with your old number displayed on them.

I guarantee they have not updated records to reflect the number change and Openreach will realise this as soon as they visit your property, attach an oscilloscope to the line and go back to the exchange to trace the tone from it.

Be prepared for Talk Talk to try to charge you for this visit by claiming no fault was found. Ask the engineer upon the visit for a copy of the report. This will be your proof there was a fault. Any charge they then attempt to make for the engineer visit you can refer straight to the ADR. Who i guarantee if you can prove there is/was a problem with the line will rule in your favour.

Id also personally advise once you have your old number back and things are working fine that if you are out of contract you change provider. Even if you have to go back to BT and pay £150 for a new connection and number. The important thing is to get the line working first and records that indicate your number and what line it is clear. Without it being fixed first you wil just drag the problem to whatever new provider you go to.

Good Luck....

 

[Emulator]

My dwindling optimism has at last been rewarded. This morning (Sunday) the phone line went dead and I thought good, something is happening (the optimist).

Two hours later the phone rang and a very pleasant BT Open Reach engineer rang me to explain that there had been damage in the town and 400 lines had been interrupted and explained that someone had reconnected me to an incorrect line. This had been put right and all was now working including broadband.

This I found was true with the exception of the broadband which allows the router to connect but does not reach the server, so presumably TalkTalk have disconnected the server from my original line.

Hopefully I can get TalkTalk to fix that.

 

[PeterBJ]

I guess the damage was caused by a JCB (well known British made excavator) and not by lightening?

 

[Emulator]

But it happened at 0420 in the night! Shoudn't be any JCBs about at that time.