topic Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed in Home Phone

home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Martina2B — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 18:18:42 GMT

Two months ago our landline stopped ringing when there was an incoming call, which I first noticed on 14 Jan and which I first reported to Talktalk on 27 January. Incoming calls reach the line but no ringing signal is generated. If the handset is lifted during the call the call connects normally.

I have had a number of webchats, conducted 17 calls with Lapwing, had visits by one Talktalk engineer and two Openreach engineers, several appointments with customer assistants from Lapwing who wanted to carry out the same tests they had already done numerous times and which involved me being at home, only for them not to call me, and yesterday, an Openreach engineer finally diagnosed the problem, which was with Talktalk hardware in the exchange, a few hours later I received a message that it was all fixed, your customer service agent Brian, who says he is my dedicated agent, phoned to make an appointment for 5pm to discuss the findings and do another line test with me at home, and then, as I am becoming used to, did not phone. Nor did he get in touch today. I have spent at least three occasions where I waited in vain at home for an engineer to phone me.

My case has dropped off the radar multiple times and I simply cannot sit through another call with a call centre assistant starting from scratch having to go through all the useless tests. The reason this keeps being dropped is because the faut is with Talktalk equipment at the exchange, which means Talktalk needs to take it up and they close it down over and over again.

Openreach have already confirmed the physical line is working and indicated the fault lies with TalkTalk exchange equipment. Please move the line to a different exchange port or escalate to the relevant exchange engineering team.

Given that this fault has been going on for two months and prevents incoming calls from ringing, the landline service is effectively unusable. If this matter is not resolved urgently I will pursue the complaint through Alternative Dispute Resolution with Ombudsman Services: Communications and will also report the matter to Ofcom as a failure to provide a functioning telephone service.

I have been told this is a common problem caused by failure of the port or line card inside TalkTalk's equipment at the exchange. Please move our line to a different port, reset the voice card, or reprovision the service.

I will definitely pursue compensation and will appreciate assistance directing me to the right department to contact.

Looking forward to a swift solution.

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Gliwmaeden2 — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 21:04:10 GMT

Staff will respond during the day, @Martina2B.

They are on here Monday to Friday, c 7am to 5pm.

It probably won't count for automatic compensation as calls actually still could be made, so didn't count as a "complete loss of service": take a look here:

https://help-centre.talktalk.co.uk/Billing_and_Payments/Check_my_bills_and_usage/About_your_auto_compensation_credit

You might be better following up through the Complaints process - there's a link at the bottom of any Talktalk page, which gives you some clarity about timescales and the right body to contact if it's not sorted out.

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

ferguson — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 21:35:50 GMT

@Martina2B

You may not be entitled to automatic compensation for the reasons already mentioned, but given what Openreach have found I would be surprised if TalkTalk did not offer you some form of redress.

I do hope that all the calls you were promised were not directed to the line which you said was not receiving incoming calls.

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Mandisa-TT — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 07:01:28 GMT

Thank you @ferguson for your support

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Mandisa-TT — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 08:11:43 GMT

Hi @Martina2B

Thank you for taking the time to outline everything you have experienced over the past two months. I’m very sorry for the ongoing issues with your landline service, and for the repeated inconvenience caused by missed calls, repeated testing, and delays in resolving the fault. This is far below the level of service you should expect, and I appreciate your patience while this has been ongoing.

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Mandisa-TT — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 08:29:05 GMT

I have checked your account and I can confirm that your case is currently with the SMC (Service Management Centre). I have escalated this to my manager, who will escalate it back to SMC on your behalf. This will ensure the right team continues to handle your fault directly and will be able to contact you with the necessary updates.
I’ve also sent you a private message with the link explaining the full complaints process, should you wish to pursue that option.

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Martina2B — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 08:30:52 GMT

Hi Mandisa,

Apart from the issue of compensation, what I really really need is for the problem to be fixed. I am truly at the end of my tether with 17 phone calls lasting between 30 to 60 minutes each, and the case constantly being dropped. The Open Reach engineer assured me it was easy to fix, but Talktalk has yet again dropped it. Please escalate this or tell me how to fix this once and for all.

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Mandisa-TT — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 08:35:04 GMT

@Martina2B

I completely understand how exhausting and frustrating this entire experience has been for you. After so many long calls, repeated tests and the fault being dropped multiple times, you absolutely should not still be dealing with this. I’m really sorry that this has continued for so long.

I want to reassure you that your case is currently with the SMC (Service Management Centre), which is the team that can take direct action on faults like this. My manager has escalated to SMC with priority, so the issue is not closed or overlooked again.

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Martina2B — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 08:38:43 GMT

Thanks for your replies. What I really need is for the issue to be fixed. The Openreach engineer this week tells me it is very straightforward but somehow Talktalk yet again can't fix it and has dropped it. I tried reporting it by answering their most recent message, but the rigmarole of chat bots and endless descriptions of what seems to be the problem, plus irrelevant line tests now causes me to break out in a sweat. I have an elderly husband who relies on the landline. The fact that nobody can reach him except by email is ridiculous. By now I estimate that, with 17 phone calls lasting between 30 minutes to an hour plus three mornings/afternoons waiting at home for phonecalls that didn't get made, as well as endless "chats", I must have spent a good 30+ hours on this.

Pleas sort this for me!

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Mandisa-TT — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 08:42:56 GMT

I completely understand how urgent this is, particularly due to your husband's reliance on the landline. I am making sure this stays with the right team so we can get your service fully restored as quickly as possible.

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Martina2B — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 08:55:46 GMT

Thanks for escalating this. You say the issue is with MSMT, will they reopen this without needing to speak to me again or can I expect to start a new process again with a phone call from them?

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Mandisa-TT — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 08:59:06 GMT

At this stage, the case is fully with the SMC team. While I’m unable to say exactly what their next steps will be, I can confirm that they will contact you directly if they need anything further or when they update you on the progress of the fault.

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Mandisa-TT — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:10:01 GMT

You have mention that your husband relies on the landline. I’ve checked your account, and at the moment there is no accessibility or health‑related flag applied. If there are any health issues, mobility concerns, age‑related needs or anything that means your household depends on the landline for wellbeing or safety, we can add this information securely to your account.

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Martina2B — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:23:07 GMT

I have mentioned this to several assistants on the phone calls, but so long as there are no life saving alarms etc connected, it is impossible to add this to the account. The fact that someone who may be in good health but is elderly and may need to wait for gp's call-backs and is unable to do so for two months is not a priority is not satisfactory. I am out regularly and am the only person in the household with a mobile phone. I also need to be able to contact him, but this is clearly not a priority.

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Mandisa-TT — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:28:17 GMT

@Martina2B

You’re right that our accessibility team can only apply a Priority Fault Repair flag in situations where there is a critical medical dependency such as medical alarms, telecare equipment or life‑saving devices connected to the landline. That’s why previous advisors weren’t able to add that specific category.

However, that doesn’t mean your situation isn’t important.

Being the main carer, being the only person with a mobile, needing to reach your husband, and needing him to receive GP call‑backs are all completely valid concerns. Even though they don’t meet the strict criteria for a medical priority flag, they absolutely matter, and I’m sorry this has left you feeling unsupported.

To reassure you — the SMC team have now responded to the escalation and have advised they will be calling you today with an update on the progress of your fault.

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Martina2B — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:30:00 GMT

Thanks for that Mandisa,

Just doublechecking that right now I don't need to do anything and will just wait to see what they will do to rectify the issue?

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Martina2B — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:31:24 GMT

Great, thank you!

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Mandisa-TT — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:31:38 GMT

Yes, that is correct, they will be able to advise of the next step with getting your issue resolve.

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Martina2B — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:36:11 GMT

Thank you, I would very much like to have us listed as a priority due to safety and wellbeing issues related to his and reliance on me as the main carer.

Re: home phone fault ongoing for two months,fault found but still not fixed

Mandisa-TT — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:38:28 GMT

I understand.